A custom design temperature-controlled laser system for medical applications

Photothermal treatments are researched in multiple medical applications, in- cluding the treatment of vascular lesions and malignant tumors, as well as laser resur- facing and laser tissue welding. Optimal laser energy delivery to target tissue is impor- tant to achieve an effective treatment with minimal damage to healthy tissue. However, this can be challenging because optical properties may vary depending on tissue type and environmental factors. Therefore, real-time measurement of temperature is as important as dosimetry for a successful and safe photothermal laser applications. In addition, the temperature measurement must be non-contact to minimize the risk of microbial contamination. In this study, we developed a temperature-controlled 808 nm diode-laser system that eliminates the risk of thermal damage and contamination by performing non-contact, real-time temperature measurements of the irradiated surface. The system is composed of an 808 nm c-mount diode laser, an infrared (IR) array sen- sor for temperature measurement, a PC, and an electronic control unit (ECU). The system was tested on phantoms and ex vivo. tissues. According to the results, the temperature-controlled 808 nm diode-laser system could maintain the surface temper- ature of samples at the target temperature value.