New concepts in laser medicine: Towards a laser surgery with cellular precision

New concepts and instrumentation in laser medicine are driven by the progress in optical technology as well as by advances in the understanding of the interaction of optical irradiation with tissue, especially at a macromolecular scale, and by the changing needs in health care. Complexity and costs of laser sources will decrease due to the use of semiconductor and fiber lasers, and complex or non-linear mechanisms by which the radiation effects tissues are better understood, especially when ultra-short laser pulses are used. Especially femtosecond lasers and nanotechnology have the potential to treat diseases at a cellular level. Focused femtosecond irradiation was successfully used to manipulate tissues with subcellular precision. Laser-irradiated nanoparticles can selectively destroy individual cells.