Systems, devices and methods for laser-assisted targeted intracorporeal therapy

A system capable of performing laser-assisted tissue disruption, the system comprising:

• a pulsed infrared laser source configured to generate infrared laser pulses;
• an intracorporeal laser pulse delivery assembly comprising:
• an elongate conduit comprising an inner lumen and an elongate distal portion configured for intracorporeal insertion and having a diameter of less than 1 mm, said elongate distal portion having a distal opening in fluid communication with said inner lumen, said elongate conduit further comprising a proximal port, said proximal port being in fluidic communication with said inner lumen;
• an optical fiber having a proximal end coupled to said pulsed infrared laser source such that the infrared laser pulses are delivered through said optical fiber, said optical fiber extending through said elongate conduit;
• and
• a pump mechanism in fluid communication with said proximal port;
• said pulsed infrared laser source being configured such that the infrared laser pulses have:
• a wavelength selected such that absorption by a laser-irradiated tissue volume residing beyond a distal end of said optical fiber, following intracorporeal insertion of said elongate distal portion, is predominantly due to excitation of vibrational modes of one or more constituents of the laser-irradiated tissue volume;
• a pulse duration that is shorter than a first time duration required for thermal diffusion out of the laser-irradiated tissue volume and shorter than a second time duration required for a thermally driven expansion of the laser-irradiated tissue volume;
• a pulse fluence and the pulse duration resulting in a peak pulse intensity below a threshold for ionization-driven tissue disruption to occur within the laser-irradiated tissue volume;
• and
• wherein the pulse fluence is sufficiently high to cause local tissue disruption and liquification of the laser-irradiated tissue volume.