Argon coagulation

Ethanol injection,bipolar electrocoagulation therapy, and argon coagulation are all methods used to restore patency of the esophageal lumen by producing tumor necrosis without the need for expensive laser equipment and the stringent safety precautions required for laser therapy. 

Therapy includes paracentesis -i- thoracocentesis + i.v. albumin solution, pleural drainage or pleurodesis with talc. Recently, pleurodesis using argon beam coagulation + minocycline hydrochloride has been recommended. In the case of refractory hepatic hydrothorax, TIPS or liver transplantation may be indicated. (53)... 

Kwon, A.H., Matsui, Y., Inui, H., Imamnra, A., Kamiyama, Y. Laparoscopic treatment using an argon beam coagulator for nonparasitic hver cysts. Amer. J. Surg. 2003 185 273—277... 

The argon ion laser (488-514.5 nm) in the localized heating and thermal coagulation of the vascular choroid layer and adjacent retina, resulting in the anchoring of the retina in treatment of retinal detachment (Katoh and Peyman, 1988). 

The argon ion laser (488-514.5 nm), frequency-doubled NdiYAG laser (532 nm), and dye laser radiation (585 nm) in the coagulative treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions such as port wine stains (Mordon et al, 1993). 

While there have been several promising research outcomes reported on animal studies, it would require much more systematic studies on the consequences and side effects of the APP before adopting the non-thermal APP treatment to actual clinical studies. As a side note, the classical argon plasma coagulation (APC) device, which is a type of thermal plasma of a high temperature, has been used as a surgical tool as a comparable tool to the laser ablator or electrical scalpel [10, 72, 73], but we leave this out to the references because it is beyond the scope of this chapter. 

Waye, J.D., Grund, K.E., Farin, G. Argon plasma coagulation (APC) - Clinical usefulness in flexible endoscopy. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 43(4), 64 (1996)... 

Raiser, J., Zenker, M. Argon plasma coagulation for open surgical and endoscopic applications state of the art. Journal of Physics D Applied Physics 39(16), 3520-3523 (2006)... 

Kaassis, M., et al. Argon Plasma Coagulation for the Treatment of Hemorrhagic Radiation Proctitis. Endoscopy 32(09), 673-676 (2000)... 

Vargo, J.J. Clinical applications of the argon plasma coagulator. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 59(1), 81-88 (2004)... 

Tirakotai, W., et al. Argon plasma coagulation (APC) in brain tumor surgery experimental study and clinical experiences. Clinical Neuropathology 23(6), 257-261 (2004)... 

Janani, E., Ale-Ebrahim, M., Mortazavi, P. In Vitro and in Vivo smdies of the Effects of Cold Argon Plasma on Decreasing the Coagulation Time. Iranian Journal of Medical Physics 2013(10), 31-36 (2013)... 

Argon gas is sometimes used as an arc guiding medium. The argon gas flows out of the electrode mainly for two purposes to facilitate and lead the formation of an arc between the electrode and tissue surface, and to impede oxygen in reaching the coagulation zone. 

Noncontact methods include YAG laser and argon plasma coagulation. The former is expensive, bulky, and not easy to use while the latter is the opposite. Because of blood flow, noncontact thermal methods are less effective in the treatment of actively bleeding ulcers. Instead these methods are used to finish off injection therapies by adding further coagulation. 

Fig. 3.44a,b. Gastric haemangioma shown as a typically well defined, bright red 4-mm lesion (a). The same lesion was coagulated with argon plasma beam (b)... 

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