Fiber Optics are extensively used in laser surgery for delivering high power laser light. When fibers are used for contact or near contact cutting of tissue they undergo extensive damage. This fiber tip degradation lowers the fiber- transmission and causes the light to scatter from the fiber tip at much larger angles than an undamaged fiber tip. When the fibers damage during a surgical procedure they must be removed and either replaced or recleaved. This is inconvenient and expensive. Although this damage is usually referred to as 'spalling', due to its superficial resemblance to thermally induced fracture, it is actually a more complicated phenomena. From a thorough examination of the degradation mechanisms we have developed a procedure for protecting the distal ends of the fiber optics used in laser surgery. This protection will be designed to frustrate all of the possible damage mechanisms which are responsible for the destruction of surgical laser fiber tips. This should greatly extend the useful life of the inexpensive silica fibers currently used obviating the need to use more exotic fibers or large and expensive sapphire tips.National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
