The effectiveness and safety of ureteroscopic holmium: YAG laser lithotripsy for managing ureteral calculi was evaluated. Ureteroscopic holmium. YAG laser lithotripsy was performed in 168 ureteral calculi (upper 27 cases, middle 33 cases and lower 108 cases). The results showed that the stone-free rate was 92.6% in the upper ureteral calculi, 93.9% in the middle ureteral calculi and 94.4% in the lower ureteral calculi, respectively. The complication rate was 4.8% (8 cases). It was suggested that ureteroscopic holmium: YAG laser lithotripsy is a highly effective and safe treatment modality for managing ureteral calculi.
Holmium ; *Lithotripsy, Laser/methods ; Ureteral Calculi/*therapy ; *Ureteroscopy

OBJECTIVETo compare therapeutic effects of acupuncture combined with He-Ne laser radiation and western medicine on facial paralysis.

METHODSNinety-seven cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture with laser group (n=55) and a medication group (n=42). The acupuncture with laser group were treated by acupuncture at main points, Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6), Sibai (ST 2), Qianzheng, Xiaguan (ST 7), Yingxiang (LI 20), Yangbai (GB 14), Yuyao (EX-HN 4), Yifeng (TE 17), Hegu (LI 4), in combination with He-Ne laser radiation; the medication group were treated with routine western medicine including intravenous dripping of low molecular dextran, compound Danshen and ATP injections, intramuscular injection of VitB1 and VitB12 , and oral administration of oryzanol and prednisone. Seven days constituted one course. After two courses their therapeutic effects were observed.

RESULTSThe cured rate was 81.8% in the acupuncture with laser group and 45.20% in the medication group with a significant difference between the two groups(P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with He-Ne laser radiation on facial paralysis is better than that of routine medication.

Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Adult ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Facial Paralysis ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUNDTherapeutic approaches for tracheal stenosis caused by the formation of exuberant granulation tissues usually include electrocautery, mechanical dilation, laser therapy, argon plasma coagulation (APC), cryotherapy and stent placement. However, restenosis after stent insertion remains a significant limitation. We examined the efficacy of three different approaches, including induction of mechanical lesions, APC performed with different powers or durations and cryotherapy, to identify the method that limited the formation of granulation tissue.

METHODSTwelve specially bred research mongrel dogs were divided into three groups. In group 1 (four dogs) mild (procedure 1; two dogs) or moderate (procedure 2; two dogs) damage was induced mechanically. Group 2 (six dogs) received APC at different powers or durations (procedure 3: 30 W, 1 cm/s; procedure 4: 30 W, 2 cm/s; procedure 5: 25 W, 3 cm/s). Group 3 (two dogs) received cryotherapy (procedure 6: two freeze-thaw cycles of 30 seconds). Uncovered self-expandable metallic stents were inserted in all dogs to maintain a continuous stimulus to the trachea mucosa. Dogs were monitored for 4 weeks and the relationship between granulation tissue proliferation and method used was analyzed.

RESULTSIn group 1, granulation tissue growth increased with more severe mechanical damage. The growth of granulation tissue in group 2 was more pronounced than in group 1, and both dogs in procedure 3 died because of severe stenosis. In this group, the formation of granulation tissue decreased with decreasing power and duration. In group 3, no obvious granulation tissue was found at week 4.

CONCLUSIONSLesions and stimuli from a foreign body (the stent) are two important factors that lead to overgrowth of granulation tissue. Thermal lesions, such as APC, seem to induce greater granulation tissue growth and cartilage damage compared with mechanical and cryotherapy lesions. Cryotherapy in combination with mechanical dilation may be a safe and effective treatment method for managing tracheal stenosis caused by the formation of granulation tissue.

Animals ; Bronchoscopy ; methods ; Cryotherapy ; Dogs ; Granulation Tissue ; pathology ; Laser Coagulation ; methods ; Stents ; Tracheal Stenosis ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo prospectively evaluate the efficacy of Removing Stasis and Reducing Heat Formula in accelerating calculus clearance and improving lower urinary tract symptoms of patients with proximal ureteral calculi after ureteroscopic Ho:YAG laser lithotripsy.

METHODSA total of 138 patients with proximal ureteral calculi underwent ureteroscopic Ho:YAG laser lithotripsy by a single endocrinologist. Stone size varied from 10 to 15 mm. After operation, the patients were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (group A), tamsulosin group (group B), and Removing Stasis and Reducing Heat Formula group (group C). The treatment lasted for 4 weeks or until stone clearance. The primary and secondary outcomes of the three groups at follow-up were assessed.

RESULTSOf the 131 patients available for follow-up, 44 cases were in the group A, 45 in the group B, and 42 in the group C, respectively. The stone free rate at 2 weeks in the groups B and C were significantly higher than that in the group A (95.56%, 97.62% vs. 79.55%; all P<0.05). The ureteral colic rate and mean time of fragment expulsion were significantly reduced in the groups B (4.44% and 7.86±4.99 days) and C (2.43% and 6.76±4.37 days) compared with the group A (22.73% and 11.54±9.89 days, all P<0.05). On the day of double-J ureteric stent removal, the group C differed significantly from the group A in the total International Prostate Symptom Score, irritative subscore, obstructive subscore, and quality of life score (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONRemoving Stasis and Reducing Heat Formula in the medical expulsive therapy might be an effective modality for patients with calculus in the proximal uretera after ureteroscopic Ho:YAG laser lithotripsy.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Lithotripsy, Laser ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Ureteral Calculi ; therapy ; Ureteroscopy ; methods

Dental Enamel ; surgery ; Dentin ; surgery ; Dentistry, Operative ; methods ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Laser Therapy ; methods

Although ethanol ablation has been successfully used to treat cystic thyroid nodules, this procedure is less effective when the thyroid nodules are solid. Radiofrequency (RF) ablation, a newer procedure used to treat malignant liver tumors, has been valuable in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules regardless of the extent of the solid component. This article reviews the basic physics, techniques, applications, results, and complications of thyroid RF ablation, in comparison to laser ablation.
*Catheter Ablation/methods ; Humans ; *Laser Therapy/methods ; Thyroid Nodule/*surgery/ultrasonography

Laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI) works through the Doppler effect of light wave, and it could depict the blood flow value of the entire wound in two-dimensional image without contacting the detection site directly. In resent years, LDPI has been proved to be effective to evaluate healing potential of a wound, and to predict burn depth and scar formation. The accuracy of LDPI is higher than other traditional methods and technique. However, there are still many influencing factors for the clinical application of LDPI scanning. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of advances in the research of LDPI for clinical application in the care of burn wounds and influencing factors for accurate scanning.
Burns ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Cicatrix ; Humans ; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry ; methods ; Perfusion Imaging ; methods ; Wound Healing

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the cutaneous histological and ultrastructural changes of dogs following hair removal by Alexandrite laser.

METHODSSeven healthy dogs with dark hair were treated for hair removal with the Alexandrite laser and skin biopsies were taken after 0.5 h, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 30 days. Specimens were examined with light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTLaser-treated specimens showed widespread coagulation and charring subcutaneous hair shafts. These obviously damaged follicles were randomly dispersed among intact follicles within the same treatment sites. Microscopic changes were also seen in the basal epidermis where melanin was concentrated. A low level of inflammatory response was seen up to 10 days followed laser treatment. The efficiency in higher fluence test area was better than the lower one; the degree of damaged follicles with double pulse was similar to that with single pulse.

CONCLUSIONAlexandrite laser irradiation results in selective damage to follicles and microscopic changes in the basal epidermis. Alexandrite laser hair removal does not lead to scar formation; the efficiency of laser hair removal is fluence-depent; the degree of damaged follicles with double pulse is not different with single one; the cooled hand piece can minimize epidermal injury.

Animals ; Dogs ; Hair Removal ; methods ; Laser Therapy ; Microscopy, Electron ; Skin ; pathology ; ultrastructure

Argon ; Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Laser Coagulation ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)/open prostatectomy (OP) in the treatment of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

METHODSWe searched Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, Wanfang and CBM for randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing HoLEP with TURP/OP. Comparable data were extracted from eligible studies and pooled for meta-analysis using RevMan5.1.

RESULTSNine RCTs were included in this study, 6 comparing HoLEP with TURP, and the other 3 comparing HoLEP with OP. Meta-analysis showed that, compared with TURP, HoLEP was associated with shorter hospital stay and catheterization time, less hemoglobin loss, longer operative time, and better improvement in international prostate symptom score (IPSS) , peak urinary flow rate (Qmax) and post void residual (PVR) , but the incidences of postoperative urethral stricture and urinary incontinence had no statistically significant difference between the two. Compared with OP, HoLEP showed shorter hospital stay and catheterization time, a lower rate of blood transfusion, longer operative time, and removal of fewer tissues, but the two procedures exhibited no significant differences in either the improvement of IPSS and Qmax or the incidence of urethral stricture.

CONCLUSIONHoLEP is a minimally invasive technique, safe and highly effective for the treatment of BOO secondary to BPH, with its advantages of lower peri-operative morbidity and faster recovery over TURP and OP. However, more high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes and longer follow-ups need to be carried out to obtain better evidence.

Holmium ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; Male ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; surgery ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; methods