Arterial disobliteration by the laser

: In order to determine the optimal conditions for disobliteration of occluded arteries without damaging the arterial wall, the effects of a Nd-YAG laser connected to a 0.2 mm diameter fibre optic system were studied on post-mortem coronary arteries and popliteal and tibial arteries of amputated limbs. Vaporisation of atheromatous plaques was consistently obtained with energies of 300 to 600 joules associated with perfusion of the vessel with dilated blood (3 g/100 ml of haemoglobin) at a flow rate of 20 ml/min. Protection of the arterial wall was ensured by introducing the fibre aortic system through a balloon catheter and by cooling with the perfusion liquid. The reproducibity of these results in the absence of major arterial wall damage, and the facility of manipulation of the fibre optic system due to its flexibility and narrow diameter, encouraged us to use this method clinically. The first three applications on peripheral arteries (femoral and popliteal arteries) confirmed that this method of arterial disobliteration can be used with a certain degree of efficacy with only a slight risk of arterial perforation. Further studies are essential to improve the degree of laser penetration of the arterial obstruction and to increase the diameter of the tunnel of recanalisation.