Ultrafast laser ablation and machining large-size structures on porcine bone

When using ultrafast laser ablation in some ortho- pedic applications where precise cutting/drilling is required with minimal damage to collateral tissue, it is challenging to produce large-sized and deep holes using a tightly focused laser beam. The feasibility of producing deep, millimeter- size structures under different ablation strategies is investi- gated. X-ray computed microtomography was employed to analyze the morphology of these structures. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of producing holes with sizes required in clinical applications using concentric and heli- cal ablation protocols. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, includ- ing its DOI. (DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.18.7.070504)