Lasers in medical applications: R and D mapping

A study of the MEDLINE CDROM database, for the period 1969-2000 was undertaken. The purpose was, to identify core areas of research and development, in the field of applications of lasers to humans, along with other bibliometric indicators of research. A total of 34,833 records were retrieved, downloaded and analysed. The results indicate a steady increase in the number of publications every year, from 1970 onwards, with 1997 (2767 articles) and 1998 (2914 articles) being the most productive years. The most prolific contributors were J. Haut, with 95 publications to his credit, followed by M. Landthaler (82), G. Coscas (79), S.G. Bown (73) and P. Bjerring (70). Collaboration among the authors was high, with a maximum of 15 contributors observed in a few articles. The top ranking journal in the field was Ophthalmology, which published 769 articles starting from 1978. USA was way ahead as the country with the highest journal productivity (around 40% of the total number of records), followed by UK and Germany. A total of 103 articles were published from India. English was the preferred language of publication, with 75% of the records being published in English language. In the use of lasers for humans, maximum number of records were found for adult and middle aged populations. Research focussed on the eye and its various diseases. Lasers were found to be used for therapeutic purposes, in surgery and in the diagnosis of diseases. Carbon dioxide laser was most frequently used for medical applications. Though there were quite a few references on the adverse effects of lasers, the therapeutic effects far outweighed them. (author)