Investigating the reliability of depth monitoring using optical coherence tomography during laser osteotomy

Laser osteotomy is a contactless and potentially minimally invasive technology for bone surgery, providing freedom of cutting geometry and high precision. One technical drawback of using lasers for osteotomy is the lack of depth feedback. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive, highresolution, and high-speed interferometric imaging system. Following the first report of the integrated OCT and laser ablation system, an extensive effort has been made to improve this integrated setup [1]. An irrigation system is commonly used together with laser ablation systems to keep the tissue hydrated and the surface temperature at a fixed level which is, below the damage/carbonization threshold. However, accumulation of water inside the laser-induced cut can lead to a wrong depth measurement, and consequently, damage the critical structure in the vicinity and/or excessive depth of cuts. Thus, a proper depth monitoring system is required to obtain correct depth measurements