JPS6352918B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a probe used in a light guide path of a laser scalpel or a laser processing machine.

Conventional configuration and its problems In recent years, laser scalpels and laser processing machines
Power lasers such as CO ₂ lasers and YAG lasers are guided to the target area using optical fibers to perform surgery and processing. Conventionally, laser light guided by an optical fiber has been irradiated onto the outer surface of an object to perform operations such as incision, evaporation, and cutting. There are many cases where it is desired to insert or pierce an object, perform surgery, or process the inside of an object. For example, this applies to vitreous surgery in ophthalmology, knee joint surgery, endovascular surgery, and the like. However, there are several problems with using optical fibers directly inside objects for this purpose.

First, the strength of the optical fiber itself is insufficient to pierce it into biological tissue, etc.
Second, during piercing, biological tissue etc. adhere to the end face of the optical fiber, and for this reason, when the laser beam is passed through the optical fiber, the laser beam is absorbed by the adhered material, making it impossible to perform an effective surgery. The problem is that it can be damaged due to heat generation.

Purpose of the invention The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber probe that can insert or pierce an optical fiber into a body cavity, biological tissue, or gel-like substance, and perform surgery and processing by laser irradiation inside an object.

Structure of the Invention The present invention holds the end of an optical fiber with a handpiece, and a cylindrical shutter whose end surface is closed in a roughly conical shape is slidably attached to the outer periphery of the handpiece, and the vicinity of the conical end surface is divided radially. The radially divided end face of the cylindrical shutter is opened by sliding the cylindrical shutter into contact with the handpiece, and the end face of the cylindrical shutter is closed when inserting or piercing into living tissue or an object. When irradiating the laser beam, the cylindrical shutter is slid to open the end face, thereby facilitating insertion into tissue and preventing the end face of the fiber from adhering.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of an optical fiber probe according to the present invention. 2 is a view along arrow A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an optical fiber, and 2 a coating for protecting it, which in this example is made of a thin stainless steel tube, but may of course be coated with an ordinary resin.
1 and 2 are long, so only the ends are shown. The end of this optical fiber is held by a cylindrical hand piece 3 as shown in the figure. Reference numeral 4 denotes a cylindrical shutter, which is the main part of the present invention, and is slidably mounted on the outer periphery of the handpiece. The end surface of the cylindrical shutter 4 is formed into a generally conical shape, and as shown in FIG.
It is divided into four parts. Of course, it may be made larger or divided, and the end surface may be rounded. 4a to 4d are press-fitted into 4 and formed integrally. A condensing lens 5 is fixed to the end face of the hand piece, and has the function of condensing the laser beam emitted from the fiber and protecting the end face of the fiber from the outside. A window may be used if there is no need to collect light. The probe is inserted into the living tissue etc. in the state shown in FIG. In this state, the end surfaces 4a to 4d of the cylindrical shutter are closed in a conical shape and can be easily penetrated into biological tissue, and since the cylindrical shutter is closed, tissue will not penetrate inside and adhere. do not have.
Also, adding a lens or window is more effective. After inserting the probe into the target site, the cylindrical shutter 4 is slid in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows the state after sliding, where the divided end faces 4a to 4d of the shutter 4 come into contact with the end face 3a of the hand piece 3 and are pushed apart, so that the end face of the cylindrical shutter is in an open state. When a laser beam is passed through the fiber in this state, the laser beam is irradiated from the probe as shown by arrow C.
Targeted surgery or processing can be performed.

Effects of the Invention As described above, by slidably attaching the cylindrical shutter whose end face is closed in a generally conical shape and is divided radially to the outer periphery of the handpiece, optical fibers can be inserted into body cavities, biological tissues, or gel-like substances. It is possible to pierce an object and irradiate the inside of the object with a laser to effectively perform incision, evaporation, processing, etc.
That is, the optical fiber is strongly reinforced by the handpiece and the cylindrical shutter, making it possible to easily pierce it into an object, and the cylindrical shutter prevents tissue from adhering to the optical fiber when the fiber is inserted.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an optical fiber probe in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an A in FIG. 1.
3 is a sectional view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the optical fiber probe with the cylindrical shutter opened. 1...Optical fiber, 3...Hand piece, 4
...Cylindrical shutter.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An optical fiber, a cylindrical handpiece that stores and holds the end of the optical fiber, and a cylindrical handpiece that is slidably mounted on the handpiece and whose end face is closed in a substantially conical shape and is divided into radial shapes. and a cylindrical shutter, the cylindrical shutter being slid and brought into contact with the end surface of the hand piece to open a radially divided conical end surface. 2. The optical fiber probe according to claim 1, wherein a lens or window is attached to the end face of the handpiece.