To assess the in vivo feasibility of EUS-guided laser ablation with an Nd:YAG laser of normal pancreatic tissue of a porcine model.
Prospective investigation.
Hospital animal laboratory.
Eight pigs.
EUS-guided puncture of the pancreatic tail with a laser-beam fiber. An Nd:YAG laser (1.064 nm) was used, with an output power of 2 and 3 W and a total delivered energy of 500 and 1000 J in continuous mode.
The 24-hour follow-up of the pigs was focused on clinical and laboratory aspects. Results of histological studies of the pancreas were obtained 24 hours after the procedure on necroscopy tissue.
There were no technical limitations to the performance of the procedure. Tissue necrosis, localized in the pancreatic parenchyma, was observed in all animals on histological examination. The volume of ablation tissue ranged from a mean of 314 mm3 to 483 mm3. The ablation area ranged from a mean of 49 mm2 to 80 mm2. No major postprocedure complications were recorded, and all the pigs survived at 24 hours.
Animal study.
EUS-guided laser ablation of the pancreas with an Nd:YAG laser is feasible in a porcine model.