METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO A SIDE-FIRE ASSEMBLY THAT HAS AN OPTICAL GRATING

• US 20110118715A1
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey W. Zerfas
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey W. Zerfas
• Inventors: Zerfas, Jeffrey W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,870,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/15
• 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 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00589 Coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00601 Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2025 with a pilot laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2247 Fibre breakage detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2294 with a diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2423 of the distal end
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2469 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus may include an optical fiber having an angled grating aligned along a plane non-normal to a longitudinal axis of a distal end portion of the optical fiber. The angled grating may be configured to redirect a first laser energy propagated within the optical fiber and incident on the angled grating to a direction offset from the longitudinal axis. The apparatus may also include a metallic cap coupled to the optical fiber. The metallic cap may have an inner surface configured to redirect a second laser energy incident on the inner surface along the direction offset from the longitudinal axis. The second laser energy being different than the first laser energy.

Claims

1. A minimally-invasive medical device comprising:

an optical fiber having a distal end portion configured to be disposed within a body of a patient; and

an angled grating disposed at the distal end portion, the angled grating being configured to redirect laser energy propagated within the optical fiber and incident on the angled grating toward a tissue within the body of the patient.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the angled grating is aligned along a plane non-normal to a longitudinal axis of the distal end portion of the optical fiber.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the angled grating is a first angled grating aligned along a first plane non-normal to a longitudinal axis of the distal end portion, and the device further includes a second angled grating aligned along a second plane non-parallel to the first plane.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the angled grating is a first angled grating and the laser energy is a first form of laser energy, the device further including a second angled grating disposed within the distal end portion of the optical fiber, wherein the second angled grating is configured to reflect a second form of laser energy different from the first form of laser energy.

5. The device of claim 1, further including a cap having an opening, the cap coupled to the optical fiber, wherein the angled grating is configured to redirect the laser energy toward the tissue through the opening.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber includes a germanium-doped core, and the angled grating is embedded within the germanium-doped core.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the angled grating is a Bragg grating.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

an optical fiber, the optical fiber including an angled grating aligned along a plane non-normal to a longitudinal axis of a distal end portion of the optical fiber, wherein the angled grating is configured to redirect a first laser energy propagated within the optical fiber and incident on the angled grating to a direction offset from the longitudinal axis; and

a cap coupled to the optical fiber, the cap having an inner surface configured to redirect a second laser energy incident on the inner surface along the direction offset from the longitudinal axis, the second laser energy being different from the first laser energy.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the optical fiber is configured such that the first laser energy is propagated within a core of the optical fiber and the angled grating is substantially disposed within the core of the optical fiber.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the optical fiber is configured such that the angled grating is aligned along a first plane, the optical fiber further including a second angled grating aligned along a second plane non-parallel to the first plane.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the angled grating is configured to redirect the first laser energy incident thereon and transmit the second laser energy incident thereon, the first laser energy being radiation from a first spectral region of an electromagnetic spectrum and the second laser energy being radiation from a second spectral region of the electromagnetic spectrum, the first spectral region being different from the second spectral region.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first laser energy is emitted from a first laser energy source and the second laser energy is emitted from a second laser energy source different than the first laser energy source.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first laser energy is radiation from an ultraviolet spectral region of the electromagnetic spectrum and the second laser energy is radiation from a visible spectral region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cap includes an opening aligned with the direction offset from the longitudinal axis such that the first laser energy and the second laser energy are transmitted through the opening.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cap is a metallic cap, and further including a silica cap coupled to a distal end of the optical fiber such that the silica cap is disposed between the distal end of the optical fiber and at least a portion of the inner surface of the metallic cap.

16. A method of using a medical device, comprising:

inserting a distal end portion of an optical fiber into a patient'"'"'s body, the distal end portion of the optical fiber including an angled grating;

activating a laser source to transmit laser energy from the laser source toward the angled grating along a first portion of an optical path;

reflecting the laser energy from the angled grating along a second portion of the optical path, the second portion being non-parallel to the first portion.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the activation of the laser source includes activating the laser source at a first time, the method further including:

activating a second laser source at a second time different from the first time such that a second laser energy is transmitted along the first portion of the optical path into a cap disposed around the optical fiber; and

reflecting at least a portion of the second laser energy from an interior portion of the cap along at least a portion of the second portion of the optical path.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the activation of the laser source includes activating the laser source at a first time period, the method further including activating a second laser source at a second time period before the first time period, wherein at least a portion of the second time period is mutually exclusive from the first time period.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the laser source is a treatment laser source and the laser energy is a treatment laser energy.

20. The method of claim 19, further including activating an alignment laser source such that alignment laser energy is transmitted from the alignment laser source along the second portion of the optical path.