POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF EXCIMER LASERS IN NEUROSURGERY

XeCl excimer lasers could be potentially very relevant in the field of neurosurgery since they can be used for resection and for diagnostic. In this paper we describe the first in vivo demonstration that small, well defined cuts can be obtained in the brain with a stereotactically implanted optical fibre. We also relate a preliminary in vitro study which shows that 308 nm laser-induced autofluorescence spectra of normal and malignant human brain tissues are different enough for diagnosis. Finally, we give very recent in vivo results concerning evoked responses produced by the XeCl excitation of a bundle of central nervous fibres in the rat. These two last diagnostic methods could be used during stereotactical laser resection procedures to localise the distal tip of the optical fiber and to determine the pathological state of the irradiated tissue.