The microsecond Er:YAG pulsed laser with a wavelength of λ = 2.94 μm has been widely used in the medical field, particularly for ablating dental tissues. Since bone and dental tissues have similar compositions, consisting of mineralized and rigid structures, the Er:YAG laser represents a promising tool for laserosteotomy applications. In this study, we explored the use of the Er:YAG laser for deep bone ablation, in an attempt to optimize its performance and identify its limitations. Tissue irrigation and the laser settings were optimized independently. We propose an automated irrigation feedback system capable of recognizing the temperature of the tissue and delivering water accordingly. The irrigation system used consists of a thin 50 μm diameter water jet. The water jet was able to penetrate deep into the crater during ablation, with a laminar flow length of 15 cm, ensuring the irrigation of deeper layers unreachable by conventional spray systems. Once the irrigation was optimized, ablation was considered independently of the irrigation water. In this way, we could better understand and adjust the laser parameters to suit our needs. We obtained line cuts as deep as 21 mm without causing any visible thermal damage to the surrounding tissue. The automated experimental setup proposed here has the potential to support deeper and faster ablation in laserosteotomy applications.

中文翻译：

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通过微秒 Er:YAG 激光和新型水微射流灌溉系统优化深​​骨消融


波长为λ = 2.94 μm的微秒 Er:YAG 脉冲激光已广泛应用于医疗领域，特别是用于消融牙组织。由于骨骼和牙齿组织具有相似的成分，由矿化和刚性结构组成，因此 Er:YAG 激光器代表了激光截骨术应用的一种有前途的工具。在这项研究中，我们探索了使用 Er:YAG 激光进行深骨消融，试图优化其性能并找出其局限性。组织冲洗和激光设置独立优化。我们提出了一种自动灌溉反馈系统，能够识别组织的温度并相应地输送水。所使用的灌溉系统由直径为 50 μm的细水射流组成。烧蚀过程中水射流能够深入火山口，层流长度达15厘米，确保对传统喷淋系统无法到达的更深层进行灌溉。一旦优化了灌溉，就可以独立于灌溉水来考虑消融。这样，我们可以更好地了解和调整激光参数以满足我们的需求。我们获得了深达 21 毫米的线切割，且没有对周围组织造成任何明显的热损伤。这里提出的自动化实验装置有可能支持激光截骨术应用中更深、更快的消融。