GRAPEVINE, TEX. Fractional splitting of a laser beam has been combined with selective photothermolysis to produce a new tool for dermatologic surgery.
By combining the spatial selectivity of fractional technology with wavelength selectivity, fractional photothermolysis "offers a new and unique opportunity for precise targeting of hemoglobin and melanin-containing targets" using a Nd:YAG laser with a 1,064-nm wavelength, Dr. E. Victor Ross said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. He predicted that the new laser will be extremely useful for treating resistant melasma, nevus of Ota, tattoos andmost likelyport-wine stains.
The investigational device is made by Palomar Medical Technologies Inc. as part of their StarLux series. Dr. Ross has received equipment, consulting fees, research grants, and honoraria from Palomar.
As of April, Dr. Ross and his associates had treated only a few patients, but with good results. Treated lesions included blood vessels that had not responded to conventional laser treatment, and port-wine stains.
He emphasized that the settings for various clinical applications had not yet been optimized.
The system uses a 10-mm spot size, with a 1-mm or 1.3-mm pitch beam array. The system can deliver a maximum fluence of 600 mJ/microbeam, but for the clinical applications so far, Dr. Ross used 430 mJ/microbeam, with a 30-ms pulse duration.
The high microbeam energy level allows deep beam penetration, which should be helpful for treating port-wine stains, said Dr. Ross, director of the laser and cosmetic dermatology unit at Scripps Clinic, San Diego.