Laser therapy for the treatment of brain tumors.

The author examine the specific cases where laser therapy may be indicated for the treatment of brain tumors. The different types of lasers currently available are described and the effects on the tissue, at different powers and with different modalities of use, are reported. On the basis of experience reported in literature, the Author describes the characteristics and the fields of application of the 1.32 nm Nd:YAG laser, the superpulse CO2 and the Nd:YAG with sapphire tips for contact laser surgery. The advantages of laser surgery as opposed to the traditional techniques in the most frequently observed tumors, are also described.