Laser Device and Method for Ablating Biological Tissue

• US 20100292680A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pantec Biosolutions AG
• Original Assignee: Pantec Biosolutions AG
• Inventors: Gross, Simon, Heinrich, Arne, Bragagna, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,753,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/13
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00066 intensity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00636 Sensing and controlling the application of energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00642 with feedback, i.e. closed loop control

Abstract

A laser device (10) for ablating a biological tissue (1), comprising: a) a laser source (7) that is configured to emit a laser beam (4); b) optics (8a, 8b, 8x) configured to modify the laser beam (4) such as to direct the laser beam (4) on the biological tissue (1); d) a controller (11) that is configured to control the laser source (7) to emit the laser beam (4) to create an ablation in biological tissue (1), whereby e) a sensor (19) being configured to receive back scattered light from the biological tissue (1); f) a tissue controller (18) that is operationally coupled to the sensor (19) to receive a sensor signal (Ri) of the sensor (19); and g) the tissue controller (18) being configured to compare a series of at least two consecutive sensor signals (R1,R2, R3, . . . ) and being configured to generate a tissue control signal (TCS) when the value of the series of consecutive sensor signals (R1, R2, R3, . . . ) decreases in a predetermined amount.

Claims

1. A laser device (10) for ablating a biological tissue (1), comprising:

a) a laser source (7) that is configured to emit a laser beam (4);

b) optics (8a,8b,8x) configured to modify the laser beam (4) such as to direct the laser beam (4) on the biological tissue (1);

d) a controller (11) that is configured to control the laser source (7) to emit the laser beam (4) to create an ablation in biological tissue (1),

characterized in

e) a sensor (19) being configured to receive back scattered light from the biological tissue (1);

f) a tissue controller (18) that is operationally coupled to the sensor (19) to receive a sensor signal (Ri) of the sensor (19);

and

g) the tissue controller (18) being configured to compare a series of at least two consecutive sensor signals (R1,R2,R3, . . . ) and being configured to generate a tissue control signal (TCS) when the value of the series of consecutive sensor signals (R1,R2,R3, . . . ) decreases in a predetermined amount.

2. The laser device of claim 1, further comprising

a deflector (8f) configured to direct the laser beam (4) in various directions;

the poration controller (11) being configured to control the deflector (8f) to create a poration comprising a plurality of individual pores (2);

and further configured to direct the pulses to impact a single one of the plurality of pores (2) at least twice; and

the tissue controller (18) being configured to compare the series of at least two consecutive sensor signals (R1,R2,R3, . . . ) of the same single pore of the plurality of pores (2).

3. The laser device of one of claim 1 or 2, wherein the tissue controller (18) is configured to modify at least one of intensity and diameter of the laser beam (4) or is configured to stop emitting the laser beam (4) onto the same location of the biological tissue (1), based on the tissue control signal (TCS).

4. The laser device of claim 1, further comprising

a deflector (8f) configured to direct the laser beam (4) in various directions;

the poration controller (11) being configured to control the deflector (8f) to move the laser beam (4) along the biological tissue (1), and the tissue controller (18) being configured to modify at least one of intensity, diameter, moving direction and moving speed of the laser beam (4), based on the tissue control signal (TCS).

5. The laser device of one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one sensor (19) is at least partially disposed within the laser device (10).

6. The laser device of one of the preceding claims, comprising a removable tip (8n), wherein at least one sensor (19) is arranged in the removable tip (8n).

7. The laser device of one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor (19) is configured to measure light intensity only.

8. The laser device of one of the preceding claims, wherein the wavelength of the laser beam (4) is in the range of between 1.5 μ

m and 12 μ

m, more preferably in the range of between 2.5 μ

m and 3.5 μ

m, and most preferably in the range of between 2.9 μ

m and 3 μ

m.

9. The laser device of one of the preceding claims, wherein the tissue controller (18) is configures to control the sensor (19) such as to measure the back scattered light of the laser beam (4).

10. The laser device of one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one source of illumination (9a), wherein the tissue controller (18) is configures to control at least one of the source of illumination (9a) and the sensor (19) such as to measure the back scattered light from the source of illumination (9a).

11. The laser device of claim 10, wherein the source of illumination (9a) comprising optics such as to create an illumination beam (9d), wherein the tissue controller (18) is adapted to direct the illumination beam (9d) to areas where the biological tissue has been ablated, in particular to the area of the last impact of the laser beam (4).

12. The laser device of claim 11, wherein the deflector (8f) is configured to direct the illumination beam (9d) in various directions, and wherein the tissue controller (18) is configured to direct the illumination beam (9d) onto the biological tissue (1).

13. The laser device of one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the wavelength of the source of illumination (9a) is in the range of between 1.5 μ

m and 12 μ

m, more preferably in the range of between 2.5 μ

m and 3.5 μ

m, and most preferably in the range of between 2.9 μ

m and 3 μ

m).

14. The laser device of one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the source of illumination (9a) is a laser source.

15. The laser device of one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the tissue controller (18) being configured to compare a series of at least two consecutive signals (S1,S2,S3, . . . ) of the source of illumination (9a) and being configured to generate a second tissue control signal (TCS2) when the value of the series of consecutive sensor signals (S1,S2,S3, . . . ) decreases in a predetermined amount.

16. The laser device of one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the optics (8a,8b,8x) and the deflector (8f) are configured such that at least two of the laser source (7), sensor (19) and source of illumination (9d) use at least partially the same optical path.

17. A method for ablating a biological tissue (1), comprising the steps of:

a) emitting a laser beam (4);

b) directing the laser beam (4) on a biological tissue (1);

d) controlling the laser beam (4) such as to create an ablation of the biological tissue (1),

e) measuring back scattered light received from the biological tissue (1);

f) comparing a series of at least two consecutive back scattered lights received from the biological tissue (1)

and generating a tissue control signal (TCS) when the value of the series of consecutive sensor signals (R1,R2,R3, . . . ) decreases in a predetermined amount.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein light intensity only is measured.

19. The method according to one of claims 17 and 18, wherein the the laser beam (4) is at least one of stopped and directed onto another area when a tissue control signal (TCS) is generated.