A medical device may include an elongated body having a distal elongated body portion and a central longitudinal axis. The medical device may include a balloon positioned along the distal elongated body portion. The balloon may be configured to receive a fluid to inflate the balloon such that an exterior balloon surface contacts a calcified lesion within a patient's vasculature. The medical device may include one or more pressure wave emitters positioned along the central longitudinal axis of the elongated body. The one or more pressure wave emitters may be configured to propagate at least one pressure wave through the fluid to fragment the calcified lesion. At least one pressure wave emitter may include an optical fiber configured to transmit laser energy into the balloon. The laser energy may be configured to create a cavitation bubble in the fluid.

Articles of manufacture, including terminations of or attachments to optical fibers are configured to substantially prevent axial emission and redirect radially most if not all light emanating from optical fibers. In that, a termination may include a fiber cap of a unitary construction of a tube and an optical element disposed to face a sealed end of the tube and dividing a hollow of the tube and having a conical surface, or an optical element dividing the hollow and complemented by a cone. An example of termination includes an optical fiber element having an up-tapered end with a maximum taper-diameter exceeding the core-diameter and ending at a conical element with an apex angle from about 70° to about 100°. Articles of manufacture additionally including mounting contraptions cooperating such terminations with cannulae to form an attachment to a laser system. Methods for transmitting light through such articles of manufacture.

The present disclosure relates to the fabrication and characterization of an optical fiber capable of firing light virtually from any point along its circumferential surface. The optical fiber is preferably prepared by laser micromachining. In preferred embodiments, laser radiation is focused onto a multimode optical fiber axis, forming a conical-shaped cavity (side window) in the fiber core. Because of the total internal reflection when the laser beam reaches the side window-outside medium interface, the beam is reflected to the side of the optical fiber.

A side-firing laser system with a standoff catheter includes an optical fiber configured to emit therapeutic laser radiation in a direction generally transverse to an axis of the fiber; and a catheter through which the optical fiber is inserted during a surgical procedure. The catheter includes a transparent end section through which the therapeutic laser radiation passes to vaporize tissue outside the catheter, an open distal end to permit exit of irrigation fluid from the catheter, and an opening in a side of the end section, the opening having dimensions that are approximately equal to or less than cross-sectional dimensions of the therapeutic laser radiation. When the fiber is moved to a position at which the therapeutic laser radiation passes through the opening, the laser radiation causes coagulation or vaporization of tissues.

A side-firing laser system with a standoff catheter includes an optical fiber configured to emit therapeutic laser radiation in a direction generally transverse to an axis of the fiber; and a catheter through which the optical fiber is inserted during a surgical procedure. The catheter includes a transparent end section through which the therapeutic laser radiation passes to vaporize tissue outside the catheter, an open distal end to permit exit of irrigation fluid from the catheter, and an opening in a side of the end section, the opening having dimensions that are approximately equal to or less than cross-sectional dimensions of the therapeutic laser radiation. When the fiber is moved to a position at which the therapeutic laser radiation passes through the opening, the laser radiation causes coagulation or vaporization of tissues.

One described aspect is an optical fiber comprising: a fiber core that extends along a fiber axis, is configured to transmit a laser energy along the fiber axis, and terminates at a distal end; a first cladding that extends along the fiber axis, is adjacent to the fiber core, and terminates at a distal end; a coating that extends along the fiber axis and terminates at a distal end, wherein the coating is a gold coating; a second cladding that surrounds a portion of the gold coating along the fiber axis, and terminates at a distal end; an outer jacket that extends along the fiber axis and terminates at a distal end; and a fiber tip. Associated laser systems are also disclosed.

A light radiating unit provided at a distal end portion of an optical fiber includes a first light radiating unit having a predetermined length in a longitudinal direction and capable of radiating therapeutic light having first intensity and a second light radiating unit connected consecutively to the first light radiating unit in the longitudinal direction and configured to radiate therapeutic light having second intensity lower than the first intensity. Consequently, even when a bladder, which is a hollow organ, and a urethra, which is a conduit, are irradiated with the therapeutic light at a time, intensity of the therapeutic light with which surfaces (inner wall surfaces) of respective parts are irradiated is equalized.

The present disclosure relates to a laser probe assembly coupled to a laser system through an optical fiber cable. In one example, the laser probe assembly comprises a probe tip coupled to the probe body, the probe tip housing multiple fibers. Each of the multiple fibers comprises a proximal end that couples to the laser system and a distal end that terminates in the probe tip, a single core for transporting a laser beam provided by the laser system, and a cladding surrounding the core. The laser probe assembly also comprises a lens for projecting multiple laser beams provided by the multiple fibers on to a surgical site. Within the probe tip, parts of outer surfaces of portions of any two adjacent fibers of the multiple fibers touch. Also, the multiple fibers are at least substantially centered with respect to the lens.

A light source for emitting light, a light conduit in electromagnetic communication with the light source for communicating light from the light source to the area of interest in three dimensions, and a controller combined to the light source for controlling the intensity of the light emitted to the area of interest.

Systems and methods for creating multi-spot laser light beams, multiplexing an illumination light and the multi-spot laser light beams, and delivering the multiplexed light to a surgical handpiece via a multi-core optical fiber cable.