Laser medicine

CW rhodamine dye laser emitting near 590 nm, one typically used in early medical laser systems.

Laser radiation being delivered, via a fiber, for photodynamic therapy to treat cancer.

A 40 watt CO₂ laser with applications in ENT, gynecology, dermatology, oral surgery, and podiatry

Laser medicine consists in the use of lasers in medical diagnosis, treatments, or therapies, such as laser photodynamic therapy.^[1]

Lasers

Lasers used in medicine include in principle any type of laser, but especially:

• CO₂ lasers,^[2] used cut, vaporize, ablate and photo-coagulate soft tissue.^[3]
• diode lasers^[4]
• dye lasers^[1][5]
• excimer lasers
• fiber lasers^[6]
• gas lasers
• free electron lasers
• semiconductor diode lasers^[7]

Applications in medicine

Medical areas that employ lasers include:

• angioplasty^[5]
• cancer diagnosis^[7][8]
• cancer treatment^[9]
• cosmetic dermatology such as scar revision, skin resurfacing, laser hair removal, tattoo removal^[5]
• dermatology,^[5] to treat melanoma
• lithotripsy,^[5]
• laser mammography^[10]
• medical imaging^[10]
• microscopy^[11][12]
• ophthalmology (includes Lasik and laser photocoagulation)
• optical coherence tomography^[6]
• prostatectomy
• plastic surgery, in laser liposuction^[13]
• surgery,^[6][14] to ablate and cauterize tissue

See also

Media related to Laser medicine at Wikimedia Commons

• Dental laser
• Endovenous laser therapy
• Laser-assisted new attachment procedure
• Laser surgery
• Light therapy
• Low level laser therapy
• Photodynamic therapy
• Photomedicine
• Soft-tissue laser surgery

References

1. Duarte F. J.; Hillman, L.W. (1990). Dye Laser Principles, with Applications. Boston: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-222700-X.
2. Polanyi, T.G. (1970). "A CO₂ Laser for Surgical Research". Med. & Biol. Engng. 8: 541–548. doi:10.1007/bf02478228.
3. "Soft-Tissue Laser Surgery - CO2 Surgical Laser - LightScalpel". LightScalpel. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
4. Loevschall, Henrik (1994). "Effect of low level diode laser irradiation of human oral mucosa fibroblasts in vitro". Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 14 (4): 347–354. doi:10.1002/lsm.1900140407.
5. Costela A, Garcia-Moreno I, Gomez C (2016). "Medical Applications of Organic Dye Lasers". In Duarte FJ. Tunable Laser Applications (3rd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 293–313. ISBN 9781482261066.
6. Popov S (2016). "Fiber Laser Overview and Medical Applications". In Duarte FJ. Tunable Laser Applications (3rd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 263–292. ISBN 9781482261066.
7. Duarte FJ (2016). "Broadly Tunable External-Cavity Semiconductor Lasers". In Duarte FJ. Tunable Laser Applications (3rd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 203–241. ISBN 9781482261066.
8. Duarte, Francisco Javier Eastman Kodak Company (Sep 28, 1988), Two-laser therapy and diagnosis device, retrieved 2016-04-18
9. Goldman L (1990). "Dye Lasers in Medicine". In Duarte FJ; Hillman LM. Dye Laser Principles. Boston: Academic Press. pp. 419–32. ISBN 0-12-222700-X.
10. Carroll FE (2008). "Pulsed, Tunable, Monochromatic X-rays: Medical and Non-Medical Applications". In Duarte FJ. Tunable Laser Applications (2nd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 281–310. ISBN 1-4200-6009-0.
11. Orr BJ; Haub J G; He Y; White RT (2016). "Spectroscopic Applications of Pulsed Tunable Optical Parametric Oscillators". In Duarte FJ. Tunable Laser Applications (3rd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 17–142. ISBN 9781482261066.
12. Thomas JL, Rudolph W (2008). "Biological Microscopy with Ultrashort Laser Pulses". In Duarte FJ. Tunable Laser Applications (2nd ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 245–80. ISBN 1-4200-6009-0.
13. "A comparative study of internal laser-assisted and conventional liposuction: a look at the influence of drugs and major surgery on laboratory postoperative values.". Drug Des Devel Ther. 7: 1195–200. Oct 2013. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S50828. PMID 24143076.
14. Jelinkova H, ed. (2013). Lasers for Medical Applications: Diagnostics, Therapy, and Surgery. Oxford: Woodhead. ISBN 978 0 85709 237 3.