This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal

Brian J. F. Wong, MD; Thomas E. Milner, PhD; Andrew Harrington; Jason Ro; Xavier Dao; Emil N. Sobol, PhD; J. Stuart Nelson, MD, PhD

Arch Facial Plast Surg. 1999;1:282-287.

Objective  To demonstrate feedback-controlled laser-mediated cartilage reshaping using dynamic measurements of tissue optical properties and radiometric surface temperatures.

Design  Flat cartilage specimens were reshaped into curved configurations using a feedback-controlled laser device.

Materials  Fresh porcine nasal septum, stripped of perichondrium and cut into uniform strips (25x10x1.5-2.1 mm) with a custom guillotine microtome.

Interventions  Cartilage specimens secured in a cylindrical reshaping jig (2.5 cm in diameter) and irradiated with an Nd:YAG laser (=1.32 µm, 25 W/cm², 50-Hz pulse repetition rate). During laser irradiation, radiometric surface temperature was measured along with changes in forward-scattered light from a diode probe laser (=650 nm, 5 mW), using a lock-in detection technique. Sequential irradiation of the specimen outer surface was made (3 laser passes). Characteristic changes in tissue temperature and light-scattering signals were used to terminate laser irradiation.

Results  Effective reshaping was accomplished for both thin (1.5-mm) and thick (2.1-mm) specimens. Following reshaping, specimens were stored in saline solution at 4°C for 21 days. No return to the original flat configuration was noted during this period.

Conclusions  The prototype device effectively reshapes flat native porcine cartilage into curve configurations. The use of optical and thermal signals provides effective feedback control for optimizing the reshaping process.

From the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic (Drs Wong, Nelson and Mr Dao) and Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (Dr Wong), University of California, Irvine; Biomedical Engineering Program, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (Dr Milner); Department of Engineering, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, Calif (Messrs Harrington and Ro); and Department of Advanced Laser Technologies, Center for Technological Lasers, Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Moscow (Dr Sobol).

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Long-term Viability and Mechanical Behavior Following Laser Cartilage Reshaping.
Karam et al.
Arch Facial Plast Surg 2006;8:105-116.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Radiofrequency Cartilage Reshaping: Efficacy, Biophysical Measurements, and Tissue Viability
Keefe et al.
Arch Facial Plast Surg 2003;5:46-52.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Laser Septochondrocorrection
Ovchinnikov et al.
Arch Facial Plast Surg 2002;4:180-185.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Angioresistance of Thermally Modified Cartilage Grafts in the Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane Model
Wong et al.
Arch Facial Plast Surg 2001;3:24-27.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT