[Experimental laser surgery of the ossified cochlea]

A pulsed holmium: YAG-laser (lambda = 2120 nm) was used to reopen the basal turn of artificially obliterated human cochleas in freshly dissected cadavers for intracochlear insertion of the stimulation electrode of a cochlear implant under simulated surgical conditions. Laser energy was transmitted through a 400 microns nylon fibre via the opened facial recess directly to the round window niche. At an energy level of 500 mJ/2.5 microseconds pulse, a repetition rate of 2 Hz, and an exposure time of 20-30 s, the photo-ablative mechanism of laser-bone interaction, which has only a limited thermal component, led to recanalisation of the basal turn of the cochlea in a length of 8-10 mm without damaging the surrounding structures. Light microscopic changes in the cochlea were evaluated following laser recanalisation. The artificial bony occlusion and the recanalised basal turn of the cochlea were visualised by means of computed tomography and histological thin section technique.