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Title: Laser interaction with vascular tissue: A theoretical and experimental investigation

Miscellaneous ·
OSTI ID:5598252

Evaluation of the effects of optical scattering albedo ({omega}{sub 0}), anisotropy factor (g), and boundary reflectivities on the light distribution in tissue were based on the rigorous method of discrete ordinate approximation. Optical characteristics of vascular tissue were determined by fitting the measured scattering phase function to an analytical relation to calculate g. Substituting this parameter and the measured total transmission and reflection into an inverse solution to the radiative transfer theory yielded the tissue transport coefficients. Thermodynamic analysis using a finite element solution of the bioheat equation showed a higher subsurface temperature with increased scattering. If both the anisotropic behavior and the optical discontinuities at boundaries are disregarded, significant errors on the calculated temperatures would occur. An in vivo skin model showed that reduced thermal damage to the epidermis and a more uniform coagulation of skin is possible with simultaneous surface cooling during Nd:YAG laser irradiation. In ablation studies, the surface and subsurface temperature rises associated with tissue ablation were monitored during irradiation of normal aortic specimens in air, blood, and saline, at 1.06 {mu}m. Thermal lensing, a non-linear response, was established in egg white. The dependence of tissue response on beam diameter and absorbed energy were studied.

Research Organization:
Texas Univ., Austin, TX (USA)
OSTI ID:
5598252
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English