Lasers cut a swath in surgical and medical applications: Their early promise is being fulfilled, particularly for the surgeon, while research hints at usefulness in nonsurgical cancer therapy

The use of lasers in various surgical applications is described. Laser heating of tissue is used for two distinct surgical functions: cutting, as with a scalpel, and photocoagulation. Photocoagulation heats tissue to varying degrees, generally stopping short of total eradication. Basic accessories to laser surgery such as: a delivery system to direct and focus the laser radiation, an operating microscope for precision diagnosis and removal of tissue, and devices to measure the amount of energy that is emitted by the laser and absorbed by the target area are also discussed.