Frontier Advances and Challenges of High-Power Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers in Minimally Invasive Medicine

Lasers are increasingly used in the biomedical field because of their concentrated energy, good stability, ease of use, and other advantages, promoting the development of precision medicine to a higher level. Medical laser equipment has transformed from a single therapeutic tool in an intelligent an...

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Main Authors: Wen-Yue Xu, Gong Wang, Yun-Fei Li, Yu Yu, Yulei Wang, Zhiwei Lu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Photonics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/6/614
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author Wen-Yue Xu
Gong Wang
Yun-Fei Li
Yu Yu
Yulei Wang
Zhiwei Lu
author_facet Wen-Yue Xu
Gong Wang
Yun-Fei Li
Yu Yu
Yulei Wang
Zhiwei Lu
author_sort Wen-Yue Xu
collection DOAJ
description Lasers are increasingly used in the biomedical field because of their concentrated energy, good stability, ease of use, and other advantages, promoting the development of precision medicine to a higher level. Medical laser equipment has transformed from a single therapeutic tool in an intelligent and precise diagnostic system. Existing clinical laser equipment has significant technical bottlenecks regarding soft-tissue ablation precision and multimodal diagnostic compatibility, which seriously restricts its clinical application. High-power thulium-doped fiber lasers with operating wavelengths of 1.9–2.1 μm provide a revolutionary solution for minimally invasive surgery due to their high compatibility with the absorption peaks of water molecules in biological tissues. This study reviews recent advances in high-power thulium-doped fiber lasers for minimally invasive therapies in the biomedical field. Breakthrough results in four major clinical application scenarios, namely, urological lithotripsy, tumor precision ablation, disfiguring dermatological treatment, and minimally invasive endovenous laser ablation, are also summarized. By systematically evaluating its potential for multimodal diagnostic and therapeutic applications and thoroughly exploring the technical challenges and strategies for clinical transformation, we aim to provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the clinical transformation and industrialization of new-generation medical laser technology.
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series Photonics
spelling doaj-art-440c992031dc44d4b3e30d9d25bbc2492025-08-20T03:29:35ZengMDPI AGPhotonics2304-67322025-06-0112661410.3390/photonics12060614Frontier Advances and Challenges of High-Power Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers in Minimally Invasive MedicineWen-Yue Xu0Gong Wang1Yun-Fei Li2Yu Yu3Yulei Wang4Zhiwei Lu5Center for Advanced Laser Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaCenter for Advanced Laser Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaCenter for Advanced Laser Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaCenter for Advanced Laser Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaCenter for Advanced Laser Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaCenter for Advanced Laser Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaLasers are increasingly used in the biomedical field because of their concentrated energy, good stability, ease of use, and other advantages, promoting the development of precision medicine to a higher level. Medical laser equipment has transformed from a single therapeutic tool in an intelligent and precise diagnostic system. Existing clinical laser equipment has significant technical bottlenecks regarding soft-tissue ablation precision and multimodal diagnostic compatibility, which seriously restricts its clinical application. High-power thulium-doped fiber lasers with operating wavelengths of 1.9–2.1 μm provide a revolutionary solution for minimally invasive surgery due to their high compatibility with the absorption peaks of water molecules in biological tissues. This study reviews recent advances in high-power thulium-doped fiber lasers for minimally invasive therapies in the biomedical field. Breakthrough results in four major clinical application scenarios, namely, urological lithotripsy, tumor precision ablation, disfiguring dermatological treatment, and minimally invasive endovenous laser ablation, are also summarized. By systematically evaluating its potential for multimodal diagnostic and therapeutic applications and thoroughly exploring the technical challenges and strategies for clinical transformation, we aim to provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the clinical transformation and industrialization of new-generation medical laser technology.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/6/614high-power laserthulium-doped fiber laserminimally invasive medicinethermal damage controlbiomedical applications
spellingShingle Wen-Yue Xu
Gong Wang
Yun-Fei Li
Yu Yu
Yulei Wang
Zhiwei Lu
Frontier Advances and Challenges of High-Power Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers in Minimally Invasive Medicine
Photonics
high-power laser
thulium-doped fiber laser
minimally invasive medicine
thermal damage control
biomedical applications
title Frontier Advances and Challenges of High-Power Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers in Minimally Invasive Medicine
title_full Frontier Advances and Challenges of High-Power Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers in Minimally Invasive Medicine
title_fullStr Frontier Advances and Challenges of High-Power Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers in Minimally Invasive Medicine
title_full_unstemmed Frontier Advances and Challenges of High-Power Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers in Minimally Invasive Medicine
title_short Frontier Advances and Challenges of High-Power Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers in Minimally Invasive Medicine
title_sort frontier advances and challenges of high power thulium doped fiber lasers in minimally invasive medicine
topic high-power laser
thulium-doped fiber laser
minimally invasive medicine
thermal damage control
biomedical applications
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/6/614
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