Papers & Publications

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Neurosurgery & Spine: Peer-reviewed clinical papers

Aura of technology and the cutting edge: a history of lasers in neurosurgery
Benefiting from the most recent developments in materials science, current CO2 laser delivery systems provide a useful addition to the neurosurgical armaentarium when applied in the correct circumstances and reflect the important historical advances that come about from the interplay between neurosurgery and technology.
A new fiber-mediated carbon dioxide laser faciliates pediatric spinal cord detethering
Using a flexible fiber to conduct CO2 laser energy allows accurate microneurosurgical dissection and renders this instrument a high-precision and ergonomic surgical tool in the setting of spinal cord dethering.
Application of a flexible CO2 laser fiber for neurosurgery: laser-tissue interactions

Head & Neck: Peer-reviewed clinical papers

Solares CA, Strome M. Transoral Robot-Assisted CO2 Laser Supraglottic Laryngectomy: Experimental and Clinical Data. Laryngoscope. 2007; 117:817–820
Transoral CO2 laser surgery for selected supraglottic tumors results in improved postoperative function and decreased morbidity, with comparable survival to open surgery. Recently, robot-assisted techniques have been reported for the management of supraglottic lesions.
Holsinger FC, Weber RS. Swing of the surgical pendulum: a return to surgery for treatment of head and neck cancer in the 21st century? Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2007;69(2 Suppl):S129-31
Treatment for head and neck cancer has evolved significantly during the past 100 years. Beginning with Bilroth's total laryngectomy on New Year's Day in 1873, "radical" surgery remained the only accepted treatment for head and neck cancer when optimal local and regional control was the goal.
Holsinger FC et al. Use of the Photonic Band Gap Fiber Assembly CO2 Laser System in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology. Laryngoscope. 2006 Jul;116(7):1288-90
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030-4009, USA.
Devaiah A et al. Surgical Utility of a New Carbon Dioxide Laser Fiber: Functional and Histological Study, Laryngoscope. 2005; 115:1463–1468
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The objective was to investigate the functional and histological properties of surgical procedures using a new carbon dioxide (CO2) laser fiber. STUDY DESIGN: In vitro and in vivo animal models.
Zeitels SM et al. Carbon dioxide laser fiber for laryngeal cancer surgery, Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2006 Jul;115(7):535-41
OBJECTIVES: The carbon dioxide laser has evolved to be the premier dissecting instrument for hemostatic cutting during endolaryngeal cancer resection. However, dissection is limited to mirror-reflected line-of-sight delivery of the laser.

Otology: Peer-reviewed clinical papers

Lesinski SG, Giesken K. Optical Fiber for CO2 Laser Otosclerosis Surgery, Otolaryngol Head & Neck Surg. 2008;139(2 Suppl 1):57
To determine the safety and efficacy of new handheld optical fibers for CO2 laser stapedotomy and stapedectomy revision. Advantages of the new CO2 optic fibers are: convenience, reliability and precision. Disadvantages are: special adaptor required for laser console, limited spot size and cost. Omniguides' handheld optic fibers introduce a safe, effective, and precise delivery system for CO2 laser otosclerosis surgery.
Moss JR, Kaylie DM. Use of OmniGuide CO2 Laser Fiber in Otologic Surgery. Triologic Society (Southern Section) 2008 Poster (1.22 MB)

Pulmonology: Peer-reviewed clinical papers

Bueno R et al. Flexible Delivery of Carbon Dioxide Lasers through the OmniGuide Photonic Bandgap Fiber for Treatment of Airway Obstruction: Safety and Feasibility Study. CHEST: Late-Breaking Science. 2005; 128 (Suppl 4): 497S
To investigate the safety and feasibility of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) laser transmission through the OmniGuide Photonic Bandgap Fiber (OPBF) for treatment of airway obstruction.
Feller-Kopman, DJ et al. Detection of Gas Emboli in Bronchoscopic Ablation Therapy Performed under Zero Flow and Low Flow Conditions: A Qualitative Comparative Animal Study. CHEST: 2007; 132, 4: 425S
We sought to (1) determine whether bronchoscopic ablation therapy results in systemic gas emboli and to (2) correlate their presence with the rate of gas flow used in conjunction with endobronchial/tracheal thermal ablation with Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) or a fiber delivering CO2 laser power.

Peer-Reviewed Technical Publications

Temelkuran B et al. Wavelength-scalable hollow optical fibres with large photonic bandgaps for CO2 laser transmission. Nature. 2002;420:650-653
Conventional solid-core optical fibres require highly transparent materials. Such materials have been difficult to identify owing to the fundamental limitations associated with the propagation of light through solids, such as absorption, scattering and nonlinear effects.
Ibanescu M et al. An All-Dielectric Coaxial Waveguide. Science. 2000;289(5478):415-419
An all-dielectric coaxial waveguide that can overcome problems of polarization rotation and pulse broadening in the transmission of optical light is presented here.
Fink Y et al. Guiding optical light in air using an all-dielectric structure. J of Lightwave Technology. 1999; 17: 2039-2041
The emergence of a dielectric omnidirectional multilayer structure opens new opportunities for low loss broad-band guiding of light in air.
Fink Y et al. A Dielectric Omnidirectional Reflector. Science. 1998;282(5394): 1679 - 1682
A design criterion that permits truly omnidirectional reflectivity for all polarizations of incident light over a wide selectable range of frequencies was used in fabricating an all-dielectric omnidirectional reflector consisting of multilayer films.
Shurgalin M, Anastassiou C. A new modality for minimally invasive CO2 laser surgery: flexible hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers. Biomed Instrum Technol. 2008 Jul-Aug;42(4):318-25
Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers have become one of the most common surgical lasers due to excellent tissue interaction properties that offer precise control of cutting and ablation depth, minimal thermal damage to surrounding tissue, and good hemostasis.

Other Publications

More than Smoke and Mirrors: Expanding Technology and Use of Lasers in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. ENT Today. 2007; 2:4
Long used in a number of medical specialties, lasers offer a minimally invasive way to treat a variety of benign and malignant conditions. Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery is one of the first areas of surgery to successfully employ a number of types of lasers for medical and cosmetic purposes.
2. Anastassiou C et al, Fibers Deliver CO2 Laser Beams for Medical Applications. Photonics Spectra. March 2004
Already capable of delivering tens of watts, a novel optical fiber offers the possibility of minimally invasive surgery using CO2 lasers.
Dellemann G et al. Perfect Mirrors Extend Hollow-Core Fiber Applications. Photonics Spectra. June 2003
Low-loss waveguides based on omnidirectional mirrors can transport light of almost any wavelength. One potential use is fiber optic beam delivery of CO2 laser light.