Medical laser unit

• US 20020049434A1
• Filed: 11/08/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LISA Laser Products GmbH
• Original Assignee: Lisa Laser Products OHG Fuhrberg & Teichmann (OmniGuide Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Teichmann, Heinrich-Otto
• Granted Patent: US 6,761,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00154 pulsed

Abstract

The medical laser unit (1) includes at least one laser body (3) being made of laser material (4). A first type of a pump light source (11) is designed and arranged to continuously excite the laser material (4) and to generate continuous laser radiation (7). A second type of a pump light source (16) is designed and arranged to excite the laser material (4) by pulses and to generate pulsed laser radiation (7). A transmitting unit is designed and arranged to transmit the continuous laser radiation (7) and the pulsed laser radiation (7) to a surgical application site. More particularly, the medical laser unit (1) has two modes of operation, a first mode for cutting with continuous laser radiation (7) and a second mode for fragmenting with pulsed laser radiation (7) of short time and high power laser pulses.

Claims

1. A medical laser unit for surgical applications, comprising:

at least one laser body being made of laser material;

a first type of a pump light source being designed and arranged to continuously excite the laser material and to generate continuous laser radiation;

a second type of a pump light source being designed and arranged to excite the laser material by pulses and to generate pulsed laser radiation; and

a transmitting unit being designed and arranged to transmit the continuous laser radiation and the pulsed laser radiation to a surgical application site.

2. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein said first type of pump light source includes a laser diode.

3. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein said second type of pump light source includes a flash lamp.

4. The medical laser unit of claim 2, wherein said second type of pump light source includes a flash lamp.

5. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein the laser material is doped with Tm³⁺ ions.

6. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein the laser material is doped with Ho³⁺ ions.

7. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein the laser material is doped with Tm³⁺ and Ho³⁺ ions.

8. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein said laser body is designed as a laser rod and each pump light source of said first type is designed and arranged to excite the laser material of said laser rod in a longitudinal pump geometry.

9. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein said laser body is designed as a laser rod and each pump light source of said first type is designed and arranged to excite the laser material of said laser rod in a transversal pump geometry.

10. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein said laser body is designed as a laser rod and each pump light source of said first type is designed and arranged to excite the laser material of said laser rod in a longitudinal and in a transversal pump geometry.

11. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein said laser body is designed as a laser rod and each pump light source of said second type is designed and arranged to excite the laser material of said laser rod in a transversal pump geometry.

12. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein said laser body is designed as a laser rod and said pump light source of said first and second types are designed and arranged to excite the laser material of said laser rod.

13. The medical laser unit of claim 12, wherein said pump light sources of said first and second types are designed and arranged to simultaneously excite the laser material of said laser rod to generate pulsed laser radiation, the excitation of the laser material by said pump light source of said first type remaining below a laser threshold and said pump light source of said second type additionally exciting the laser material above the laser threshold.

14. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein the continuous laser radiation reaches a laser power of approximately 100 W.

15. The medical laser unit of claim 1, wherein the pulsed laser radiation reaches a pulse peak power of approximately 10 kW at a pulse duration of approximately 0.5 to 1.0 msec.

17. The medical laser unit of claim 16, wherein the laser material is doped with Tm³⁺ ions.

18. The medical laser unit of claim 16, wherein the laser material is doped with Ho³⁺ ions.

19. The medical laser unit of claim 16, wherein the laser material is doped with Tm³⁺ and Ho³⁺ ions.

20. The medical laser unit of claim 16, wherein said laser diode is designed and arranged to excite the laser material of said laser rod in a longitudinal pump geometry, and said flash lamp is designed and arranged to excite the laser material of said laser rod in a transversal pump geometry.

16. A medical laser unit for surgical applications, comprising:

at least one laser rod being made of laser material;

at least one laser diode being designed and arranged to continuously excite the laser material and to generate continuous laser radiation;

at least one flash lamp being designed and arranged to excite the laser material by pulses and to generate pulsed laser radiation,

said laser diode being designed and arranged to excite the laser material of said laser rod to generate continuous laser radiation in a first mode of operation in which said laser diode excites the laser material above a laser threshold, and

said laser diode and said flash lamp being designed and arranged to simultaneously excite the laser material of said laser rod to generate pulsed laser radiation in a second mode of operation in which said laser diode excites the laser material below the laser threshold and said flash lamp additionally excites the laser material above the laser threshold; and

at least one transmitting unit being designed and arranged to transmit the continuous laser radiation and the pulsed laser radiation to a surgical application site.