Back to results
US 5,968,033 AGranted
Optical delivery system and method for subsurface tissue irradiation
AssigneeFuller Research Corporation
InventorsTerry A. Fuller, Aarne H. Reid
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeFuller Research Corporation
InventorsTerry A. Fuller, Aarne H. Reid
Estimating the term…
An apparatus and method for optically treating tissue by contact between the apparatus and the tissue. The apparatus includes a holder having a distal end having an opening in it, and a contact member for contacting tissue to be treated and for coupling optical energy from a source of optical energy into said tissue. The contact member is a curved lens mounted in and partially extending from the opening and freely rotatable about at least one axis relative to the holder. The holder has a single coolant flow channel proximal to the opening and the contact member for supplying a cooling fluid to the contact member. A gap is provided between the contact member and the opening for allowing the fluid to flow around substantially the entire outer surface of the contact member and out of the opening onto said tissue to cool the tissue. The method includes the steps of contacting the surface of tissue in an area to be treated with a light transmissive low-friction contact optical element, applying optical energy from a source thereof to said optical element, converging said optical energy by said optical element into subsurface tissue in said area, moving said optical element over said area while maintaining it in contact with said surface, flowing a cooling fluid over said optical element and said surface to cool said optical element and said surface, and terminating application of optical energy to said optical element after a selected treatment time.
An apparatus for optically treating tissue by contact between the apparatus and the tissue, comprising a holder having a distal end having an opening therein, a contact member for contacting tissue to be treated and for coupling optical energy from a source thereof into said tissue, said contact member comprising a curved lens mounted in and partially extending from said opening and freely rotatable about at least one axis relative to the holder, a single coolant flow channel proximal to said opening and said contact member for supplying a cooling fluid to said contact member, and a gap between said contact member and said opening for allowing said fluid to flow around substantially the entire outer surface of said contact member and out of said opening onto said tissue to cool said tissue.
An apparatus for optically treating tissue by contact between the apparatus and the tissue, comprising a holder having a distal end having an opening therein, a contact member for contacting tissue to be treated and for coupling optical energy from a source thereof into said tissue, said contact member comprising a curved lens mounted in and partially extending from said opening and freely rotatable about at least one axis relative to the holder, a resilient member proximal to said opening and resiliently biasing said contact member toward said tissue, a single coolant flow channel proximal to said opening and said contact member for supplying a cooling fluid to said contact member, and a gap between said contact member and said opening for allowing said fluid to flow around substantially the entire outer surface of said contact member and out of said opening onto said tissue to cool said tissue.
A method of optically treating tissue to effect heating of subsurface tissue while sparing excessive heating to the surface of said tissue, comprising the steps of
A method of inducing collagen synthesis beneath an undisrupted epidermis in human skin, comprising the steps of
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.