Argon Assisted CO2 Laser Laparoscopy

The use of a small amount of Argon gas to purge the operating channel of the CO2 laser laparoscope eliminates the thermal lensing (blooming) that has plagued CO2 laser laparoscopy. By eliminating the blooming, the power density and transmission of laser power is increased. Overall, the efficacy of the CO2 laser/laparoscope system is dramatically improved. This simple procedure allows even older CO2 lasers to equal the efficiency of the newer generation shifted wave length CO2 isotope lasers. This technique is superior to others which require special equipment to achieve extremely high insufflation/evacuation flow rates in order to control thermal blooming.