Manual stapedotomy still holds good in the era of laser.

Context: In the present era of stapedotomy, there is an inevitable role for laser. But the conventional technique with manual burr still has its own merits in various settings such as usage in resource poor setting in developing countries and avoidance of laser hazards. AIMS: To evaluate the audiometric outcomes after manual stapedotomy. Settings and Design: The present study was retrospective record-based study. Patients who have been diagnosed otosclerosis and those who were not willing for surgery with laser, but gave consent for manual stapedotomy were included for the study. Materials and Methods: Preoperatively, and at each subsequent post-operative follow-up visits, patients were required to undergo a pure-tone audiogram. The air-bone gaps at the end of 6 months were used for final analysis. Statistical Analysis Used: Data was analyzed with using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 12 (Chicago, IL, USA). Descriptive frequency distributions, mean, standard deviation of audiometric data were calculated. The paired t test was done to see the improvement in the air bone gap post-operatively. Results: The mean age of presentation is 32.2 years. Overall, the male:female ratio was found to be 1:1.2. Post-operative air bone closure to 15 decibels was obtained in 80% of patients. There was no significant correlation between the pre-operative hearing loss and post-operative gain, age, and gender of distribution of focus. Conclusions: The post-operative hearing after stapedotomy has been remarkable in all the patients even with manual burr. There were no major vestibular complications in any of these patients. The study has shown that the significant post-operative hearing results can be still achieved with meticulous surgery by an experienced surgeon with manual burr in the present laser era.

Low energy continuous wave diode laser apparatus orthodontic therapy

A low-energy Galium - Aluminum Arsenide [Ga-Al-As] semiconductor pulsed diode laser [P.W] of 904 nanometer wavelength, 1000 Hertz repetition rate, 6 watt peak power and 100 miliwatt average output power was manufactured to be used for orthodontic therapy purposes, of that stimulating the proliferation of bone cells [osteoblasts and osteoclasts] and periodontal ligament cells [fibroblasts] and consequently accelerating the orthodontic movement

use of ovarian KTP laser drilling in the treatment of anovulatroy infertility and polycystic ovarian disease

Determine the efficacy of unilateral laparoscopic ovarian drilling in the management of resistant ovarian syndrome. Design: A prospective randomized study of 20 women treated over a period of two years with follow-up till 8 months after the last woman was treated. Setting: Reproductive Endocrine Unit, King Abdulaziz University Hospital and Dr Soliman Fakeeh Hospital. Patients: 20 patients with refractory anovulatory infertility. All of these 20 women had been treated medically but without success. Intervention: Laparoscopic ovarian drilling by KTP/532 Laser. Main Outcome Measures: Rate of ovulation and endocrinal changes after ovarian drilling by KTP/532 laser. Unilateral ovarian drilling by KTP laser lead to ovulation from both ovaries. Seventy percent of the patients who had unilateral laser cauterisation had ovulation from both ovaries. In the responder group, there was a significant fall in LH concentration. The mechanism of action of KTP laser drilling of ovaries is by correcting the abnormal hormonal status. Unilateral ovarian drilling leads to bilateral ovarian activity

First Egyptian experience in endoscopic laser therapy palliative laser therapy in neoplastic stenosis of the upper gastro-intestinal tract a preliminary study

This work was done in the Gastroenterology Department "Egypt-Air Hospital', as a one year follow-up study and has been initiated to include 50 Egyptian patients. Laser endoscopy was used for palliative treatment of palliative treatment of neoplastic oesophageal stenosis by debulking the tumour to relieve obstruction in 5 patients with various degrees of malignancy and who were not fit for operative interference. The therapy was preceded by careful diagnosttic evaluation. Dilatation was resorted prior to introduction of the endoscope in 4 cases and was repeated according to the degree of obstruction. The number of sessions and the power and energy applied was related to the length of stenosis. In all patients recanalization was reestablished to such a degree that at least adequate semi-solid alimentation was possible and they were able to swallow satisfactorily. There were no complications post-laser therapy and results appeared very promising in the short-term follow-up

CO2 laser tonsillectomy- a comparative study

This study was done to assess CO2 laser tonsillectomy. In 15 patients the right side was removed with CO2 laser and the left with conventional dissection and snare. Patients were not told which side was removed with laser. The study concluded that CO2 laser tonsillectomy has the advantages of reducing intraoperative blood loss, actual operative time and postoperative pain. The only disadvantage associated with CO2 laser tonsillectomy is that the healing may be delayed

Conceptos generales y descripción del laser de Nd: YAG / General concepts and description of Nd: YAG laser

Se mencionan algunos conceptos generales sobre el laser en oftalmología y se hace una descripción de los principios fundamentales del laser de Nd: YAG, se revisan sus dos modalidades (Q-switched y Mode-locked) y se describe el laser de YAG en que los autores basan su experiencia