The system exhibited high accuracy in tissue differentiation and depth control, indicating its potential for enhancing minimally invasive surgery.
The advantages offered by laser technology have the potential to reinvent surgery; however, some challenges still need to be addressed. Feedback systems play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and precision of laser surgery. A recent study focuses on the development of a multimodal feedback system to achieve an accurate and safe surgery procedure.
The study, led by Arsham Hamidi, PhD, is titled “Multimodal Feedback Systems for Smart Laser Osteotomy: Depth Control and Tissue Differentiation.” The study, published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (LSM), the official journal of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS), was selected as the November 2023 Editor’s Choice.
Optical feedback systems were incorporated with an Er:YAG laser to enhance the safety and precision of laser osteotomy (bone surgery). The feedback systems include a real-time visual monitoring system for controlling the depth of laser cuts and a tissue sensor that distinguishes between different tissue types based on their chemical composition. Testing on pig femur bone specimens showed successful tissue differentiation and depth feedback without observable thermal damage or carbonization.
-with-ferda-canbaz-phd-(left).tmb-small.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=32fc3b_1 "Arsham Hamidi, PhD (right) with Ferda Canbaz, PhD (left)")
“The developed multimodal feedback system exhibited high accuracy in tissue differentiation and depth control, indicating its potential for enhancing minimally invasive surgery," Hamidi said. "The system demonstrated promising results in improving the safety and accuracy of laser surgery. This integrated approach warrants further research and development.”
Arsham Hamidi received his BSc in Physics from the University of Arak, Iran, in 2014 and his MSc in photonics from the Institute of Advanced Studies in Basic Science (IASBS), Iran, in 2017. Driven by his interest in applying optical technologies to the medical field, he pursued his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Basel in Switzerland. He focused on the development of different optical systems to improve the accuracy and safety of laser osteotomy (bone surgery). After completing his PhD in 2023, he began a postdoctoral position at the University of Basel. His main research interests focus on developing optical systems for medical therapy and diagnostics, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), digital holography microscopy (DHM), super-resolution imaging, spectroscopy, and AI-aided optical technologies.
Editor’s Choice is an exclusive article published in LSM, the official journal of ASLMS. View the complete manuscript.
The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS) is the largest multidisciplinary professional organization dedicated to the development and application of lasers and related technology for health care applications. ASLMS promotes excellence in patient care by advancing biomedical application of lasers and other related technologies worldwide. ASLMS membership includes physicians, surgeons, nurses, and allied health professionals representing multiple specialties, physicists involved in product development, biomedical engineers, biologists, industry representatives and manufacturers.