Time-Resolved Study of Laser-Induced Bubbles and Shockwaves in Agar Gel Tissue Phantoms

Laser-tissue interactions have been extensively used in a number of biomedical treatments. However, the high optical absorption in tissue and the use of relatively long laser pulses or, in many cases, cw laser exposure, frequently results in excessive laser-heating producing undesirable collateral damage. Short pulsed lasers are one of the most precise tools for delivering energy and can allow for the greatest finesse [1]. Laser pulses with duration of only a few nanoseconds, and as short as a few hundreds of femtoseconds, seem to be a good alternative to minimize or even suppress laser-heating undesirable effects [2].