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

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

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

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

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

BACKGROUND: Thin hairs are critical to achieve natural result in female hairline correction surgery. However, there are few studies on the usefulness of hair thinning by intense pulsed light (IPL) after hairline correction surgery in East Asian females. METHODS: Hair thinning using IPL was performed in 54 women who had complained about thick hairs along the frontal hairline after hairline correction surgery. Patient mean age was 31.2 years old and patients were an average of 2.1 years post-hairline correction surgery. Initial treatment used 10 J, while second and third sessions were conducted with 10 to 15 J according to responsiveness to treatment. RESULTS: Mean thickness of individual hairs assessed before the procedure was 78.86 µm. The mean number of procedures was 1.6 per patient. Forty of 54 subjects (74%) achieved satisfactory hair thinning with only one procedure from 78.01 to 66.14 µm after treatment. The measured thickness was 66.43 µm at the end of the first year in patients who were satisfied after one procedure. Thirteen cases achieved satisfactory hair thinning after two sessions. Mean thickness was 74.44 µm and 67.51 µm, before and after the second session. One case required a third session with 15J, thinning from 89.00 to 66.50 µm. CONCLUSIONS: Hair thinning by IPL is a very useful method to provide a natural look after hairline correction surgery in East Asians, who have naturally thick hair.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Female ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Hair Removal* ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; Methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate and compare the effectiveness and safety of 80-W GreenLight laser vaporization and GreenLight high-performance system (HPS) 120-W laser vaporization for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in high-risk patients.

METHODSWe allocated 290 high-risk patients with BPH to two groups to receive 80-W (n = 220) and HPS 120-W GreenLight laser vaporization (n = 70). We recorded and compared the pre-, intra- and post-operative clinical data of the two groups.

RESULTSThe operations were successful in both of the groups. There were statistically significant differences in the prostate volume, IPSS, Qmax and PVR before and after surgery (P < 0.01), but not between the two groups (P > 0.05). The operation time, lasing time and energy consumption were (56.5 +/- 22.6) min, (31.2 +/- 10.3) min and (159.8 +/- 29.0) kJ in the 80-W group, as compared with (45.1 +/- 20.4) min, (24.6 +/- 8.3) min and (134.2 +/- 23.3) kJ in the 120 W group, with significant differences between the two (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONGreenLight laser vaporization of the prostate is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of BPH, and the new HPS 120-W laser therapy, with its advantages of easier operation and shorter surgical time, is an even better minimally invasive option for elderly high-risk patients.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Male ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUNDEndoscopic treatment for urethral stricture, including cold knife and laser, poses a major challenge to clinical practice. Both the benefits and drawbacks of these two treatments remain controversial. This article aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of laser and cold knife urethrotomy for urethral stricture.

METHODSWe searched PubMed (1966 - 2009), Embase (1980 - 2009), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCRCT, 2009 No.1) and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) for laser and cold knife urethrotomy as treatment for male urethral stenosis, looking in the English literatures. Two reviewers independently screened the literatures and extracted information. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis with SPSS15.0.

RESULTSA total of 44 articles, including of 3230 cases was retrieved. Success rate of patients treated with laser was 74.9% compared with 68.5% for cold knife, with very similar clinical results despite a statistically significant difference (P = 0.004). The trend in success rate at a different follow-up time was similar between the two groups. No significant difference in success rate was found between the groups of repeat operation for recurrence cases, first P = 0.090 and second P = 0.459. The shorter the stricture length was (< 1 cm), the higher the success rate was (P < 0.0001). No significant difference in success rate between the laser and cold knife groups was found in neither bulbar nor membranous urethra, bulbar P = 0.660 and membranous P = 0.477. The rates of urinary incontinence, urinary extravasation, and urinary tract infection showed no significant difference (P = 0.259, P = 0.938, P = 0.653, respectively).

CONCLUSIONSSuccess rates for laser and cold knife were very similar despite being statistically different, with the groups having a similar trend in success rates at different follow-up time. Stricture location and history of endoscopic intervention did impact treatment outcome but was not significantly different. The two groups showed no significant difference in major complications.

Endoscopy ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; methods ; Male ; Treatment Outcome ; Urethra ; surgery ; Urethral Stricture ; surgery