[Use of neodymium YAG laser in endoscopic hemostasis in thoracic surgery]

YAG-laser radiation was used for endoscopic hemostasis in 33 patients with bleeding endobronchial carcinomas and in 4 patients with chest injury complicated by bleeding from wounds of the lung and chest wall. For conducting laser photocoagulation, the authors prefer a rigid bronchoscope and a thoracoscope and pulsed laser radiation with a power of up to 40 Wt. As the results of treatment, hemostasis was achieved in 24 patients with lung carcinoma and in 4 patients with trauma of the chest. In some patients with pulmonary carcinoma laser photocoagulation creates conditions for successful surgery or chemoradiotherapy. The performance of thoracoscopic laser operations in chest injuries and traumas allows wide thoracotomy to be avoided in some patients. Complications were not registered in endoscopic laser operations.