JPS5988161A - Laser treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention provides a laser treatment device f which is most suitable for the treatment of birthmarks on living bodies, etc.
It is related to i.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

There have been no attempts to use laser light for treatment for a long time.
1. Attempts are being made to apply it in various fields.

One of them is birthmarks on the surface of living organisms (for example, birthmarks).

A method using a laser device to treat blemishes, dark spots, etc. has been proposed and is being carried out on a trial basis.

Its effectiveness has been reported.

By the way, there are many conventional treatments for birthmarks, such as baking with electric drying, cell destruction using dry ice, excision, and thin shavings, and skin grafting. In addition to being highly invasive and painful to treat,
Disadvantages include long treatment periods, poor results, and sometimes hospitalization.

On the other hand, the method of burning the affected area with laser light has the advantage of being less invasive and therefore less painful.
The light intensity distribution in a cross section perpendicular to the direction of travel of the laser beam is generally not uniform. Therefore, due to this non-uniformity, when the laser beam is irradiated onto the surface of a living body, irradiation may be uneven and the expected treatment results may not be obtained. Sometimes it was difficult to obtain.

In other words, currently, there are two main types of laser treatment: one is to directly irradiate the affected area with laser light, and the other is to guide the laser beam through a light guide such as a fiber and irradiate it to the affected area. In this case, the irradiated laser light has a light intensity distribution that is strong near the center and weaker toward the outer periphery, exhibiting a convex shape distribution.

In addition, in the latter method, the laser light emitted from the output end face of the fiber has a far-field pattern determined by the characteristics of the fiber, and the light intensity distribution of the emitted laser light varies depending on the distance between the fiber output end face and the affected area. The shape changes complexly, and it is impossible to obtain a uniform distribution of laser beams yt,i.

Therefore, both methods have fundamental causes of uneven irradiation.

Therefore, the kaleidoscope described below was developed to solve these drawbacks.

The method using a kaleidoscope has the characteristics that the laser beam can be irradiated with a nearly uniform light intensity distribution within the irradiation field, the shape of the irradiation field can be arbitrarily selected, and the light output of the kaleidoscope The light emitted from the end surface spreads rapidly in free space, and the output per unit area also rapidly attenuates, and the output light loses coherence.
It is said to be highly safe in case it accidentally comes into contact with the body, especially the eyes, making it an ideal method for treating bruises and the like.

A kaleidoscope is a transparent rod-shaped original transmitter made of quartz glass or optical glass. Both end faces are flat and the side circumference is smooth. It is a type of guide that randomizes the source during the light guiding process. It is a light path.

When this kaleidoscope is attached to a ruby laser device for nevus treatment, the following values are used and 5f
iru. That is, the output cross section of the kaleidoscope IQX10 (
Kl)'m ruby laser (wavelength 0.691p) device output 40 Jotble, L/-The light U time 1m5tc
Laser birthmark treatment is performed as a treatment. Therefore,
Output per unit area (output density) is 0, 4 JottL
There is e/IIIBte.

On the other hand, depending on the location of the nevus cells, the nevus cells may be more effectively cured by using an argon laser. This is because the dissipation length (the depth at which 90 cm of output is absorbed) of each type of laser light in a living body is different. In general, ruby lasers have a short dissipation length for living bodies, so they are effective when nevus cells occur near the epidermis, but complete healing is not possible when nevus cells occur deep within the skin. Therefore, an argon laser is used, but an argon laser is a continuous output laser (wavelength: 0.5 μm).
), a laser with an output of about 4W is directly irradiated onto the affected area from a source fiber with a core diameter of about 1M for nevus treatment. The problem here is that even if the area of the nevus to be treated is small, it has a diameter of 1 cIn, but the core diameter at the emission end of the argon laser is about 1 cIn, so the argon laser is applied over the entire area of the nevus. The key to irradiating the laser is that the setting position must be changed to irradiate the entire area.

In this case, it is almost impossible to uniformly irradiate the entire nevus.

Therefore, it may be considered to apply a force 2 id scope to the case of irradiation with 1 argon laser, but there is a problem that the output density becomes smaller because the cross-sectional area of the output end face becomes wider. In other words, since the argon laser is a continuous wave oscillation and the output is small at around 4 W, when the output end is φ1H, a power density of 509 W/cm2 is obtained, whereas when the output end is 10 x 10
(m), it decreases to 4W/cm". Therefore, the output density decreases to 0.79%. Laser light with such a low output density cannot be used for nevus treatment. This is because high-density energy is instantaneously absorbed into the nevus, making it possible to destroy only the nevus cells without destroying normal cells.

In this way, for nevus treatment, it is desirable to irradiate high-power density laser light from the output end with a wide output shape, but for laser beams with a weak output shape such as argon lasers, it is desirable to irradiate the laser light from the output end. It was not possible to widen the cross section of the beam and irradiate it.

In addition, in nevus treatment, it is desirable to irradiate laser light only to the nevus and not to irradiate normal areas, but conventionally the surgeon has to judge whether or not it is a nevus. It was difficult to make an appropriate judgment.

[Object of invention, target]

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to uniformly irradiate a wide area with a laser beam with high output density, and furthermore, it is possible to automatically determine the affected area to be irradiated with the laser beam. The object of the present invention is to provide a laser treatment device that can irradiate only the affected area with laser light.

[Summary of the invention]

The outline of the first invention for achieving the above object is to guide a laser beam emitted from a laser generator to a kaleidoscope formed by bundling a plurality of transparent rod-shaped light transmitting bodies with uniform output distribution. In a laser treatment device that uses light to perform treatment,
an optical fiber that guides laser light from a laser generator and has a magnetic material at its output end; an optical fiber that has a magnetic material at its input end into which the laser light from the optical fiber is incident; and an output end that is connected to the kaleidoscope. an original bundle fiber optically coupled to each optical transmission body in the original bundle fiber, and an original switch means for aligning the original axis by magnetic attraction force by intermittently sequentially facing the output end of the original fiber and each input end of the optical bundle fiber. The summary of the second invention is that a control means for setting and controlling the incident conditions of the laser beam to the Kalidesco-1 is added to the constituent elements of the first invention. This is a distinctive laser treatment device.

[Embodiments of the invention]

First, an embodiment of the first invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a laser treatment device that is an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the laser beam emitted from a laser generator 1 is controlled intermittently by an optical shutter 2 that is driven under the control of a controller 10 (details will be described later). The condensing lens 4 condenses the laser beam from the laser generator 1 and guides it to the subsequent input optical fiber 7.The input optical fiber 7 has one end near the condensing lens 4. and the other end is attached to a rotating disk 12. The rotating disk 12 has a motor 11 mounted at its center, and the motor 11 operates under the control of the controller 10. The rotary disk 12 is configured to rotate reversibly.
As shown in FIG. 2, a hole 14 is bored at one location on the disk, and the other end of the input optical fiber 7 is attached to this hole 14. Here, with reference to FIG. 6, details of how to attach the original input fiber 7 to the rotary disk 12 will be explained. In FIG. 6, a magnetic material 18 is plated at the tip of the input light 7 eyer 7. As shown in FIG. This magnetic body 18 is.

The appropriate thickness for the cladding of the input optical fiber 7 is approximately 20μ.
m), which is made of nickel-cobalt material by electroforming. A positioning ring 16 is attached to the circumferential surface of the magnetic body 18, and while the positioning ring 16 is inserted into the hole 14, the positioning ring 16 is held in the hole 14 by a 7 flange 17. The positioning ring 16 is held with a slight play in the thickness direction of the rotating disk 12.

A flat fiber holder 16 is arranged at a position facing the rotating disk 12. This fiber holder 16 has fQN holes 15A to 1 as shown in FIG.
5A' are bored along the circumference. The N holes 15A to 15N are provided at positions that match the locus drawn by the holes 14 in the rotating disk 12 as it is rotated. Output optical fibers 8A to 8N whose tips are plated with magnetic material 18 similar to those described above are attached to the N holes 15A to 15#. The magnetic material 18 in the input optical fiber 7 and the original output fiber a
There is a slight gap (10μ
It is facing F with a distance of about m). Said rotating circle/plate 1297 eye bar holder 16. A magnetic material 18 plated on the tips of the motor 11 and the input/output optical fiber 7.8.
18 constitutes the original switch means 20.

The other ends of the output optical fibers 8A to 8N are arranged so as to face the input ends of a kaleidoscope 9 consisting of N optical transmitters 9A to 9N. As shown in FIG. 5, the incident end of each of the light transmitting bodies 9A to 9N in the kaleidoscope 9 is, for example, a hemispherical notched concave portion 5 19.
The end portions of the output optical fibers 8A to 8N are arranged in each of the recesses 19.

The control 10 outputs a signal based on the operator's operation of the foot switch 6, and synchronizes the intermittent drive of the original shutter 2 and the rotational drive of the motor 11. .

The operation of the laser treatment apparatus configured as above will be explained.

A controller 10 that outputs a signal based on the operator's operation of the foot switch 6 controls the main shutter 2 to intermittent control the laser light emitted from the laser generator 1. This laser light enters the input optical fiber 7 via the condensing lens 4 and is guided to the original switch means 20 at the subsequent stage.

The original switch means 20 performs the following functions.

The magnetic material 18.18 plated at the tip of the input/output optical fiber 7.8 is held by the rotating disk 12 and the fiber holder 13, so that they are placed opposite each other with a slight gap. Here, by magnetizing the magnetic bodies 18, 18 along the t-axis direction at an appropriate magnetic flux fi degree (for example, 1.0 to 1.17'), a magnetic attraction force is generated in the direction where the optical axis coincides. act. Further, the magnetic material 18 plated at the tip of the input optical fiber 7 is held with play in the thickness direction of the rotating disk 12. Therefore, the magnetic body 18t of the input optical fiber 7 can be brought into contact with the magnetic body 18 on the output side by the magnetic attraction force. Moreover, the magnetic body 18 of the input optical fiber 7 is rotated based on the rotating disk 120 rotations.
The output optical fibers 8A to 8N are sequentially moved to face the magnetic bodies 18. At this time, even if the optical axis deviation at the output is about 50 μm, the self-alignment effect of the magnetic bodies 18, 18 This makes it possible to align within 5 μm. Therefore.

The laser beam intermittently guided by the input optical fiber 7 is intermittently rotated by the rotating disk 12 driven by the motor 11 controlled by the controller 10.
The light can be made to enter the N output optical fibers 8A to 8N sequentially and efficiently.

Note that if the 5-rotary disks 1 and 2 are continuously rotated in one direction, there is a risk that the input optical fiber 7 may be screwed and broken, so the rotary disk 12 is designed to rotate reversibly every rotation. .

The laser beams that are sequentially incident on each of the output optical fibers 8A to 8N are incident on each of the light transmission bodies 9A to 9N in the kaleidoscope 9 from the output ends of the output optical fibers 8A to 8N. At this time, at the incident ends of the light transmitters 9A to 9N,
Since the hemispherical notch 19 is provided as shown in FIG. 5, the laser beam can be incident with high total efficiency.

Here, the input optical fiber 7 is
If the output is 4F, the output density of the laser light emitted from each of the light transmitters 9A to 9N in the kaleidoscope 9 is 4F in L/the area of the output end of the light transmitter. Therefore, if the area of the output end of each light transmitting body 9A to 9N is the same, the laser beam ii emitted from the kaleidoscope 9 will be uniformly distributed over the entire irradiation field of the kaleidoscope 9.
It can be a laser beam with a luminous intensity. Therefore, if this laser treatment device is applied to an all-argon laser and the kaleidoscope is configured with light transmitters arranged in 9 rows and 9 columns as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to maintain a predetermined output density while Argon laser can be irradiated uniformly over a wide area.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications within the scope of the gist of the invention. FIG. 9 shows a modification of the source switch means 20, which is designed to prevent dust, dirt, etc. from adhering to the joint end surfaces of the input source fiber 7 and the output source fibers 8A to 8N. be. That is, the fiber holder 13
has a cylindrical shape with one end closed, and a rotating disk 12 is installed at the open end.
In this case, the input optical fiber 7 and the output original fibers 8A to 8N are all arranged in a case composed of a fiber holder 16 and a rotating disk 12. A pipe 22 is connected to the fiber holder 16 to guide clean gas such as N2 gas into the case to increase the internal pressure. Reference numeral 21 denotes an O-ring arranged between the sliding surface of the rotating disk and the fiber holder 13 for maintaining airtightness. Note that due to the backlash of the positioning ring 16, the internal gas escapes to the outside little by little, but the pressure can be maintained through the pipe 22. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent dust, dirt, etc. from adhering to the joint end surfaces of the input optical fiber 7 and the output original fibers 8A to 8N, and to ensure efficient laser light guidance.

Next, the second invention will be explained. According to the first invention described above, it has become possible to uniformly irradiate a wide range of areas with laser light having a predetermined output density. This first
When treating an affected area using the laser treatment device according to the invention, if the irradiation field of the kaleidoscope and the size of the affected area do not match, especially if the irradiation field of the kaleidoscope is wider. In this case, the laser beam will be irradiated to the normal area. Depending on the type of laser beam, there is a risk that it may also damage tissues in normal areas, and in this case, the usefulness of the first invention is diminished.

Therefore, the second invention provides conditions for the incidence of laser light into the kaleidoscope (blocking of laser light and output intensity of laser light).
The aim is to control the laser ft and irradiate only the affected area to be treated.

An embodiment of the second invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a laser treatment apparatus showing an embodiment of the second invention. In FIG. 6, the laser treatment device according to the second invention includes the laser treatment device according to the first invention, and the input optical fiber/VL Wang Rishu Nine Temples Station T from the laser generator 1 in this laser treatment device. ~Filled 94shi1
an optical system 26 for extracting the reflected light b(1);
The control means 24 controls the incident conditions of the laser beam according to the reflectance based on the output of the optical system 26. The constituent members according to the first invention described above are designated by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

The optical system 26 includes a first optical system installed in the middle of the light guide path of the laser beam from the laser generator 1. It consists of second dichroic mirrors 25A, 25B, a light source 26 and a condensing lens 27 arranged so that light is incident on the first dichroic mirror 25A. A dichroic mirror is a mirror that allows sources incident from one of the mirror's surfaces to pass with almost 100% transmittance, but efficiently reflects sources incident from the other side. Both sides of the mirror are coated.

The first dichroic mirror 25A transmits the laser beam from the laser generator 1 without any trouble, and also transmits the laser beam from the light source 2.
This is for reflecting the light from 6 and guiding it to the light guide path of the laser treatment device. The dichroic mirror 25B
The laser beam or light from the dichroic mirror 25A side is transmitted without any problem, but the reflected light from the affected area is reflected and guided out of the light guide system.

The control means 24 includes a photoelectric converter 28 that outputs an electrical signal according to the reflected light from the optical system 26, an amplifier 29 that amplifies the output of the photoelectric converter 28, and a Level setter 3 to calculate the reflectance at
0, and a controller 61 that completely controls the drive of the original shutter 2 and motor 11 based on the output of the level setter 60. The level setter 60 includes the optical system 26
The light source 26
An electric signal corresponding to the source emitted from the source is set as a level value, and the reflectance is calculated by comparing these values.

When treating a birthmark using the laser treatment device having the above configuration, first, white light is generated from the light source 26. This white light is condensed by the condensing lens 27, then reflected by the first dichroic mirror 25A, and guided to the light guide path of the laser treatment device. Then, by the action of the switch means 20, the light is irradiated onto the subject from, for example, the output optical fiber 84Vc conductor and the light transmitting body 9A in the kaleidoscope 9. The white light irradiated onto the subject is reflected with a unique reflectance depending on the situation of the irradiated area. Then, this reflected light is reflected by the second dichroic mirror 25B along the same thread path as the incident light. When the reflected light is input to the photoelectric converter 28, the photoelectric converter 28 outputs an electric signal according to the amount of reflected light, which is amplified by the amplifier 29.
Obtain the output signal. By the way, since nevus cells are generally colored, the reflectance of white light to the nevus is lower than the reflection rate of white light to a normal area. Therefore, by setting a level value corresponding to a predetermined reflectance in the level setting device 30 and comparing this level value with the output of the amplifier 29, it is possible to determine whether the area irradiated with white light is normal or abnormal. can be judged.

By performing the above judgment for the entire irradiation field of the kaleidoscope 9, for example, for the birthmark shown in Fig. 7&L), the map shown in Fig. 7(b) K can be created. . In Section 71g(b), "1" means the presence of a birthmark and "0" means the absence of a birthmark. The controller 61 controls laser light irradiation based on this map. That is, the controller 61 controls the original switch means 2.
While synchronizing with the drive of the motor 11 at 0, the laser beam is guided to the light transmitting body corresponding to "1" in the map, and the laser light is guided to the light transmitting body corresponding to "0" in the map. The drive of the original shutter 2 is controlled so that no light is emitted.

With the above operations, it becomes possible to automatically irradiate laser light only to the area to be treated.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications within the scope of the gist of the invention. The level setting device 60 determines whether it is a birthmark or not.
Alternatively, an optical filter may be provided before the photoelectric converter 28, and by appropriately setting the filter characteristics, only reflected light having a predetermined reflectance or higher may be transmitted. Further, the means for determining the reflectance is not limited to one that requires the light source 26, and may be one that irradiates a laser beam with a small output and extracts the reflected light. Furthermore, as another means for determining the reflectance, a half mirror 2 is also provided in the middle of the light guide path of the laser beam, and the incident light guided from the cono half mirror and the reflected light guided from the second dichroic mirror 25B are used. You can also compare it with light.

A method for the control means 24 to control the incident conditions of the laser beam to the kaleidoscope 9 is to output a signal according to the reflectance without using the signals based on the reflectance as the rOJ and rl signals. For example, the output intensity of the laser beam from the laser generator 1 can be varied according to this signal. Due to such an effect, it is possible to prevent irradiation of the laser beam to a normal area, and to perform finely tuned treatment to the affected area depending on the situation of the affected area.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, a laser beam with high output density can be uniformly irradiated over a wide area,
Furthermore, the patient can be irradiated with laser light.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the first invention;
The figure is a front view of the rotating disk 12, and FIG. 6 is a switch means 20.
4 is a front view of the fiber holder 16, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the fiber holder 16.
The figure is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the output end of the output optical fiber and the input end of the optical transmission body, FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a modification of the switch means 20, and FIG. 7 is an embodiment of the second invention. FIG. 8(α)t(b) is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a map based on the nevus position and reflectance with respect to the irradiation field of the kaleidoscope. 1... Laser generator, 2... Original shutter,
7... Input optical fiber, 8... Output optical fiber, 9... Kalidesco-1, 10... Controller, 18... Magnetic material, 20... Original switch means, 23... - Optical system, 24... control means. Agent Patent Attorney Kensuke Chika (and 1 other person) Condolences 4 and 5

Claims (1)

[Claims]
In a laser treatment device that performs treatment by guiding light to a kaleidoscope formed by bundling a plurality of transparent rod-shaped light transmitters with uniform output distribution, a laser 'yt from a laser generator,
an original fiber that guides light and is provided with a magnetic material at its output end; and a source fiber that is provided with a magnetic material at its input end into which the laser yt,'i from the original fiber enters, and whose output end is connected to each party transmitting body in the kaleidoscope. It is characterized by having an optically coupled source bundle fiber, and a source switch means that intermittently faces the output end of the optical fiber and each input end of the source bundle fiber in sequence and aligns the source axis by magnetic attraction force. Laser treatment equipment. (2) In a laser treatment device that performs treatment by guiding laser light emitted from a laser generator to a kaleidoscope 1 formed by bundling a plurality of transparent rod-shaped light transmitters with uniform output distribution, the laser an optical fiber that guides the laser light from the generator and has a magnetic material at its output end; an optical fiber that has a magnetic material at its input end through which the laser light from the optical fiber enters; and the output end of the optical fiber in the kaleidoscope. An original bundle fiber optically coupled to each optical transmission body, and an original switch means that aligns the optical axis by magnetic attraction force by intermittently sequentially facing the output end of the original fiber and each input end of the original bundle fiber. , an optical system that collects and emits the reflected light of the object when irradiated through the n1 kaleidoscope, which is installed in the middle of the light guide path from the laser generator to the input end of the original fiber, and the reflection based on the reflected light. 1. A laser treatment device comprising: control means for setting and controlling conditions for the incidence of laser light on a kaleidoscope according to the rate of incidence of the laser beam on the kaleidoscope. (3) The control means controls the drive of the original shutter means provided in the middle of the light guide path from the laser generator to the input end of the original fiber according to the reflectance. The laser treatment device described in Section. (4) The laser treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means controls the output from the laser generator based on the reflectance.