title: The effect of laser parameters on the zone of thermal injury produced by laser ablation of biological tissue.
abstract: A thermal model to predict the effect of laser parameters on the zone of thermal injury produced by laser ablation of biological tissue is presented. The model suggests that the Péclèt number based on the optical penetration depth of laser radiation is the key parameter in determining the resulting zone of thermal injury. We show that the zone of thermal injury is minimized for Péclèt numbers greater than one since the transport of energy via conduction beyond the ablation front is minimized. We also show that for Péclèt numbers less than one, larger zones of thermal damage are unavoidable regardless of the laser pulse duration. The predictions of the model are compared with data available in the literature. Deviations between the model predictions and published data are discussed and the potential effects of the model assumptions, optical scattering, pyrolysis, temporal pulse shape, pulse duration, irradiance and pulse repetition rate are explored.
authors.affiliation: Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114-2600.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Venugopalan
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Mikić
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D001831:Body Temperature; D002056:Burns / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004735:Energy Transfer; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013814:Thermal Conductivity; D013816:Thermodynamics; D013997:Time Factors