A 3-D model for laser heating of a heterogeneous turbid medium

In order to better understand the interaction of laser light with biological tissue, a light-transport model is integrated with a heat-transport model. The outputs include temperature as a function of position and time, given the illumination conditions and the optical and thermal properties of the tissue. The optical portion of the algorithm is based on the theory of radiative transfer through a turbid medium. Our computer program models multiple scattering in three dimensions using seven discrete irradiances which approximate the radiative transport equation. The distribution of absorbed light in the tissue is calculated and used as the source term in a discrete approximation to the thermal diffusion equation. Recently, we have been using the model to better understand the laser-heating of heterogeneous tissue. Rather than modeling a homogeneous mixture having properties given by weighted averages of those of tissue and blood, we model this medium as an array of blood vessels in a bloodless dermis background. We are currently analyzing temporal and spatial variations of temperature in homogenous and heterogeneous tissue having identical blood concentrations. A particular application of the model is to the study of Laser Coagulation Tonsillectomy.