Light distributions in artery tissue: Monte Carlo simulations for finite-diameter laser beams.

Finite-width light distributions in arterial tissue during Argon laser irradiation (476 nm) are simulated using the Monte Carlo method. Edge effects caused by radial diffusion of the light extend +/- 1.5 mm inward from the perimeter of a uniform incident beam. For beam diameters exceeding 3 mm the light distribution along the central axis can be described by the one-dimensional solution for an infinitely wide beam. The overlapping edge effects for beam diameters smaller than 3 mm reduce the penetration of the irradiance in the tissue. The beam profile influences the light distribution significantly. The fluence rates near the surface for a Gaussian beam are two times higher on the central axis and decrease faster radially than for a flat profile. The diverging light from a fiber penetrates tissue in a manner similar to collimated light.