JP2003210485A - Laser therapeutic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser therapeutic device capable of transmitting laser beams by a hollow fiber with high efficiency and securing the excellent visibility of aiming light guided at the same time. <P>SOLUTION: This laser therapeutic device for guiding laser beams in an infrared region from a therapeutic laser light source by the flexible hollow fiber to irradiate a treated part is provided with a converging optical system for converging the laser beams from the therapeutic laser light source so as to be connected to the hollow fiber and converging with the beam waist radius by 0.54-0.6 times the radius of a hollow hole of the hollow fiber. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser treatment apparatus for irradiating a treatment site (affected part) of a patient with laser light guided by a hollow fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a laser treatment apparatus for performing treatment by irradiating a treatment area of a patient with laser light, a CO2 laser (carbon dioxide gas laser) having a wavelength in the infrared region or Er:
A laser treatment device using a YAG laser is known. Further, since these infrared laser lights are invisible, visible laser lights are used at the same time for aiming. Conventionally, a multi-joint arm that has arms connected by a plurality of joints and has a mirror inside the joints to guide the laser light has been used as a means for guiding the infrared laser light for treatment. However, in recent years, hollow fibers capable of guiding long-wavelength infrared laser light such as CO2 laser and Er: YAG laser have been used.

[0003]

However, the guiding of the infrared laser light by the hollow fiber has a lower transmission efficiency than that of the articulated arm, and the aiming light as visible light has a further lower transmission efficiency. . Further, when the color of the treatment area and the color of the aiming light are the same, it becomes difficult to distinguish the aiming light. For example, when the affected area is clouded red with blood, it is difficult to distinguish it with the red aiming light that is normally used.

In view of the above problems, the present invention is a laser treatment capable of efficiently transmitting laser light through a hollow fiber, and at the same time ensuring good visibility of aiming light guided. A technical problem is to provide a device.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized by having the following configuration. (1) In a laser treatment apparatus that guides infrared laser light from a treatment laser light source through a flexible hollow fiber and irradiates the treatment site with the laser light, the laser light from the treatment laser light source is condensed to the hollow fiber. A condensing optical system for coupling is provided with a condensing optical system for condensing the beam waist radius to 0.54 to 0.6 times the radius of the hollow hole of the hollow fiber. (2) In the laser treatment apparatus according to (1), an aiming light source that further emits aiming light in the visible range, a beam combining member that combines the aiming light with the treatment laser light coaxially, and the aiming light are condensed. A second condensing optical system coupled to the hollow fiber, the beam waist radius of which is 0.5 of the radius of the hollow hole of the hollow fiber.
A second condensing optical system that condenses the light at a magnification of 4 to 0.6 times. (3) In the laser treatment apparatus of (2), the first aiming light source emits laser light of different colors in the visible range.
And a second aiming light source, and selecting means for selecting aiming light to be coupled to the hollow fiber is provided. (4) In a laser treatment apparatus that guides infrared laser light from a treatment laser light source through a flexible hollow fiber to irradiate a treatment site, a first aiming light source that emits first aiming light in the visible range; A second aiming light source that emits a second aiming light in a visible region of a color different from that of the first aiming light, a beam combining member that combines the first aiming light and the second aiming light coaxially with the treatment laser light, and a treatment laser light And a condensing optical system that condenses each aiming light and couples the aiming light to the hollow fiber, and a selection unit that selects the aiming light that is coupled to the hollow fiber.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a laser treatment apparatus according to this embodiment. Reference numeral 1 denotes a laser device main body, which houses a therapeutic laser light source 2 that emits laser light in the infrared region, a first aiming light source 3, a second aiming light source 4, and the like. In this embodiment, the wavelength 1 is used as the therapeutic laser light source 1.
Use the one that emits 0.6μm CO2 laser light,
A semiconductor laser that emits visible red light having a wavelength of 635 nm is used as the first aiming light source 3, and a visible green light of 532 nm (second harmonic of 1064 nm from an Nd: YAG laser) is emitted as the second aiming light source 4. Are using.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a mirror, which is the first aiming light source 3
It is arranged so that it can be inserted and removed on the optical path. The mirror 5 is inserted and removed by the moving device 31. The moving device 31 is driven by a selection signal from the selection switch 32. In front of the insertion / removal position of the mirror 5, a condenser lens 10 for arranging the beam diameter of the aiming light emitted from the first aiming light source 3 is arranged. When the mirror 5 is arranged on the optical path of the first aiming light source 3, the optical path of the first aiming light source 3 is blocked, and the aiming light from the second aiming light source 4 is reflected and can be used for aiming. Reference numeral 6 denotes a dichroic mirror, which has a characteristic of transmitting infrared laser light from the therapeutic laser light source 1 and reflecting laser light in the visible region.
The dichroic mirror 6 coaxially combines the treatment laser light and each aiming light. The therapeutic laser light and each aiming light that has passed through the dichroic mirror 6 are reflected by the mirror 21 and then condensed by the condenser lens 22,
It is incident (coupled) on the end of the flexible hollow fiber 8 connected by the connector section 7.

In the above description, the condensing lens 22 is commonly used to condense the treatment laser light and the two colors of aiming light to be coupled to the hollow fiber 8. It may be composed of an optical optical system. Each laser beam guided to the hollow fiber 8 is emitted from the handpiece 9 and is irradiated by the condensing lens 9a provided on the handpiece 9 so as to have a predetermined spot size on the affected area. At this time, the spot size of the aiming light is preferably 1.5 times or less the spot size of the treatment laser light.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the hollow fiber 8. The hollow fiber 8 comprises, in order from the outside, a polyimide protective layer 81, a quartz glass tube 82, and a coating layer 83 in which silver (film thickness 0.03 μm) and resin (film thickness 1.0 μm) are applied to the inner surface of the quartz glass tube. Has become. The diameter φ of the hollow hole 80 that transmits the CO 2 laser is 0.45 to 1.0 m.
m, and more preferably φ0.7 mm. In this embodiment, the hollow fiber 8 has an outer diameter of 0.85 mm and the hollow hole 80 has a diameter of 0.7 mm. This hollow fiber 8 is commercially available.

Next, the coupling of the laser light into the hollow fiber 8 by the focusing optical system (the focusing lens 22) will be described.
In order to make the laser light enter the hollow fiber 8 and transmit it with high efficiency, the coupling state of the laser light to the hollow hole 80 of the hollow fiber 8 affects. As shown in FIG. 3, the hollow hole 8
The radius 0 is a (diameter 2a), the radius of the beam waist of the laser light focused on the end of the hollow fiber 8 is ω0 (diameter 2ω0), and the transmission efficiency when the ratio ω0 / a is changed Confirmed by experiment. FIG. 4 shows the experimental results. As can be seen from this figure, ω0 / a = 0.54 ~
A transmission efficiency of 90% or more is obtained at 0.6 times, and ω0
The best transmission efficiency was obtained when /a=0.56 to 0.57.

FIG. 5 shows the input power and the output power to the hollow fiber 8 when ω0 / a = 0.56, and the transmission power is almost 93% regardless of the magnitude of the input power. Efficiency was obtained. This measurement was performed by straightening the hollow fiber 8 having a length of 2 m.

In the above, the experimental results of CO 2 laser light are shown, but the above ratio ω 0 which enables low loss coupling.
/ A is the same regardless of the wavelength. Therefore, the visible aiming light can be transmitted with low loss by coupling it with the hollow fiber 8 under the same conditions. The red aiming light from the first aiming light source 3, and the second aiming light
The green aiming light from the aiming light source 4 was guided and irradiated onto each of the targets with the hollow fiber 8 having a length of 2 m being straight, and the visibility was confirmed. The input power of aiming light was red = 315 μW and green = 50 μW. As a result, it was possible to satisfactorily visually recognize any aiming light. Moreover, the case where the hollow fiber 8 was bent was also confirmed. The bending condition is a bending radius of 18 cm,
The bending angle was 90 degrees and 180 degrees. As a result, although the brightness was slightly inferior to that of the case where the hollow fiber 8 was a straight line, both of the aiming lights were sufficiently visible under the two bending conditions.

The operation during surgery will be described. The operator selects the color of the aiming light with the switch 32 so that the aiming light is easy to see in comparison with the color of the treatment area.
When red is selected, the aiming light source 3 is driven and the mirror 5 is removed from the optical path by the moving device 31.
When the green color is selected, the aiming light source 4 is driven and the mirror 5 that is outside the optical path moves into the optical path. After that, the aiming light is reflected by the dichroic mirror 6 and the mirror 21, is condensed by the condenser lens 22 and enters the hollow fiber 8, and the hollow fiber 8
The light is guided to the handpiece 9 via and is irradiated to the treatment site. When the laser irradiation position is aligned by confirming the aiming light applied to the treatment site, the operator depresses a foot switch (not shown) to drive the treatment laser light source 2. The treatment laser light emitted from the treatment laser light source 2 is condensed by the condenser lens 22 via the dichroic mirror 6 and the mirror 21, enters the hollow fiber 8, and is guided to the handpiece 9 via the hollow fiber 8. Then, the treatment area is irradiated. Since the color of the aiming light can be changed to a color that is easy to see according to the treatment site, good aiming can be performed.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the CO 2 laser is used as an example of the treatment laser light source 2, but E of wavelength 2.94 μm is used.
An r: YAG laser can also be used. The hollow fiber can transmit laser light in the infrared region of 2.5 μm to 12 μm. Further, the aiming light is not limited to the two colors of red and green, but visible light such as blue or yellow can be used in combination. Further, it may be configured to select from a plurality of combinations such as three colors and four colors. Furthermore, wavelength 400-700
An aiming light source capable of selectively extracting a desired color from nm may be used.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Laser light can be coupled to the hollow fiber with low loss, and laser light can be transmitted with high efficiency through the hollow fiber. In addition, it is possible to ensure good visibility of the aiming light that is guided at the same time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an optical system of a laser treatment apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of a hollow fiber.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a hollow hole of a hollow fiber and a beam waist of laser light.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the transmission efficiency of CO 2 laser light.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the transmission efficiency of CO 2 laser light.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Laser device body 2 Therapeutic laser light source 3 First aiming light source 4 Second aiming light source 5 mirror 6 dichroic mirror 8 hollow fibers 10 Condensing lens 22 Condensing lens 31 Moving device 32 selection switch 80 hollow holes

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2H037 AA02 BA06 CA06 CA38                 4C026 AA01 AA06 BB02 BB07 FF02                       FF03 FF17 GG03 HH02 HH03                       HH17                 4C082 RA01 RA04 RA05 RA06 RC04                       RC08 RE02 RE03 RE17 RJ03                       RL02 RL03 RL17                 5F072 AA05 AB01 AB02 AB13 AK06                       JJ20 MM05 QQ02 RR01 RR03                       YY01

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A laser treatment apparatus for guiding a laser beam in the infrared region from a treatment laser light source by a flexible hollow fiber to irradiate the treatment site with the laser beam from the treatment laser light source. A condensing optical system for coupling to a fiber, the condensing optical system having a beam waist radius of 0.54 to 0.6 times the radius of the hollow hole of the hollow fiber. Laser therapy device. 2. The laser treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an aiming light source that emits aiming light in the visible range,
A beam synthesizing member for synthesizing the aiming light coaxially with the treatment laser light, and a second focusing optical system for focusing the aiming light and coupling it to the hollow fiber, the beam waist radius of which is the hollow. A second condensing optical system for condensing to 0.54 to 0.6 times the radius of the hollow hole of the fiber;
A laser treatment apparatus comprising: 3. The laser treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the aiming light source includes first and second aiming light sources which emit laser lights in visible regions of different colors, and the aiming light coupled to the hollow fiber is provided. A laser treatment apparatus comprising a selection unit for selecting. 4. In a laser treatment apparatus for guiding a laser beam in the infrared region from a treatment laser light source to a treatment site by guiding it with a flexible hollow fiber, a first aiming light source for emitting a first aiming light in the visible region, A second aiming light source that emits a second aiming light in a visible range of a color different from the first aiming light; a beam combining member that combines the first aiming light and the second aiming light coaxially with the treatment laser light; A laser treatment apparatus comprising: a condensing optical system that condenses a laser beam and each aiming beam and couples the beam to the hollow fiber; and a selection unit that selects the aiming beam to be coupled to the hollow fiber.