Photothermal modelling of thulium fibre laser-tissue interactions

Journal article

A one-dimensional finite difference model has been used to investigate the temperature distribution within thulium fibre laser-irradiated tissue. Temperature-time and temperature-depth profiles are presented for various laser stimulus parameters in the 2μm region. These current calculations are aimed at determining theoretical temperature distributions in the application of relatively low power fibre lasers for thermal stimulation of cutaneous nerves in human pain processing. Theoretical skin surface temperatures are compared with those from thermal camera measurements during thulium fibre laser irradiation. The effectiveness of the thulium fibre laser for thermally stimulating cutaneous nerves is confirmed.

Authors: Warnaby, C; Coleman, D; King, T

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: THERAPEUTIC LASER APPLICATIONS AND LASER-TISSUE INTERACTIONS
• Volume: 5142
• Pages: 68-75
• Publication date: 2003-01-01
• DOI: 10.1117/12.500638
• ISSN: 0277-786X
• Language: English
• Keywords: thulium fibre laser; laser nerve stimulation; temperature modelling