Diagnostic and therapeutic laser applications in pulmonary medicine – A review

Abstract

Lasers are valuable tools in pulmonary medicine. Endobronchial photoresection with the Nd:YAG laser is well-established in interventional bronchoscopy. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which uses monochromatic laser light to activate photosensitizers, has several proven and experimental indications in pulmonary medicine. Lasers serve as the light source in autofluorescence bronchoscopy (AFB), which has aided pulmonologists for nearly two decades in the early diagnosis of lung cancer. They also feature in fibered confocal fluorescence microscopy (FCFM), which promises to extend endoscopic visibility in clinical medicine to the cellular level. This paper is a review of these laser applications and their clinical results.