Pulsed light source

• US 6,146,376 A
• Filed: 06/18/1998
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kaltenbach & Voigt Gmbh & Co. (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kaltenbach & Voigt GmbH & Co. KG (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Hack, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): DVORAK, LINDA C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ogugua, Sonya Harris
• Application Number:
  US09/099,696
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 606/2, 606/3, 606/10, 606/11, 606/12, 606/14, 606/15, 606/16, 606/17
• US Class Current: 606/13
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00747 Dermatology
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00761 Removing layer of skin tissue, e.g. wrinkles, scars or cancerous tissue

Abstract

Pulsed light source for the removal of biological tissue. The pulsed light source incorporates light means as well as a controller which controls the light means in such a way that the light means generate on the one hand ablation pulses (BA) with an irradiancy sufficient for the ablation of tissue and on the other hand a coagulation radiation (BK) with an irradiance sufficient simply for a heating of tissue, but not for an ablation of tissue. The controller controls the light means in such a way that the light means generate the coagulation radiation (BK) independently in time of the ablation pulses (BA).

Claims

1. A pulsed light source for the removal of biological tissue, with light means including a single, common light source and a controller for controlling the light source in such a way that the light source generates on the one hand ablation pulses with a particular pulse frequency and an irradiance sufficient for the ablation of tissue and on the other hand a coagulation radiation with an irradiance which is certainly sufficient for a heating of tissue, but not for an ablation of tissue,

wherein the controller in addition controls the light source in such a way that the light source generates the coagulation radiation as a substantially continuous waveform and the ablation pulses as a pulsed waveform superimposed on the substantially continuous waveform.

2. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the irradiance of the ablation pulses lies in the range 1-250 Jcm-2.

3. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of the irradiance, the pulse width and pulse frequency of the ablation pulses is settable.

4. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pulse width of the ablation pulses is in the range 100-800 μ

s.

5. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pulse frequency of the ablation pulses lies in the range 1-30 Hz.

6. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the irradiance of the coagulation radiation is smaller than 1 Jcm-2.

7. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 6

wherein at least one of the irradiance, the pulse frequency and the pulse width of the coagulation pulses is settable.

8. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ablation radiation is laser radiation with a wavelength in the infrared range.

9. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ablation radiation is the light of a pulsed high-pressure gas-discharge lamp or laser diode.

10. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1 wherein the irradiance of the coagulation radiation is constant over time.

11. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the light source is an Er:

YAG laser crystal which generates by continuous excitation the coagulation radiation and by pulsed excitation the ablation pulses.

12. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 11,

wherein a laser diode arrangement is provided for the continuous excitation of the laser crystal to generate the continuous waveform and a flash lamp is provided for the pulsed excitation of the laser crystal to generate the pulsed waveform.

13. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the irradiance of the coagulation radiation changes over time.

14. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 13, wherein the irradiance of the coagulation radiation decreases steadily over time.

15. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 13, wherein the continuous waveform changes periodically between one of a zigzag waveform and a sawtooth waveform.

16. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light means generate the coagulation radiation in the form of coagulation pulses with a particular pulse frequency.

17. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pulse frequency of the coagulation pulses is higher than the pulse frequency of the ablation pulses.

18. A pulsed light source as claimed in claim 16, wherein the coagulation pulses overlap at least in part the ablation pulses.