THE USE OF LASER BEAM IN UROLOGY

II: Disintegration of Extracted Urinary Calculi using Optical Waveguides

Abstract

1) We have already reported on drilling experiments of extracted urinary calculi by the use of laser beam.
2) As the second step, experiments using a CO₂ gas laser guided through a manipulator which consists of three arms and mirrors, and also using a Nd:YAG laser guided through an optical fiber, was performed.
3) Some stones were not merely perforated but also disintegrated in a wet condition.
4) Although a CO₂ gas laser was more effective than a Nd:YAG laser in the destruction of stones, an optical fiber combined with Nd:YAG laser was easier to handle than a manipulator combinded with a CO₂ gas laser.