Molecules such as water,proteins and lipids that are contained in biological tissue absorb mid-infrared(MR)light,which allows such light to be used in laser surgical treatment.Esters,amides and water exhibit strong ab...Molecules such as water,proteins and lipids that are contained in biological tissue absorb mid-infrared(MR)light,which allows such light to be used in laser surgical treatment.Esters,amides and water exhibit strong absorption bands in the 5-7μm wavelength range,but at present there are no lasers in clinical use that can emit in this range.Therefore,the present study focused on thequantum cascade laser(QCL),which is a new type of semiconductor laser that can emit at MIRwavelengths and has recentiy achieved high output power.A high-power QCL with a peakwavelength of 5.7μm was evaluated for use as a laser scalpel for ablating biological soft tissue.The interaction of the laser beam with chicken breast tissue was compared to a conventional CO_(2) laser,based on surface and cross-sectional images.The QCL was found to have sufficient power to ablate soft tissue,and its coagulation,carbonization and ablation effects were similar to those forthe CO_(2) laser.The QCL also induced comparable photothermal effects because it acted as apseudo-continuous wave laser due to its low peak power.A QCL can therefore be used as an effective laser scalpel,and also offers the possibility of less invasive treatment by targeting specificabsorption bands in t he MIR region.展开更多
基金supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 24241209.
文摘Molecules such as water,proteins and lipids that are contained in biological tissue absorb mid-infrared(MR)light,which allows such light to be used in laser surgical treatment.Esters,amides and water exhibit strong absorption bands in the 5-7μm wavelength range,but at present there are no lasers in clinical use that can emit in this range.Therefore,the present study focused on thequantum cascade laser(QCL),which is a new type of semiconductor laser that can emit at MIRwavelengths and has recentiy achieved high output power.A high-power QCL with a peakwavelength of 5.7μm was evaluated for use as a laser scalpel for ablating biological soft tissue.The interaction of the laser beam with chicken breast tissue was compared to a conventional CO_(2) laser,based on surface and cross-sectional images.The QCL was found to have sufficient power to ablate soft tissue,and its coagulation,carbonization and ablation effects were similar to those forthe CO_(2) laser.The QCL also induced comparable photothermal effects because it acted as apseudo-continuous wave laser due to its low peak power.A QCL can therefore be used as an effective laser scalpel,and also offers the possibility of less invasive treatment by targeting specificabsorption bands in t he MIR region.
