Slender tip laser scalpel
AssigneeBrookhaven Science Associates, LLC
InventorJames T. Veligdan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laser scalpel includes a ribbon optical waveguide extending therethrough and terminating at a slender optical cutting tip. A laser beam is emitted along the height of the cutting tip for cutting tissue therealong.
Claims63
A laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip for emitting a laser beam;
- wherein said shaft includes a central longitudinal axis, said tip has a height and a width, said height and said width transverse to said axis, said scalpel emitting said laser beam from said tip along said tip height;
- and
- wherein said waveguide extends longitudinally through said shaft between opposite proximal and distal ends, with said tip being disposed as said distal end, said waveguide further including an inlet disposed at said proximal end for receiving said laser beam, and wherein said waveguide decreases in width from said inlet to said tip.
A laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip for emitting a laser beam;
- wherein said shaft includes a central longitudinal axis, said tip has a height and a width, said height and said width transverse to said axis, said scalpel emitting said laser beam from said tip along said tip height, wherein the height is approximately 5 mm, and wherein the width is approximately 50 microns.
A laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip for emitting a laser beam;
- wherein said shaft includes a central longitudinal axis, said tip has a height and a width, said height and said width transverse to said axis, said scalpel emitting said laser beam from said tip along said tip height;
- and
- wherein said waveguide extends longitudinally through said shaft between opposite proximal and distal ends, with said tip being disposed at said distal end, said scalpel further including an optical coupling disposed at said proximal end for optically coupling an optical fiber to said waveguide for receiving said laser beam, and said scalpel further comprising a scanner optically disposed between said coupling and said waveguide for scanning said laser beam along said tip height.
A method of using a laser scalpel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a laser scalpel, said laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip;
- projecting a laser beam through said waveguide in a continuous fan beam along a height of said tip;
- emitting said laser beam from said tip along said tip height;
- and
- sliding said tip along a surface for cutting said surface by said beam.
A method of using a laser scalpel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a laser scalpel, said laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip;
- projecting a laser beam through said waveguide in a continuous fan beam along a height of said tip;
- simultaneously emitting said laser beam from said tip from a plurality of locations along said tip height;
- and
- sliding said tip along a surface for cutting said surface by said beam.
A method of using a laser scalpel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a laser scalpel, said laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip;
- projecting a laser beam through said waveguide;
- scanning said laser beam through said waveguide to raster said beam along a height of said tip;
- emitting said laser beam from said tip along said tip height;
- and
- sliding said tip along a surface for cutting said surface by said beam.
A method of using a laser scalpel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a laser scalpel, said laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip;
- projecting a laser beam through said waveguide;
- focusing said laser beam at said cutting tip;
- emitting said laser beam from said tip along a height of said tip;
- and
- sliding said tip along a surface for cutting said surface by said beam.
A laser scalpel comprising an optical cutting tip having a height and a width, said scalpel further comprising a plurality of miniature lasers provided adjacent to the optical cutting tip for emitting laser beams from the tip along said tip height.
A method of using a laser scalpel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a laser scalpel, said laser scalpel further comprising an optical cutting tip having a height and a width, said scalpel further comprising a plurality of miniature lasers provided adjacent to the optical cutting tip;
- providing laser beams from said plurality of miniature lasers;
- emitting said laser beams from said tip along said height of said tip;
- and
- sliding said tip along a surface for cutting said surface by said beams.
A laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip for emitting a laser beam;
- wherein said shaft includes a central longitudinal axis, said tip has a height and a width, said height and said width transverse to said axis, said scalpel emitting said laser beam from said tip along said tip height, wherein said laser beam is emitted from said tip along said tip height at an intensity to effect cutting of a surface when said tip is substantially adjacent to said surface, and wherein the intensity of said laser beam is diminished as the distance from said tip to said surface is increased;
- and
- wherein said waveguide extends longitudinally through said shaft between opposite proximal and distal ends, with said tip being disposed at said distal end, said waveguide further including an inlet disposed at said proximal end for receiving said laser beam, and wherein said waveguide decreases in width from said inlet to said tip.
A method of using a laser scalpel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a laser scalpel, said laser scalpel comprising a shaft having an optical waveguide extending therethrough, said waveguide terminating at an optical cutting tip;
- projecting a laser beam through said waveguide in a continuous fan beam along a height of said tip;
- emitting said laser beam from said tip along said tip height;
- and
- sliding said tip along a surface for cutting said surface by said beam;
- wherein said laser beam is emitted from said tip along said tip height at an intensity to effect cutting of said surface when said tip is substantially adjacent to said surface, and wherein the intensity of said laser beam is diminished as the distance from said tip to said surface is increased.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.