An experimental study on Nd-YAG laser induced thermotherapy - Its possible application of the laser irradiation for therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma

It has been reported that the local thermotherapy is useful in treatment of hepatocelluar carcinoma complicated with severe liver cirrhosis (LC). We studied the effect of laser beam generated by a newly developed Nd-YAG laser system on liver tissue of piglet. The system was composed of their quartz bare fiber with a cone-shaped tip. After liver was exposed by incision of abdomen under general anesthesia, the fiber was inserted into liver tissue and then the laser beam was generated. The power, duration and frequency of irradiation were varied. The coagulated area was inspected measured and examined histologically. The system produced an oval-shaped coagulated area in front of the needle tip. Furthermore, the volume of tissue coagulated was correlated with the total output of laser, enabling us to estimate the coagulated volume based on the laser output applied. Our findings indicated that Nd-YAG laser-induced thermotherapy would be successfully applied for the clinical treatment of HCC. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.