Photoionization enabled electrochemical material removal techniques for use in biomedical fields

Abstract

A method for controlled removal of surface tissue layer portions with a non-contact energy delivery modality that applies electrical energy to the targeted tissue surface to cause electrochemical ablation. The system provides (i) a UV energy source for irradiating a beam path through a selected neutral gas environment overlying the targeted tissue thereby creating an ionized gas volume (i.e., a conductive non-equilibrium plasma), and (ii) an electrical source for creating an intense electrical field in the ionized gas volume to thereby apply energy to the targeted surface layer to cause volatilization and removal of the surface layer in a plasma-mediated ablation. The ultrafast plasma creation events are repeated at a high repetition rate to ablate surface layer portions in a controlled manner. Each ultrafast plasma creation event is of such a high intensity and such a brief duration that thermal energy is not transferred to the tissue thus preventing collateral thermal damage to regions adjacent to the targeted site.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.