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J Biomed 2017; 2:12-19. doi:10.7150/jbm.17059 This volume Cite

Research Paper

Supercontinuum source in the investigation of laser-tissue interactions: “ex vivo” study

Carlo Fornaini^1,2✉, Michele Sozzi¹, Elisabetta Merigo², Piergiorgio Pasotti¹, Stefano Selleri¹, Annamaria Cucinotta¹

1. Group of Applied ElectroMagnetic, Information Engineering Department, University of Parma, Viale Parco Area delle Scienze 181/A 43124 Parma, Italy.
2. Micoralis Laboratory, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Nice, Pôle Universitaire St Jean d'Angély 24, Avenue des Diables Bleus 06357, Nice Cedex 4, France.

✉ Corresponding author: Dr. Carlo Fornaini, carloit.

Abstract

One of the main difficulties met by clinicians in their daily practice is the choice of the proper laser wavelength to obtain the best results from their treatments with minimal discomfort of the patients. This “ex vivo” study, based on the employment of a supercontinuum source, was performed with the purpose of defining the amount of energy transmitted through different animal tissues by wavelengths ranging from 350 up to 1700 nm. Supercontinuum is a particular light which combines some properties of the lamp light with the collimation beam of the laser. The transmission amount may help clinicians understand which wavelengths have no interaction with a particular tissue, thus determining which lasers are less useful and effective in the different clinical situations and locations. The experiments demonstrated the absence of transmitted energy in two portions of the spectrum, one (350-600 nm) in the visible part of the “therapeutic window” and one in the infra-red portion of the spectrum (1300-1700). Moving to clinical practice, this study suggests that using the visible (blue and green) and the far infra-red (around 1500 nm) lasers in surgery and LLLT is ideal.

Keywords: supercontinuum laser, transmission, laser-tissue interaction, ex vivo.

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