US 4,072,147 AGranted

Radiation endoscope

AssigneeAmerican Cystoscope Makers, Inc.

InventorJohn H. Hett

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A radiation endoscope is described wherein a laser or other radiation source is employed for therapeutic purposes. Radiation energy may be accurately directed at a target in a body cavity with the use of a marking spot whose light energy is passed along an optical path in the sheath of the radiation endoscope to the cavity area on which the radiation beam is incident. Eye protection for an operator of the radiation endoscope is obtained with the use of a variable filter interposed in an image path and coupled to correspondingly reduce the beam radiation effective in the body cavity as the image path transmissivity is enhanced. In one embodiment, attenuation of beam radiation is obtained by using a variable density optical filter coupled to the filter operative in the image path. In another embodiment, radiation beam attenuation is achieved by deriving a radiation beam control signal from the filter operative in the image path.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A radiation endoscope comprising

an endoscopic sheath having a proximal end and a distal end and sized to investigate a body cavity, said endoscopic sheath enclosing
a. an optical image transmitter extending from the proximal end of the endoscope sheath to its distal end to enable visual observation of a segment of the internal body cavity,
b. a therapeutic energy carrying optical path in the form of a fiber optical bundle selected to transmit radiation energy of a predetermined therapeutic wavelength and a therapeutic power, said optical fiber bundle extending between the proximal and distal ends of the endoscopic sheath, the therapeutic energy carrying optical fiber bundle being selected and sized to enable a therapeutic radiation beam to emerge from the distal end, said therapeutic energy carrying optical fiber bundle further being selected to direct the emerging therapeutic radiation beam for incidence at a predetermined location relative to the distal end for treatment of the visually observable segment of the body cavity, and
c. a spotter light path in the form of a light carrying rod extending between the proximal and distal ends of the endoscope sheath, with said rod terminating at a generally central location of the distal end of the therapeutic energy carrying optical fiber bundle, said spotter light path being oriented at the distal end to produce a visible spotter beam into the body cavity for illumination of a real light spot which is generally coincident with the predetermined location of the therapeutic radiation beam to visually locate the area of incidence of the therapeutic radiation beam in the body cavity.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.