CO₂ laser surgery as an aid to the removal of brain tumors

Abstract

Either total or radical removal of 34 brain tumors was performed by the conventional microsurgical technique combined with CO₂ laser beam without causing undue damage of surrounding structures. Three representative cases were presented. One of them was a sphenoid wing meningioma in which attachment of the tumor to the skull base was approached by vaporizing the tumor tissue by CO₂ laser beam, followed by bloodless removal of the tumor by the usual microsurgical technique. The second was a cystic ependymoma of the left cerebral hemisphere. The cyst wall of the tumor was easily removed by a laser beam without significant damage to the surrounding brain substance. The last one was a hard calcified astrocytoma in which internal decompression was accomplished by a laser beam without any traction of the surrounding brain substance, and the remaining tumor was then removed by the conventional technique. All these 3 patients took uneventful post-operative course. The nature and properties of the beam and its surgical applications are discussed briefly.