Surgical instrument with laser target
OwnerJack Murray Dodick, Reinhardt Thyzelinventors
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Abstract
A surgical needle with an open distal port at which tissue to be fractured is positioned contains an optical fiber for providing pulses of laser energy and a titanium target that receives these pulses. The target converts the energy in the electromagnetic pulses to shockwaves that impinge on the tissue at the port causing the tissue to fracture. The target has one or more steps such that vaporization of the target by the laser pulses leaves a surface which directly faces the port so that the continued conversion of laser energy to mechanical shockwaves will provide shockwaves that are not blocked in traveling to the port at which the tissue is located.
Claims7
In a surgical needle for fracturing tissue at an operating port through the generation of shockwaves due to plasma formation from the optical breakdown of a target on which laser pulses from a laser beam impinges, the improvement comprising:
- said target having a first target wall, a first step and a second wall, said first step extending between said first and second walls,
- a laser fiber having a centerline spaced from said first target wall at a predetermined distance,
- said centerline of said laser fiber being in alignment with a predetermined zone around said first step to assure vaporization of a substantial portion of said first step when said target is hit with laser pulses from said fiber,
- whereby there is a clear line of sight between the shockwaves generated and the operating port.
A surgical needle for fracturing tissue comprising:
- a tubular sidewall having a longitudinal axis and a distal end portion,
- a laser fiber extending longitudinally to said distal end portion of said sidewall, said laser fiber having a centerline and a distal end,
- a target mounted adjacent to said distal end of said laser fiber,
- said target having a first target wall, a first step and a second wall, said first step extending between said first and second walls,
- said distal end of said laser fiber being spaced from said first target wall by a predetermined distance,
- said centerline of said laser fiber being in alignment with a predetermined zone around said first step to assure vaporization of a substantial portion of said first step when said target is hit with laser pulses from said fiber,
- a tissue receiving port at said distal end of said needle,
- an uninterrupted path between said first step and said tissue receiving port,
- breakdown of said target by laser pulses from said fiber producing shockwaves that are propagated to said tissue receiving port along said uninterrupted path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.