Method and apparatus for improved vascular related treatment

• US 20040010298A1
• Filed: 12/27/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palomar Medical Technologies Incorporated (Hologic Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Palomar Medical Technologies Incorporated (Hologic Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smirnov, Michael Z., Altshuler, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 7,540,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00458 Deeper parts of the skin, e.g. treatment of vascular disorders or port wine stains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2075 mixing three wavelengths

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for selectively heating blood vessels in a patients skin to effect a desired dermatological (medical or cosmetic) treatment. For shallow vessels, particularly plexus vessels and superficial vessels/veins, radiation is applied to the vessels involved in the treatment which includes substantial radiation in a blue band of approximately 380-450 nm. The invention also involves maximizing the radiation used for which the safety radio for the area being treated is greater then one and minimizing the radiation used for which the safety ratio is less then one. This generally involves, depending on the blood vessel involved in the treatment and the patient'"'"'s skin type, using radiation in one or more of a blue, green-yellow and near infrared wavelength band and filtering out radiation at other wavelengths, including radiation between the wavelength bands used.

Claims

1. A method for performing dermatological treatments involving at least one of plexus blood vessels and superficial blood vessels by applying optical radiation to a treatment area which includes substantial radiation in a blue wavelength band of approximately 380-450 nm.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical radiation is coherent radiation and is of a wavelength in a range of approximately 400-450 nm.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the wavelength of the coherent optical radiation is approximately 420-440 nm.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein, for superficial vessels, radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band of 510-595 nm is also applied to the treatment area.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical radiation is non-coherent broadband radiation, and wherein the blue radiation is in a band from 380-450 nm.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the radiation has a double band spectrum including approximately 380-450 nm in the blue band and also including approximately 500-610 nm in a green-yellow band.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein, for superficial vessels, said optical radiation is non-coherent broadband radiation having a triple band spectrum within the approximately 380-450 nm blue band, the approximately 500-610 nm green band and also includes radiation within an NIR band.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 including applying pressure to a patient'"'"'s skin to remove blood from blood vessels in an area of treatment above blood vessels for which treatment is desired.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 including cooling a patient'"'"'s skin above an area of treatment.

10. A method for performing treatments involving blood vessels by:

providing a broad-band optical radiation source, filtering radiation from said source to pass only wavelengths from said source providing a safety ratio which is approximately at least one, and applying filtered radiation from said source to the blood vessels involved in the treatment.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein radiation filtered from said source includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 610 nm to 800 nm.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein radiation filtered from said source includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 610 nm to 900 nm

13. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein radiation filtered from said source includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 450 nm to 500 nm.

14. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein radiation filtered from said source includes radiation having a wavelength longer than 1120 nm.

15. A method as claimed in claim 10 including applying pressure to a patient'"'"'s skin to remove blood from blood vessels in an area of treatment above blood vessels for which treatment is desired.

16. A method as claimed in claim 10 including cooling a patient'"'"'s skin above an area of treatment.

17. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in a blue wavelength band and radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in an NIR wavelength band, radiation between said green-yellow band and said NIR band being filtered out.

19. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in a blue wavelength band and radiation in an NIR wavelength band, at least some radiation between said bands being filtered out.

20. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band and radiation in an NIR wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out.

21. A method for performing treatments involving blood vessels by:

providing a broad-band optical radiation source, filtering radiation from said source to pass only selected wavelengths from said source which are in at least two of the blue, green-yellow and near infrared (NIR) wavelength bands, at least some of the radiation in wavelengths between the passed radiation bands being filtered out, and applying filtered radiation from said source to the blood vessels involved in the treatment.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein radiation from all three of said bands are passed during said filtering step.

23. A method for performing treatments involving veins by:

providing a broad-band optical radiation source, filtering radiation from said source to pass only selected wavelengths from said source, the wavelengths and duration of the radiation being selected to provide substantially uniform heating of each vessel, and applying filtered radiation from said source to the vessel involved in the treatment.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein radiation passed during said filtering step includes radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band and radiation in an NIR wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out.

25. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the pulse duration is approximately 0.1 to 100 times the thermal relaxation time of the vessel involved in the treatment.

26. Apparatus for performing dermatological treatments involving at least one of plexus vessels and superficial vessels including:

a source of optical radiation generating an output which includes substantial radiation in a blue wavelength band of approximately 380-450 nm; and

a mechanism for applying radiation from said source to the vessels involved in the treatment.

27. Apparatus as claimed in claim 26 wherein the optical radiation is monochromatic radiation and wherein the radiation is at least primarily in a band from 400 to 450 nm.

29. Apparatus as claimed in claim 27 wherein, for superficial vessels, said source also provides radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band of 510-595 nm which is applied to the treatment area.

30. Apparatus as claimed in claim 26 wherein the optical radiation is broadband radiation, and wherein the blue radiation is in a band from 380 to 450 nm.

33. Apparatus as claimed in claim 26 including means for applying pressure to the patient'"'"'s skin to remove blood from blood vessels in the area of treatment above blood vessels for which treatment is desired.

34. Apparatus as claimed in claim 26 including means for applying cooling to the patient'"'"'s skin above blood vessels for which treatment is desired.

28. Apparatus as claimed in 27 wherein the optical radiation is monochromatic radiation and wherein the radiation is at least primarily in a band from 420-440 nm.

31. Apparatus as claimed in 26 wherein the radiation from said source has a double band spectrum including approximately 380-450 nm in the blue band and also including approximately 500-610 nm in a green-yellow band.

32. Apparatus as claimed in claim 31 wherein the optical radiation from said source is broadband radiation having a triple band spectrum within the approximately 380-450 nm blue band, the approximately 500-610 nm green-yellow band and also includes radiation within a band of approximately 800-1120 nm in the near-infrared band.

35. Apparatus for performing dermatological treatments involving blood vessels including:

a broad-band optical radiation source;

a mechanism for filtering radiation from said source to pass only wavelengths from said source providing a safety ratio which is approximately at least one; and

a mechanism for applying filtered radiation from said source to the blood vessels involved in the treatment.

36. Apparatus as claimed in claim 35 wherein radiation filtered from said source by said mechanism for filtering includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 610 nm to 800 nm.

37. Apparatus as claimed in claim 35 wherein radiation filtered from said source by said mechanism for filtering includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 610 nm to 900 nm

38. Apparatus as claimed in claim 35 wherein radiation filtered from said source by said filtering means includes radiation having a wavelength from approximately 450 nm to 500 nm.

39. Apparatus as claimed in claim 35 including a mechanism for applying pressure to a patient'"'"'s skin to remove blood from blood vessels in an area of treatment above blood vessels for which treatment is desired.

40. Apparatus as claimed in claim 35 including a mechanism for cooling a patient'"'"'s skin above an area of treatment.

41. Apparatus s claimed in claim 35 wherein radiation passed by said mechanism for filtering includes radiation in a blue wavelength band and radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out.

42. Apparatus as claimed in claim 41 wherein radiation passed by said mechanism for filtering includes radiation in an NIR wavelength band, radiation between said green band and said NIR band being filtered out.

43. Apparatus as claimed in claim 35 wherein radiation passed by said mechanism for filtering includes radiation in a blue wavelength band and radiation in an near-infrared wavelength band, at least some radiation between said bands being filtered out.

44. Apparatus as claimed in claim 35 wherein radiation passed by said mechanism for filtering includes radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band and radiation in an near infrared wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out.

45. Apparatus for performing dermatological treatments involving blood vessels including:

a broad-band optical radiation source;

a mechanism for filtering radiation from said source to pass only selected wavelengths from said source which are in at least two of the blue, green-yellow and near infrared (NIR) wavelength bands, at least some of the radiation in wavelengths between the passed radiation bands being filtered out; and

a mechanism for applying filtered radiation from said source to the blood vessels involved in the treatment.

46. Apparatus as claimed in claim 45 wherein said mechanism for filtering passes radiation from all three of said bands.

47. Apparatus for performing dermatological treatments involving blood vessels including:

a broad-band optical radiation source providing pulses of a selected duration;

a mechanism for filtering radiation from said source to pass only selected wavelengths from said source, the wavelengths and duration of the radiation being selected to provide substantially uniform heating of each vessel; and

a mechanism for applying filtered radiation from said source to the vessels involved in the treatment.

48. Apparatus as claimed in claim 47 wherein radiation passed by said mechanism for filtering includes radiation in a green-yellow wavelength band and radiation in an NIR wavelength band, radiation between said bands being filtered out.

49. Apparatus as claimed in claim 47 wherein the pulse duration provided by said source is approximately 0.1 to 100 times the thermal relaxation time of the vessel involved in the treatment.