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US 4,641,912 AGranted
Excimer laser delivery system, angioscope and angioplasty system incorporating the delivery system and angioscope
OwnerTsvi Goldenberginventor
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OwnerTsvi Goldenberginventor
Estimating the term…
A system for the delivery of high power excimer laser energy includes an optical fiber of pure silica having an energy coupler at one end and a lens at the distal end. The energy coupler can be a funnel-shaped input to the fiber or it can be a water-filled cavity which acts as a buffer to decrease the apparent density of energy entering the fiber. The lens at the distal end of the fiber functions to concentrate the output beam so as to increase its density. The delivery system has particular utility in the field of angioplasty. In such an application, the delivery system can be used to transmit both laser and illuminating light so as to reduce the number of optical fibers that are required and thereby provide a system that is sufficiently small to be fed into a coronary artery. An ultra-thin image scope facilitates a determination of the distance of the distal end from the viewed object and hence the size of the object.
A system for the delivery of pulsed laser light having high peak energy utilizing an optical waveguide, wherein said waveguide comprises an optical fiber having an energy conducting core of substantially pure silica and further including an energy coupler between one end of said fiber and a laser source for enabling energy pulses having a predetermined energy level to be coupled into said fiber and the energy level of said pulses to be maintained without damage to said fiber.
A system for the delivery of high energy Excimer laser light utilizing an optical waveguide, wherein said waveguide comprises an optical fiber made of substantially pure silica and an energy coupler comprising a cavity that is filled with a liquid medium and that has a window transparent to laser energy on one side thereof and is in communication with one end of the fiber at the opposite side thereof to couple energy pulses having a predetermined energy level into said fiber without damage to said fiber.
An angioplasty system, comprising:
A system for viewing internal cavities that provides a plane of reference to assist in determining the relative location and size of a viewed object, comprising:
A system for the delivery of pulsed laser energy, comprising a fiber-optic waveguide made of substantially pure silica and an energy coupler including a cavity that is filled with a liquid medium and that has a window transparent to laser energy on one side thereof and is in communication with one end of the waveguide at the opposite side thereof for coupling energy pulses into said waveguide without damage to said waveguide, said energy pulses having a density that is sufficient to damage said waveguide in the absence of said coupler.
A system for the delivery of pulsed laser energy, comprising a source of pulsed laser energy, a fiber-optic waveguide having an energy conducting core of substantially pure silica and receiving the laser energy from said source at one end thereof, and a lens at the opposite end of said waveguide for focussing at least a majority of the energy emitted from said opposite end onto a focal point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.