Erbium:YAG laser incision of urethral strictures: early clinical results

Two cases involving Erbium:YAG laser incision of proximal bulbar urethral strictures are described. Erbium:YAG laser radiation with a wavelength of 2.94 &mgr;m, pulse energy of 10 mJ, and a pulse repetition rate of 15 Hz, was delivered through a 2-m-long, 250-&mgr;m-core sapphire optical fiber in contact with tissue. Total laser irradiation time was 5 min. The first patient suffering from a virgin urethral stricture was treated and is stricture-free. The second patient suffering from a recurrent urethral stricture required further treatment. This case report describes the first clinical application of the Er:YAG laser in urology.

[1]  Israel Gannot,et al.  An Er:YAG laser endoscopic fiber delivery system for lithotripsy of salivary stones , 2006, Lasers in surgery and medicine.

[2]  Mitsunobu Miyagi,et al.  Characteristics of calculus fragmentation with Er:YAG laser light emitted by an infrared hollow optical fiber with various sealing caps. , 2005, Applied optics.

[3]  R. Santucci,et al.  Urethral reconstruction of strictures resulting from treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer. , 2002, The Urologic clinics of North America.

[4]  Nathaniel M Fried,et al.  Comparison of germanium oxide fibers with silica and sapphire fiber tips for transmission of erbium: YAG laser radiation , 2006, Lasers in surgery and medicine.

[5]  Nathaniel M Fried,et al.  Hybrid germanium/silica optical fibers for endoscopic delivery of erbium:YAG laser radiation , 2004, Lasers in surgery and medicine.

[6]  Zelalem Tesfaye,et al.  Optimization of the Erbium:YAG laser for precise incision of ureteral and urethral tissues: In vitro and in vivo results , 2003, Lasers in surgery and medicine.

[7]  C. Heyns,et al.  Treatment of male urethral strictures: is repeated dilation or internal urethrotomy useful? , 1998, The Journal of urology.

[8]  P. Albers,et al.  Long-term results of internal urethrotomy. , 1996, The Journal of urology.

[9]  N. Fried,et al.  Potential applications of the erbium:YAG laser in endourology. , 2001, Journal of endourology.

[10]  Nathaniel M. Fried,et al.  Erbium vs. holmium laser incision of the urethra and bladder neck , 2005, SPIE BiOS.