Abstract

Ultrashort laser pulses enable a process of tissue ablation that is of great interest for medical therapy. In contrast to long pulsed or cw lasers, where the applied energy leads to heating and vaporization of irradiated tissue, the ablation process in the ultrashort pulse range is initiated by a plasma formation in the laser focus, resulting in tissue removal.¹ Using picosecond pulses this ablation mechanism is already well established in ophthalmology. The accuracy and the absence of undesired thermal side effects made the plasma-mediated ablation a promising technique in other medical fields, e.g., neurosurgery.

© 1994 IEEE