Process for treatment by irradiating an area of a body, and treatment apparatus usable in dermatology for the treatment of cutaneous angio dysplasias

• US 5,336,217 A
• Filed: 06/05/1992
• Issued: 08/09/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Institut National De La Sante Et De La Recherche Medicale (Inserm) (Allianz Global Investors GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Institut National De La Sante Et De La Recherche Medicale (Inserm) (Allianz Global Investors GmbH)
• Inventors: Mordon, Serge, Sozanski, Jean-Pierre, Moschetto, Yves, Buys, Bruno, Brunetaud, Jean-Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Shay, David M.
• Application Number:
  US07/893,683
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 606/2-19, 128/395, 128/397, 128/398, 607/88, 607/89
• US Class Current: 606/9
• 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 2017/00057 Light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00636 Sensing and controlling the application of energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/20357 by movable optical fibre end
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/067 using laser light
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/02 Positioning or observing the workpiece, e.g. with respect to the point of impact; Aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/08 Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0884 in at least in three axial directions, e.g. manipulators, robots

Abstract

The invention relates to a process of treatment in the field of dermatology, for the treatment of cutaneous angio dysplasias, using the energy emitted by a laser source, as well as to an apparatus for the treatment of skin angiomas implementing the process. The apparatus includes a laser source suitable for supplying laser radiation, a treatment instrument for receiving the laser radiation from the source and whereby a plurality of consecutive laser shots is effected to form a plurality of resulting impacts on the area of the body to be treated. Following each shot, the area of the body thus treated has, at the resulting impact, at least a given relaxation time. The apparatus includes a support frame, an optical fiber disposed in the frame. The optical fiber has two ends, the first of the ends being suitable for connection to the laser source via the connecting means, the second end being mobile and suitable for generating a displaceable laser spot. An automatic control unit with memory controls in time and space sequential scanning of the second end of the optical fiber, and permits a sequence of consecutive laser shots such that two consecutive laser shots form two resulting impacts, which are not contiguous, if the time lapse between the two consecutive laser shots is less than the given thermal relaxation time, and the impacts of the different consecutive laser shots completely cover the surface through the contiguous juxtaposition of the different impacts resulting from the different laser shots.

Claims

1. An apparatus for treating a region of tissue with a laser beam comprising:

a handpiece, said handpiece including a means for supporting the handpiece at a fixed position on the tissue within the region to be treated;

means for coupling the beam into the handpiece;

guide means located within said handpiece for directing the beam to a spot on the tissue within the region to be treated;

adjustment means coupled to said guide means for varying the position of the spot within the region to be treated while the handpiece remains at a fixed position on the tissue; and

processor means for controlling the adjustment means to direct the spot to a series of nonoverlapping continuous positions covering the region to be treated, said processor means further controlling the beam to irradiate each position of the spot with an output, with the output at each spot having a predetermined duration and power and power wherein the tissue is not irradiated during the time the adjustment means varies the position of the spot and with the positions being selected so that if the time period between the delivery of the beam at two different positions is less than the thermal relaxation time of the tissue, then the distance between those two positions will be greater than the thermal diffusion distance thereby avoiding overheating of the tissue while minimizing the time period necessary for treating the entire region.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said region to be treated has a hexagon configuration.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said guide means includes an optical fiber having an input end and a delivery end and wherein said adjustment means functions to translate the position of the delivery end of the fiber.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said guide means further includes a lens optically aligned with the delivery end of the fiber and wherein the position of the delivery end of the fiber is translated in a plane parallel to plane of the lens and relative to the optical axis of the lens thereby adjusting the position of the spot on the tissue.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 4 further including a shutter means controlled by said processor means and functioning to control the duration which the treatment beam is delivered at each position of the spot.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5 further including a means for measuring the power of the treatment beam delivered by said optical fiber and generating a control signal which is monitored by said processor means.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said handpiece is configured so that the delivery end of said fiber is spaced from the tissue to be treated.

8. A method of treating a region of tissue with a treatment beam from a laser source comprising the steps of:

a) selecting a first spot within the region to be treated;

b) irradiating the first spot with the beam for a predetermined time and at a predetermined energy;

c) selecting a second spot within the region to be treated during which time the tissue is not being irradiated;

d) irradiating said second spot with the beam for a predetermined time and at a predetermined energy, with said first spot not overlapping said second spot and wherein the position of the second spot is selected so that if the time period between the delivery of the beam at the first and second spots is less than the thermal relaxation time of the tissue, then the distance between those two spots will be greater than the thermal diffusion distance; and

e) repeating steps (c) and (d) to irradiate additional nonoverlapping spots until the entire region has been treated with a pattern of contiguous spots such that overheating of the tissue is minimized while reducing the time period necessary for treating the entire region.