Abstract
Objective High-speed drilling generates heat in small cavities and may pose a risk for neurovascular
tissues. We hypothesize that a continuous pressurized cold mist could be an alternative
approach for better cooling during drilling of bone to access cranial lesions. This
study aims to examine this idea experimentally.
Design Ex-vivo drilling tests with controlled speed, feed, and depth were performed on cortical
bone samples. Thermocouples were embedded underneath the drilling path to compare
the temperature rises under mist cooling (at 3°C, < 300 mL/h) and flood irrigation
(at 22°C, > 800 mL/h).
Results A significant difference exists between these two systems (p value < 0.05). The measured temperature was ∼ 4°C lower for mist cooling than for
flood irrigation, even with less than a third of the flow rate.
Conclusion Experimental data indicate the capability of mist cooling to reduce heat generation
while simultaneously enabling flow reduction and targeted cooling. An improved field
of view in an extremely narrow access corridor may be achieved with this technology.
Keywords
high-speed drilling - endonasal drilling - irrigation - thermal injury
