Evaluation of the degree of wear and tear or the damage of the probes and laser fibers of various types of lasers
Article published in Urologia Polska 2007/60/4.

authors

Waldemar Różański, Leszek Klimek, Piotr Chłosta, Stanisław Stępień, Zbigniew Jabłonowski, Marek Lipiński, Marek Sosnowski: II Klinika Urologii Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Łodzi
Instytut Inżynierii Materiałowej Politechniki Łódzkiej
Oddział Urologii Świętokrzyskiego Centrum Onkologii w Kielcach
Kliniczny Oddział Urologii i Urologii Onkologicznej 10. Wojskowego Szpitala w Bydgoszczy
I Klinika Urologii Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Łodzi

keywords

urological lasers, the damage of the probe and laser fiber

summary

Introduction. All laser devices used in medicine have a common element. It is an optical fiber, conducting a beam of light from a generator to an organ. At the end of the fiber there is a special working attachment or a probe. These are the parts of the laser that can be partially or completely used up after a single procedure.

The aim of the study. The aim of the study was to evaluate the degree of wear and tear or the damage of the attachments of various types of lasers, after only one endoscopic urological procedure.

Material and methods. For the material we have used 15 probes and attachments to the optical fibers of the urological laser devices. We have evaluated the surfaces of the fibers of the following lasers: neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) in 7, potassium-titanyl-phosphate(KTP-GreenLight) in 4 and the thulium (RevoLix) in 2 after a single ablation of benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH) and the holmium:YAG (Omni-Pulse) in 2 after the lithotripsy of the ureteral stone in the urinary tract. The observation and the examination have been carried out using scanning electron microscope Hitachi S 3000N. For better assessment of the degree and depth of damage, we have carried out the horizontal cross sections of the mirrors of the Urolase® probes of the Nd:YAG laser that were immersed in resin.

Results. Having examined the probes and the fiber laser attachments we have observed the partial damage to the cover of the probe or the attachment to the fiber of the laser. These damages already appeared after a single procedure, regardless of the power used during the procedure. In the case of accidental contact of the probe Urolase® of the Nd:YAG laser with the tissue of the BPH there was the total distraction of the mirror reflecting the laser beam.

Conclusions. Using different types of lasers during urological procedures one should have in mind the wear and tear of the probe or the attachment of the fiber laser which conducts the light to the tissue of the treated organ. Because of the damages to the probes or the attachments after each single procedure one should consider the change to the properties of the laser beam, as well as the effectiveness of the laser. The use of technically proper probes and attachments is therefore of paramount importance.

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correspondence