CO2-laser cutting without side effects

		No thermal side effects (carbonisation) after osteotomy with the CO2 laser system are apparent. Further advantages of the laser treatment are the absence of traumatic vibrations and the accumulation of any bone dust. Therefore extremely precise and smooth cut edges are feasible.

The treatment of bone and cartilage by laser offers many advantages in relation to conventional mechanical procedures. These are above all contactless, blood - and vibration-poor surgery, free cut geometry, small operation field, and the reduction of bone flour and metal abrasion. The most important prerequisites for the acceptance of a laser procedure are thereby an effective and fast material denudation and avoidance of thermal or thermomechanical damage to the treated tissue. In the context of this project a new laser procedure for the side effect-poor and precise computer-assisted handling of bone and cartilage tissue for the clinical practice, optimized by global physical and biomedical investigations, is adapted on the basis, to which direct medical application are introduced and evaluated. The main target is to give to the surgeon a new instrument which enables him to tranfer a computer-assisted planned intervention accurately and highly precise in the intraoperative situation.

The system covers the following main components: pulsed CO2-laser, also with optimal characteristics for the ablation of bone and cartilage tissue light conductors and applicators (focusing units) with integrated air-water or pulsed water spray for an application also within the area of minimal invasive surgery laser beam scanner for computer-assisted 3-D-configuration of non-standard precalculated cut geometry interface to a 3D-planning and navigation system for online check and control of the ablation process as warranty for an efficient application The application possibilities are situated apart from the maxillofacal surgery particularly in ENT surgery. Also for all other medical areas, in which the handling of hard tissue plays a role, this procedure is of greatest importance. For this, traumatology and orthopedic surgery count. But also for neurosurgery and heart and thoracic surgery the procedure is very interesting due to the accurate preparation of the access road through the bone.