A method for treating a treatment site within or adjacent to a vessel wall or a heart valve, includes the steps of (i) generating light energy with a light source; (ii) positioning a balloon substantially adjacent to the treatment site, the balloon having a balloon wall that defines a balloon interior that receives a balloon fluid; (iii) receiving the light energy from the light source with a light guide at a guide proximal end; (iv) guiding the light energy with the light guide in a first direction from the guide proximal end toward a guide distal end that is positioned within the balloon interior; and (v) optically analyzing with an optical analyzer assembly light energy from the light guide, wherein the light energy that is analyzed moves in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.

An end effector assembly for an optical surgical instrument includes a jaw member and a plurality of optical elements positioned within a cavity of the jaw member. The jaw member has a tissue contacting surface. The jaw member has a proximal portion that is configured to secure a fiber optic cable thereto such that a distal end of the fiber optical cable extends into the cavity. The plurality of optical elements are arranged in a staircase-like manner that rises towards the tissue contacting surface as the plurality of optical elements extends distally within the cavity. The plurality of optical elements is configured to direct a beam of light exiting the fiber optic cable towards the tissue contacting surface.

A device (10) for light based skin treatment is provided. The device (10) comprises a light source (18) for providing an incident light beam (21) for treating a skin (30), optical elements for focusing the incident light beam (21) in a focal point (22) inside the skin (30), and a skin interface element (11) for, during use of the device (10), providing optical coupling of the incident light beam (21) from the device (10) into the skin (30). The skin interface element (11) comprises a transparent exit window (12) for allowing the incident light beam (21) to leave the device (10), on top of the exit window (12), a transparent mixture (13) of a polar substance and an apolar substance, and on top of the transparent mixture (13), a transparent foil (14), the transparent foil (14) being more hydrophobic than the exit window (12).

Improved device and method for safe, accurate, efficient surgical procedures are disclosed. A preferred device is a waveguide assembly for delivering electromagnetic radiation to a tissue comprising a waveguide with a multi-facetted tip and a cap over the 5 multi-facetted tip. Preferably the waveguide is an optical fiber. The cap is a protective, reinforced cap fused to the optical fiber's tip as an integral part of it and comprises an axially-extending portion oriented at a predetermined angle relative to the elongated axis of the optical fiber. A method of manufacturing special waveguide caps is provided. The optical fiber assembly delivers high power electromagnetic radiation in lateral direction 10 with respect to the elongated axis of the optical fiber, determined by the multiple-facetted tip, the slant angles of the optical fiber's core, and the orientation of the cap's axially-extending portion. A method for removing unwanted tissue like in benign prostatic hyperplasia treatments is also provided.

The present disclosure relates to a laser irradiating apparatus including a laser resonator configured to generate a laser beam and output the laser beam forwards, a first passage part located in front of the laser resonator and configured to allow the laser beam generated from the laser resonator to pass through, and a second passage part located as being spaced from the first passage part and configured to allow the laser beam passing through the first passage part to pass through.

A device (10) for light based skin treatment is provided. The device (10) comprises a light source (18) for providing an incident light beam (21) for treating a skin (30), optical elements for focusing the incident light beam (21) in a focal point (22) inside the skin (30), and a skin interface element (11) for, during use of the device (10), providing optical coupling of the incident light beam (21) from the device (10) into the skin (30). The skin interface element (11) comprises a transparent exit window (12) for allowing the incident light beam (21) to leave the device (10), on top of the exit window (12), a transparent mixture (13) of a polar substance and an apolar substance, and on top of the transparent mixture (13), a transparent foil (14), the transparent foil (14) being more hydrophobic than the exit window (12).

A device and a method for fractional skin treatment. The device employs two diffractive optical elements. One of the diffractive optical elements provides two coaxial laser beams and another diffractive optical element splits the two coaxial laser beams into a plurality of beamlets. A lens arranged to receive the plurality of the laser beams and to focus them in a skin treatment plane. The lens forms an image where each of the beamlets is imaged as a spot with a high intensity central area and a lower intensity area surrounding the central area.

A multiwavelength laser-based intense light source is described having applications in incision, excision and ablation of soft tissues with minimal collateral tissue damage. The light source combines the output of a plurality of relatively low power laser sources, emitting radiation in the region of the electromagnetic spectrum bounded by approximately 350 nm to 450 nm, where the combined output may be coupled into a single fiber optic energy delivery device: a standard surgical probe. Spectral and spatial beam combining are used to produce an incoherent light source with relatively low average power at any given wavelength, but with high total power and superior M2 beam quality, targeting multiple chromophores in target tissue and tissue breakdown product chromophores for consistently high and target absorption without indiscriminant char interference throughout a surgical procedure.

Methods and systems for the controlled generation of bubbles in a medium having a liquid phase are generally provided. Laser pulses having a time-dependent pulse parameter controllable over their duration are generated. The medium is irradiated with the laser pulses with a radiant exposure sufficient to initiate microcavitation within the medium during each laser pulse. The time-dependent pulse parameter of each laser pulse is controlled according to a generally positive variation over the pulse duration such that the medium absorbs a greater quantity of energy from the laser pulse at an end of the pulse duration than at a beginning thereof. Such methods and systems may be used for various applications such as biology, medicine or material processing.

A laser or ultrasonic instrument is used to remove tissue during a surgery, such as to form one or more pilot holes in a vertebra or a window in bone. Where a laser is used, interrogative laser pulses can be used to obtain information, such as detecting depth or tissue type.