Laser Surgery Information

While it was simply a thing of science fiction a few decades ago, virtually every field of surgery has at least one laser surgery procedure. The reasons for this proliferation of laser procedures are many. A laser, which is a concentrated form of light energy, can do a number of things when applied to human tissue. In recent years, different types of lasers were found to have unique applications in medical and surgical treatment.

Laser surgery has had its most impressive growth in the field of cosmetic plastic surgery. This light energy has been used to remove and even add hair (by aiding in hair transplant procedures). Lasers have been used to remove spider and varicose veins. There are used to remove tattoos and change the color of skin where slight discolorations exist. These are just some of the laser surgery procedures currently performed by cosmetic plastic surgeons.

Lasers are also used quite extensively in eye surgery. There are a number of safe and effective laser surgery procedures. Most commonly, lasers have been used to correct refractive errors of vision such as near and farsightedness and more recently astigmatism. LASIK is still the most popular but there are several other laser surgery procedures for the eye.

Lasers are used to treat other diseases of the eye besides refractive errors. There are laser procedures to treat glaucoma, cataracts, and diseases of the cornea though they are not as widely used as they are for errors of refraction. The advantage of lasers in eye surgery is the precision with which the eye can be cut, both in width of cut and in depth. Advantages in computer imaging techniques can take the actual cutting out of the hands of the eye surgeon altogether.

Laser procedures have been developed or at least attempted in most surgical situations. Areas that most likely will benefit from a laser surgery are those in which small, precise cuts are important and bleeding needs to be kept at a minimum. The laser energy that is used to cut human tissue also heats the surrounding area. This cauterizes the surgical incision immediately, which greatly limits blood loss at the incision site.

One area in which a cutting laser has been quite advantageous is in surgery of the face. The face has a tremendous number of blood vessels, especially small blood vessels called capillaries. Moreover, patients requiring surgery of the face appreciate the smallest and most subtle scars possible. Laser surgery promises to instantly close these tiny blood vessels as it cuts and provides precise, smooth incisions lines with minimal scarring.

Deep tissues are the target of laser procedures as well. Transmyocardial laser revascularization is a procedure in which blood flow to the heart is improved. A carbon dioxide laser is used to cut small channels directly in the heart muscle. In other fields, some orthopedic surgeons have adopted laser surgery techniques into the treatment of spine disorders. Spine surgery, which benefits from minimal bleeding and precise cuts, can be performed with a YAG laser. Discectomy (disc removal) and nerve root decompression can be achieved with laser surgery.