Laser scalpel

A laser scalpel is a scalpel for surgery, cutting tissue by the energy of laser light.

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In ophthalmology excimer lasers are used for changing the shape of the cornea, procedures known as LASIK and LASEK.

Other surgical fields where the use of a laser scalpel is common are circumcision, neurosurgery and vascular surgery. Today YAG and CO₂ lasers are used, but possible benefits of using the vastly more expensive free electron lasers are being researched.

For research use in cell biology, special laser micro-scalpels can make cuts smaller than a single cell.

Literature

• D.H. Sliney, S.L. Trokel: Medical lasers and their safe use, ISBN 3-540-97856-9
• Leon Danaila, Mihail-Lucian Pascu: Lasers in Neurosurgery, ISBN 973-27-0802-6
• K. K. Jain: Handbook of Laser Neurosurgery, ISBN 0-398-04844-4