Laser and laser-like assisted facial rejuvenation has become very popular during the last decade. Although a myriad of techniques are available, such approaches can be divided into four basic approaches. There are those that (i) ablate the epidermis, cause dermal wounding, and provide a significant thermal effect (CO(2) lasers); (ii) ablate the epidermis, cause dermal wounding, and minimal ther...

Ablative Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) allowed the first humans to safely return to Earth from the moon and are still considered as the only solution for future high-speed reentry missions. But despite the advancements made since Apollo, heat flux prediction remains an imperfect science and engineers resort to safety factors to determine the TPS thickness. This goes at the expense of embarke...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Due to the significant risk profile associated with traditional ablative resurfacing, a safer and less invasive treatment approach known as fractional deep dermal ablation (FDDA) was recently developed. We report the results of the first clinical investigation of this modality for treatment of photodamaged skin. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-four subjects ...

BACKGROUND To our knowledge, no systematic analysis of nonablative laser therapy has been performed. OBJECTIVE To alter the parameters (fluence, spot size, pulse duration, and use of cooling spray) for the pulsed dye laser to determine the precise settings that would yield the most favorable dermal remodeling in a porcine model. METHODS Research was conducted in an animal laboratory at Alba...

Atrial fibrillation is a diverse clinical entity, with persistent atrial (PeAF) being particularly challenging to manage. Through this paper, we discuss notable developments in our understanding of ablative strategies for managing PeAF, special focus on posterior wall isolation (PWI).

BACKGROUND Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been increasingly used to treat malignant skin tumors including the Bowen disease. However, patients could be displeased with the long incubation time required for conventional PDT. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the efficacy and safety of PDT with a short incubation time of ablative CO2 fractional laser pretreatment for treating Bowen disease. METH...

AIM The standard treatment for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is surgical resection. Only 20-30% of patients are deemed suitable for surgery. Recently, much attention has focused on ablative therapies either to treat unresectable CRLM or to extend the margins of resectability. This review aims to assess the long-term outcome and complication rates of various ablative therapies used in the m...