Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Selective ablation of atherosclerotic lesions with less thermal damage by controlling the pulse structure of a quantum cascade laser in the 5.7-µm wavelength range

  • Special Section: Regular Paper
  • The 5th Asian and Pacific-Rim Symposium on Biophotonics, (APBP’15), Yokohama, Japan
  • Published:
Optical Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cholesteryl esters are the main components of atherosclerotic plaques, and they have an absorption peak at the wavelength of 5.75 µm. To realize less-invasive ablation of the atherosclerotic plaques using a quasi-continuous wave (quasi-CW) quantum cascade laser (QCL), the thermal effects on normal vessels must be reduced. In this study, we attempted to reduce the thermal effects by controlling the pulse structure. The irradiation effects on rabbit atherosclerotic aortas using macro pulse irradiation (irradiation of pulses at intervals) and conventional quasi-CW irradiation were compared. The macro pulse width and the macro pulse interval were determined based on the thermal relaxation time of atherosclerotic and normal aortas in the oscillation wavelength of the QCL. The ablation depth increased and the coagulation width decreased using macro pulse irradiation. Moreover, difference in ablation depth between the atherosclerotic and normal rabbit aortas using macro pulse irradiation was confirmed. Therefore, the QCL in the 5.7-µm wavelength range with controlling the pulse structure was effective for less-invasive laser angioplasty.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. WHO: The top 10 causes of death. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/ (2015). Accessed 19 October 2015

  2. Morice, M.C., Serruys, P.W., Sousa, J.E., Fajadet, J., Hayashi, E.B., Perin, M., Colombo, A., Schuler, G., Barragan, P., Guagliumi, G., Molnàr, F., Falotico, R.: A randomized, comparison of a sirolimus-eluting stent with a standard stent for coronary revascularization. N. Eng. J. Med. 346, 1773–1780 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Noble, S., Bilodeau, L.: High energy excimer laser to treat coronary in-stent restenosis in an underexpanded stent. Catheter Cardiovasc. Interv. 71, 803–807 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Meireles, G.C.X., Kreimer, S., Galon, M.Z., Marchiori, G.G.A.: Technical difficulty in stenting Supralimus in radial artery graft. Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 96, e69–e72 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Badr, S., Ben-Dor, I., Dver, D., Barbash, I.M., Kitabata, H., Minha, S., Pendyala, L.K., Loh, J.P., Torguson, R., Pichard, A.D., Waksman, R.: The state of the excimer laser for coronary intervention in the drug-eluting stent era. Cardiovasc. Revasc. Med. 14, 93–98 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Niccoli, G., Minelli, S., Cosentino, N., Crea, F.: A complex case of angulated and bifurcated lesion facilitated by excimer laser coronary angioplasty. J. Interven. Cardiol. 24, 514–517 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Giugliano, G.R., Falcone, M.W., Mego, D., Ebersole, D., Jenkins, S., Das, T., Barker, E., Ruggio, J.M., Maini, B., Bailey, S.R.: A prospective multicenter registry of laser therapy for degenerated saphenous vein graft stenosis: the COronary graft Results following Atherectomy with Laser (CORAL) trial. Cardiovasc. Revasc. Med. 13, 84–89 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Bittl, J.A., Chew, D.P., Topol, E.J., Kong, D.F., Califf, R.M.: Meta-analysis of randomized trials of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty versus atherectomy, cutting balloon atherectomy, or laser angioplasty. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 43, 936–942 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Reifart, N., Vandormael, M., Krajcar, M., Göhring, S., Preusler, W., Schwarz, F., Störger, H., Hofmann, M., Klöpper, J., Müller, S., Haase, J.: Randomized comparison of angioplasty of complex coronary lesions at a single center–excimer laser, rotational atherectomy, and balloon angioplasty comparison (ERBAC) study. Circulation 96, 91–98 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Awazu, K., Nagai, A., Aizawa, K.: Selective removal of cholesterol esters in an atherosclerotic region of blood vessels with a free-electron laser. Laser Surg. Med. 23, 233–237 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Fukami, Y., Awazu, K.: The thermal dissociation of cholesterol esters using a 5.75-µm-free electron laser. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 42, 3716–3721 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Ishii, K., Tsukimoto, H., Hazama, H., Awazu, K.: Selective removal of cholesteryl ester in atherosclerotic plaque using nanosecond pulsed laser at 5.75 µm. Proc. SPIE 6854, 685418 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Faist, J., Capasso, F., Sivco, D.L., Sirtori, C., Hutchinson, A.L., Cho, A.Y.: Quantum cascade laser. Science 264, 553–556 (1994)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Bai, Y., Bandyopadhyay, N., Tsao, S., Slivken, S., Razeghi, M.: Roomtemperature quantum cascade lasers with 27% wall plug efficiency. Appl. Phys. Lett. 98, 181102 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Hashimura, K., Ishii, K., Akikusa, N., Edamura, T., Yoshida, H., Awazu, K.: Coagulation and ablation of biological soft tissue by quantum cascade laser with peak wavelength of 5.7 µm. J. Innov. Opt. Health Sci. 7, 1450029 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hashimura, K., Ishii, K., Awazu, K.: Selective removal of atherosclerotic plaque with a quantum cascade laser in the 5.7 µm wavelength range. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54, 112701 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Choy, D.S.J., Stertzer, S.H., Myler, R.K., Marco, J., Fournial, G.: Human coronary laser recanalization. Clin. Cardiol. 7, 377–381 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Ginsburg, R., Wexler, L., Mitchell, R.S., Profit, D.: Percutaneous transluminal laser angioplasty for treatment of peripheral vascular disease. Radiology 156, 619–624 (1985)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Diethrich, E.B., Timbadia, E., Bahadia, I., Coburn, K., Zenzen, S.: Argon laser-assisted peripheral angioplasty. Vasc. Surg. 22, 77–87 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Shiomi, M., Ito, T., Yamada, S., Kawashima, S., Fan, J.: Development of an animal model for spontaneous myocardial infarction (WHHLMI rabbit). Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 23, 1239–1244 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Niemz, M.H.: Laser-tissue interactions—fundamentals and applications. In: Niemz, M.H. (ed.) Interaction mechanisms, pp. 45–150. Springer, Heidelberg (2007)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 24241209 and a Grant-in-aid for JSPS Fellows Grant Number 26·720. The authors would like to express their special appreciations to Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., for technical cooperation of the QCL, and Dr. Masashi Shiomi, Institute for Experimental Animals, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, for providing the WHHLMI rabbits.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Bldg. A14, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Keisuke Hashimura, Katsunori Ishii & Kunio Awazu

  2. Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 102-0083, Japan

    Keisuke Hashimura

  3. Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Kunio Awazu

  4. Global Center for Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Kunio Awazu

Authors
  1. Keisuke Hashimura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Katsunori Ishii
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kunio Awazu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kunio Awazu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hashimura, K., Ishii, K. & Awazu, K. Selective ablation of atherosclerotic lesions with less thermal damage by controlling the pulse structure of a quantum cascade laser in the 5.7-µm wavelength range. Opt Rev 23, 299–306 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10043-015-0162-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10043-015-0162-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation