Laser treatment of chondromalacia lesions in the articular cartilage

Objective: to select optimal parameters of two-wave near-infrared laser irradiation for the arthroscopic treatment of chondromalacia foci  in the articular cartilage.  

Material and methods. Bull articular cartilages were treated with laser light delivered by a fifi ber and having various parameters. Human articular  cartilages with chondromalacia foci taken during the total knee replacement were also treated with laser light delivered by a fifi ber and having  various parameters. The processed cartilage samples were examined macroscopically and then histologically. Changes in the structure of ar[1] ticular cartilage after laser irradiation were assessed.  

Results. A two-second irradiation with two-wave laser light (λ = 0.97 μm / 30 W and λ = 1.55 μm / 15 W) causes a rapid “melting” of lesion margins  without macroscopically visible carbonization with a wide thermally affected zone in the irradiated area. Histologically, cartilage preparations  irradiated with two-wave laser light (wavelengths λ = 1.55 μm / 5 W and λ = 0.97 μm / 3 W) for 2 sec demonstrated slight changes in the cartilage  structure without thermal destruction of chondrocytes.

Conclusion. The optimal combination for laser irradiation of the cartilage tissue in the saline solution environment which restores articular cartilage  shape is two-wave laser light λ = 0.97 μm at power of 3 W and λ = 1.55 μm at power of 5 W from the distance of 1–2 mm under 2 sec exposure.   

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