Characterization on ablation performance of various surgical fibers

Laser light has been widely used as a surgical tool to treat benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Various surgical parameters still need to be tested and optimized to accomplish better clinical outcomes. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effect of fiber core size on ablation performance at various laser power levels. Three optical fibers (600, 775, and 850 μm) were tested in vitro with a customized 532-nm laser system with power ranging from 120 to 180 W. Ablation performance was evaluated in light of total energy, irradiance, and volumetric energy density. Irrespective fiber size, crater dimension, and ablation volume linearly increased with the incident irradiance. However, each fiber created different geometry of ablation craters (i.e., deep columnar shape for 600 μm vs. shallow funnel shape for 850 μm). Smaller fiber size demonstrated the efficient energy usage for tissue removal. In-depth comprehension of fiber performance can help accomplish predictable and efficient surgical procedures for BPH therapy.