The history of laser applications in medicine starts al In the early 1990s a concerted action program most with the invention of the laser itself. sponsored by the European Commission was carried out in Europe for the dissemination of the safe use of It was only a few months after Maiman's invention lasers in medicine, and in 1996 a similar program was when this new high-intensity light source was used for medical applications. Light as a therapeutic tool developed with Russia. It was this German--Russian had long been used in medicine, especially in oph cooperation that led to a Russian version of the Ger thalmology and dermatology. Therefore, these disci man original loose-leaf handbook. The editors real plines were the first to take advantage of this new tool. ized an ever-growing demand for an English version of this handbook, too. Therefore, the editors are very Although the early results were not as promising as grateful to the Springer publishing house for support expected, a new field for medical diagnosis and treat ment had been defined. Most of the difficulties in the ing the English edition of the German original.

Part1 Basics

I-1 Basic Physics
I-2 Basic Physics of Lasers
I-3 Action Mechanisms of Laser Radiation in Biological Tissues
I-4 Technical Basics of Medical Laser Systems
II Principles of Laser Application in Medicine
II-1 The Laser's Position in Medicine
II-2 Fundamentals of Nd: YAG Laser Applications
II-3 Additional Equipment
II-4 Therapeutic Guidelines
II-5 Laser-Induced Thermotherapy (LITT),Basics
II-6 Basics of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
III Areas of Application
III-1 Laser Stereotaxy
III-2 Laser Applications in Ophthalmology
III-3 Dental Laser Applications: Periodontal Treatment and Intra-Oral Surgery
ENT
III-5 Laser Treatment in Gastroenterology
III-6 Angiology
III-7 Laser Treatments in Plastic Surgery and Dermatology
III-8 Laser Treatment in Urology
III-9 Laser Application in Orthopaedic Medicine
III-10 Laser Applications in Pulmology and Thoracic Surgery
III-11 Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization
III-12 Laser in General Surgery
III-13 Open and Endoscopic Laser Treatment in Paediatrics
III-14 Laser Applications in Gynaecology
III-15 Laser Applications in Diagnostics
IV Laser Safety in Medicine
IV Laser Safety in Medicine
IV-1Guidelines for Safe Clinical Laser Applications
Subject-Index.