Abstract
The CO2 laser has established itself as an extremely useful therapeutic device In medicine. The IR radiation that it emits at 10.6 μm is strongly absorbed by water (α = 700 cm−1), and since 80% of living tissue is composed of water, this photon energy is readily absorbed and thermaiized and leads to tissue vaporization. Practical applications of the CO2 laser, however, are limited by the fact that its 10.6-μm beam cannot be transmitted by conventional fiber-optic materials. The CO2 laser must rely on articulated arms for delivery, which limit the surgical fields that are accessible for treatment.1
© 1986 Optical Society of America
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