Acute and chronic effects of bone ablation with a pulsed holmium laser

A pulsed holmium laser transmitted through a quartz fiber was used to create osteotomies in the facial bones and sinuses of rabbits. The ablation process was quantified and residual thermal injury was assessed by light microscopy. Adjacent thermal damage was determined to vary between 130 and 220 microns and was independent of radiant exposure and pulse repetition rate. In other studies, large osteotomies were made to examine the biological response and to assess the technical feasibility of using fiber-delivered laser pulses in an operative setting. The animals tolerated the procedure without obvious problems and postoperative follow-up revealed a vigorous healing response. Because it can ablate both bone and soft tissue and can be transmitted through readily available, flexible quartz fibers, the holmium laser may prove to be a useful adjunct to endoscopic sinus surgical procedures.