Laser medicine
Encyclopedia
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
is the use of various types of laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
s in medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
, treatment, or therapy. Types of lasers used in medicine include in principle any laser design, especially:
- CO2 lasers
- diode lasers
- dye laserDye laserA dye laser is a laser which uses an organic dye as the lasing medium, usually as a liquid solution. Compared to gases and most solid state lasing media, a dye can usually be used for a much wider range of wavelengths. The wide bandwidth makes them particularly suitable for tunable lasers and...
s - excimer lasers
- fiber laserFiber laserA fiber laser or fibre laser is a laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth elements such as erbium, ytterbium, neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium, and thulium. They are related to doped fiber amplifiers, which provide light amplification without lasing...
s - gas laserGas laserA gas laser is a laser in which an electric current is discharged through a gas to produce coherent light. The gas laser was the first continuous-light laser and the first laser to operate "on the principle of converting electrical energy to a laser light output...
s - free electron lasers
- optical parametric oscillatorOptical parametric oscillatorAn optical parametric oscillator is a parametric oscillator which oscillates at optical frequencies. It converts an input laser wave into two output waves of lower frequency by means of second order nonlinear optical interaction. The sum of the output waves frequencies is equal to the input wave...
s
Medical areas that employ lasers include:
- angioplastyAngioplastyAngioplasty is the technique of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel, the latter typically being a result of atherosclerosis. An empty and collapsed balloon on a guide wire, known as a balloon catheter, is passed into the narrowed locations and then inflated to a fixed size...
- cancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
diagnosis and treatment - cosmetic applications such as laser hair removalLaser hair removalLaser hair removal was performed experimentally for about 20 years before it became commercially available in the mid 1990s. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998...
and tattoo removalTattoo removalTattoo removal has been performed with various tools during the history of tattooing. While tattoos were once considered permanent, it is now possible to remove them with treatments, fully or partially... - dermatologyDermatologyDermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
- lithotripsyLithotripsyLithotripsy refers to the physical destruction of gallstones or kidney stones. The term is derived from the Greek words meaning "breaking stones" .Forms include:* Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy...
- mammographyMammographyMammography is the process of using low-energy-X-rays to examine the human breast and is used as a diagnostic and a screening tool....
- medical imagingMedical imagingMedical imaging is the technique and process used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science...
- microscopyMicroscopyMicroscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view samples and objects that cannot be seen with the unaided eye...
- ophthalmologyOphthalmologyOphthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
(includes LasikLASIKLASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...
and laser photocoagulationLaser photocoagulationLaser coagulation or laser photocoagulation surgery is used to treat a number of eye diseases and has become widely used in recent decades...
) - optical coherence tomographyOptical coherence tomographyOptical coherence tomography is an optical signal acquisition and processing method. It captures micrometer-resolution, three-dimensional images from within optical scattering media . Optical coherence tomography is an interferometric technique, typically employing near-infrared light...
- prostatectomyProstatectomyA prostatectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland. Abnormalities of the prostate, such as a tumour, or if the gland itself becomes enlarged for any reason, can restrict the normal flow of urine along the urethra....
- surgerySurgerySurgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
See also
- Endovenous laser therapy
- Laser-assisted new attachment procedureLaser-assisted new attachment procedureLaser-assisted new attachment procedure is a surgical therapy designed for the treatment of periodontitis through regeneration rather than resection. This therapy and the laser used to perform it have been in use for more than a decade. Developed and refined in Cerritos, California, since 1991 by...
- Laser interstitial thermal therapyLaser interstitial thermal therapyLaser interstitial thermal therapy is a surgical procedure in which destruction of soft tissues in the body is effected through high temperatures generated by the local absorption of laser energy...
- Light therapyLight therapyLight therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light, usually controlled with various devices...
- Low level laser therapyLow level laser therapyLow-level laser therapy is a medical and veterinary treatment that uses low-level lasers or light-emitting diodes to alter cellular function...