Wang Dongdong, Yang Fang, Gao Weinan, Bi Yong, Zhu Xuehong, Lin Zhong
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
PLoS One. 2025 May 30;20(5):e0317022. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317022. eCollection 2025.
Globally, infertility affects 10-15% of couples, with Fallopian Tube Obstruction (FTO) being a principal cause. Current therapeutic options are inadequate, prompting a demand for effective, less invasive treatments with lower recurrence.
The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of employing laser-induced cavitation bubbles (LICB) technology for the treatment of FTO and to experimentally ascertain the optimal laser parameters for this approach.
Utilizing an Er:YAG pulsed laser (2.94 [Formula: see text]m, 200 [Formula: see text]s pulse width, 10 Hz), laser energy was transmitted through a 450 [Formula: see text]m sapphire fiber. The study involved 13 rats categorized into control, model, and experimental groups. The laser, with energies of 8.3 mJ, 12.7 mJ, and 15.3 mJ, was applied through the sapphire fibers. The assessment criteria incorporated Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining of the fallopian tubes across all groups, evaluating tubal patency and wall damage to ascertain the most effective laser parameters.
In this experiment, the cumulative recanalization success rate in rat models of FTO treated with LICB was observed to be 75%. Specifically, a recanalization rate of 33.3% was achieved with the application of 8 mJ laser energy. The use of 12.7 mJ laser energy resulted in an increased success rate of 85.7%. However, while the application of 15.3 mJ laser energy achieved a 100% recanalization rate, it was accompanied by the formation of hemorrhagic spots on the fallopian tube walls, indicating thermal damage due to the higher energy levels. Optimal treatment parameters were identified as 12.7 mJ laser energy, 10 Hz frequency, and 10-second application.
This research suggests that LICB technology can effectively clear fallopian tube obstructions while causing acceptable levels of damage. This indicates its potential as a valuable treatment method worthy of further research for facilitating tubal recanalization.
在全球范围内，不孕症影响着10%至15%的夫妇，输卵管阻塞（FTO）是主要原因之一。目前的治疗选择并不充分，这促使人们需要有效、侵入性较小且复发率较低的治疗方法。
本研究的目的是探讨采用激光诱导空化泡（LICB）技术治疗FTO的可行性，并通过实验确定该方法的最佳激光参数。
利用掺铒钇铝石榴石脉冲激光（波长2.94μm，脉冲宽度200μs，频率10Hz），激光能量通过一根450μm的蓝宝石光纤传输。该研究涉及13只大鼠，分为对照组、模型组和实验组。分别以8.3mJ、12.7mJ和15.3mJ的能量通过蓝宝石光纤施加激光。评估标准包括对所有组的输卵管进行苏木精-伊红（HE）染色，评估输卵管通畅情况和管壁损伤，以确定最有效的激光参数。
在本实验中，观察到用LICB治疗的FTO大鼠模型的累计再通成功率为75%。具体而言，施加8mJ激光能量时再通率为33.3%。使用12.7mJ激光能量使成功率提高到85.7%。然而，虽然施加15.3mJ激光能量时再通率达到100%，但输卵管壁上出现了出血点，表明由于能量水平较高导致了热损伤。确定最佳治疗参数为激光能量12.7mJ、频率10Hz和照射时间10秒。
本研究表明，LICB技术可以有效清除输卵管阻塞，同时造成可接受程度的损伤。这表明它作为一种有价值的治疗方法具有潜力，值得进一步研究以促进输卵管再通。
