Medical Applications of Diode Lasers: Pulsed versus Continuous Wave (cw) Regime

Abstract

The paper deals with the medical application of diode-lasers. A short review of medical therapies is presented, taking into account the wavelength applied, continuous wave (cw) or pulsed regimes, and their therapeutic effects. Special attention was paid to the laryngological application of a pulsed diode laser with wavelength 810 nm, and dermatologic applications of a 975 nm laser working at cw and pulsed mode. The efficacy of the laser procedures and a comparison of the pulsed and cw regimes is presented and discussed.

Experience with 808-nm diode laser in the treatment of 47 cases of oral vascular anomalies

“…27 The diode laser has important advantages, such as good coagulation properties, absence of postoperative bleeding and pain, and good wound healing. 9 Consequently, it provides a better postoperative appearance, with less edema, bleeding, infection, and pain and thereby less need for postoperative analgesics. In our experience, in the trans-application of FDIP, approximately half of the patients felt a burning sensation, while 66% had edema and 4.2% had bleeding.…”

“…4,5,7 In FDIP, the diode laser is useful because it is highly absorbed by chromophores, such as hemoglobin, melanin, and collagen, and because it can cut and coagulate soft tissue, providing hemostasis and efficient tissue ablation. 8,9 Once the laser has penetrated the tissue, it generates heat with coagulation capacity at a depth of 7.0 to 10.0 mm, a process called photocoagulation. 10,11 In this process, energy is released through an optical fiber, maintained between 2.0 and 3.0 mm without contact with the target tissue.…”

The Effects of Multiple Power Densities of Carbon Dioxide Laser on Photothermal Damage in Rat Skin Tissue

“…Rapid Keywords anesthesia; energy; histological examination; cellular; cell distortions; epidermal 2 localized heating generates substantial thermal transients and shock waves, which can propagate into the blood vessels of the dermal tissue layers. Data showed that structural proteins such as collagens underwent denaturation at temperatures exceeding 60-70 o C [3,4].…”

Editorial for the Special Issue on Advanced Materials, Structures and Processing Technologies Based on Pulsed Laser

“…There are six papers published in this Special Issue focusing on pulsed laser machining. From metallic [1,2], inorganic [3] and polymeric [4,5] materials to biomass materials [6], from surface texture microstructures [1] and grain microstructures [2] to various types of functional contour structures [4,5], from the laser processing of metallic materials [1,2] and inorganic nonmetallic materials [3] to polymeric materials [4,5], from flexible electronics [4,5] and new energy batteries [1] to biomedicine [6], the articles in this Special Issue explore the specific applications of pulsed lasers in various fields.…”

“…In the pulsed laser processing of biomass materials, Michalik et al [6] deals with the medical application of diode-lasers. A short review of medical therapies is presented, considering the wavelength applied, continuous wave (cw) or pulsed regimes, and their therapeutic effects.…”