From the Editors

• Published in: Medical laser application 2001, Vol.16 (2), p.59-59
• Main Authors: Waldschmidt, Jürgen, Philipp, Carsten M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1615-1615; 1878-3228
• DOI: 10.1078/1615-1615-00009

This second issue of Medical Laser Application is dedicated to the interstitial approach for laser induced thermo therapy (LITT), a technique that has been continuously developed by clinicians and researchers in many medical fields since the first reports by Stephen Bownand Peter W. Ascher in 1983. Applications have been established in neurosurgery, orthopedics, vascular tumor and malformation treatment, urology, gynecology, otorhinolaryngology, surgery and interventional radiology. A comprehensive multicenter study on the long term results of interstitial LITT for thermal ablation of liver secondaries is currently in progress. We would like to express our thanks to Daniel S.J. Choyone of the pioneers of laser surgery, for his contribution on the history of the first percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD). This was a milestone, as protruded intervertebral discs became the first indication involving a large number of patients and PLDD was the first standardized technique employing interstitial LITT. Many indications followed, not all of which are mentioned in this issue. The interstitial treatment of BPH was discussed in the first issue this year and neurosurgery will be a topic for a future issue. Currently one can find more than 500 articles related to LITT with simple MEDLINE research and the technique has been adopted for many new indications such as interstitial laser treatment of uterine fibromyomas, breast tumors and a large number of other benign and malignant tumor entities. One of them, the LITT of neuromas, is reported for the first time in this issue. Considering growing patient numbers worldwide, LITT plays the most important role in vascular lesion treatment and liver tumor palliation today, besides PLDD. As the different indications require different monitoring methods, the currently used techniques are discussed as part of the individual articles. Reports about new light delivery systems and an available computer program for simulation of tissue effects during LITT complete the compilation of original contributions. LITT will also be the topic of the plenary lecture, held by Thomas J. Voglon June 21, 2001. However, this issue offers even more. The abstracts of the 13 th Biennial Meeting of the DGLM present a comprehensive overview about current laser research and clinical laser application in Germany and Europe. They cover the whole spectrum from new concepts for diagnostics and treatment to updates on successful and established laser