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Laser energies can be transmitted through flexible optical fiber to vaporize and penetrate coronary atherosclerotic and thrombotic obstructions. There are risks and complications involved in this therapy, however, including perforation, aneurysm formation, and thromboembolic risks, and further research is needed to render the laser recanalization procedure safe.

We examined the potential for laser irradiation of congenital heart defects, with the use of postmortem hearts and an argon ion laser with a flexible quartz fiber. Atrial septectomy was performed in five newborn hearts. Obstructive lesions were relieved by laser irradiation in valvular pulmonic and aortic stenosis, dysplastic pulmonary valve, pulmonary atresia, and coarctation of the aorta. To demonstrate the efficacy of in vivo cardiac laser surgery, atrial septectomy was also performed in an anesthetized dog model, under echocardiographic visualization, without change in heart rate or blood pressure. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of intracardiac and intravascular laser irradiation for palliation and repair of selected congenital heart diseases.