The major optical differences are in the absorption. The optical properties of dog liver were determined by integrating sphere experiments. The scattering coefficients were similar at both wavelengths, but the absorption was 3.5-fold greater for the diode laser wavelength.
Blood is a major component of liver absorption.
Our working hypothesis is that the diode laser caused greater surface heating and water evaporation which means less energy remained in the tissue. Enlarging the spot size of irradiance should alleviate such surface overheating and evaporation losses and maximize the zone of coagulation. The similarities between the two lasers are more striking than the differences.