Patent EP0761257A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0761257A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Laser probe for medical treatment
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
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Filing: 1996-08-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-08-26
Abstract
Abstract A medical laser probe to be used as a laser irradiation means in laser treatment which is performed by irradiating a living body with laser light. This laser probe aims at irradiating laser light uniformly, utilizing laser light effectively by concentration thereof, achieving the limited irradiation of laser light and taking countermeasures against stains thereon. Thus, this laser probe is provided with a transparent light diffuser for radiating laser light received by a light-guide fiber in the direction along the axis of the light diffuser and in the radial directions from this axis to the peripheral side surface thereof, and with a detachable protective diffusion tube for further diffusing laser light radiated from the transparent light diffuser. Incidentally, a reflector may be provided therebetween. Further, shielding plates may be provided on the protective diffusion tube.
Inventors
- 👤 Akira Kaneda
- 👤 Yoshiteru Ii
- 👤 Shinichi Nakahara
- 👤 Jiro Minehisa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 14:32
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61N; A61N5/00; A61N5/06; A61N5/0613; A61N5/062; A61N5/0601; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/00234; A61B2017/00292; A61B2017/00336; A61B18/00; A61B18/18; A61B18/20; A61B18/22; A61B2018/2255; A61B2018/2261; A61B2018/2272; A61B90/00; A61B90/04; A61B2090/0409; A61B2090/0436; A61B2090/0454
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
82 words
A medical laser probe for guiding laser light from a treatment light source to an affected part to be treated, comprising: a transparent light diffuser for receiving light emitted from a light-guide fiber, which arrives from the treatment light source, and for radiating the received incident light from a peripheral side surface thereof; and a protective diffusion tube, which is provided outside the peripheral side surface of the transparent light diffuser, for further diffusing laser light radiated from the transparent light diffuser.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
20 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 1, wherein the protective diffusion tube is detachably provided on the light diffuser.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
78 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 1, which further comprises a plurality of laser-light reflection grooves provided on the peripheral side surface of the light diffuser in such a way as to extend in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the light diffuser and in such a manner that laser light is irradiated in a direction along the axis of the light diffuser and in radial directions from the axis to the peripheral side surface thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of dimples are formed in a peripheral side surface portion of the light diffuser in such a manner that laser light is irradiated in a direction along an axis of the light diffuser and in radial directions from the axis to the peripheral side surface thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
106 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 1, wherein additive agents, which are operative to reflect laser light, are added to a transparent material of the light diffuser by gradually increasing the density of the additive agent from a laser-light incidence portion of the light diffuser to an end thereof in such a manner that the closer to the end of the light diffuser a place becomes, the higher the diffusion coefficient thereof at the place becomes, so that laser light is irradiated in a direction along an axis of the light diffuser and in radial directions from the axis to the peripheral side surface thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 1, wherein the protective diffusion tube is made of translucent smooth plastics.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
105 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 7, wherein a laser-light reflector shaped like a rectangle is inserted between a protective diffusion tube and a transparent light diffuser along the axis of the light diffuser so that a part, which does not need to be irradiated with laser light, is shielded from laser light radiated in the radial directions from the axis of the light diffuser to the peripheral side surface thereof and that laser light radiated in the radial directions from the axis of the light diffuser to the peripheral side surface thereof is concentrated onto a part to be irradiated with laser light.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 7, wherein the reflector is made of gold which has high efficiency in reflecting laser light.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 1, which further comprises flexible laser-light blocking means mounted outside the protective diffusion tube and along an axis thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 9, wherein the laser-light blocking means is made of a fibrous material having flexibility.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 10, wherein the fibrous material of the laser-light blocking means is made of a shape memory alloy.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
49 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 1, which further comprises disk-like flexible laser-light blocking means mounted at both ends of the protective diffusion tube in such a manner that each of the laser-light blocking means extends in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the protective diffusion tube.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 9, wherein the laser-light blocking means is made of a material adapted to selectively block off laser light and to transmit light other than laser light.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
The medical laser probe according to claim 12, wherein the laser-light blocking means is made of a material adapted to selectively block off laser light and to transmit light other than laser light.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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