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Biomedical subjects

J A Prodoehl

Publications and source records attributed to J A Prodoehl.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

The effects of lasers and electrosurgical devices on human meniscal tissue.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of various laser wavelengths on human meniscal tissue in vitro and to compare them with the effects of electrosurgical devices. The carbon dioxide (CO2) laser produced the best cutting and ablating effects among the infrared lasers, although the contact neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) and holmium:YAG (Ho:YAG)lasers were nearly as satisfactory, offering the additional advantage of fiberoptic capability and the ability to be used in saline. The free-beam Nd:YAG laser and coagulation mode electrosurgical device produced unacceptably severe thermal changes. The excimer laser at 308 nm produced the best tissue effect and caused no detectable adjacent thermal change in the tissue.

Electrosurgery↗
PubMed1994

308 nm excimer laser ablation of cartilage.

This article reports the investigation of the XeCl excimer laser as a cutting-ablating tool for human fibrocartilage and hyaline cartilage. Quantitative measurements were made of tissue ablation rates as a function of fluence in meniscal fibrocartilage and articular hyaline cartilage. A force of 1.47 Newtons was applied to an 800-microns fiber with the laser delivering a range of fluences (40-190 mJ/mm2) firing at a frequency of 5 Hz. To assess the effect of repetition rate on depth per pulse, a set of measurements was made at a constant fluence of 60 mJ/mm2, with the repetition rate varying from 10 to 40 Hz. Histologic and morphometric analysis of preserved specimens was performed using light microscopy. The results of these studies revealed that the ablation rate was directly proportional to fluence over the range tested. Fibrocartilage was ablated at a rate 2.56 times faster than hyaline cartilage. Repetition rate had no effect on the penetration per pulse. Adjacent tissue damage was noted to be minimal (10-70 microns). The excimer laser achieved ablation rates adequate for arthroscopic applications.

Arthroscopy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Injuries in the sport of luge. Epidemiology and analysis.

We undertook this study to determine the types and frequency of injuries sustained in the sport of luge. Before this study, no data were available in the medical literature on luge injuries. We performed a retrospective analysis between the years 1985 and 1992 using data obtained from the athlete injury and illness report forms at the US Training Center Sports Medicine Clinic in Lake Placid, New York. During the 7 years examined, 1043 athletes took 57,244 track runs and sustained 407 injuries. The risk of sustaining an injury was 0.39 per person per year, and the risk of an injury causing the loss of more than 1 day of practice was 0.04 per person per year. Contusions were the major injury (51%), followed by strains (27%). Strains of the neck muscles and contusions of extremities, especially the hands, were characteristic injuries sustained by athletes. The most serious injuries were concussions (2%) and fractures (3%). Crashes were responsible for 64% of injuries. Luge appears to be a relatively safe sport with injury rates comparable with recreational alpine skiing.

Adolescent↗