Laser
What is LASER?
The acronym LASER (or simply “laser”) stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Rays. These are invisible light rays.
There have been a number of usages of lasers in the health industry. They have been commonly used by cosmetologists, ophthalmologists and various other specialities. There are different varieties of lasers available and each of them has different properties; their individual property determines their usage. For example, carbon dioxide laser has very superficial penetration, and so is useful in cosmetology.
Above: comparison of tissue penetration depth of various types of laser.
For a number of years, different kinds of lasers have been used for the management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH, or enlarged prostate). In the mid 1990s, Nd:YAG laser was successfully used to vaporise the prostate. However, due to its deeper penetration into the prostate tissue, it resulted in significant postoperative discomfort to the patient, mainly with painful urination and occurrence of prostate scab tissue in the urine for a prolonged period. That certainly took away the Urologist’s interest in pursuing this procedure further.
Holmium laser was introduced early this century and has stood the test of time. Although this type of laser has substantially lower penetration, it still has the drawback of causing scab tissue in the urine. Another technique, Holmium laser enucleation, has been performed by a number of urologists with great success; however, the procedure is technically difficult to perform and is not free of the side effect of painful urination.
Laser treatments at the Endo Urology Centre
The following laser treatment systems are available at the Endo Urology Centre:
