Apparatus for medical treatment of tissue by means of laser light

• US 8,911,432 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Fiber Tools GmbH
• Original Assignee: Adavanced Fiber Tools GmbH
• Inventors: Kuka, Georg, Ashraf, Naim, Hhnel, Torsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro, Victor
• Application Number:
  US13/644,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20130131657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 606 15- 17, 606/29, 385 16- 33, 385/117, 385/125
• 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 2018/2227 Hollow fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2244 Features of optical fibre cables, e.g. claddings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/225 Features of hand-pieces A61B2018/2255 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2288 the optical fibre cable having a curved distal end
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02342 characterised by cladding features, i.e. light confining region
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2552 reshaping or reforming of light guides for coupling using thermal heating, e.g. tapering, forming of a lens on light guide ends
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/262 Optical details of coupling light into, or out of, or between fibre ends, e.g. special fibre end shapes or associated optical elements

Abstract

An apparatus for medical treatment by means of laser light includes an optical conducting fiber which has a curved light emission end and includes a core, a cladding arranged above the core for conducting laser light coupled into the optical conducting fiber, and capillaries arranged in the cladding, wherein the capillaries run in a longitudinal direction of the optical conducting fiber at a radial distance from a longitudinal axis of the optical conducting fiber and form a capillary ring when viewed in cross-section, wherein the capillaries have cavities which are separated by bridges which have a width which is smaller than a wavelength of the laser light, wherein the laser light emerges from a forward surface of the light emission end and is transmitted in a direction which runs transverse to a substantially straight longitudinal section located directly in front of a curvature which defines the curved light emission end.

Claims

1. An apparatus for medical treatment by means of laser light, comprising:

an optical conducting fiber having a curved light emission end and comprising a core, a cladding arranged above the core for conducting laser light coupled into the optical conducting fiber, and capillaries arranged in the cladding, wherein said capillaries run in a longitudinal direction of the optical conducting fiber at a radial distance from a longitudinal axis of the optical conducting fiber and form at least one capillary ring when viewed in cross-section, wherein said capillaries have a light-emitting melt shut end and have cavities which are separated by bridges, said bridges having a width which is smaller than a wavelength of the laser light, wherein the laser light emerges from a forward surface of the light emission end, and wherein the laser light is transmitted in a direction which runs transverse to a substantially straight longitudinal section located directly in front of a curvature of the curved light emission end.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a distal end piece arranged on a light emission side of the curvature, with the laser light being emitted from the distal end piece.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the distal end piece is polished and ground.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the distal end piece is formed by melting the optical conducting fiber at the light emission end, and subsequently grinding and polishing.

5. The apparatus of the claim 1, wherein the optical conducting fiber comprises multiple capillary rings.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the capillaries extend over the curvature up to the closed light emission end.

7. An apparatus for medical treatment by means of laser light, made by the following process steps:

providing an optical conducting fiber comprising a core, a cladding arranged above the core for conducting laser light coupled into the optical conducting fiber, and capillaries arranged in the cladding, said capillaries running in a longitudinal direction of the optical conducting fiber at a radial distance from a longitudinal axis of the optical conducting fiber and forming at least one capillary ring when viewed in cross-section, wherein said capillaries have cavities which are separated by bridges, said bridges having a width which is smaller than a wavelength of the laser light;

melting the capillaries shut at a light emission end of the optical conducting fiber thereby generating a light-emitting melt shut end of the capillaries; and

bending the optical conducting fiber at the light emission end thereby forming a curved light emission end of the optical conducting fiber, wherein the laser light emerges from a forward surface of the curved light emission end, and wherein the laser light is transmitted in a direction which runs transverse to a substantially straight longitudinal section located directly in front of a curvature of the curved light emission end.