Page 260 - Clinical Manual of Small Animal Endosurgery

248 Clinical Manual of Small Animal Endosurgery

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 8.13 Anterior rhinoscopy is also extremely useful for the retrieval of
foreign bodies, which are often surrounded by copious mucopurulent exudate
(a, b). Foreign bodies can be sometimes difficult to see, as embedded in the
mucosa (c); (d) shows the damage consequent to penetration by a wooden
stick. All images courtesy of Mr P.J. Lhermette.

A more exhaustive discussion of the management of nasal pathology
can be found in other texts.

Laser endoscopic surgery

This author has adopted relatively routine use of diode lasers in the
management of a variety of pathological conditions of the nasal passages
over the last 15 years. It is my experience that these devices have signifi-
cant adjunctive value in the treatment of many different diseases with
minimal morbidity.
The lasers of choice for the purposes of endoscopic surgery are surgical
diode lasers. While it is beyond the scope of this chapter to discuss the
physics behind lasers and their use in surgery, a bit of background is
helpful. Diode lasers use diode semiconductors to produce laser light of
different wavelengths. The specific wavelength is determined by the
characteristics of the particular diode used. The use of diodes (as opposed
to some form of gas or metallic lasing medium) makes these devices more
reliable, more cost-effective and less prone to mechanical failure than
other surgical lasers. More important, however, is the fact that diodes