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Urethral stenosis is a narrowing of the urethra caused by inflammation, or surgical trauma. Although endoscopic managements have been applied for short stricture, high recurrence rates and complications have still remained. Recently, balloon-assisted cylindrical laser ablation using a diffusing applicator (DA) has been investigated to treat tubular tissue [1,2]. Even though previous studies confirmed the safety and efficacy [1,2], performance validation is still unmet for clinical situations. This study aims to establish treatment conditions by quantifying treatment length and depth for the clinical translation. Ex vivo experiment on porcine liver tissue was conducted to compare various energy levels under static and dynamic conditions. A glass tube was inserted into the liver tissue and filled with water. DAwas then located at the center of the glass tube to deliver laser light in the radial direction, leading to cylindrical ablation of the liver tissue. After irradiation of 532 nm at 20 W, ablation length and depth were assessed. The extent of the coagulated region was increased with the irradiation time in both static/multiple and dynamic conditions. Dynamic condition showed the maximum ablation length after irradiation at 20 W for 20 s. All the ablation depths were found in the range of 2.0 ~ 2.5 mm, except the 20W for 15 s in the static condition. The current study confirmed that balloon-assisted cylindrical laser ablation can regulate the ablation region by adjusting treatment conditions depending on the extent of the stricture. Further in vivo studies will be investigated to assess current findings in terms of acute and chronic responses for clinical translation.
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