Lasers in Medical Diagnosis and Therapy: Basics, applications and future prospects provides an overview on medical lasers and laser systems as well as laser applications in medical diagnosis and therapy. Since it was written by physicists, it focusses on the physics and underlying mechanisms of laser diagnosis and therapy, and thus initially covers the basics of laser-light generation, a selection of the most important laser types and systems commonly used in medicine, and the principles of laser-light guidance. The basic optical and thermal properties of biological tissue and the underlying mechanisms of light propagation and scattering, as well as laser-matter-interactions and laser-tissue-interactions, such as coagulation, ablation and photo-disruption are also presented. Finally, relevant and established laser applications and the newest developments in diagnosis and therapy are discussed. For instance, this includes diagnosis methods based on spectroscopy and fluorescence as well as therapeutic and surgical approaches ranging from moderate laser irradiation such as photo-activation to high-power laser methods for cutting bones or the fragmentation of stones. In order to summarise and to point out the most important content and principles it includes comprehensive chapter abstracts and summaries, a clearly arranged formulary as well as a number of exercises. The book should be used as a textbook for lectures, practise lessons and for the preparation of exams. It is suitable for students, lecturers and researchers in the fields of medical engineering and technology, medical physics, medicine and surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, laser physics and development, and optical engineering.

Book jacket.