SURGICAL LASER SYSTEMS AND LASER DEVICES

• US 20160135892A1
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AMS Research LLC
• Inventors: Yu, Honggang, Horn, David N., Hasenberg, Thomas, Xuan, Rongwei Jason, Zhang, Jian James, Yang, Xirong
• Granted Patent: US 10,219,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• 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 2018/00172 Connectors and adapters therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00642 with feedback, i.e. closed loop control
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00982 combined with or comprising means for visual or photographic inspections inside the body, e.g. endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2035 Beam shaping or redirecting; Optical components therefor A61B2018/2255 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2065 Multiwave; Wavelength mixing, e.g. using four or more wavelengths pilot laser A61B2018/2025
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/208 with multiple treatment beams not sharing a common path, e.g. non-axial or parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2211 Plurality of fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2244 Features of optical fibre cables, e.g. claddings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence

Abstract

A surgical laser system includes an array of laser diodes that are configured to output laser energy, a fiber bundle, a delivery fiber, and a tubular sheath. The fiber bundle includes a plurality of optical fibers and has a proximal end that is configured to receive laser energy from the array of laser diodes. The delivery fiber includes a proximal end that is configured to receive laser energy from a distal end of the fiber bundle. The tubular sheath defines a lumen, in which at least a portion of the delivery fiber is disposed. The tubular sheath is insertable into a working channel of an endoscope or a cystoscope. A distal end of the tubular sheath is configured to deliver laser energy discharged from the delivery fiber into a body of a patient.

Claims

1. A surgical laser system comprising:

an array of laser diodes configured to output laser energy;

a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of optical fibers and including a proximal end configured to receive laser energy from the array of laser diodes;

a delivery fiber including a proximal end configured to receive laser energy from a distal end of the fiber bundle; and

a tubular sheath defining a lumen in which at least a portion of the delivery fiber is disposed, wherein the tubular sheath is insertable into a working channel of an endoscope or cystoscope, and a distal end of the tubular sheath is configured to deliver laser energy discharged from the delivery fiber into a body of a patient.

2. The surgical laser system according to claim 1, wherein the array of laser diodes includes first and second sub-arrays, the sub-arrays being separately operable.

3. The surgical laser system according to claim 2, wherein operation of the first sub-array results in the discharge of a first beam of laser energy, and simultaneous operation of the first and second sub-arrays results in the discharge of a second beam of laser energy having a different size or shape than the first beam.

4. A method of treating a patient comprising the steps of:

inserting, into a body of the patient, a tubular sheath of a surgical laser system according to claim 3;

operating the first sub-array, thereby delivering the first beam to a tissue of the patient; and

simultaneously operating the first and second sub-arrays, thereby delivering the second beam to the tissue of the patient.

5. The surgical laser system according to claim 2, further comprising a user-actuated controller for operating the first and second sub-arrays.

6. The surgical laser system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the laser diodes in the array is characterized by an output wavelength of 532 nm.

7. The surgical laser system according to claim 2, wherein:

the first sub-array includes one or more laser diodes having different laser properties than the laser diodes of the second sub-array; and

the laser properties are selected from the group consisting of a wavelength of the laser energy output by the laser diode, an intensity level of the laser energy output by the diode, a pattern of the laser energy output from the laser diode, a duty cycle of the laser energy output from the laser diode, and an operating mode of the laser diode.

8. The surgical laser system according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of optical fibers of the fiber bundle is optically coupled to at least one of the laser diodes.

9. The surgical laser system according to claim 8, wherein a shape of the laser energy discharged from the delivery fiber is adjustable through selective activation and deactivation of the laser diodes, the shape selected from the group consisting of a circle, a ring, a line, a square, a rectangle, and concentric rings.

10. The surgical laser system according to claim 8, wherein a size of the laser energy discharged from the delivery fiber is adjustable through selective activation and deactivation of the laser diodes.

11. The surgical laser system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the optical fibers is optically coupled to a plurality of the laser diodes of the array of laser diodes.

12. The surgical laser system according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of optical fibers includes a plurality of subsets of the optical fibers (fiber subsets), each fiber subset comprising optical fibers having fiber properties that are different from the optical fibers of other fiber subsets; and

the fiber properties are selected from the group consisting of a size of a core of the optical fiber, a shape of the core of the optical fiber, and a numerical aperture of the optical fiber.

13. The surgical laser system according to claim 2, wherein the delivery fiber includes a multiple cladding fiber comprising:

a central light delivery medium;

a first cladding surrounding the central light delivery medium and having a first index of refraction;

an annular light delivery medium surrounding the first cladding; and

a second cladding surrounding the annular light delivery medium and having a second index of refraction.

14. The surgical laser system according to claim 13, wherein the laser energy output from the first sub-array of the laser diodes is optically coupled to the central light delivery medium, and the laser energy output from the second sub-array of the laser diodes is optically coupled to the annular light delivery medium.

15. The surgical laser system according to claim 1, wherein:

the array of laser diodes includes an excitation laser diode configured to output excitation laser energy having a wavelength within an excitation spectrum;

the excitation laser energy is delivered to a target through at least one of the optical fibers of the fiber bundle and the delivery fiber; and

the system comprising;

an excitation filter configured to filter feedback electromagnetic energy captured from the distal end of the delivery fiber and transmitted through at least one of the optical fibers of the fiber bundle; and

a spectrometer configured to analyze the filtered feedback electromagnetic energy from the excitation filter.

16. A method of producing a laser beam using a surgical laser system comprising:

outputting a discrete beam of laser energy from each of a first sub-array of an array of laser diodes;

optically coupling a proximal end of a fiber bundle of the system to the discrete beams of laser energy;

discharging the discrete beams of laser energy through a distal end of the fiber bundle;

optically coupling a proximal end of the delivery fiber to the discrete beams of laser energy discharged through the distal end of the fiber bundle; and

discharging a composite beam of laser energy comprising the discrete beams of laser energy through a distal end of the delivery fiber.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the method comprises adjusting a shape of the composite beam comprising outputting discrete beams of laser energy from a second sub-array of the laser diodes that is different from the first sub-array.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the method comprises adjusting a size of the composite beam comprising outputting discrete beams of laser energy from a second sub-array of the laser diodes that is different from the first sub-array.

19. The method according to any of the claims 16, comprising:

transmitting feedback electromagnetic energy from the distal end of the delivery fiber through the delivery fiber and the fiber bundle; and

delivering the feedback electromagnetic energy to a spectrometer.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

inserting the delivery fiber into a lumen of a tubular sheath, wherein the tubular sheath is insertable into a working channel of an endoscope or cystoscope;

inserting a distal end of the tubular sheath into a body of a patient; and

treating a condition of a patient in response to discharging the composite beam.