Methods for laser treatment of soft tissue

1. Field of the Invention Methods are provided for treating prostate glands or other targeted soft tissue using a solid-state laser. The laser can be operated to generate a pulsed output beam having pulse durations of between 0.1 and 500 milliseconds. The output beam is delivered to the targeted tissue through an optical fiber, preferably terminating in a side-firing probe or diffusing tip. By operating the laser in a long-duration pulse mode, charring of the targeted tissue is initiated quickly, thereby increasing ablation rates and reducing overall procedure time.