Full Description
The Nd:YAG laser has finally become the multidisciplinary and muitispeciaity tool of the 1980s. Primarily developed for gastrointestinal applications for controlling bleeding, at present it is also used for endoscopic treatment of gastrointestinal tumors, endobronchial cancer, and bladder and gynecological lesions and finding applications in otorhinolaryngology and neurosurgery. De- velopment of laser scalpels and focusing head-pieces has now allowed the Nd:YAG laser to be used for open surgical procedures in general and plastic surgery, head and neck surgery, urology, gynecology, dermatology, and neu- rosurgery. The rapid development in ceramic technology has led to contact surgery allowing physicians a choice of excision, vaporization, coagulation, incision, or combinations thereof by easily changing probes rather than having to select new laser wavelengths. This technology is rapidly replacing the carbon dioxide laser which currently has no adequate flexible waveguide for fiberoptic en- doscopy, cannot be used in a water medium (e.g., bladder), and has poor coagulation properties when compared to the Nd:YAG laser.
Future developments may see the Nd:YAG laser even replacing electro- cautery in the operating room due to its greater safety and efficacy. Local hyperthermia (laserthermia) with computer control, photodynamic therapy, and ophthalmic applications make the Nd:YAG laser the most exciting tech- nological advancement in medicine and surgery for the 1980s.
Contents
1 Recent Advances in Laser Medicine and Surgery in Japan.- 2 A Brief History of the Nd:YAG Laser.- 3 Noncontact Delivery Systems and Accessories for the Application of the Nd:YAG Laser in Endoscopy and Surgery.- 4 Contact Delivery Systems and Accessories.- 5 Clinical Applications in Gastrointestinal Bleeding.- 6 Laser Treatment for Advanced or Recurrent Cancer of the Gastrointestinal Tract.- 7 Videoendoscopy.- 8 Endoscopic Laser Therapy of Carcinoma of the Esophagus and Gastric Cardia.- 9 Endoscopic Laser Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer in Japan: Update.- 10 New Modalities of Contact Nd:YAG Laser Endoscopy for General Application in the Gastrointestinal Tract.- 11 Contact Nd:YAG Laser Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer.- 12 Use of Lasers in Nonbleeding Gastrointestinal Lesions: A European Experience.- 13 Nd:YAG Laser Therapy for Intractable Gastric Ulcer.- 14 Use of the Nd:YAG Laser in Cholangioscopic Surgery.- 15 Nd:YAG Laser Treatment of Bladder Tumors.- 16 Contact Laser Treatment for Bladder Cancer.- 17 Endoscopic Nd:YAG Laser Treatment in Airway Lesions.- 18 Developments in Bronchoscopic Nd:YAG Laser Resection.- 19 Neurosurgical Applications of Laser Technology.- 20 The Use of Contact Lasers (Nd:YAG and Argon) in Neurosurgery: Clinical and Experimental Data.- 21 Fiberoptic Laser Endoscopy in Neurosurgery.- 22 The Contact Nd:YAG Laser in Neurosurgery.- 23 Nd:YAG Laser Surgery: Overview of Applications.- 24 Applications of the Nd:YAG Laser in Otorhinolaryngology.- 25 Reconstructive Surgery for Head and Neck Tumors by Contact Nd:YAG Laser Technique.- 26 Laser Conization of the Uterine Cervix.- 27 Endometrial Ablation.- 28 Nd:YAG Laser Applications in Gynecology.- 29 Clinical Application of Nd:YAG Laser in Dermatology and Plastic Surgery.- 30 Study ofthe Benefits of the Nd:YAG Laser in Plastic Surgery.- 31 Prevention of Dental Caries and Treatment of Early Caries Using the Nd:YAG Laser.- 32 Laser Therapy in Dental and Oral Surgery.- 33 Laser Hemorrhoidectomy.- 34 Splenic Resection with the SLT Contact Nd:YAG Laser System©: A Comparison of Contact Nd:YAG with the CO2 Laser.- 35 Liver and Pancreatic Laser Surgery.- 36 Contact Laser Applications in Ophthalmology.- 37 The Short-Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser in Ophthalmology: A Review of Current Clinical Techniques.- 38 General Anesthesia for Nd:YAG Laser Surgery.- 39 The Variable-Function Fiberoptic Laser Apparatus Using Nd:YAG and Carbon Monoxide Lasers.- 40 Computer-Controlled Contact Nd:YAD Laser System for Interstitial Local Hyperthermia.- 41 Safety Procedures for Nd:YAG Laser Surgery.- 42 Tissue Interactions of Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide Lasers.- 43 Tissue Interactions of Nd:YAG Lasers.- 44 Setting Up Ambulatory Laser Centers.- 45 The Laser Industry: Present and Future.
