An endoscopic approach to limit the depth of laser-induced thermal injury

Uncontrolled therapy depth is the significant challenge for achieving an adequate removal of superficial lesions especially for mucosal tissue in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Although various treatment methods are available providing some successful applications, an effective approach that limit thermal damage to the epithelium layer is of great interest to therapeutic endoscopy technology studies. In this study, we aimed to propose an endoscopic approach to limit the depth of laser-induced thermal injury by trapping mucosal tissue in the recessed area by using negative pressure. This study includes a Monte-Carlo-based computer modeling for numerical analysis and a protype design for ex vivo animal model which followed by a histological study to assess thermal tissue damage to investigate proposed approach. The laser wavelength used in the studies is 1.5 µm, while the diameter of the laser beam is 0.4 mm and laser power of 0.4 W. The findings suggest that with further refinement in design and preclinical trials, this approach may hold promise for laserinduced thermal therapy in gastrointestinal (GI) tract interventions