Photonic crystal fibers and medical systems including photonic crystal fibers

• US 20050259942A1
• Filed: 04/08/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omniguide Incoporated (OmniGuide Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Omniguide Incoporated (OmniGuide Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weisberg, Ori, Fink, Yoel, Shurgalin, Max, Kolodny, Uri, Payne, Robert, Anastassiou, Charalambos, Jacobs, Steven A., Temelkuran, Burak, Wang, Tairan, Rusk, Jesse, Shapira, Gil, Dellemann, Gregor, Torres, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,331,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/147
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/201 with beam delivery through a hollow tube, e.g. forming an articulated arm through a flexible conduit A61B18/22; Hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/22 the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; Couplings or hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/24 with a catheter A61B18/26, A61B18/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00017 with gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2288 the optical fibre cable having a curved distal end
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02304 Core having lower refractive index than cladding, e.g. air filled, hollow core
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02385 Comprising liquid, e.g. fluid filled holes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/032 with non solid core or cladding G02B6/02295 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/42 Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, the invention features methods that include directing radiation to a target location of a patient through a photonic crystal fiber, the photonic crystal fiber having a hollow core and flowing a fluid through the hollow core to the target location of the patient.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

directing radiation to a target location of a patient through a photonic crystal fiber, the photonic crystal fiber having a hollow core; and

flowing a fluid through the hollow core to the target location of the patient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the radiation has sufficient power to incise, excise, or ablate tissue at the target location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fluid has a sufficient pressure and temperature to coagulate blood at the target location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising bending the photonic crystal fiber while directing the radiation and the fluid to the target location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein bending the fiber includes bending a portion of the fiber through about 45°

or more to have a radius of curvature of about 12 centimeters or less.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein directing the radiation and the fluid to the target location comprises holding a portion of a handpiece attached to the photonic crystal fiber and controlling the orientation of the output end using the handpiece.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid is a gas.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the gas has a pressure of about 0.5 PSI or more at the output end.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the gas has a pressure of about 1.0 PSI or more at the output end.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the gas has a temperature of about 50°

C. or more at the target location.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the gas has a temperature of about 80°

C. or more at the target location.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the gas is air.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the gas comprises carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton, or xenon.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the gas comprises about 98% or more of a single component gas.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the gas is gas mixture.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid is flowed into the hollow core at a rate of about 1 liter per minute or more.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid is flowed into the hollow core at a rate of about 2 liters per minute or more.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid is flowed into the hollow core at a rate of about 8 liters per minute or more.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the radiation has a wavelength of about 2 microns or more.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the radiation has a wavelength of about 10.6 microns.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the radiation has an average power of about 1 Watt or more at the target location.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transparent element comprises ZnSe.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a photonic crystal fiber comprising a core extending along a waveguide axis and a dielectric confinement region surrounding the core, the dielectric confinement region being configured to guide radiation along the waveguide axis from an input end to an output end of the photonic crystal fiber; and

a sleeve coupled to the output end of the photonic crystal fiber to allow the radiation to pass through the sleeve and exit the sleeve through a primary opening, the sleeve further comprising one or more secondary openings positioned so that gas flowed into the sleeve exits the sleeve through the secondary openings.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the gas flowed into the sleeve exits the sleeve through the primary opening in addition to through the secondary openings.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a transparent element positioned between the primary opening and the secondary openings that substantially transmits the radiation as it passes through the sleeve.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the transparent element substantially prevents gas from exiting the sleeve through the primary opening.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a conduit positioned relative to the secondary opening so that gas exiting the sleeve through the secondary opening is drawn into an input end of the conduit.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the secondary opening is positioned near to the primary opening.

29. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the primary opening has a diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the photonic crystal fiber at the output end.

30. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a focusing element attached to the sleeve to focus the radiation passing through the sleeve.

31. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a reflecting element attached to the sleeve to reflect the radiation passing through the sleeve.