Experimental study of cryogen spray properties for application in dermatologic laser surgery

Author

Aguilar, Guillermo ; Majaron, Boris ; Karapetian, Emil ; Lavernia, Enrique J. ; Nelson, J. Stuart

Author_Institution

Beckman Laser Inst., Univ. of California, Irvine, CA, USA

Volume

50

Issue

7

fYear

2003

fDate

7/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

863

Lastpage

869

Abstract

Cryogenic sprays are used for cooling human skin during laser dermatologic surgery. In this paper, six straight-tube nozzles are characterized by photographs of cryogenic spray shapes, as well as measurements of average droplet diameter, velocity, and temperature. A single-droplet evaporation model to predict average spray droplet diameter and temperature is tested using the experimental data presented here. The results show two distinct spray patterns-sprays for 1.4-mm-diameter nozzles ( wide nozzles) show significantly larger average droplet diameters and higher temperatures as a function of distance from the nozzle compared with those for 0.5-0.8-mm-diameter nozzles (narrow nozzles). These results complement and support previously reported studies, indicating that wide nozzles induce more efficient heat extraction than the narrow nozzles.

Keywords

biothermics; cooling; skin; surgery; 0.5 to 0.8 mm; 1.4 mm; cryogen spray properties; dermatologic laser surgery; distinct spray patterns; droplet size; more efficient heat extraction; nozzle geometry; single-droplet evaporation model; skin cooling; Cooling; Cryogenics; Humans; Laser modes; Laser surgery; Shape measurement; Skin; Spraying; Temperature; Velocity measurement; Administration, Topical; Aerosol Propellants; Burns; Cryotherapy; Dermatology; Drug Delivery Systems; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; Equipment Safety; Heat; Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated; Laser Therapy; Materials Testing; Particle Size; Rheology; Sensitivity and Specificity; Skin; Skin Temperature; Temperature; Thermography;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9294

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TBME.2003.813537

Filename

1206495