Surgery – Instruments – Light application
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-24
2002-10-08
Dvorak, Linda C. M. (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Instruments
Light application
C606S013000, C385S015000, C385S025000, C385S053000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06461349
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a medical handpiece for transmitting energy from a laser beam into biological tissue in which an optical fiber for conveying the laser radiation and a light guide for radiating the laser energy into the tissue are arranged in a base body.
b) Description of the Related Art
Known handpieces of the type mentioned above have a fixed connection between the light guide and the base body of the handpiece. In this regard, it has been shown that the light guides, which are generally made of quartz or sapphire, wear out after about four operations. The reason for this is that the polished fiber end which comes into contact with the tissue becomes coarsened and is no longer effective for removal. This happens especially with high laser pulse trains and probably results from the formation of cavitation bubbles.
It is disadvantageous that the light guides cannot be exchanged. Accordingly, the entire applicator must be exchanged when the light guide is worn. Because of the permanent connection, not only is the light guide forfeited at the end of the possible period of use, but also the base body and other essential functioning parts of the handpiece are wasted.
A further disadvantage is that the handpiece is difficult to clean because of the very narrow intermediate spaces between the structural component parts in the assembled state. Thus, the space between the cannulae (diameter less than 1 mm) and the light guide (diameter greater than 0.4 mm) must be cleaned completely hygienically; for this purpose, it would be desirable to have a handpiece which could be disassembled, but this would require excellent adjustability of essential functional parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,785, 805 describes a device for coupling a laser beam coming from its source into a light guide, wherein a collecting lens is arranged in front of the light guide. This device refers to technical means for achieving a centering of the optical axes of the collecting lens and light guide relative to one another as a precondition for coupling in with the least possible losses. However, in this case there is no need, nor are any technical means provided for this purpose, to align the optical axes of the collecting lens and light guide relative to a suction cannula within which the light guide is to extend in a definite position as is the case in a handpiece of the type mentioned above.
To this extent, this device does not satisfy the requirements for use in such a medical handpiece because this medical handpiece requires that the light guide can be removed when worn and that it can be exactly replaced by a new light guide and aligned in a simple manner with the optical axis of the fiber and suction cannula. Also, a handpiece frequently requires disassembly for purposes of cleaning and, for reasons of time and cost, also requires a subsequent simple realignment of the optical axes and suction cannula. This requirement is not met in the device in the above-cited publication.
An adapter for light guide input coupling for a laser device is described in EP 0 507 991. The adapter contains a sleeve-shaped fitting part for receiving the proximal end of the light guide and is constructed in such a way that blocking and coupling mean are provided in the region of the connection point between the fitting part and a handle, these means enabling the connection of the fitting part and handle only when the light guide is inserted. A light guide for radiating laser energy into biological tissue, for example, which light guide is subject to wear and must therefore be changed frequently and aligned with another light guide and also with a suction cannula in which it extends whenever it is changed, is not provided herein. Consequently, the means disclosed in this reference are not suited to an adequate solution of the above-indicated problems relating to a handpiece.
This relates in an analogous manner to the rinsing catheter according to DE 41 26 886 A1. This rinsing catheter is used to eliminate solids from bodily organs and vessels in humans and animals and is provided with at least two lumens, one of which serves to supply a rinsing fluid from a high-pressure fluid source to the organ in question, while the second lumen is provided for carrying the rinsing fluid and the solids particles entrained by the rinsing fluid out of the organ.
However, there is no transmission of energy by laser via light guides or a coupling in of this energy provided in this reference, and the means indicated in this disclosure also do not solve the problem of an essentially automatic alignment of two light guides with respect to their optical axes and also with respect to a suction cannula for assembly after cleaning or after exchanging one of the light guides.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 4,785, 805 describes a device for coupling a laser beam coming from its source into a light guide, wherein a collecting lens is arranged in front of the light guide. This device refers to technical means for achieving a centering of the optical axes of the collecting lens and light guide relative to one another as a precondition for coupling in with the least possible losses. However, in this case there is no need, nor are any technical means provided for this purpose, to align the optical axes of the collecting lens and light guide relative to a suction cannula within which the light guide is to extend in a definite position as is the case in a handpiece of the type mentioned above.
To this extent, this device does not satisfy the requirements for use in such a medical handpiece because this medical handpiece requires that the light guide can be removed when worn and that it can be exactly replaced by a new light guide and aligned in a simple manner with the optical axis of the fiber and suction cannula. Also, a handpiece frequently requires disassembly for purposes of cleaning and, for reasons of time and cost, also requires a subsequent simple realignment of the optical axes and suction cannula. This requirement is not met in the device in the above-cited publication.
An adapter for light guide input coupling for a laser device is described in EP 0507991. The adapter contains a sleeve-shaped fitting part for receiving the proximal end of the light guide and is constructed in such a way that blocking and coupling mean are provided in the region of the connection point between the fitting part and a handle, these means enabling the connection of the fitting part and handle only when the light guide is inserted. A light guide for radiating laser energy into biological tissue, for example, which light guide is subject to wear and must therefore be changed frequently and aligned with another light guide and also with a suction cannula in which it extends whenever it is changed, is not provided herein. Consequently, the means disclosed in this reference are not suited to an adequate solution of the above-indicated problems relating to a handpiece.
This relates in an analogous manner to the rinsing catheter according to DE 41 26 886 A1. This rinsing catheter is used to eliminate solids from bodily organs and vessels in humans and animals and is provided with at least two lumens, one of which serves to supply a rinsing fluid from a high-pressure fluid source to the organ in question, while the second lumen is provided for carrying the rinsing fluid and the solids particles entrained by the rinsing fluid out of the organ.
However, there is no transmission of energy by laser via light guides or a coupling in of this energy provided in this reference, and the means indicated in this disclosure also do not solve the problem of an essentially automatic alignment of two light guides with respect to their optical axes and also with respect to a suction cannula for assembly after cleaning or after exchanging one of the light guides.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to enable an uncomplicated exchange of the light guide and, further, with little effort on disassembly an
Elbrecht Jens
Kalve Berlind
Kloss Thomas
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
Dvorak Linda C. M.
Farah A.
Reed Smith LLP
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