Quantitative Analysis of the Ablation Effects of Holmium:YAG and Neodymium:YAG Laser in Human Spinal Disc Tissue

Salvage Operation for Persistent Low Back Pain and Sciatica Induced by Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression Performed at Outside Institution: Correlation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Intraoperative and Pathological Findings

“…In contrast, Ho:YAG laser has a potent tissue ablation effect, causing tissue defects and superficial vacuolation or heat degeneration, but its heat effect on surrounding tissues is less potent than that of Nd:YAG. 33 Despite the use of Ho:YAG laser for PLDD, most of the 13 patients reported here had the typical MR signal changes in the adjacent vertebral end-plates. These MR signal changes were associated with pathological evidence of heat effects on the bones and cartilages, indicating that the exposure doses used for PLDD must have been too high.…”