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Laser medicine is the use of in medical diagnosis, treatments, or therapies, such as laser photodynamic therapy, photorejuvenation, and laser surgery.
The word laser stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation".
Several medical applications were found for this new instrument. In 1961, just one year after the laser's invention, Dr. Charles J. Campbell successfully used a ruby laser to destroy an angiomatous retinal tumor with a single pulse. In 1963, Dr. Leon Goldman used the ruby laser to treat pigmented skin cells and reported on his findings.
The argon-ionized laser (wavelength: 488–514 nm) has since become the preferred laser for the treatment of retinal detachment. The carbon dioxide laser was developed by Kumar Patel and others in the early 1960s and is now a common and versatile tool not only for medicinal purposes but also for welding and drilling, among other uses.
The possibility of using optical fiber (over a short distance in the operating room) since 1970 has opened many laser applications, in particular endocavitary, thanks to the possibility of introducing the fiber into the channel of an endoscope.
During this time, the argon laser began to be used in gastroenterology and Pulmonology. Dr. Peter Kiefhaber was the first to "successfully perform endoscopic argon laser photocoagulation for gastrointestinal bleeding in humans". Kiefhaber is also considered a pioneer in using the in medicine, also using it to control gastrointestinal bleeding.
In 1976, Dr. Hofstetter employed lasers for the first time in urology. The late 1970s saw the rise of photodynamic therapy, thanks to laser dye. (Dougherty, 1972)
Since the early 1980s, applications have particularly developed, and lasers have become indispensable tools in ophthalmology, gastroenterology, and facial and aesthetic surgery.
In 1981, Goldman and Dr. Ellet Drake, along with others, founded the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery to mark the specialization of certain branches of medicine thanks to the laser. In the same year, the Francophone Society of Medical Lasers (in French, Société Francophone des Lasers Médicaux) was founded for the same purpose and was first led by Maurice Bruhat.
After the end of the 20th century, a number of centers dedicated to laser medicine opened, first in the OECD, and then more generally since the beginning of the 21st century.
The Lindbergh Operation was a historic surgical operation between surgeons in New York (United States) and doctors and a patient in Strasbourg (France) in 2001. Among other things, they utilized lasers.
For example, in France (as in other countries with a social security system), dental, endodontal or periodontal laser treatment is classified outside the nomenclature and not reimbursed by social security.
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