Laser Fenestration Research Articles

Transendoscopic laser treatment of guttural pouch tympanites in eight foals.

Guttural pouch tympanites was diagnosed in eight foals with respiratory stridor and tympanic swelling in the parotid region. Three foals were treated by transendoscopic neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser fenestration of the median septum between the guttural pouches. One foal died of pneumonia, and the other two foals recovered completely, although the fenestration later closed in one foal. Five foals were treated by creating a salpingopharyngeal fistula using transendoscopic laser irradiation; complete resolution of the tympanites occurred. Transendoscopic laser surgery in standing foals may be a reasonable alternative to conventional surgery and general anesthesia for correction of guttural pouch tympanites.

Carbon dioxide laser stapedotomy: A histopathologic study

The effect of carbon dioxide electromagnetic radiation on biological tissues is thermal. The heat generated from vaporization dissipates into the surrounding tissues and can produce alterations of structure and function. Carbon dioxide laser fenestrations were performed in the footplates of 11 cat ears. Morphologic changes included discoloration and reactive hemorrhage in the saccular wall and disruption of the saccular and utricular walls. The clinical consequences of these findings and the role of the carbon dioxide laser in laser stapedotomies for patients with otospongiosis remain unresolved.

Outpatient Laser Surgery for Otosclerosis

Surgery for otosclerosis can be managed as an outpatient procedure, according to Rodney Perkins, MD, Palo Alto, Calif. At the October 1985 meeting of the Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery in Atlanta, Dr Perkins described 56 patients with otosclerosis who had undergone laser stapedotomy on an outpatient basis. essential lack of vibratory trauma to the labyrinthine receptors attendant to laser fenestration of the stapes footplate is reflected in virtually no postoperative morbidity, Perkins reported. This minimalization of postoperative labyrinthine disturbance makes outpatient care possible and provides significant reduction in cost of care and time away from occupational activities, he added. The laser stapedotomy technique was developed by Dr Perkins at the California Ear Institute in Palo Alto in 1978. A visible wave-length laser is used to vaporize the stapes tendon and both crura. Then, a rosette of vaporization holes is created to form a footplate fenestra with a

Evidence for sound perception with the labyrinth.

A report is presented of experiments on guinea pigs and pigeons concerning behavioural and electrophysiological responses of the labyrinth to sound. In the guinea pigs the cochlea was destroyed on both sides by CO2 laser radiation and fenestration of the lateral semicircular canal was done. In the pigeons the cochlea was removed before fenestration. On account of the results obtained, fenestration of the lateral canal in patients with bilateral total cochlear loss can be considered as an alternative to monopolar cochlear implants.