Fiber Laser For Myringotomy And Middle-Ear Surgery

描述(由申请人提供)：拟议的第二阶段计划的目标是设计、制造和演示用于鼓膜切开术和中耳手术的4W、2712 nm光纤激光器。该波长接近水吸收光谱中的最大值，从而降低了对激光功率的需求。目前的鼓膜切开术和中耳手术一般都需要使用手术刀。一些鼓膜切开术和中耳手术使用二氧化碳或各种固体激光，但这些激光体积大、价格高，而且很少使用。脉冲激光会导致声学爆炸，吓到儿童，并阻止进一步使用。第一阶段成功展示了一种1W、连续波、2712 nm的光纤激光器，能够在各种鸡肉和牛肉组织中烧毁直径小于毫米的圆形小孔。第二阶段的目标是扩大目前氟化物光纤激光器的尺寸，设计和应用用于反射率控制和光纤材料钝化的光纤端面涂层，并制造和演示用于鼓膜切开术和中耳手术应用的这种激光器的操作。将测试光纤激光器在各种组织中钻清洁孔的效率。第二年将使用动物模型来确定激光对生物的疗效。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of the Proposed Phase II program is to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a 4 W, 2712 nm fiber laser for use in myringotomy and middle ear surgery. This wavelength is near a maximum in the water absorption spectrum, thereby reducing the laser power requirement. Current myringotomy and middle-ear surgery generally involves the use of a scalpel. Some myringotomy and middle-ear procedures utilize CO2, or various solid-state lasers, but these lasers are large, expensive, and sparsely used. Pulsed lasers result in acoustic pops, frightening children and precluding further usage. Phase I successfully demonstrated a 1 W, continuous wave, 2712 nm fiber laser, capable of burning circular sub-mm diameter holes in a variety of chicken and beef tissue. The Phase II aims will be to scale up the current fluoride fiber laser dimensions, design and apply fiber optical end-coatings for reflectivity control and fiber material passivation, and to fabricate and demonstrate operation of this laser for myringotomy and middle ear surgery applications. Fiber laser efficacy in drilling clean holes into various types of tissue will be tested. Animal models will be used in the second year to determine laser efficacy on living organisms.