Close-Packed Small Core Optical Fiber Bundles

Abstract

A medical instrument is disclosed that includes an elongate flexible shaft, a plurality of optical fibers extending along the length, and a laser control module coupled with the optical fibers. The instrument is configured for insertion into a patient body and/or into a working channel of an endoscope (e.g., ureteroscope). The instrument is configured for ablation of body tissue and/or a foreign substance within the body. The optical fibers can define a cross-sectional diameter within a range of 50 μm to 150 μm. Three or more of the optical fibers can be bundled together defining a circumscribed circle having a cross-sectional diameter less than 500 μm. Some optical fibers are peripherally disposed along the shaft and are configured to direct light radially outward. A lumen extending along the length of the shaft is coupled with fluid port coupled with the shaft.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.