Open lung surgery with Nd-YAG Laser

We report on nineteen patients who successfully underwent open lung performance with a Nd-YAG laser in the period December 1987 to August 1988. Reasons for laser operations were lung metastases (twelve cases), lung fibrosis (five patients), one lung cyst and one tuberculoma. We used the Nd-YAG laser in non-contact mode, with focus hand-piece spot size of 1.5 mm, a continual 1064 nm wavelength and a power output 90 W. In these nineteen cases we performed 35 laser photoablations of lung tissue. All patients healed without any serious complications. The major advantage of Nd-YAG laser beam in open lung surgery is in the rapid sealing effect of small airways and of blood vessels up to 3 mm. The Nd-YAG laser seems to be very suitable for operations in lung periphery.