PMID: 30814766Mar 1, 2019Paper

LASER PROBE WITH INTEGRATED CONTACT COOLING FOR SUBSURFACE TISSUE THERMAL REMODELING

Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences
Chun-Hung Chang, Nathaniel M Fried

Abstract

Over 6.5 million women in the United States suffer from female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Only ~200,000 women choose surgery. There may be a role for a non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure that provides thermal shrinkage/remodeling of submucosal collagen in the endopelvic fascia. This study describes design, characterization, and preliminary testing of a novel probe with integrated contact cooling for potential use in transvaginal laser treatment of SUI. Laser energy at a deeply penetrating, near-infrared wavelength of 1075 nm was delivered through a 600-μm-core fiber optic patchcord into a 90° side-firing probe head (19 × 22 mm) with integrated flow cell and sapphire window cooled to -2°C by circulating an alcohol-based solution. An inflatable balloon attached to the probe insured contact with vaginal wall. A force sensor and thermocouples monitored pressure and temperature. Thermal lesions were created in vaginal tissue of three cadavers (power = 4.6-6.4 W; spot diameter = 5.2 mm; time = 30 s). Thermal lesion areas measured 3.1-4.6 mm2, while preserving the vaginal wall to a depth of 0.8-1.1 mm. Consistent tissue contact and cooling was maintained using the force sensors. Preliminary cadaver studies demonstrated...Continue Reading

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