Laser scalpel

A laser scalpel is a scalpel for surgery, cutting tissue by the energy of laser light.

In ophthalmology excimer lasers are used for changing the shape of the cornea, procedures known as LASIK and LASEK.

Other surgical fields where the use of a laser scalpel is common are circumcision, neurosurgery and vascular surgery. Today YAG and CO2 lasers are used, but possible benefits of using the vastly more expensive free electron lasers are being researched.

For research use in cell biology, special laser micro-scalpels can make cuts smaller than a single cell.

Literature

 * D.H. Sliney, S.L. Trokel: Medical lasers and their safe use, ISBN 3-540-97856-9
 * Leon Danaila, Mihail-Lucian Pascu: Lasers in Neurosurgery, ISBN 973-27-0802-6
 * K. K. Jain: Handbook of Laser Neurosurgery, ISBN 0-398-04844-4