Bioadhesive gel for laser light protection

The aim of this work was to compare laser light translucence of a. new bioa dhesive gel with common surgical drapes for tissue protection in photodynam ic therapy. The gel (batch CAR/96/003, Scotia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Guildfor d, UK) was applied on a Petri dish 16 cm above a diode laser and irradiated with 1 J/cm(2) and 25, 50 and 100 mW, respectively. Results were compared with commonly used disposable and cotton towels. The lowest laser light tra nslucence of all materials was measured with the gel at a thickness of 1 mm or more when compared with towels. It was concluded that the gel is a prom ising tool for protecting normal tissue against scattered laser light durin g topical photodynamic therapy.