Light-emitting device and method for providing phototherapy to the brain

• US 20070179571A1
• Filed: 03/21/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pthera,Llc
• Original Assignee: PhotoThera, Inc.
• Inventors: De Taboada, Luis, Streeter, Jackson
• Granted Patent: US 7,575,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2244 Features of optical fibre cables, e.g. claddings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/007 for cooling the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0647 the applicator adapted to be worn on the head
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0613 Apparatus adapted for a specific treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0622 Optical stimulation for exciting neural tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/067 using laser light

Abstract

An apparatus emits light for irradiating a patient'"'"'s skin to treat portions of a patient'"'"'s body underneath the patient'"'"'s skin. The apparatus includes a source of light having a wavelength which is substantially transmitted by the patient'"'"'s skin. The apparatus further includes an optical conduit optically coupled to the source. The apparatus further includes an output optical element comprising a rigid and substantially thermally conductive material. The output optical element is optically coupled to the optical conduit.

Claims

1. An apparatus which emits light for irradiating a patient'"'"'s skin to treat portions of a patient'"'"'s body underneath the patient'"'"'s skin, the apparatus comprising:

a source of light having a wavelength which is substantially transmitted by the patient'"'"'s skin;

an optical conduit optically coupled to the source; and

an output optical element comprising a rigid and substantially thermally conductive material, the output optical element optically coupled to the optical conduit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the source comprises a laser.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the laser emits light having at least one wavelength in a range between about 630 nanometers and about 1064 nanometers.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the laser emits light having at least one wavelength in a range between about 780 nanometers and about 840 nanometers.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the laser emits light having a center wavelength of approximately 808 nanometers.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the laser emits light which irradiates the treated portion of the patient'"'"'s body with a power density between about 5 mW/cm² and about 25 mW/cm².

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical conduit comprises a step-index optical fiber.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical conduit comprises an optical fiber and a protective sheath around the optical fiber, the protective sheath having a plurality of rigid segments, each segment having a generally cylindrical tubular shape and a longitudinal axis, wherein each segment is articulately coupled to neighboring segments such that an angle between the longitudinal axes of neighboring segments is limited to be less than a predetermined angle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rigid and substantially thermally conductive material comprises sapphire.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rigid and substantially thermally conductive material comprises diamond.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical device comprises a heat sink thermally coupled to the output optical element.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the output optical element comprises a front surface facing generally towards the patient'"'"'s scalp and a back surface facing generally away from the patient'"'"'s scalp and in thermal communication with the heat sink.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the heat sink further comprises a reflective inner surface, a first end, and a second end, the heat sink positioned so that light from the optical conduit is transmitted into the first end, through the heat sink, out of the second end, and to the output optical element.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the inner surface at the first end has a first inner diameter and the inner surface at the second end has a second inner diameter.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second inner diameter is larger than the first inner diameter.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the heat sink comprises aluminum and the reflective inner surface is gold plated.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the reflective inner surface is roughened to reduce specular reflections of light from the inner surface.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the optical device comprises a housing comprising a plurality of ventilation slots.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical device comprises a thermoelectric cooler thermally coupled to the output optical element.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical device comprises at least one trigger switch, the trigger switch electrically coupled to the source, the trigger switch actuated by pressing the output optical element against a surface, the source responsive to the trigger switch by emitting light only when the trigger switch is actuated.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output optical element comprises a lens.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the lens is a collimating lens.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output optical element comprises an optical diffuser.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical device is configured to be held in position by hand and sequentially moved to irradiate selected portions of the patient'"'"'s skin.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a portion of the light transmitted through, the patient'"'"'s skin irradiates at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s body underneath the patient'"'"'s skin with an efficacious power density of light.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an optical diffuser optically coupled to the optical conduit and to the output optical element.

27. An apparatus which emits light for irradiating a patient'"'"'s skin to treat a target tissue of a patient'"'"'s body underneath the patient'"'"'s skin, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating light having a wavelength which is substantially transmitted through the patient'"'"'s skin to the target tissue; and

means for transmitting light from the generating means to the patient;

the transmitting means comprising a rigid and substantially thermally conductive material, the transmitting means positionable to be in thermal communication with the patient.

28. A system for treating a patient, the system comprising:

an electromagnetic radiation source comprising a rigid, optically transmissive, and thermally conductive material positionable to be in thermal communication with the patient; and

an instruction for use of the electromagnetic radiation source by optically coupling the source to a patient'"'"'s scalp at a plurality of locations to deliver a therapeutic electromagnetic energy to the patient'"'"'s brain.