CHROMOPHORE-ENHANCED LASER-TUMOR TISSUE PHOTOTHERMAL INTERACTION USING AN 808-NM DIODE-LASER

A diode laser was used to irradiate tumor tissue, with indocyanine gre en as the chromophore. The 808-nm wavelength radiation falls within th e absorption peak of the chromophore (about 780 nm). The preliminary r esults in this report revealed clear and significant coupling of this laser and indocyanine green in laser-tissue photothermal interaction. The chromophore targeted tissue showed laser damage while peripheral t issues remained intact. Without the chromophore, this laser inflicted no apparent tissue damage in the non-contact mode with irradiance up t o 1755 J/cm(2).