Novel flexible light diffuser and irradiation properties for photodynamic therapy

Many current light diffusers for photodynamic therapy are inflexible, and the applied light dose is difficult to adjust during treatment, especially on complex body surfaces. A thin and flexible luminous textile is developed using plastic optical fibers as a light distributor. The textile diffuser is evaluated for flexibility, irradiance, brightness distribution, and temperature rise with a 652-nm laser set to . The bending force of the textile diffuser resembles a defined optical film. On the textile surface, an average output power of is measured, corresponding to a transmission rate of on an area of . Aluminum backing enhances the irradiance to the face (treatment side). The measured brightness distribution seems to lie within a range similar to other photodynamic therapy (PDT) devices. A power setting of increases the temperature of the textile diffuser surface of up to , and raises the temperature above . Results confirm that the flexible textile diffuser supplies suitable radiation for low fluence rate photodynamic therapy on an area of several .