A tool has a handle and an elongate shaft that extends distally from the handle. A distal portion of the shaft is inserted into a subject during a surgical procedure. An optical fiber delivers laser energy to a tip at the distal portion of the shaft. The tip includes a mechanical cutting mechanism including a moving part that absorbs the laser energy, thermally conducts the absorbed energy to tissue that is disposed between the moving part and another part, and moves with respect to the other part in order to cut tissue that is disposed between the parts using a mechanical force that is lower than a mechanical force that would be required to cut the tissue in the absence of the laser energy. Other embodiments are also described.

An apparatus and method of treatment of an animal using the apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus includes a scalpel, a laser included in the scalpel, and a visible light source included in the scalpel. The visible light source provides a visible targeting beam. The method of treatment includes activating a visible targeting beam in a laser scalpel. The visible targeting beam has an illumination intensity. The method further includes illuminating a tumor that includes cancerous cells and non-cancerous cells with the visible targeting beam, activating an invisible mid-infrared laser included in the scalpel to produce a laser spot at the tumor, and ablating the cancerous cells while leaving the non-cancerous cells substantially undamaged.

In certain embodiments, an ophthalmic surgical system for ablating tissue of an eye comprises controllable components (such as a light source and a scanner), optical elements, and a computer. The light source generates a light beam comprising pulses, where a propagation direction of the light beam defines a z-axis. The scanner directs a focal point of the light beam in an xy-plane orthogonal to the z-axis. The optical elements shape and focus the focal point of the light beam at a treatment region of the eye. The computer instructs one or more of the controllable components to generate the light beam comprising the pulses, where each pulse has a fluence greater than 1 J/cm.sup.2. An optical element of the optical elements focuses the focal point of the light beam with a spot size of less than 0.4 mm at the treatment region according to a focal spot pattern.

A laser system includes a first laser cavity to output a laser light along a first path, a first mirror to receive the laser light from the first laser cavity, and redirect the laser light along a second path that is different than the first path, a second mirror to receive the laser light from the first mirror, and redirect the laser light along a third path that is different than the first path and the second path, a beam splitter located at a first position on the third path, a beam combiner located at a second position on the third path; and a coupling lens assembly, the coupling lens assembly including a lens located at a third position on the third path, wherein the coupling lens assembly moves the lens in x-, y-, and x-directions.

A mass spectrometry imaging system includes an ionization source located at a first location configured to produce ions from a surface of a sample at the first location; a mass spectrometer located at a second location configured to perform mass spectrometry analysis by analyzing the produced ions based on mass to charge ratio of the ions; and an ion transfer device configured to transfer the ions from the first location to the second location such that the ion transfer device includes a plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electrodes configured to be flexible or flexibly connected to each other, and the ion transfer device is configured to be flexible or re-configurable while transferring the ions.

A tool has a handle and an elongate shaft that extends distally from the handle. A distal portion of the shaft is inserted into a subject during a surgical procedure. An optical fiber delivers laser energy to a tip at the distal portion of the shaft. The tip includes a mechanical cutting mechanism including a moving part that absorbs the laser energy, thermally conducts the absorbed energy to tissue that is disposed between the moving part and another part, and moves with respect to the other part in order to cut tissue that is disposed between the parts using a mechanical force that is lower than a mechanical force that would be required to cut the tissue in the absence of the laser energy. Other embodiments are also described.

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.

The present invention relates to a light treatment apparatus and a method of controlling the same, and provides to a light treatment apparatus and a method of controlling the same, including: a treatment light irradiating unit for irradiating a treatment region with treatment light a plurality of times while moving on the treatment region; a sensing unit for detecting movement information of the treatment light irradiating unit; and a control unit for controlling an irradiation pattern of the treatment light based on the detected movement information such that an irradiation area of the treatment light to be irradiated from the treatment light irradiating unit overlaps at least in part with an irradiation area of the treatment light which is previously irradiated.

A surgical laser system includes an array of laser diodes that are configured to output laser energy, a fiber bundle, a delivery fiber, and a tubular sheath. The fiber bundle includes a plurality of optical fibers and has a proximal end that is configured to receive laser energy from the array of laser diodes. The delivery fiber includes a proximal end that is configured to receive laser energy from a distal end of the fiber bundle. The tubular sheath defines a lumen, in which at least a portion of the delivery fiber is disposed. The tubular sheath is insertable into a working channel of an endoscope or a cystoscope. A distal end of the tubular sheath is configured to deliver laser energy discharged from the delivery fiber into a body of a patient.

Devices and methods for endoscopic coherent tissue ablation are provided. An endoscopic ablation system includes: an endoscope; an ablation optical phased array (AOPA) with the endoscope, the AOPA being configured to emit a beam in a selectively controllable direction, the beam being configured to ablate tissue; and an imaging system with the endoscope, the imaging system configured to capture images in the vicinity of the endoscope and/or the AOPA.