The aim of this paper is to present the fundamentals of good practice when using the laser in medicine and surgery. As a 'good practice' recommendation, the laser beam wavelength and power should be determined to match the desired thermal effect. The energy losses to the surroundings of the initial absorbing volume, caused by the heat diffusion mechanism, are strongly dependent on the exposure time duration. The differences in the absorption and scattering coefficients of some tissue components are used for selectively destroying those components having the higher absorption coefficients. Selective destruction of some tissue components can be achieved even for components having the same absorption coefficient but different dimensions. The laser therapy strategy is discussed: the effective use of lasers in medicine can be achieved only if the physician has an extensive understanding of the laser-tissue interaction mechanisms; continuing education and training is a must for laser surgeons to improve their skill to get clinically optimal results.

Date Published: 23 October 2001
PDF: 4 pages
Proc. SPIE 4606, Laser Florence 2000: A Window on the Laser Medicine World, (23 October 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.446714

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4606:
Laser Florence 2000: A Window on the Laser Medicine World
Leonardo Longo; Alfons G. Hofstetter; Mihail-Lucian Pascu; Wilhelm R.A. Waidelich, Editor(s)