A process that provides protective therapy for biological tissues or fluids includes applying a pulsed energy source to a target tissue or a target fluid having a chronic progressive disease or a risk of having a chronic progressive disease to therapeutically or prophylactically treat the target tissue or target fluid. The pulsed energy source has energy parameters selected so as to raise the target tissue or bodily target fluid temperature up to a predetermined temperature for a short period of time to achieve a therapeutic or prophylactic effect, while the average temperature rise of the target tissue or target fluid over a longer period of time is maintained at or below a predetermined level so as not to permanently damage the target tissue or target fluid.

Methods and related devices for impinging light on tissue, for example within a body of a patient, to induce various biological effects are disclosed. Biological effects may include at least one of inactivating and/or inhibiting growth of one or more pathogens, upregulating a local immune response, stimulating enzymatic generation of nitric oxide to increase endogenous stores of nitric oxide, releasing nitric oxide from endogenous stores of nitric oxide, and inducing an anti-inflammatory effect. Wavelengths of light are selected based on intended biological effects for one or more of targeted tissue types and targeted pathogens. Light treatments may provide multiple pathogenic biological effects, either with light of a single wavelength or with light having multiple wavelengths. Devices and methods for light treatments are disclosed that provide light doses for inducing biological effects on various targeted pathogens and targeted tissues with increased efficacy and reduced cytotoxicity.

Systems for enabling delivery of very high peak power laser pulses through optical fibers for use in ablation procedures preferably in contact mode. Such lasers advantageously emit at 355 nm wavelength. Other systems enable selective removal of undesired tissue within a blood vessel, while minimizing the risk of damaging the blood vessel itself, based on the use of the ablative properties of short laser pulses of 320 to 400 nm laser wavelength, with selected parameters of the mechanical walls of the tubes constituting the catheter, of the laser fluence and of the force that is applied by the catheter on the tissues. Additionally, a novel method of calibrating such catheters is disclosed, which also enables real time monitoring of the ablation process. Additionally, novel methods of protecting the fibers exit facets are disclosed.

A phototherapy method includes: introducing an ultrasound endoscope into a digestive tract; visualizing an irradiation target site in a body by means of the ultrasound endoscope introduced into the digestive tract; puncturing a vicinity of the irradiation target site with a distal-end section of a needle tube that is made to protrude from a distal-end section of the ultrasound endoscope introduced into the digestive tract; exposing an optical fiber from the distal-end section of the needle tube that has punctured the vicinity of the irradiation target site, by making the needle tube retreat with respect to the optical fiber accommodated inside the needle tube; and radiating light emitted from the exposed optical fiber onto the irradiation target site.

A light-irradiation-device delivery apparatus includes: a metal needle tube having a longitudinal axis, a side hole, which penetrates from an inner circumferential surface to an outer circumferential surface, and a blade surface at a distal end thereof; an optical fiber that is accommodated inside the needle tube, the optical fiber including a core allowing light to propagate, a clad covering an outer circumferential surface of the core, and an emission area provided at a distal-end section of the optical fiber; and a positioning member that positions the emission area between a distal end and a proximal end of the needle tube in the longitudinal-axis direction. The distal end of the optical fiber is positioned in an interior space of the needle tube in a state where the emission area is positioned between the distal end and the proximal end of the side hole.

Methods and apparatus provide therapeutic electromagnetic radiation (EMR) for inactivating infectious agents in, on or around a catheter residing in a patient's body cavity and/or for enhancing healthy cell growth. The method comprises transmitting non-ultraviolet therapeutic EMR substantially axially along an optical element in a lumen of the catheter body and/or the catheter body. Through delivery of the therapeutic EMR to particular infected areas and/or areas requiring tissue healing. The methods and apparatus of the present disclosure inactivate the major sources of infection in, on, and around catheters and/or enhance healthy cell growth around catheters.

The present invention provides a digestive tract capsule endoscopy integrated with photodynamic diagnosis and therapy; the digestive tract capsule endoscopy integrated with photodynamic diagnosis and therapy includes an imaging system, a control system, a battery and a communication system, and the imaging system includes a fluorescent camera, diagnosis LED light sources and therapy LED light sources. In the digestive tract capsule endoscopy integrated with photodynamic diagnosis and therapy provided by the present invention, it changes a conventional optical image system into a fluorescent image system, which requires no extra equipment and has strong adaptability; the present invention can achieve integrated diagnosis and therapy of human body's internal cavities, e.g., digestive tract and achieve the implementation of photodynamic diagnosis and therapy for one time; the digestive tract capsule endoscopy provided by the present invention can achieve diagnosis/therapy circulation, and can examine the therapeutic process of patients.

A process for heat treating biological tissue includes repeatedly applying a pulsed energy to a target tissue over a period of time so as to controllably raise a temperature of the target tissue to create a therapeutic effect to the target tissue without destroying or permanently damaging the target tissue. After the first treatment is concluded the application of the pulsed energy to the target tissue is halted for an interval of time. Within a single treatment session a second treatment is performed on the target tissue after the interval of time by repeatedly reapplying the pulsed energy to the target tissue so as to controllably raise the temperature of the target tissue to therapeutically treat the target tissue without destroying or permanently damaging the target tissue.

A process for heat treating biological tissue includes repeatedly applying a pulsed energy to a target tissue over a period of time so as to controllably raise a temperature of the target tissue to create a therapeutic effect to the target tissue without destroying or permanently damaging the target tissue. After the first treatment is concluded the application of the pulsed energy to the target tissue is halted for an interval of time. Within a single treatment session a second treatment is performed on the target tissue after the interval of time by repeatedly reapplying the pulsed energy to the target tissue so as to controllably raise the temperature of the target tissue to therapeutically treat the target tissue without destroying or permanently damaging the target tissue.

Systems and method relate to administering phototherapy. A device includes a hollow structure having at least a first open end. The hollow structure includes a rotatable member, one or more coherent light generators, and, for each coherent light generator, one or more lenses or mirrors optically connected to the coherent light generator and configured to alter at least one aspect of a beam of coherent light. The device further includes a processing circuit including a processor and a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to accept an input from an operator and generate one or more beams of coherent light according to a plurality of settings configured to produce a therapeutic effect at a targeted treatment site. Additionally, the rotatable member is configured to be rotated to direct the one or more beams of coherent light to the targeted treatment site.