A catheter system for treating a treatment site within or adjacent to a vessel wall or a heart valve includes an energy source, a balloon, an energy guide, and an electrical analyzer assembly. The energy source generates energy. The balloon is positionable substantially adjacent to the treatment site. The balloon has a balloon wall that defines a balloon interior that receives a balloon fluid. The energy guide is configured to receive energy from the energy source and guide the energy into the balloon interior. The electrical analyzer assembly is configured to monitor a balloon condition during use of the catheter system. The electrical analyzer assembly can include a first electrode, a second electrode, and an impedance detector that is electrically coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode. The impedance detector is configured to detect impedance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

A hair cutting device of the present disclosure comprises an optical waveguide and a holding member that holds the optical waveguide. The optical waveguide comprises a light irradiator. The light irradiator irradiates hair protruding from skin with light to cut the hair. The holding member holds the optical waveguide in such a way that the light irradiator is exposed from at least one surface. As a result, even when the hair or the skin comes in contact with the light irradiator, misalignment or the like of the optical waveguide hardly occurs. This results in the improved hair cutting device being provided.

A probe is configured with a flushing port and an evacuation port to establish a flow path to remove blood from a resected tissue. The probe comprises a balloon configured to expand and contact the resected tissue to compress filaments and improve access to the underlying blood vessels for coagulation with an energy source. An endoscope can be used to view the tissue, and the balloon may comprise a transparent material or a viewing port to allow imaging of the bleeding tissue through the balloon. The probe may have a light source to illuminate the tissue with a beam oriented at an oblique angle to the tissue surface, which can decrease interference from blood and may allow more localized coagulation of the blood vessel.

A catheter system (100) for treating a treatment site (106) includes an energy source (124), a balloon (104), an energy guide (122A), and a balloon integrity protection system (142). The energy source (124) generates pulses of energy. The balloon (104) is positionable substantially adjacent to the treatment site (106). The balloon (104) has a balloon wall (130) that defines a balloon interior (146). The balloon (104) is configured to retain a balloon fluid (132) within the balloon interior (146). The energy guide (122A) is configured to receive the energy from the energy source (124) and guide the energy into the balloon interior (146) so that plasma is formed in the balloon fluid (132) within the balloon interior (146). The balloon integrity protection system (142) is operatively coupled to the balloon (104). The balloon integrity protection system (142) is configured to inhibit temperature-induced rupture of the balloon (104) due to the plasma formed in the balloon fluid (132) within the balloon interior (146) during use of the catheter system (100).

An illumination system for a medical technology therapy and/or diagnosis system is provided. The system includes a light source, an optical waveguide, and an optical element in the form of a diffuser element. The optical waveguide has a first end that is connectable or assignable to the light source and the diffuser element is arranged at a second end of the optical waveguide so that light from the optical waveguide is injected into the optical element. The optical element has a lateral surface covered by a reflector layer at least in a section thereof. The reflector layer includes a mirror layer. The optical element has a light-reflecting area covered by the reflector layer and a light-transmissive area that is free of the reflector layer. Thus, light injected into the optical element is reflected on the light-reflecting area and emitted from the light-transmissive area.

A catheter system (100) for treating a treatment site (106) within or adjacent to a vessel wall (108A) or a heart valve includes a light source (124), a first light guide (122A), a second light guide (122A), and an optical alignment system (257). The light source (124) generates light energy (224A, 224B, 324A, 324B, 424B). The first light guide (122A) receives the light energy (224A, 224B, 324A, 324B, 424B) from the light source (124). The first light guide (122A) has a guide proximal end (122P). The second light guide (122A) receives the light energy (224A, 224B, 324A, 324B, 424B) from the light source (124). The second light guide (122A) has a guide proximal end (122P). A multiplexer (223) directs the light energy (224A, 224B, 324A, 324B, 424B) toward the guide proximal end (122P) of the first light guide (122A) and the guide proximal end (122P) of the second light guide (122A). The optical alignment system (257) determines an alignment of the light energy (224A, 224B, 324A, 324B, 424B) relative to at least one of the guide proximal ends (122P). The optical alignment system (257) adjusts the positioning of the light energy (224A, 224B, 324A, 324B, 424B) relative to the at least one of the guide proximal ends (122P) based at least partially on the alignment of the light energy (224A, 224B, 324A, 324B, 424B) relative to the at least one of the guide proximal ends (122P).

A catheter system includes a catheter having an elongate shaft, a balloon and a light guide. The balloon expands from a collapsed configuration to a first expanded configuration. The light guide is disposed along the elongate shaft and is in optical communication with a light source and a balloon fluid. A first portion of the light guide extends into a recess defined by the elongate shaft. A protection structure is disposed within the recess and is in contact with the first portion of the light guide. The light source provides pulses of light to the balloon fluid, thereby initiating plasma formation and rapid bubble formation within the balloon, thereby imparting pressure waves upon a treatment site. The protection structure can provide structural protection from the pressure waves to the first portion of the light guide.

An optical fiber connection state determination system determines a state of connection between a first optical fiber configured to propagate a test light input from a light source and a second optical fiber in a connector configured to detachably connect an output side from which the test light is output in the first optical fiber and an input side of the second optical fiber to which the test light propagated by the first optical fiber and output from the first optical fiber is input, and includes: a measurement unit configured to measure an intensity of a reflected light reflected and propagating thorough the first optical fiber in the test light; and a determination unit configured to determine the state of connection between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber in the connector based on the intensity measured by the measurement unit.

A catheter system for treating a treatment site within or adjacent to a vessel wall or a heart valve, includes a light source, a balloon, a light guide and an optical analyzer assembly. The light source generates first light energy. The balloon is positionable substantially adjacent to the treatment site. The balloon has a balloon wall that defines a balloon interior that receives a balloon fluid. The light guide receives the first light energy and guides the first light energy in a first direction from a guide proximal end toward a guide distal end positioned within the balloon interior. The optical analyzer assembly optically analyzes a second light energy from the light guide that moves in a second direction that is opposite the first direction. The optical analyzer assembly includes a safety shutdown system to inhibit the first light energy from being received by the guide proximal end of the light guide.

An end-firing surgical laser fiber suitable for Thulium Laser Fiber lithotripsy applications includes an internally reflective tube that extends beyond the distal end surface of the fiber to provide a standoff sleeve, and that is welded or otherwise fixed to an end section of the fiber. The standoff sleeve may be made of silica glass or sapphire, a reflective metal, and/or may include a reflectivity-enhancing coating or structure on an inner surface of the tube. In addition, the reflective standoff sleeve may be tapered to increase or decrease a diameter of a distal end of the sleeve to control output power density, and may include index matched fillers or structures that absorb, transmit, or scatter energy away from the fiber cladding, and/or an energy blocking or absorbing structure positioned at an upstream end of the sleeve. Still further, the laser output may be modified by adding relatively low power, extended duration pulses to a high frequency pulse train in order to clear suspended dust particles from an interior of the sleeve during a lithotripsy procedure, and prevent buildup of the particles on the inside diameter of the sleeve.