Thermal damage of blood vessels in a rat skin-flap window chamber using indocyanine green and a pulsed alexandrite laser: A feasibility study

Stephen T. Flock, Steven L. Jacques

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

The design criteria and feasibility of specifically targeting blood vessels for thermal damage by using a pulsed alexandrite infra-red laser to heat an intravascularly injected infra-redabsorbing dye, namely indocyanine green (ICG), is demonstrated. Theoretical calculations map the distribution of light and heat in and around the subcutaneous blood vessels in a rat skin-flap window chamber as functions of dye concentration, vessel size, and vessel depth. Theoretical calculations showed that an injected dose of 6-24 mgkg-1 of ICG and a 120-μs, 1-J cm-2 alexandrite laser pulse at a wavelength of 785 nm would be sufficient to achieve selective vascular damage to a depth of at least 0.15 cm. Feasibility experiments were performed which illustrated that an irradiation of 1.27 J cm-2 of skin flaps in uninjected control rats showed no evidence of vascular damage while vascular damage was seen in skin flaps using an experimental protocol of 12 mg kg-1 i.v. of ICG and an energy fluence of 0.76 J cm-2. This procedure could conceivably prove useful in the treatment of vascular lesions or cancer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)185-196
Number of pages12
JournalLasers In Medical Science
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1993
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Alexandrite
  • Blood vessels
  • Indocyanine green
  • Lasers
  • Photothermolysis
  • Thermal damage
  • Vascular lesions
  • Window-chamber skin-flap

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Dermatology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Thermal damage of blood vessels in a rat skin-flap window chamber using indocyanine green and a pulsed alexandrite laser: A feasibility study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this