There are many different types of medical lasers. The carbon dioxide, neodymium YAG, tunable dye, KTP, and argon are commonly used in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Each of these different lasers has special properties that help the surgeon. Lasers are used for many reasons. In many instances, they can improve the precision of the surgeon with their finely focused beams of light.
Some lasers can reduce bleeding by coagulating blood vessels as they cut tissue.
Others can be aimed down narrow passages or sent down fiberoptic channels in endoscopes to reach areas that are otherwise inaccessible. A new trend in laser surgery is to use the special properties of different wavelengths of laser light to selectively treat different problems. The result is that scarring of the remaining normal skin is avoided. In another instance of selective laser treatment, drugs that are retained by tumors are infused into the body and activated by lasers to destroy only the tumor, preserving normal structures. In many instances, the cost of medical care can be reduced by lasers.