Subsurface ablation of atherosclerotic plaque using ultrafast laser pulses.

Thomas Lanvin,Marie-Noelle Giraud,Donald B Conkey,Jean-Jacques Goy,Stéphane Cook,Jeremy Valentin,Aurelien Frobert,Demetri Psaltis

doi:10.1364/boe.6.002552

Abstract

We perform subsurface ablation of atherosclerotic plaque using ultrafast pulses. Excised mouse aortas containing atherosclerotic plaque were ablated with ultrafast near-infrared (NIR) laser pulses. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to observe the ablation result, while the physical damage was inspected in histological sections. We characterize the effects of incident pulse energy on surface damage, ablation hole size, and filament propagation. We find that it is possible to ablate plaque just below the surface without causing surface damage, which motivates further investigation of ultrafast ablation for subsurface atherosclerotic plaque removal.

Highlights

Each year more than 7 million people die from coronary heart disease (CHD), making it the most common cause of death worldwide [1]
The apolipoprotein E (ApoE) knock-out (ApoE-KO) mice developed atherosclerotic plaques, in the ascending aorta and the aortic arch when fed with a lipid-rich diet
We have presented the initial steps towards the use of ultrafast ablation for atherosclerotic plaque treatment

Summary

Introduction

Each year more than 7 million people die from coronary heart disease (CHD), making it the most common cause of death worldwide [1]. The first attempts to remove atherosclerotic plaque with laser ablation date back to the 1970s These initial experiments relied on thermal effects produced by the linear absorption of a continuous wave (CW) laser beam [4]. The ablation charred surrounding tissue which complicated healing with restenosis (re-narrowing of the artery) [5] These results led to the abandonment of CW laser use for atherectomy, and the initiation of research with pulsed lasers in the mid-1980s [6,7]. The shorter pulse duration mitigates long range thermal effects, these lasers rely on linear absorption and were not fit for subsurface ablation [8] Their use is limited to the extremities of the body where plaque rupture is less life threatening [7]

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion