Applied Laser Medicine

This handbook is intended for the advanced specialist and for the practitioner interested in the application of lasers in medicine. It provides summaries of all available medical laser systems and their clinical use. The first part introduces basic laser physics, including laser-tissue interactions as well as technical equipment and particular techniques developed for medical use in connection with laser. The second part of the text covers all areas of laser application in medicine and has been written by senior specialists from different countries. The book includes about 300 line drawings, more than 100 high quality photographs, an extensive subject and author register, and an exhaustive list of references.

A careful review of the literature covering various aspects of applications of lasers in science and technology reveals that lasers are being applied very widely throughout the entire gamut of physical medicine. After surveying the current developments taking place in the field of medical applications of lasers, it was considered appropriate to bring together these efforts of international research scientists and experts into one volume. It is with this aim that the editors have prepared this volume which brings current research and recent developments to the attention of a wide spectrum of readership associated with hospitals, medical institutions and universities world wide, including also the medical instrument industry. Both teachers and students in the medical faculties will especially find this compendium quite useful. This book is comprised of eleven chapters. All of the important medical applications of lasers are featured. The editors have made every effort that individual chapters are self-contained and written by experts. Emphasis has been placed on straight and simple presentation of the subject matter so that even the new entrants into the field will find the book of value.

This text was designed for the physicians, nurses, technical personnel, and staff members of medical facilities using lasers for surgical, therapeutic, and diagnostic purposes. The objective is to provide an understanding of the potential health and safety hazards associated with the use of medical laser systems and the precautions needed to use them safely. To do this, it is necessary to have an awareness of applicable standargs and regula tions that apply to laser use. This book is not intended as a substitute for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z-136. 3, "Safe Use of Lasers in Health Care Facilities," but to facilitate its implementation as well as the implementation of the many other related regulations and guidelines that are pertinent. These other regulations include the Medical Device Amendments to the Food and Drug Act, the Federal Laser Product Performance Standards issued under the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act, and applicable regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The text is organized to provide first an overview of laser hazards, laser surgical applications, and laser biological effects. General safety control measures and safety standards are then presented. Because laser tech nology is rapidly evolving, these general guidelines will allow safe use of new laser systems as they become available. Finally, specific safety guide lines and precautions are provided for specialized laser applications in the different health care specialties.

Lasers were developed out of Einstein's theories, but the first work ing device was not produced until 1960. Since then, they have found applications in many areas of medicine, and hold promise for many more. This book has been written to provide a basic found ation on lasers - what they are, how they work, and what they can do for the patient. It assumes only a basic scientific background in the reader, and has many simple and clear diagrams. It should be of interest to clinicians, surgeons, nurses, safety officers, patients and interested laymen. The book consists of six chapters, and following a glossary of technical terms, begins with a brief discussion of the physics behind laser action. This section is illustrated with clear diagrams, and is written in an easy-to-follow style. It describes how laser light originates, and how it differs fundamentally from ordinary light. The remainder of the book is concerned with the use of lasers in medicine. Chapter 2 deals with the various ways in which a laser beam can interact with tissue, and shows how this depends on the particular laser being used. The following chapter describes some properties of those lasers which are most usually used in current medical practice, but also discusses new and experimental develop ments. There are various methods of getting the laser beam to the target tissue, and these are described in Chapter 4.

Lasers have a wide and growing range of applications in medicine. Lasers for Medical Applications summarises the wealth of recent research on the principles, technologies and application of lasers in diagnostics, therapy and surgery. Part one gives an overview of the use of lasers in medicine, key principles of lasers and radiation interactions with tissue. To understand the wide diversity and therefore the large possible choice of these devices for a specific diagnosis or treatment, the respective types of the laser (solid state, gas, dye, and semiconductor) are reviewed in part two. Part three describes diagnostic laser methods, for example optical coherence tomography, spectroscopy, optical biopsy, and time-resolved fluorescence polarization spectroscopy. Those methods help doctors to refine the scope of involvement of the particular body part or, for example, to specify the extent of a tumor. Part four concentrates on the therapeutic applications of laser radiation in particular branches of medicine, including ophthalmology, dermatology, cardiology, urology, gynecology, otorhinolaryngology (ORL), neurology, dentistry, orthopaedic surgery and cancer therapy, as well as laser coatings of implants. The final chapter includes the safety precautions with which the staff working with laser instruments must be familiar. With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, this important book summarizes international achievements in the field of laser applications in medicine in the past 50 years. It provides a valuable contribution to laser medicine by outstanding experts in medicine and engineering. Describes the interaction of laser light with tissue Reviews every type of laser used in medicine: solid state, gas, dye and semiconductor Describes the use of lasers for diagnostics

Laser technology is constantly evolving and progressing. The use of laser therapy is vastly expanding and for this reason a medical book of this magnitude is necessary. Lasers and Light Therapy includes an up-to-date comprehensive look at lasers and light therapy not only in the field of Cutaneous Laser Surgery, but in other medical specialties as well.

The invention of the Laser, 25 years ago, has become an innovation with established industrial technology extended through diverse areas of economic viability (a 25% sales annual growth), and promising market perspectives. In organizing an European Intensive Course on Applied Laser Tooling, it seemed opportune to bring together an international group of scientists to provide an appraisal of industrial Lasers, system integration, and sensitive areas of Laser beam material interaction, while emphasizing those areas which promise to have major impact both in science and technology. Tutorial papers and reports on latest developments both in research and industrial manufacturing were complemented by video and film projections to show the wide variety of applications in industry, stressing the combination of Lasers with other technologies, mainly CNC and Robots. The large participation by the industry fulfilled the intended interaction and cross-fertilization between the scientific, technological and industrial community, reinforcing the innovative capacity readily demonstrated at panel discussions. It was neither possible nor planned to cover all the aspects in full depth. Efforts were addressed to selected areas where discussion of advanced knowled~e and technology topics would stimulate further progress of Laser tooling (in main directions: software, hardware and peopleware). Laser tooling was then discussed in light of its major applications covering Laser beam robotic manipulation towards flexible manufacturing systems. The following articles give a fair account of the course programme.