Abstract

Several applications of lasers in medicine, such as laser lithotripsy and plaque removal, involve formation of plasmas. These plasmas will radiate in the IR, visible, and UV. Possible deleterious effects of plasma radiation are tissue damage by heating and chemical changes induced by deposition of UV photons. Of particular concern is the possible mutagenic effects of UV photons that can penetrate the nucleus of cells and be absorbed there.

© 1988 Optical Society of America