The Paradigm Shift in Laser Technology for Imaging and Therapy Can Startle You!

The LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) technology celebrates its 62^nd anniversary this year. The term -” LASER” was first coined by Charles Townes in 1951. But it took almost 40 years to build the first working prototype of a laser.

Since then, the advancement and newer inventions in laser technology have made it the most rapidly growing field in fundamental and applied research to date and will keep doing so in the future.

While comparing lasers to a conventional light source, the distinctive qualities of laser to generate an intense, very narrow beam of light of a single wavelength, have been harnessed for various applications in scientific research, technology, telecommunications, medicine, materials science and much more.

The unique properties of laser light such as coherence, monochromaticity, directionality, high brightness, and generation of a focused narrow beam of light have made the applications of laser radiation in medicine obligatory.

Being faster, less invasive, with better accuracy, and with a greater intervention effect, lasers have revolutionized the field of medicine ranging from diagnostics, surgery, and therapeutics.

Lasers are now being widely and effectively used in medical fields like – cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, gastroenterology, gynecology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and urology.

Additionally, laser also offers impeccable diagnostic applications such as laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy/imaging, Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF).

Lasers are also becoming an essential tool in other biological applications from high-resolution microscopy (confocal microscopy) to subcellular nanosurgery.

Currently, research is going on to miniaturize the size of lasers to integrate them into living cells and form bio-derived/biological lasers which can be used in intracellular sensing, ometry, and imaging devices.

In an attempt for miniaturization and cellular integration, major advancement has been made in the field of optical microcavities. These structures enable the confinement of light in microscale volumes, biomolecules, or biocompatible molecules as gaining medium and reduce the size from the classical Fabry-Perot resonator to novel classes of whispering gallery mode (WGM) micro-resonator.

Fast-growing research and advancement in laser technology will increase the integration of these light-based functionalities in patients for early detection and real-time diagnosis of several diseases and along with the designing of personalized treatment with excellent therapeutic outcomes. It is exciting to see how this field will evolve in the future as a smart human health monitoring and therapeutic strategy.

Meditorch’s HospitalBuy is a one-stop marketplace, for world-class, high-quality surgical & healthcare equipment that can suit all your hospital needs. High-quality, ultrafast, and multipurpose lasers for various medical fields such as dental, dermatology, proctology, E.N.T, orthopedics, physiotherapy, gynecology, and other healthcare specialties are now available at HospitalBuy. For more information about these products, contact our experts now!

Watch exclusive videos of laser workshop on proctology and other medical specialties only on Meditorch’s LapGuru (Online learning portal).

Ref:

Sarbadhikary P, et al. Theranostics 2022; 12(17):7335-7350