Q-switched neodymium-YAG laser iridotomy. A field trial with a portable laser system
A. L. Robin, S. Arkell, S. M. Gilbert, A. A. Goossens, R. P. Werner and O. M. Korshin
The efficacy of a small, portable, battery-operated, Q-switched
neodymium-YAG laser with a slit-lamp delivery system was evaluated in a
short-term pilot study. Iridotomies were created in 44 Eskimo eyes (23
patients) with occludable angles in Alaska's Kotzebue region. The laser was
transported as regular baggage, was used in three villages (utilizing
available facilities), and was operational within five minutes. Patent
iridotomies were achieved in all eyes and with one pulse in 18 eyes (44%).
Complications included transient bleeding from the iridotomy site in 23
eyes (52%), focal corneal opacities in 11 eyes (25%), and a transient
immediate postoperative intraocular pressure elevation in nine eyes (20%).
This appears to be the first portable laser system that can be used in
frontier areas and underdeveloped nations to prophylactically treat
pupillary-block glaucoma.
