Lasers for Medical Applications
Diagnostics, Therapy and Surgery

Helena Jelínková (Edited by)

9780857092373

Hardback, published 30 September 2013

832 pages
23.3 x 15.6 x 4.1 cm, 1.33 kg

"This book provides comprehensive and concise theoretical foundations of laser radiation delivery systems and laser medicine. It could be used as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in biosciences, and would be a valuable handbook for medical doctors and researchers in the field of medical systems." --Optics & Photonics News, May 22, 2014

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.

Introduction: The history of lasers in medicine. Part 1 Laser-tissue interaction: Laser characteristics
The response of tissue to laser light
Optical fibers for medical applications. Part 2 Types of laser used in medicine: Solid-state lasers for medical applications
Gas lasers for medical applications
Liquid and solid-state tunable organic dye lasers for medical applications
Semiconductor lasers for medical applications. Part 3 Lasers in diagnostics: Optical sources for optical coherence tomography (OCT)
Laser spectroscopy in medical diagnostics
Optical biopsy for cancer detection
Time-resolved fluorescence polarization spectroscopy and optical imaging of smart receptor-targeted contrast agents in tissues for cancer detection. Part 4 Laser therapy and surgery: Laser therapy in ophthalmology
Lasers in dermatology
Lasers in cardiology
Lasers in urology
Lasers in gynecology
Lasers in otorhinolaryngology (ORL) and head and neck surgery
Lasers in neurology
Lasers in dentistry
Laser in orthopaedic surgery
Cancer laser therapy using gold nanoparticles
Hybrid laser technology for biomaterials
Laser safety: Regulations, standards, and guidelines for practice
Photodynamic therapy for human malignancies with superficial and interstitial illumination.

Subject Areas: Laser technology & holography [TTBL], Applied optics [TTB]