JPH06133983A - Laser probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the flow rate of an assist gas flowing out of the end portion of a laser probe to be readily and freely adjusted or stopped according to treatment conditions. CONSTITUTION:In a laser probe, having a hand piece 2 and a hollow waveguide 3 at the outgoing end portion 1a of a laser beam guide made of optical fibers 1 and forcing an assit gas to flow out of the end portion of the hollow waveguide 3, one or plural assist gas flow adjusting holes 5 are provided through part of the passage of an assit gas 4, and an operator can adjust the flow rate of the assist gas by opening or closing the assist gas flow adjusting holes 5 with his or her fingers according to treatment conditions. The hollow waveguide 3 located at the outgoing end portion of the laser probe is removable so that the hollow waveguide can be cleaned when soiled and be readily replaced when damaged.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser probe for power transmission, which guides laser light through an optical fiber or the like to irradiate living tissue to perform incision, transpiration, hemostasis treatment and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, laser light is guided by an optical fiber to irradiate living tissue to perform incision / transpiration and hemostasis treatment.
The emission end of a general laser probe is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
As disclosed in JP-A-218356, it was configured as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, 11 is an optical fiber made of quartz or a silver halide material for guiding laser light,
The handpiece 12 is made of metal or plastic, accommodates the optical fiber 11 inside, supports the outside by hand, and irradiates a target portion with laser light. The hollow waveguide 13 is attached in front of the emitting end of the optical fiber 11, and is composed of a metal tube having a pipe shape with a thin tip, the inner surface of which is polished or surface-treated such as gold plating. Furthermore, in order to cool the emitting end of the optical fiber 11 and the inner surface of the hollow waveguide 13, the end surface 11a of the fiber 11 is not melted by the scattered matter from the living tissue generated during laser irradiation, or the hollow waveguide 13 An assist gas (usually air) 14 is circulated and is ejected from the emission end so that the inner surface of is not easily polluted.

According to the laser probe having the above-mentioned structure, it is possible to treat not only a usual treatment site but also a narrow gap or a small site, such as an alveolar pyorrhea or a root canal treatment, such as a dental region.

[0005]

However, in the conventional structure as described above, there is no particular problem in a normal treatment site, but in a special treatment such as a root canal treatment in a dental area or the like, the assist gas 14 is used. When it is ejected more strongly than the emitting end, there is a problem that it stimulates the sensory nerves in the dentinal tubule and the patient complains of pain and becomes difficult to treat. For this reason, anesthesia is performed, but depending on the degree of symptoms, the dental tubule portion is closed by performing laser irradiation without flowing assist gas for an initial short period of time, and thereafter, treatment can be performed painlessly. There are cases where it appears. Therefore, there has been a strong demand for a laser probe capable of easily stopping the assist gas flow rate for a short time or adjusting the flow rate.

The present invention solves such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a laser probe capable of irradiating a laser to a minute portion and easily adjusting the assist gas flow rate.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is provided with a handpiece and a hollow waveguide at the emitting end of a laser light guide made of an optical fiber, and assists from the tip of the hollow waveguide. In the laser probe that flows out gas, one or more assist gas flow rate adjusting holes are provided in a part of the assist gas passage, and the operator opens and closes the assist gas adjusting hole according to the treatment situation by the fingertips of the hand. The flow rate of the assist gas flowing out from the tip portion can be adjusted.

The assist gas flow rate is adjusted by the number of assist gas flow rate adjusting holes or the hole diameter.

Further, the hollow waveguide at the emitting end of the laser probe is removable.

[0010]

According to the above construction, the operator opens and closes the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole with the fingertips of the hand to easily and arbitrarily adjust the assist gas flow rate flowing out from the distal end portion according to the treatment situation. It is possible to do or stop.

Further, by closing the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole as needed, the assist gas flow rate can be adjusted in several stages, and more appropriate treatment according to the symptom can be performed.

Further, by making the hollow waveguide at the emitting end of the laser probe detachable, it can be used in a disposable manner, and the contamination of the hollow waveguide due to scattered substances from living tissue due to laser irradiation is washed. The damaged hollow waveguide can be easily replaced.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A laser probe according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a laser probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, 1 is an optical fiber made of quartz or a silver halide material that guides laser light, and a handpiece 2 is made of metal or plastic and accommodates the optical fiber 1 inside and supports the outside by hand. Irradiate the site with laser light. The hollow waveguide 3 is attached to the front of the emission end of the optical fiber 1, is formed in a pipe shape with a thin tip, and is composed of a metal tube whose inner surface is subjected to surface treatment such as polishing or plating. Further, in order to cool the emitting end portion 1a of the optical fiber 1 and the inner surface of the hollow waveguide 3, in order to prevent the emitting end face 1a of the fiber 1 from being blown out by the scattered matter from the living tissue generated during laser irradiation, An assist gas (usually air) 4 flows and is jetted from the emission end so that the inner surface of the waveguide 3 is less likely to be contaminated. Further, an assist gas flow rate adjusting hole 5 is provided at the tip of the handpiece 2, which is a part of the passage of the assist gas 4.

Next, the operation of the laser probe having the above structure will be described. The hole diameter of the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole 5 is determined by the diversion ratio of the assist gas flow rate flowing out from the hollow waveguide 3 and the flow rate flowing out from the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole 5. For example, if the hole diameter of the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole 5 is set to be much larger than the inner diameter of the tip end portion of the hollow waveguide 3 through which the assist gas flows, most of the assist gas will flow from the hollow waveguide 3 in a normal state. It will not leak. Also,
By closing the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole 5 with the fingertip of the hand, all the assist gas can be made to flow out from the hollow waveguide 3.

The configuration of the laser probe of the second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b).

In the structure shown in FIG. 2A, two assist gas flow rate adjusting holes 6 and 7 are provided. Figure 2 (b)
In the configuration shown in (1), the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole 8 is formed as a long hole in the direction in which the assist gas flows. Figure 2
In both of the configurations shown in (a) and (b), the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole can be adjusted to the assist gas flow rate corresponding to the treatment situation by sequentially closing the assist gas flow adjusting hole with the fingertips of the hand or sequentially closing the long holes. It was done like this. According to this configuration, it is possible to adjust the assist gas flow rate in several steps, and it is possible to perform appropriate treatment according to the symptom. Further, the mounting position of the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole can be set to any position where the fingertip operation of the hand is possible in a part of the passage of the assist gas 4.

The structure of the laser probe of the third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a threaded portion 9 is provided at one end of the hollow waveguide 3, and a screw mounting structure is provided on the handpiece 2. The hollow waveguide 3 is detachable so that a disposable structure is possible. Becomes
Further, it is possible to easily clean dirt of the hollow waveguide due to scattered matter from a living tissue or the like by laser irradiation, or to replace the hollow waveguide easily when the hollow waveguide is damaged.

[0019]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the laser probe of the present invention, when the operator opens and closes the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole with the fingertip of the hand, the assist gas flow rate flowing out from the tip portion is It can be easily and arbitrarily adjusted / stopped according to the treatment situation.

Further, by closing the assist gas flow rate adjusting hole at any time, the assist gas flow rate can be adjusted in several steps, and more appropriate treatment can be performed according to the symptom. By configuring the waveguide to be detachable, it is possible to use it in a disposable manner and to make it more hygienic. Further, it is possible to clean and remove stains on the hollow waveguide due to scattered matter from the living tissue due to laser irradiation, and it is possible to easily replace the hollow waveguide due to deterioration of life.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a laser probe according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a laser probe according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of another laser probe.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a laser probe of Example 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a conventional carbon dioxide laser probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Optical Fiber 1a Emitting End 2 Handpiece 3 Hollow Waveguide 4 Assist Gas 5, 6, 7, 8 Assist Gas Flow Rate Adjustment Hole 9 Screw Processing Part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A laser probe having a handpiece and a hollow waveguide at an emission end of a laser light guide, and assist gas flowing out from a tip of the hollow waveguide, wherein a part of the assist gas passage is provided. A laser probe that adjusts the assist gas flow rate by providing one or more assist gas flow rate adjustment holes. 2. The laser probe according to claim 1, wherein the assist gas flow rate is adjusted by the number or hole diameter of the assist gas flow rate adjusting holes. 3. The laser probe according to claim 1, wherein the hollow waveguide is removable.