by Ng Chung Ying Davy. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-103). / ACKNOWLEDGMENT --- p.1 / ABSTRACT --- p.2 / Chapter CHAPTER 1 : --- INTRODUCTION --- p.3 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 : --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1. --- The History of Laser --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Pre-Maser History (1917 - 1952) --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1.2. --- The Development of the Maser (1953 - 1959) --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.3. --- The Development of the Laser (1960 - 1961) --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.4. --- Expanding the Laser Concept (1962 - 1966) --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1.5. --- New Laser Development (1967 - at present) --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2. --- Basic Laser System --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.1. --- The Active Laser Media --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.2. --- The Source of Excitation Energy --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.3. --- A Febry-Perot Interferometer --- p.13 / Chapter 2.3. --- Basic operational principles of laser --- p.13 / Chapter 2.4. --- Characteristics of Laser Radiation --- p.14 / Chapter 2.5. --- Laser Reactions in Living Tissue --- p.15 / Chapter 2.5.1. --- Laser Interactions with the Eye --- p.15 / Chapter 2.5.2. --- Laser Interaction with the Skin and its Appendages --- p.16 / Chapter 2.5.3. --- Laser Interaction with other tissues --- p.16 / Chapter 2.6. --- Thermal Effect of Laser Irradiation of Living Tissues --- p.20 / Chapter 2.7. --- Medical lasers and their applications --- p.21 / Chapter 2.7.1. --- Neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminium- garnet (Nd:YAG) laser --- p.21 / Chapter 2.7.2. --- Argon laser --- p.21 / Chapter 2.7.3. --- Carbon dioxide laser --- p.22 / Chapter 2.7.4. --- Tunable dye laser --- p.22 / Chapter 2.7.5. --- Gold Vapour Laser --- p.23 / Chapter 2.7.6. --- Copper Vapour Laser --- p.23 / Chapter 2.8. --- Port-wine stains --- p.24 / Chapter 2.8.1. --- Pathology of port-wine stains --- p.24 / Chapter 2.8.2. --- Treatment of port-wine stains by lasers --- p.24 / Chapter 2.9. --- Laser Therapy in the Gastrointestinal Tract --- p.28 / Chapter 2.10. --- Esophageal varices --- p.30 / Chapter 2.10.1. --- Etiology of oesophageal varices --- p.30 / Chapter 2.10.2. --- Pathology of oesophageal varices --- p.31 / Chapter 2.10.3. --- Diagnosis of esophageal varices --- p.31 / Chapter 2.10.4. --- Treatment of esophageal varices --- p.33 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 : --- ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS --- p.42 / Chapter 3.1. --- General Materials --- p.42 / Chapter 3.1.1. --- Equipment --- p.43 / Chapter 3.1.2. --- Drugs and chemical --- p.47 / Chapter 3.1.3. --- Laboratory Animals --- p.48 / Chapter 3.1.4. --- Surgical Instruments --- p.49 / Chapter 3.1.7. --- Disposable --- p.49 / Chapter 3.1.8. --- Sutures --- p.49 / Chapter 3.1.9. --- Histopathological Preparation --- p.50 / Chapter 3.2. --- Experiment 1 : Iatrogenic perforation of the rat's stomach by the continues application of the Copper Vapour Laser at different power level --- p.51 / Chapter 3.2.1. --- Introduction --- p.51 / Chapter 3.2.2. --- Methods --- p.52 / Chapter 3.2.3. --- Results --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.4. --- Discussion --- p.60 / Chapter 3.3. --- Experiment 2 : Obliteration of the rats' mesenteric vein with the Copper Vapour Laser --- p.61 / Chapter 3.3.1. --- Introduction --- p.61 / Chapter 3.3.2. --- Method --- p.62 / Chapter 3.3.3. --- Results --- p.63 / Chapter 3.3.4. --- Discussion --- p.65 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 : --- CONCLUSION --- p.67 / REFERENCES --- p.91