Semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system

Abstract

The present invention provides a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system, which comprises a light source, an optical fiber output assembly, an electronic control assembly, a power assembly, and a cooling and temperature control assembly. The light source comprises a first laser device assembly, a second laser device assembly, a laser shaping assembly, and a first optical fiber coupler; the first laser device assembly is configured to emit visible light laser or emit visible light laser and near-infrared laser at the same time, and the second laser device assembly is configured to generate low-power visible light laser with the power not greater than 5 mW. The laser emitted by the first laser device assembly and the second laser device assembly is collimated and combined by means of the laser shaping assembly, coupled to the optical fiber output assembly by means of the first optical fiber coupler, and then transmitted to a target position.

Description

A soft tissue surgery system based on semiconductor laser Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a soft tissue laser ablation system, and in particular to a soft tissue surgery system based on semiconductor laser. Background Art

[0002] Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can cause frequent urination, dysuria, and incomplete bladder emptying. The current gold standard for BPH treatment is transurethral resection of the prostate to remove the enlarged tissue. Since its introduction 90 years ago, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has become the most widely used surgical treatment for BPH. However, TURP is associated with numerous side effects.

[0003] Over the past three decades, laser prostate surgery has emerged as an alternative treatment option for men with urological conditions known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which can cause distress and reduce their quality of life. During laser prostate surgery, a high-powered laser beam is delivered to a target site in prostate tissue via an endoscope or cystoscope. The effectiveness of this approach to treating BPH (or removing other soft tissues) depends on many factors, including wavelength, power density, duration of exposure, and / or other factors.

[0004] Lasers are also widely used for ablation of other soft tissues in the urological system, including treatment of bladder tumors, treatment of ureteral strictures, laser-assisted nephrectomy, laser ablation of renal tumor stroma, transurethral laser urethrectomy, and upper urinary tract tumors. In addition to its use in urology, lasers are also used for soft tissue ablation in otolaryngology, gynecology, gastroenterology, and pulmonology.

[0005] In laser prostate surgery, conventional visible light laser ablation systems utilize high-average power (80-180 W) frequency-doubled green Nd:YAG lasers with a wavelength of 532 nm. Because their frequency-doubled generation relies primarily on potassium phosphate (KTP) crystals or lithium borate (LBO) crystals, green Nd:YAG lasers are also called KTP lasers or LBO lasers. The laser heats the irradiated tissue to boiling temperature, further vaporizing the top layer of tissue and coagulating the underlying layers. While green Nd:YAG lasers can effectively ablate soft tissue, they are complex systems comprised of high-power lamps or semiconductor laser pumps, Q switches, sophisticated temperature-controlled frequency conversion devices, and other complex subsystems. This leads to high manufacturing costs and low reliability. Furthermore, green lasers are still considered to have a wavelength too long to effectively vaporize soft tissue.

[0006] The holmium laser surgical system (Ho:YAG) is another traditional laser system with a wavelength of 2140nm, which is much longer than the wavelength of the green light Nd:YAG laser. By applying a laser power of 60 to 120W to the surgical site, the laser energy generated by the holmium laser system can be absorbed by water, thereby effectively vaporizing soft tissue. However, the holmium laser system has low efficiency in vaporizing soft tissue. In limited cases, holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) can produce clinical results comparable to TURP. However, HoLEP is technically not easy for general urologists to master, and Ho:YAG has not been widely accepted globally since it was introduced to the BPH market 20 years ago.

[0007] Thulium laser surgical systems are another conventional laser surgical system commonly used for tissue ablation in urology. Thulium lasers typically use solid Tm:YAG rods or thulium-doped fibers as the gain medium, generating continuous waves with a wavelength of approximately 2000 nm and a maximum optical power of 100 to 200 W. The absorption characteristics of thulium lasers in water and soft tissue are comparable to those of holmium lasers. However, because the thulium laser spectrum is continuous in the infrared region, its tissue ablation effect is not as good as that of green lasers. Due to the high manufacturing cost and low tissue ablation efficiency of thulium lasers, their application is not as widespread as green lasers and holmium lasers.

[0008] Various near-infrared semiconductor laser systems can be used for soft tissue ablation in the treatment of BPH. In these systems, semiconductor lasers operate in continuous-wave mode at wavelengths within the near-infrared spectrum (780–1600 nm, typically 980 nm and / or 1470 nm and 1550 nm). Laser light within this wavelength range is absorbed by water and hemoglobin in soft tissue, but the absorption rate is low, resulting in a laser penetration depth exceeding 3 mm. At a power of 100–250 W, semiconductor lasers can effectively vaporize and ablate soft tissue and achieve a high level of hemostasis. However, compared with green-light Nd:YAG and holmium lasers, this deeper penetration depth results in an excessively deep coagulation layer within the soft tissue, leading to complications such as obstructive tissue necrosis and bladder neck stenosis. Near-infrared semiconductor laser prostate vaporization, particularly with the 980 nm laser, is associated with a high rate of late complications, with a recurrence rate exceeding 30%.

[0009] High-power visible spectrum laser beams have a strong soft tissue ablation effect. To achieve higher laser power, these conventional laser instruments require high laser power densities, which often cause optical damage to the laser optics and reduce the reliability of the laser system. If severe optical damage occurs, the laser procedure must be stopped immediately.

[0010] Generally speaking, the electro-optical conversion efficiency of traditional lasers such as high-power green Nd:YAG lasers, holmium lasers, and thulium lasers is relatively low, and in some cases, the efficiency is even less than 3%. Moreover, standard wall plugs (such as 110VAC / 20Amp, 220VAC / 15Amp, etc.) cannot provide sufficient electrical power. Therefore, in order to meet the operating power supply of the laser system, a special high-power power socket is required. In addition to the low electro-optical conversion efficiency, these traditional lasers use solid materials as laser gain media and dissipate a large amount of electrical energy as heat energy, which is very high. In order for traditional lasers to work properly, the corresponding laser surgical equipment must be equipped with an integrated cooling system, such as a large-capacity liquid cooler. The integrated cooling system will generate a lot of noise in the operating room, making doctors and nurses feel uncomfortable during long operations. The integrated cooling system also requires additional power and is bulky and / or heavy.

[0011] Near-infrared semiconductor lasers overcome many problems of traditional lasers, such as easy damage to optical components, low electro-optical conversion efficiency, and high operating noise. However, their main problem is that they produce a deeper coagulation layer when vaporizing tissue, which makes them not widely used in soft tissue ablation. Summary of the Invention

[0012] One object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system to solve the problem in the prior art that a deep coagulation layer is generated when near-infrared semiconductor lasers vaporize tissue.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system is provided, comprising a light source, an optical fiber output assembly, an electronic control assembly, an electrical power assembly, and a cooling and temperature control assembly, and may further include an irrigation assembly. The system is particularly characterized in that: the light source comprises a first laser assembly, a second laser assembly, a laser shaping assembly, a first optical fiber coupler, and may further include a second laser assembly; the first laser assembly is configured to emit visible laser light or a combination of visible laser light and near-infrared laser light; the second laser assembly is configured to generate a low-power visible laser light with a power of no more than 5 mW; the laser shaping assembly is configured to collimate and combine the visible laser light and the low-power laser light, or collimate and combine the visible laser light, the near-infrared laser light, and the low-power laser light; the first optical fiber coupler is configured to couple the combined laser light to the optical fiber output assembly; and the optical fiber output assembly is configured to transmit the combined laser light to a target location.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the irrigation assembly can generate a positive pressure fluid, and the fiber optic output assembly includes an optical fiber and a sleeve and a protective tube disposed outside the optical fiber. The protective tube includes a large end, a small end, and a flow hole. The small end extends into the sleeve and is mounted on the optical fiber. The large end radially matches the diameter of the sleeve and is sealed therewith. A gap is provided between the sleeve and the optical fiber, serving as a fluid passage, and the light-emitting end of the optical fiber is disposed within the protective tube. The fiber optic output assembly is connected to the irrigation assembly, and the positive pressure fluid generated by the irrigation assembly flows through the fluid passage and the flow hole to the end face of the optical fiber, preventing vaporized soft tissue debris from being deposited on the end face of the optical fiber.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the end face of the optical fiber is configured as a flat end face;

[0016] The outer diameter of the protective tube is ≤2.5mm;

[0017] The end face is 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm away from the end of the protection tube.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a reflector corresponding to the light emitting end is provided at the large end of the protection tube, and a light emitting hole is provided on the side wall thereof corresponding to the reflecting light path of the reflector.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the angle between the reflector and the central axis of the straight-out optical fiber is 30-60°.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the end face of the optical fiber is configured as an obliquely cut or polished end face, and the end of the optical fiber is provided with a protective cap;

[0021] The optical fiber transmission assembly includes a rigid water pipe and a flexible water pipe arranged outside the protective cap for conveying positive pressure fluid;

[0022] The outer sides of the rigid water pipe, the flexible water pipe, the optical fiber and the protective cap are covered with a fixing tube, through which they are fixed into an integrated structure.

[0023] The rigid water pipe is arranged close to the laser emission point of the side optical fiber, and the axial distance between the outlet of the rigid water pipe and the laser emission point is 1 to 2 mm;

[0024] The included angle between the oblique end face and the central axis of the optical fiber is 38±1°.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a wavelength control module for adjusting the wavelength of the laser emitted by the light source;

[0026] The first laser assembly is composed of one or more semiconductor laser modules, which are used to independently emit visible light laser or near-infrared laser. Multiple semiconductor laser modules are connected to the laser shaping assembly through optical fiber beam combining or spatial beam combining;

[0027] The semiconductor laser module includes one or more single-light-emitting-point semiconductor lasers, or one or more multi-light-emitting-point semiconductor lasers;

[0028] The laser shaping component includes one or more laser beam combiners for collimating, combining and coupling visible light laser and / or near-infrared laser to the optical fiber output component, wherein the combining is optical fiber combining or spatial combining.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic control assembly includes a touch screen display control module, a main control board, a laser power control module, a pulse control module, a first monitoring module, a second monitoring module, an Internet of Things module, and a laser output switch;

[0030] The laser power control module is used to control the laser power output by the light source, and the pulse control module is used to control the output laser mode, which includes a continuous wave mode, a chopping pulse mode, and a predetermined pulse mode;

[0031] The main control board is used to control the working status of the power component, the cooling and temperature control component, and the wavelength control module; the wavelength control module is used to control the laser wavelength output by the light source; the first monitoring module is used to monitor the laser power of the first laser component and the third laser component; the second monitoring module is used to monitor the working status of the laser shaping component and the first optical fiber coupler;

[0032] The cooling and temperature control component is used to cool the light source by a fluid-air cooling method or an air cooling method.

[0033] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first laser assembly is used to emit visible light laser, with a power range of 100W to 250W and a wavelength of 400 to 480nm;

[0034] The light source also includes a third laser component, which is arranged in the same manner as the first laser component and is used to emit near-infrared laser with a power range of 30W to 120W and a wavelength of 780 to 1600nm.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the peak power of the laser emitted by the first laser component is 400-1000W, the pulse width is 1-2ms, the duty cycle is 10-20%, and the average power is 30-120W.

[0036] Compared with the prior art, the semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0037] 1. The semiconductor laser module used in the embodiments of the present invention can provide higher-power visible light lasers and near-infrared lasers, and has a longer lifespan, reduced heat dissipation, and a more compact design. The visible light laser wavelength range generated by the semiconductor laser is 400-700nm, and the near-infrared laser wavelength range is 780-1600nm, which can be used for soft tissue ablation and coagulation, respectively.

[0038] 2. The semiconductor laser module used in the embodiment of the present invention can emit lasers in different modes, which is conducive to efficient and high-precision ablation or coagulation of target soft tissue. The combination of lasers in different modes increases the optical power density of the laser transmitted to the soft tissue, effectively promoting soft tissue ablation. High-peak power pulsed visible light laser helps to break up some urinary stones.

[0039] 3. The embodiment of the present invention uses a 400-480nm blue laser with corresponding power to achieve tissue vaporization while avoiding the formation of a deep coagulation layer, thereby improving the treatment effect.

[0040] 4. The optical fiber output assembly of the embodiment of the present invention can use straight-out optical fiber and side-out optical fiber, and the light-emitting end of the optical fiber can be flexibly set to improve the applicability of the surgical system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] FIG1 is a connection diagram of a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system (hereinafter referred to as the first surgery system) according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] FIG2 is a connection diagram of a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system (hereinafter referred to as the second surgery system) according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIG3 is a connection diagram of a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system (hereinafter referred to as the third surgery system) according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] FIG4 is a connection diagram of a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system (abbreviated as the fourth surgery system) according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] FIG5A illustrates an implementation of a light source of the semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to the four preferred embodiments of the present invention (referred to as the first light source).

[0046] FIG5B illustrates another implementation of the light source of the semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to the four preferred embodiments of the present invention (referred to as the second light source), wherein the laser shaping component adopts a wavelength combiner.

[0047] FIG5C illustrates another embodiment of the light source of the semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to the four preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the third light source), wherein the first laser assembly and the third laser assembly are coupled via a free-space wavelength combiner;

[0048] FIG6A illustrates a first semiconductor laser module, wherein the first semiconductor laser module is composed of a single-light-emitting-point semiconductor laser.

[0049] FIG6B illustrates a second semiconductor laser module, wherein the second semiconductor laser module adopts a polarization beam combining method.

[0050] FIG6C illustrates a third semiconductor laser module, wherein the third semiconductor laser module is composed of multi-light-emitting semiconductor lasers.

[0051] FIG7A is a schematic diagram of a first structure of an optical fiber output assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] FIG7B is a schematic diagram of a second structure of the optical fiber output assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] 7C is a third structural diagram of the optical fiber output assembly in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] FIG8A is a diagram of laser frequency in continuous wave mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] FIG8B is a diagram of laser frequency in a chopping pulse mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] FIG8C is a diagram of laser frequency in a predetermined pulse mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] FIG. 9A illustrates a liquid-to-air cooling and temperature control assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] FIG. 9B illustrates an air cooling and temperature control assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The following description is intended to disclose the present invention so that those skilled in the art can implement the present invention. The preferred embodiments described below are for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other obvious variations. The basic principles of the present invention defined in the following description may be applied to other embodiments, variations, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0060] Those skilled in the art should understand that, in the disclosure of the present invention, the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0061] It is to be understood that the term "one" should be understood as "at least one" or "one or more", that is, in one embodiment, the number of an element may be one, while in another embodiment, the number of the elements may be multiple, and the term "one" should not be understood as a limitation on the quantity.

[0062] FIG1 illustrates a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgical system according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, referred to as the first surgical system 1. The first surgical system 1 can be specifically configured for ablation of prostate tissue or other soft tissues. The first surgical system 1 includes a light source 100, a fiber optic output assembly 500, an electronic control assembly 200, a power assembly 300, and a cooling and temperature control assembly 400.

[0063] Light source 100 is used to generate laser light of a predetermined wavelength and output power, and includes a first laser assembly 110, a third laser assembly 130, a second laser assembly 120, a laser shaping assembly 140, and a first fiber coupler 150. First laser assembly 110 is a fiber-coupled or / and free-space-coupled laser device that can be used to generate visible light laser light of a predetermined wavelength and power, such as a 450±20nm blue wavelength, or / and a 520±20nm green wavelength, or / and a 405±5nm violet wavelength. The predetermined visible light power is sufficiently high to meet the requirements for soft tissue ablation and coagulation. Third laser assembly 130 is used to emit laser light of a near-infrared wavelength, such as 980nm±20nm, 808±20nm, 1470±20nm, or / and 1550±20nm. For laser prostatectomy, the average power of the laser output from the first laser assembly 110 is preferably in the range of 100W to 250W; the average power of the laser output from the third laser assembly 130 is preferably in the range of 30W to 120W. The second laser assembly 120 is used to generate visible light laser light of a different wavelength than that of the first laser assembly 110, and can generate low-power laser light with a power of no more than 5mW. This serves as the aiming light for the first surgical system 1, indicating the predetermined target location for the laser light from the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130. The laser shaping assembly 140 is used to combine the laser light emitted by the first laser assembly 110, the third laser assembly 130, and the second laser assembly 120 into a collimated beam, which is then transmitted to the first fiber coupler 150 and ultimately coupled into the fiber output assembly 500. The laser light emitted from the fiber output assembly 500 can have one or more wavelengths.

[0064] The optical fiber output assembly 500 includes an optical fiber 510 for transmitting laser energy to the patient's prostate tissue or other target soft tissue to ablate or coagulate the tissue. The end face of the optical fiber 510 can be a flat end face 511 or an oblique end face.

[0065] The electronic control assembly 200 is used to control the operation of the first surgical system 1. It includes a display control module 270, a main control board 210, a laser power control module 220, a pulse control module 230, a first monitoring module 240, a second monitoring module 250, an Internet of Things module 280, a wavelength control module 290, and a laser output switch 260. The display control module 270 provides all necessary interfaces between the operator and the first surgical system 1, and has one or more setup pages that allow the operator to set and access operating parameters and feedback for the first surgical system 1. The display control module 270 also allows authorized service engineers to authorize software and firmware upgrades and read, retrieve, and transmit historical operational data of the soft tissue resection system via wired or wireless communication. If wireless communication is used, the Internet of Things module 280 can provide the communication protocol. The main control board 210 may include one or more processors. The processors may be centralized on the main control board 210 or distributed across other modules of the electronic control assembly 200 to control the corresponding modules. In this embodiment, the electronic control assembly 200 may also include processors integrated with other components of the first surgical system 1, as well as a host system or central processing unit (CPU) for controlling and / or reading data from the first surgical system 1. The main control board 210 includes at least one embedded system, one or more laser pump power supply circuits, one or more communication circuits, one or more flash memory storage circuits, one or more analog-to-digital (A / D) acquisition circuits, one or more signal modulation circuits, one or more cooling device drivers, and one or more wavelength control module drivers. The central processing unit (CPU) includes one or more 32-bit high-performance microcontrollers, such as the STM32F4 series based on the ARM Cortex M4, or other high-performance microcontrollers that can support operating frequencies exceeding 100 MHz. The main control board 210 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, software, or firmware. The laser power control module 220 is used to control the laser power output by the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130 and receive power feedback from them. For example, the laser power control module 220 may include one or more drivers that communicate with the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130. The pulse control module 230 may be composed of a power control board and a laser pulse modulation driver, connected to one or more DC power supplies and a main control board 210 containing one or more processors. The pulse control module 230 may implement a continuous wave mode, a chopped pulse mode, a predetermined pulse mode, or other output modes by pulse modulating the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130. The first monitoring module 240 is configured to monitor the laser power status of the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130 in real time and to provide feedback to the laser power control module 220.Laser power feedback information for the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130 comes from electrical signals from laser power sensors located within the laser assemblies. The laser power sensors can be thermopile laser sensors, photodiode laser sensors, and / or other types of laser sensors. The second monitoring module 250 receives signals from the laser power detection device and temperature sensor within the laser shaping assembly 140, as well as the fiber coupling status signal from the first fiber coupler 150, and transmits these signals to the laser power control module 220. The laser output switch 260, preferably a foot switch, can turn the laser output of the light source 100 on or off. The Internet of Things module 280 can consist of an embedded subsystem board that supports wired and wireless communication with external networks, such as Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G wireless networks. The Internet of Things module 280 is used to provide communication between the first surgical system 1 and a central computer or other Internet of Things system and can be implemented using a combination of hardware, software, or firmware. The wavelength control module 290 is used to adjust the laser wavelength of the light source 100. Controlled by the main control board 210, it presets the laser state of the first laser assembly 110 and / or the third laser assembly 130. After selecting a predetermined laser wavelength, the wavelength control module 290 outputs the laser light through the optical fiber output assembly 500. Furthermore, each component in the display control module 270, main control board 210, laser power control module 220, pulse control module 230, first monitoring module 240, and second monitoring module 250 can be implemented using a combination of hardware, software, or firmware. Each module can execute locally, or one or more of the modules can execute remotely with one or more of the other modules.

[0066] The power assembly 300 includes a regulatory-compliant isolation transformer, a power switch, one or more power protection circuits, and one or more AC-to-DC power converters. The power assembly 300 is controlled by the main control board 210 and provides power to the light source 100. It can also receive input power from an external power source, using a portion of this input power to drive the light source 100 and / or other components in the first surgical system 1.

[0067] The cooling and temperature control assembly 400 is controlled by the main control board 210 and is used to cool the first laser assembly 110, the third laser assembly 130, the laser shaping assembly 140, the first fiber coupler 150, and / or other components of the first surgical system 1. The cooling and temperature control assembly 400 can receive information from temperature sensors located in the first laser assembly 110, the third laser assembly 130, the laser shaping assembly 140, the first fiber coupler 150, and / or other components of the first surgical system 1, and cool the light source 100 in real time based on the information. The cooling and temperature control assembly 400 can dissipate heat through a radiator or a fluid-to-air heat exchanger.

[0068] FIG2 illustrates a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, referred to as the second surgical system 2. The difference from the first surgical system 1 is that the second surgical system 2 further includes an irrigation component 600. The irrigation component 600 is integrated into the second surgical system 2 or is used independently during the surgical procedure. The irrigation component 600 can be an active fluid pump, preferably a peristaltic pump, powered by the power component 300 or independently powered by the pump controller. The fluid in the irrigation component 600 flows into the fiber optic output component 500 to avoid the accumulation of tissue debris on the fiber optic output component 500 during the surgical procedure.

[0069] FIG3 illustrates a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, referred to as the third surgical system 3. The difference from the first surgical system 1 is that the third surgical system 3 eliminates the third laser assembly 130 and the wavelength control module 290.

[0070] FIG4 illustrates a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention, referred to as the fourth surgery system 4. The difference from the second surgery system 2 is that the fourth surgery system 4 eliminates the third laser assembly 130 and the wavelength control module 290.

[0071] The first light source 100A shown in FIG5A is one embodiment of the light source 100. The first light source 100A is configured to generate laser light of a predetermined wavelength and output power and includes a first laser assembly 110, a third laser assembly 130, a second laser assembly 120, a laser shaping assembly 140, and a first fiber coupler 150. The first laser assembly 110 includes N semiconductor laser modules 111, where N is an integer equal to or greater than 1, and is designated 111A through 111N. These N semiconductor laser modules 111 are input to the laser shaping assembly 140 via corresponding N first output optical fibers 160, designated 160A through 160N. The semiconductor laser modules 111 can emit one or more visible lasers or a combination of visible and near-infrared lasers, which are regulated by a wavelength control module 290. The third laser assembly 130 is also included. The third laser assembly 130 employs the same configuration as the first laser assembly 110 and outputs near-infrared laser light. The output end of the third laser assembly 130 is coupled to a third output fiber 180. The second laser assembly 120 is coupled to a second output fiber 170. The laser shaping assembly 140 includes a fiber combiner 141 and a first collimator 143. The fiber combiner 141 is disposed at the output ends of the first output fiber 160, the second output fiber 170, and the third output fiber 180. The first output fiber 160, the second output fiber 170, and the third output fiber 180 are fused together using a fiber splicer and then connected to the input end of the fiber combiner 141. A fourth output fiber 142 is disposed at the output end of the fiber combiner 141. Therefore, the fiber combiner 141 has multiple input fibers and one fourth output fiber 142. Multiple input laser beams can be effectively combined into a single output laser beam if the product of the numerical aperture (NA) of the input fibers and the sum of the core areas of each input fiber is less than the product of the NA of the output fibers and the core area. The input end of the first collimator 143 is connected to the output end of the fourth output fiber 142. The first output beam 601 from the fourth output fiber 142 is divergent and is collimated by the first collimator 143. The first collimator 143 is composed of one or more spherical or aspherical lenses, each with an anti-reflection coating applied to the lens surface to reduce reflections of laser light from the first laser assembly 110 and / or the third laser assembly 130. After being collimated by the first collimator 143, the first output beam 601 is converted into a second output beam 602, which is output through the first fiber coupler 150. The first fiber coupler 150 includes a coupling lens 151 and a coupling status monitor 152. The coupling lens 151 can be composed of one or more spherical or aspherical lenses. To reduce optical energy loss, the coupling lens 151 is coated with an anti-reflection coating specific to the second output beam 602. The third output beam 603 output by the coupling lens 151 is focused into the fiber output assembly 500.The coupling state monitor 152 includes a laser power detection sensor and a temperature sensor, which is used to monitor the power of the third output beam 603 and the temperature of the coupling lens 151 and transmit the power to the second monitoring module 250 .

[0072] The second light source 100B shown in FIG5B is another embodiment of the light source 100. Unlike the first light source 100A, the second light source 100B further includes a wavelength combiner 144. The laser outputs from the first laser assembly 110, the third laser assembly 130, and the second laser assembly 120 are coupled to the laser shaping assembly 140 and then transmitted to the first fiber coupler 150. The fiber combiner 141 is used to combine the N first output fibers 160 corresponding to the first laser assembly 110 and output the combined laser light to the fourth output fiber 142, where N is an integer equal to or greater than 1. The third laser assembly 130 is coupled to the third output fiber 180. The fourth output fiber 142 and the third output fiber 180 output divergent laser light to the wavelength combiner 144. The corresponding divergent laser light is recorded as the fourth output beam 604 and the fifth output beam 605, respectively. The divergence angle of the divergent laser light is determined by the NA of the fourth output fiber 142 and the third output fiber 180.

[0073] The wavelength combiner 144 includes a second collimator 145 and a third collimator 146, which are respectively disposed corresponding to the output ends of the fourth output optical fiber 142 and the third output optical fiber 180; a first wavelength combiner 154 and a second wavelength combiner 155, which are sequentially disposed corresponding to the output end of the second collimator 145; a first reflector 156 disposed corresponding to the third collimator 146; and a fourth collimator 147 disposed corresponding to the output end of the second laser assembly 120. The second collimator 145 and the third collimator 146 are used to collimate the fourth output beam 604 and the fifth output beam 605. The second collimator 145 and the third collimator 146 each include one or more spherical or aspherical lenses, respectively coated with anti-reflection coatings corresponding to the fourth output beam 604 and the fifth output beam 605. The collimated fifth output beam 605 is reflected by the first reflector 156 to the reflective surface of the first wavelength combiner 154. The collimated fourth output beam 604 passes through the first wavelength combiner 154 to the second wavelength combiner 155. The first wavelength combiner 154 is a planar optical substrate with anti-reflection / anti-transmission coatings on both sides at a 45-degree angle to the collimated fourth output beam 604 and a high-reflection coating at a 45-degree angle to the collimated fifth output beam 605. The first wavelength combiner 154 combines the collimated fourth output beam 604 with the collimated fifth output beam 605. The second laser assembly 120 emits a sixth output beam 606, which is collimated by the fourth collimator 147 and output to the second wavelength combiner 155. The second wavelength combiner 155 combines the sixth output beam 606 with the fourth output beam 604 and the fifth output beam 605 to form a seventh output beam 607. The seventh output beam 607 is output to the first fiber coupler 150 and then focused onto the fiber output assembly 500. In other embodiments of the present invention, the second laser assembly 120 can also be delivered to the first fiber coupler 150 via an optical fiber.

[0074] The third light source 100C shown in FIG5C is another embodiment of the light source 100. Unlike the second light source 100B, the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130 are spatially coupled to a wavelength combiner 144, and a second collimator 145 and a third collimator 146 are provided for the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130, respectively.

[0075] The first semiconductor laser module 111A shown in FIG6A is an embodiment of the semiconductor laser module 111, including M single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701, respectively denoted as 701A to 701M. The single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701A to 701M are used to emit visible light lasers, such as 450±20nm, 520±20nm, or 405±5nm, and / or near-infrared light, such as 980nm±20nm, 808±20nm, 1470nm±20nm, or 1550nm±20nm.

[0076] The first semiconductor laser module 111A uses spatial beam combining to combine the beams emitted by the single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701A to 701M and couples them into the first output fiber 160. The single-light-point semiconductor laser 701 emits an eighth output beam 608, designated as 608A to 608M, which are collimated by the corresponding fifth collimators 148 (148A to 148M) to produce a ninth output beam 609, designated as 609A to 609M. The fifth collimator 148 can be composed of a pair of fast-axis collimators (FAC) and slow-axis collimators (SAC), or one or more spherical or aspherical lenses. The surface of the fifth collimator 148 is coated with an anti-reflection coating that matches the wavelength of the laser emitted by its corresponding single-light-point semiconductor laser 701. The ninth output beam 609A to 609M is directed to the first beam shaper 112, which is a concentrator or directional optical component and can be composed of a pair of spherical or non-aspherical cylindrical lenses, or two or more reflectors and / or other optical components. After shaping, the tenth output beam 610 is output. The tenth output beam 610 is focused by the second fiber coupler 113 and coupled into the first output fiber 160. To obtain high-brightness or high-power density laser output at the fourth output fiber 142 of the fiber combiner 141, the core diameter of the first output fiber 160 needs to be between 50 and 600 μm, and the NA between 0.1 and 0.25. In the first semiconductor laser module 111A, the single-light-point semiconductor laser 701, the first beam shaper 112, and the second fiber coupler 113 all generate heat, becoming heat sources. Therefore, a cooling device 114 is provided to cool these heat sources. The cooling device 114 is a liquid cooling and / or air cooling component that is used to conduct heat away from these hot spots to one or more external heat exchangers. In other embodiments of the present invention, the cooling device 114 can also be an air cooling device that can be assembled as a unit with the semiconductor laser module 111 and include one or more TE cooling (TEC) devices and a fan. The first semiconductor laser module 111A also includes one or more operating status monitors 115, which include temperature sensors, photodiode laser sensors, and / or fiber sensors, and are used to provide real-time signals such as the temperature and output power of the first semiconductor laser module 111A to corresponding modules of the electronic control assembly 200.

[0077] The second semiconductor laser module 111B shown in FIG6B is another embodiment of the semiconductor laser module 111. It utilizes polarization beam combining and is composed of single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701A and 701B. These are arranged so that the polarization directions of the eighth output beams 608A and 608B are perpendicular. Fifth collimators 148A and 148B, respectively provided for the eighth output beams 608A and 608B, collimate these beams to produce ninth output beams 609A and 609B, respectively. Ninth output beams 609A and 609B are combined by a polarization beam combiner 116 to form a tenth output beam 610. Tenth output beam 610 is focused by a second fiber coupler 113 and coupled into the first output fiber 160. To achieve higher laser output power, the single-light-point semiconductor laser 701 can be replaced with a multi-light-point semiconductor laser 702, while adapting other corresponding optical components, such as the fifth collimator 148.

[0078] The third semiconductor laser module 111C shown in FIG6C is another embodiment of the semiconductor laser module 111. It differs from the first semiconductor laser module 111A in that the single-light-point semiconductor laser 701 is replaced with a multi-light-point semiconductor laser 702. The M multi-light-point semiconductor lasers 702 are designated 702A through 702M and are configured to emit visible laser light, such as 450±20nm, 520±20nm, or 405±5nm, or near-infrared light, such as 980±20nm, 808±20nm, 1470±20nm, or 1550±20nm. Eleventh output beams 611A through 611M emitted by the multi-light-point semiconductor lasers 702A through 702M can be collimated by corresponding sixth collimators 149A through 149M to produce twelfth output beams 612A through 612M. The sixth collimator 149 can be composed of a pair of fast-axis collimators (FAC) and slow-axis collimators (SAC), or a combined FAC-SAC collimator. The surface of the sixth collimator 149 is coated with an anti-reflection coating that matches the wavelength of the laser emitted by the corresponding multi-light-point semiconductor laser 702. The twelfth output beam 612 is guided to the second beam shaper 117 to output the thirteenth output beam 613. The second beam shaper 117 is a concentrator or a directional optical component. The thirteenth output beam 613 is focused by the second fiber coupler 113 and coupled into the first output fiber 160. In order to maintain high laser brightness or high laser power density at the fiber output assembly 500, the core diameter of the first output fiber 160 needs to be between 100 μm and 600 μm, and the NA is between 0.1 and 0.25.

[0079] In other embodiments of the present invention, the semiconductor laser module 111 can be composed of multiple single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701, multiple-light-point semiconductor lasers 702, or a combination of multiple single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701 and multiple-light-point semiconductor lasers 702, and can emit any visible laser light and / or near-infrared light within the wavelength range of 400nm-1600nm. As long as the laser power and wavelength meet the requirements for soft tissue ablation, soft tissue can be ablated.

[0080] Since the high-power visible light laser output by the fiber optic output component 500 can effectively vaporize the target soft tissue and produce a large area of ​​soft tissue fragments, some of the fragments will be adsorbed on the light-emitting end face of the optical fiber 510 in the fiber optic output component 500. This will cause the laser energy of the fiber optic output component 500 to concentrate, causing the optical fiber 510 to heat up or even melt. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent tissue debris from being adsorbed on the light-emitting end face of the fiber optic component 500.

[0081] The first optical fiber output assembly 500A shown in FIG7A is an embodiment of an optical fiber output assembly 500, comprising a first optical fiber 510A, a sleeve 520 disposed outside the first optical fiber 510A, and a first protective tube 530A located at the optical fiber's light-emitting end. The first optical fiber 510A is an embodiment of an optical fiber 510, and includes a flat end surface 511 perpendicular to the axis of the first optical fiber 510A. Flat end surface 511 is perpendicular to the axis of the optical fiber 510 and is formed by cutting or polishing. A first output laser 614 consisting of visible light and / or near-infrared light is emitted from flat end surface 511. The protective tube 530A is an embodiment of a protective tube 530, preferably made of medical-grade stainless steel. Its cross-section is preferably circular, and includes a small end 531, a large end 532, and a flow hole 533. Both small end 531 and large end 532 are coaxial with first optical fiber 510A. The inner diameter of small end 531 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of first optical fiber 510A, allowing passage of first optical fiber 510A. The outer side of large end 532 is sealed to the end of cannula 520. To allow fiber output assembly 500 to pass through the working channel of a surgical endoscope, the outer diameter of large end 532 is no greater than 2.5 mm. Small end 531 can be fastened or epoxy-bonded to first optical fiber 510A. Mechanical or chemical epoxy bonding can be used for small end 531, with epoxy-free mechanical bonding being preferred. The shrinkage of epoxy can alter the local refractive index of first optical fiber 510A, potentially damaging the fiber. If epoxy is necessary, it can be cured with ultraviolet light to have low linear shrinkage. The epoxy can be transparent to allow visible laser radiation to pass through, or it can be colored, preferably white, to reflect visible laser radiation back toward first optical fiber 510A. To better protect the light-emitting end face from soft tissue debris, the flat end face 511 is positioned within the first protective tube 530A, 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm from the end of the large end 532 of the first protective tube 530A. This prevents the flat end face 511 from contacting the target soft tissue during laser operation. A gap is provided between the cannula 520 and the first optical fiber 510A, forming a fluid channel. One or more flow holes 533 are provided on the first protective tube 530A near the small end 531. Positive-pressure fluid 800 enters the interior of the large end 532 through the fluid channel and the flow holes 533. The distal end of the fluid channel is connected to an active fluid pump or fluid bag, preferably a peristaltic pump. The fluid bag is preferably a high-position fluid reservoir or liquid storage bag. During surgery, the positive-pressure fluid 800 can be the same fluid used in the surgery, preferably physiological saline, at a higher pressure than the surgical environment. At the light-emitting end of the first optical fiber 510A, the positive-pressure fluid 800 can form a jet that wraps around the flat end surface 511 , preventing soft tissue debris from being adsorbed and keeping the flat end surface 511 clean.

[0082] For some surgical applications, such as vaporizing prostate tissue, side-emitting light can make surgical procedures easier. The second fiber optic output assembly 500B shown in FIG7B is another embodiment of the fiber optic output assembly 500. The second fiber optic output assembly 500B differs from the first fiber optic output assembly 500A in that it further includes a second reflector 550 and a second protective tube 530B. The second protective tube 530B is another embodiment of the protective tube 530 and differs from the first protective tube 530A in that it further includes a light exit hole 534. The flat end surface 511 of the second fiber optic assembly 500B can be perpendicular to or at a certain angle to the axis of the optical fiber 510. The second reflector 550 is cylindrical and disposed within the large end 532 of the second protective tube 530B. One end of the second reflector 550 is provided with a beveled reflective surface 551, which corresponds to the flat end surface 511 and is used to reflect the first emitted laser light 614, generating side-emitting light. The light exit hole 534 provided in the second protective tube 530B is sufficiently large to allow the reflected first outgoing laser light 614 to pass through without obstruction. Positive pressure fluid 800 flows through the flow hole 533 from the outside of the small end 531 into the inside of the large end 532, and then flows out through the light exit hole 534. The second reflector 550 can be made of an optical material such as fused quartz or a metal such as aluminum. The angle of the reflective surface 551 relative to the central axis of the second reflector 550 is 38°, 45°, or any angle between 30° and 60°, resulting in a reflection angle of 52°, 45°, or 60° to 30°, respectively. The reflective surface 551 can be optically polished and have a high-reflectivity coating for all wavelengths of the first outgoing laser light 614. The second reflector 550 is secured to the large end 532 via epoxy bonding or mechanical fastening. If epoxy bonding is used, the epoxy can be cured by UV light, heat, or room temperature. The sleeve 520 is connected to the second protection tube 530B, but does not cover the light exit hole 534. The positive pressure fluid 800 forms a positive pressure jet at the light exit hole 534 to prevent soft tissue debris from being deposited on the reflective surface 551 and the flat end surface 511.

[0083] The third optical fiber assembly 500C shown in Figure 7C is another embodiment of the optical fiber output assembly 500. The third optical fiber assembly 500C comprises a second optical fiber 510B, a flexible water tube 561, a rigid water tube 560, a protective cap 570, and a fixing tube 580. The second optical fiber 510B is another embodiment of the optical fiber 510 and has a beveled or polished end face 512 that allows for total internal reflection of the second output laser light 615, which consists of visible light and / or near-infrared light. To achieve optimal total internal reflection, the angle between the beveled end face 512 and the axis of the second optical fiber 510B is 38±1°. The protective cap 570 is preferably made of quartz or fused silica and has a length of 12±5 mm and an outer diameter of 1.5-2.2 mm, with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the second optical fiber 510B. The protective cap 570 is closed at one end and open at the other. The second optical fiber 510B is inserted into the protective cap 570, with the beveled end face 512 adjacent to the closed end. Viscous epoxy resin is applied to the junction between the open end of protective cap 570 and second optical fiber 510B. To prevent any possible damage to second optical fiber 510B due to visible laser light leakage around the epoxy resin area, the epoxy resin is preferably UV-cured and has a low linear shrinkage, preferably less than 0.08%, to prevent changes in the refractive index of second optical fiber 510B after UV curing. Flexible water tube 561 is preferably heat-shrink tubing, one end of which is connected to positive pressure fluid 800 and the other end to rigid water tube 560. Rigid water tube 560 is attached to the side of protective cap 570 and is preferably made of medical stainless steel. It has a smaller diameter and thinner walls than protective cap 570. Fixed tube 580 is a thin-walled, transparent or white structure that protects it from damage by high-power visible light lasers. It secures protective cap 570, flexible water tube 561, rigid water tube 560, and second optical fiber 510B together. Fixed tube 580 is preferably a heat shrink tube. The outlet of rigid water tube 560 is positioned 1-2 mm from the laser emission point. At the outlet of rigid water tube 560, positive-pressure fluid 800 forms a jet that flows through the laser emission point, preventing soft tissue debris from depositing and keeping protective cap 570 clean.

[0084] The electronic control assembly 200 and its submodule pulse control module 230 can modulate the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130 in real time in an electronically controlled mode of continuous wave mode, chopped pulse mode, predetermined pulse mode or other mode. Through the display control module 270, the operator or surgeon can set the laser emission mode of the first surgical system 1 or the second surgical system 2. Figure 8A shows a surgical laser emission frequency diagram in continuous wave (CW) mode. Generally, the continuous wave mode has a higher average laser power, which can perform effective soft tissue vaporization, soft tissue removal and hemostasis surgery. The lower laser power in CW mode is beneficial for soft tissue coagulation. Figure 8B shows a surgical laser emission frequency diagram in chopped pulse mode. The chopped pulse mode or pulse mode with high peak power and low average power can benefit surgeons in precise tissue resection and tissue coagulation. Under visible light surgical laser system conditions with pulse peak power of 400-1000W, average power of 30-120W, pulse width of 1-2ms, and duty cycle of 10-20%, the laser pulse energy of the first surgical system 1 and the second surgical system 2 can reach 0.4J to 2.0J, which is sufficient to break up common urinary stones. In addition to the chopping pulse mode, the pulse control module 230 can also generate any predetermined pulse format, as shown in Figure 8C.

[0085] The first cooling and temperature control assembly 400A shown in FIG9A is one embodiment of the cooling and temperature control assembly 400. The first cooling and temperature control assembly 400A reduces heat generated by the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130 via a fluid-to-air heat exchanger 410. The fluid is preferably water. The fluid-to-air heat exchanger 410 can be composed of a metal tube, a metal shell, and / or a metal plate, as well as one or more fans. The fluid-to-air heat exchanger 410 is connected to one or more liquid containers via a first pipe 420. The liquid containers are provided with a water pump assembly 430. The water pump assembly 430 delivers circulating cooling water to the first laser assembly 110 and the third laser assembly 130 via a second pipe 440. The water pump assembly 430 can include one or more liquid pumps. The liquid containers are provided with temperature sensors, hydraulic pressure sensors, and liquid level sensors. In other embodiments, the first cooling and temperature control assembly 400A may not be connected to a temperature sensor and may not be temperature-regulated. In other embodiments, the first cooling and temperature control component 400A can also be a temperature-regulated liquid cooler that works in real time for cooling based on feedback information from a temperature sensor, using a refrigeration compressor including a condenser, a refrigerant such as R134a, a liquid pump, a liquid reservoir, one or more refrigerant-to-air heat exchangers and / or one or more thermoelectric cooling devices and other components.

[0086] The second cooling and temperature control assembly 400B shown in FIG9B is another embodiment of the cooling and temperature control assembly 400. A heat source is connected to a heat sink 460 via a heat conducting device 450, dissipating heat through heat transfer. In the above embodiment, the first laser assembly 110, the third laser assembly 130, the laser shaping assembly 140, the first fiber coupler 150, and other components or modules all generate heat. The fiber combiner 141 or the second fiber coupler 113 in the laser shaping assembly 140 are all possible heat sources. The heat conducting device 450 can be a heat pipe, a vapor chamber, a heat plate, or other type of heat conducting component. The heat sink 460 includes one or more TEC temperature regulators and a fan. One or more of the heat sources in the heat conducting device 450 may not require temperature regulation. The heat sink 460 can be a conventional heat sink with or without a fan for dissipating heat.

[0087] The working principle of the above preferred embodiment of the present invention is as follows:

[0088] Visible light lasers use blue lasers with a wavelength of 400-480 nm. Blue photons have energies as high as 2.59 to 3.11 eV, and both blood and soft tissue in the human body effectively absorb blue photons. Hemoglobin has comparable absorption coefficients for 450 nm blue light and 532 nm green light (~200 / cm), meaning both 450 nm blue light and 532 nm green light can effectively ablate soft tissue contained within blood. For soft tissues with low blood content, such as coagulated tissue, the absorption coefficient for blue light is generally higher than for green light, according to the theory of light absorption by bioorganic molecules. Therefore, at the same optical power density, blue lasers achieve faster tissue ablation rates than green lasers. An in vitro experimental report demonstrated that, in terms of tissue removal rate (measured in mm³ / s), a 120 W blue laser vaporized human prostate tissue twice as quickly as a 532 nm LBO green laser of the same power on the same tissue block.

[0089] To achieve higher output power, the semiconductor laser module 111 may include multiple single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701, which achieve high-power output through spatial arrangement, beam shaping, and coupling. The semiconductor laser module 111 may also include multiple multi-light-point semiconductor laser modules 702.

[0090] In the fiber coupling of multiple single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701, multiple single-light-point semiconductor lasers 701 are spatially arranged in one or more rows, and then a collimating lens is used in front of each light-emitting point to collimate the laser beam in the form of a fast axis or a beam. Both the fast axis and the slow axis are collimated. For fiber coupling of multi-light-point laser bars, a fast axis collimator (FAC) and a slow axis collimator (SAC) are used for beam collimation. These collimated beams are further converged by an optical condenser and then focused onto the optical fiber by a focusing lens. In order to maintain reasonably high laser brightness, the core diameter of the optical fiber is less than 600μm.

[0091] For laser prostatectomy, the average power range of the laser output is preferably 100W to 300W. If this optimal optical power range may not be achieved using one semiconductor laser module 111, multiple semiconductor laser modules 111 can be used to increase the laser power output. A fiber beam combiner, which can be a fiber combiner or a spatial combiner, can help with laser beam combining. The fiber beam combiner has multiple inputs and one output. For a fiber beam combiner, when the sum of the input fiber NA and the core area of ​​each input fiber is less than the product of the output fiber NA and the core area, multiple input laser beams can be combined into one output laser beam, and the beam combining efficiency is high, usually above 85%. Although a fiber beam combiner cannot enhance the brightness of the laser, it can significantly increase the optical power.

[0092] When a single semiconductor laser module 111 is capable of generating visible light power exceeding 100W, only one semiconductor laser module 111 may be required. The semiconductor laser module 111 may be fiber-coupled or free-space coupled. The resulting laser light may be output directly or coupled via an optical fiber 510 and transmitted to the target tissue for ablation and / or coagulation. The optical fiber 510 may be a disposable surgical fiber.

[0093] It is well known that during laser surgery, lasers with high absorption rates for tissue, hemoglobin, or water can produce a thinner coagulation layer. A thinner coagulation layer can help patients recover faster after surgery, but it is inconvenient to stop bleeding. However, bleeding is inevitable during laser prostatectomy. In order to provide surgeons with a tool that can easily stop bleeding, it is necessary to use a semiconductor laser that can generate high-power near-infrared laser light. The present invention can also only provide near-infrared laser light. The near-infrared laser light is generated by a near-infrared semiconductor laser with a wavelength between 780-1600nm, especially the commercially available 810±20nm, 980±20nm, and 1470±20nm near-infrared semiconductor lasers, which are the best choice. High-power fiber-coupled or free-space-coupled near-infrared semiconductor lasers are combined through a fiber beam combiner and shaper, and finally the near-infrared laser light is transmitted to the target soft tissue through a disposable surgical fiber. In order to achieve a better and more effective laser coagulation effect, the near-infrared laser can generate 30-120W of optical power in continuous wave mode or pulsed mode, which is crucial for stopping bleeding.

[0094] The surgical system of the present invention can simultaneously provide visible light and near-infrared lasers. It consists of multiple visible light single-point semiconductor lasers and multiple near-infrared single-point semiconductor lasers spatially arranged in one or more rows. The beams are shaped and converged, then focused on a single optical fiber or collimated in free space. This single semiconductor laser module 111 can have an average optical power exceeding 100W for the visible spectrum and up to 120W for the near-infrared spectrum. The final laser output can be delivered directly or through a disposable surgical fiber after fiber coupling to the target soft tissue for ablation and / or coagulation.

[0095] Efficient laser soft tissue ablation will produce a large amount of debris, some of which will be deposited at the optical fiber outlet, causing laser absorption and even damage to the optical fiber. Blue photons have higher photon energy than photons with longer wavelengths. Compared with light with longer wavelengths, soft tissue fragments absorb blue light more. For lasers with low photon energy, such as high-power green lasers and high-power infrared lasers, the heat generated by the absorption of debris at the optical fiber outlet is not enough to cause rapid melting of the optical fiber outlet, but this is not the case with blue light. Some experiments have shown that when the blue light power exceeds 80W, the heat generated by the absorption of blue light by the debris at the optical fiber outlet will cause catastrophic melting of the optical fiber outlet. In order to avoid the deposition of tissue debris on the optical fiber outlet, especially for high-power blue laser soft tissue ablation, the optical fiber outlet is required to have an automatic cleaning mechanism. In the present invention, a positive pressure fluid 800 jet is used to flow through the optical fiber outlet of a high-power visible light laser to prevent debris deposition. The fluid can be the same as the fluid used in surgery, preferably saline. To form a fluid jet that effectively covers the laser emission point, the jet fluid pressure must be higher than the ambient fluid pressure, and the fluid must maintain a constant jet flow above the laser emission point. To generate the desired jet fluid pressure, an irrigation assembly 600 can be employed. This irrigation assembly 600 can include an active fluid pump or one or more passive fluid bags suspended at a relatively high position. In the present invention, when the fiber optic output assembly 500 is in the form of the first fiber optic output assembly 500A, the end face of the optical fiber is centered within a protective tube, preferably a stainless steel tube, allowing the high-pressure jet fluid within the protective tube to flow over the end face of the optical fiber. For better protection, the laser emission point on the end face of the optical fiber can be located approximately 0.5 to 2 mm behind the outlet of the protective tube. When the fiber optic output assembly 500 is implemented as the second fiber optic output assembly 500B, the second reflector can direct the laser beam to the desired angle, generating side-emitting light. The reflector and the corresponding optical fiber's central axis are angled at 30-60° and coated with a highly reflective coating for laser output. Both the end face of the optical fiber and the second reflector's surface are surrounded by a high-pressure fluid jet. When the fiber optic output assembly 500 is implemented as the third fiber optic output assembly 500C, the rigid water pipe 560 is a stainless steel tube. The stainless steel tube is installed directly below the protective cap 570 at the side-emitting optical fiber's light-emitting end, approximately 1 to 2 mm behind the laser emission point. The fluid jet flowing through the stainless steel tube prevents any debris from accumulating on the protective cap 570.

[0096] The semiconductor laser module 111 that emits visible light can operate in continuous wave mode or pulse mode, wherein the continuous wave mode can have a higher average power and is mainly used for rapid ablation of soft tissue, and the pulse mode has a higher peak power and a lower average power, which is conducive to precise ablation of soft tissue and urinary tract lithotripsy. When the semiconductor laser module 111 that emits visible light is powered by one or more pulse power supplies, the electric pump pulse current can reach 1.5 to 10 times its maximum continuous mode current, thereby generating visible light laser pulses with a peak power several times that of the continuous wave power. The laser pulse width, pulse repetition rate, and duty cycle can be adjusted by the pump current pulse characteristics. By controlling the visible light laser pulse energy, surgeons can precisely remove soft tissue when needed. Since visible light, especially blue light wavelengths, is strongly absorbed by many solid materials, including urinary tract stones, high peak power blue laser pulses can break up urinary tract stones. At a peak power of 400-1000W and a pulse width of 1-2ms, the laser pulse energy can reach 0.4-2.0J, which is enough to break up common urinary stones. Its duty cycle is 10-20% and the average power is in the range of 30-120W.

[0097] The visible light-emitting semiconductor laser module 111 can further improve the electro-optical conversion efficiency. In some embodiments, the GaN blue light semiconductor laser module 111 typically has a DC electro-optical conversion efficiency exceeding 25%. When output from the output fiber assembly, the overall electro-optical conversion efficiency is as high as 15% or more. Even if an AC power supply is used to power the visible light-emitting semiconductor laser module 111, the final electro-optical conversion efficiency will be greater than 10%. One advantage of high electro-optical conversion efficiency is that it facilitates the implementation of the soft tissue resection system in various treatment environments, especially those where high-power power is not readily available (such as in hospital wards, doctor's offices, patients' homes, etc.).

[0098] The single-light-emitting semiconductor laser 701 can be a GaN blue semiconductor laser module in a TO9 or TO56 package. The TO-packaged GaN blue semiconductor laser can operate in an environment with a shell temperature of up to 65°C. The GaN-based semiconductor laser module 111 that emits visible light takes advantage of its high power conversion efficiency, i.e., low heat dissipation and high operating ambient temperature, allowing a non-temperature-controlled water-air exchanger to dissipate heat into the air. Although a liquid cooler can be used to stabilize the coolant temperature, multiple non-temperature-controlled water-air cooling methods can significantly reduce the noise of the surgical system, thereby providing a quiet environment in the operating room.

[0099] The semiconductor laser module 111 can be cooled and temperature-regulated by one or more TE cooling (TEC) devices or liquid coolers. On the one hand, all-solid-state, air-cooled TEC devices can eliminate any liquid-related unreliability in surgical laser systems. On the other hand, liquid coolers can make the physical size of surgical laser systems more compact.

[0100] In some embodiments, the surgical system includes a semiconductor laser module 111 encapsulated in a fiber-coupled assembly, a free-space coupled assembly, or a combination of fiber-coupled and free-space coupled assemblies, as well as a fiber-optic output assembly 500, a power assembly 300, a cooling assembly, and an electronic control assembly 200. Laser light can be output at a predetermined wavelength and output power. The fiber-optic output assembly 500 transmits laser light to the patient's soft tissue to ablate the target tissue. The semiconductor laser module 111 can emit visible laser light, such as violet 405±5 nm laser light, green 520±20 nm laser light, or other visible laser light. The fiber-optic output assembly 500 includes an optical fiber. In some cases, the end face of the optical fiber includes a forward-emitting end or a side-emitting end, each end being provided with an active cleaning assembly that allows positive-pressure fluid 800 to wash out tissue debris during laser ablation. The power assembly 300 can receive external input power, which is partially or fully supplied to the surgical system. The cooling assembly can cool various heat sources during operation. The electronic control assembly 200 can control the operating states of various components and parts of the surgical system.

[0101] The semiconductor laser module 111 can be various high-power fiber-coupled or free-space-coupled semiconductor lasers, wherein the single-light-point semiconductor laser 701 has different packaging methods (for example, TO packaging, COS packaging, C-mount packaging, etc.), and the multi-light-point semiconductor laser 702 can be a bar package. The semiconductor laser module 111 may also include a power supply component, a control component, a wavelength selection control component, and a cooling component. The laser generating component can generate lasers of one or more predetermined wavelengths. The power supply component can supply power to the laser generating component, and the electronic control component 200 ensures that the laser is output from the source at a predetermined output power. The wavelength control module 290 can work with the laser generating component and the power component 300 to generate the laser wavelength required for tissue ablation and / or for tissue coagulation. In some cases, the output wavelengths of tissue ablation and tissue coagulation are different. The cooling component ensures that the laser output is stable and reliable.

[0102] As another embodiment, using a high-power fiber-coupled or / and free-space-coupled visible light semiconductor laser module 111 emitting visible light with a power exceeding 100W, the blue semiconductor laser module 111 does not dissipate as much energy as heat as other conventional visible light laser systems of similar output power. Other visible light laser systems for soft tissue ablation typically use solid-state crystals as laser gain media (e.g., neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG)). Heat generated as a byproduct of electro-optical conversion requires extensive cooling systems to ensure the laser system is not damaged by the excessive heat. However, the cooling components in the high-power fiber-coupled or / and free-space-coupled visible light semiconductor laser module 111, particularly the fiber-coupled blue semiconductor laser module 111, are maintained at a safe operating temperature using a low-capacity liquid cooler, such as multiple non-temperature-controlled water-to-air heat exchangers, small temperature-controlled coolers, or multiple TEC temperature control devices. This reduces surgical system noise and optimizes overall size and weight, making the system more convenient to use.

[0103] The first laser assembly 110 of the present invention is composed of one or more fiber-coupled or / and free-space-coupled semiconductor laser modules 111. The wavelength from the semiconductor laser module 111 can be a visible light wavelength or a combination of visible light and near-infrared wavelengths. To achieve higher optical output power, each fiber-coupled or / and free-space-coupled semiconductor laser module 111 also includes two or more single-light-emitting semiconductor lasers 701, or / and one or more multi-light-emitting semiconductor lasers 702 with predetermined wavelengths. Through spatial multiplexing, polarization combining, or / and wavelength multiplexing, the laser beam is injected into a single optical fiber with a core diameter of less than 600 μm, or directly injected into a disposable surgical optical fiber with a core diameter of less than 1000 μm.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first laser assembly 110 may include one or more fiber-coupled or / and free-space-coupled semiconductor laser modules 111 and one or more pulse control modules 230. The first laser assembly 110 can generate one or more high-power lasers of predetermined wavelengths by combining the fiber-coupled semiconductor laser modules 20 into a single output. The pulse control module 230 adjusts the pump current in a pulsed or other pattern to modulate the laser output into a temporal characteristic, and can provide laser pulses at a predetermined frequency and predetermined pulse width. The electronic control assembly 200 can control the peak power and average power of the laser. By controlling the energy of the visible light laser pulse, the surgeon can precisely ablate soft tissue when needed. With a visible light laser pulse peak power greater than 400W, a pulse width less than 5ms, and a duty cycle less than 20%, the surgical laser system can break up common urinary stones.

[0105] In some embodiments of the present invention, visible light semiconductor laser module 111 generates laser light without bulk optical components. Conventional solid-state laser systems require highly reflective bulk optical components to form a resonant cavity, such as using highly reflective body optical components to form the laser cavity and laser wavelength converter crystals such as potassium titanate phosphate (KTP) or lithium borate (LBO). The absence of these bulk optical components within the visible light semiconductor laser module 111 of the present invention can significantly improve the reliability of operating room systems.

[0106] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the accompanying drawings are intended to be illustrative only and are not intended to limit the present invention. The objectives of the present invention have been fully and effectively achieved. The functional and structural principles of the present invention have been demonstrated and illustrated in the embodiments. Any variations or modifications may be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the principles described.

Claims

1. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a light source (100), an optical fiber output component (500), an electronic control component (200), a power component (300), and a cooling and temperature control component (400); the light source (100) is used to emit visible light laser, or a combination of visible light laser and near-infrared laser; The optical fiber output assembly (500) is used to transmit the laser light emitted by the light source (100) to a target location; The electronic control component (200) is used to control the light source (100), the power component (300) and the cooling and temperature control component (400); The power component (300) is used to supply power to the light source (100), the electronic control component (200), and the cooling and temperature control component (400); The cooling and temperature control component (400) dissipates heat from the light source (100) by means of fluid-air cooling or air cooling.

2. According to claim 1, a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system further comprises an irrigation component (600); the irrigation component (600) is connected to the optical fiber output component (500) for generating positive pressure fluid.

3. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the light source (100) comprises a first laser component (110), a second laser component (120), a laser shaping component (140) and a first fiber coupler (150); The first laser assembly (110) is used to emit visible light laser or a combination of visible light laser and near-infrared laser; The second laser assembly (120) is used to emit visible light laser, and the laser power is not greater than 5 mW; The laser shaping component (140) is used to collimate and combine the lasers emitted by the first laser component (110) and the second laser component (120); The first optical fiber coupler (150) is used to couple the laser light emitted by the laser shaping component (140) to the optical fiber output component (500).

4. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to claim 3, wherein the first laser assembly (110) comprises one or more semiconductor laser modules (111), and the plurality of semiconductor laser modules (111) are combined by optical fiber or space; The semiconductor laser module (111) can emit visible light laser or a combination of visible light laser and near-infrared laser.

5. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to claim 4, wherein the semiconductor laser module (111) comprises a single-light-emitting-point semiconductor laser (701) and / or a multi-light-emitting-point semiconductor laser (702); The single-light-emitting-point semiconductor laser (701) and the multi-light-emitting-point semiconductor laser (702) are used to emit visible light laser or a combination of visible light laser and near-infrared laser.

6. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the light source (100) may further include a third laser assembly (130); The third laser assembly (130) is arranged in the same manner as the first laser assembly (110) and is used to emit near-infrared laser; The laser shaping component (140) can further collimate and combine the lasers emitted by the first laser component (110), the second laser component (120) and the third laser component (130), and the combining method can be optical fiber combining or spatial combining.

7. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the optical fiber output component (500) comprises an optical fiber (510); The optical fiber (510) is used to transmit laser light emitted by the light source (100); the end face of the optical fiber (510) may be a flat end face (511) perpendicular to the central axis, or an inclined end face (512) with an angle of 38±1° to the central axis.

8. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to claim 7, wherein the optical fiber output assembly (500) may further include a sleeve (520) and a protective tube (530); The sleeve (520) is arranged on the outside of the optical fiber (510), and a gap is left between the sleeve (520) and the optical fiber (510); The end surface of the optical fiber (510) is arranged in the protection tube (530).

9. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to claim 8, wherein the protection tube (530) comprises a small end (531), a large end (532) and a flow hole (533); The small end (531) extends into the sleeve (520) and is sleeved on the optical fiber (510); The large end (532) is adapted to the diameter of the sleeve (520) in the radial direction and is sealed and connected to the sleeve (520); The flow hole (533) is between the large end (532) and the small end (531), and is placed inside the sleeve (520).

10. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to claim 9, wherein the outer diameter of the large end (532) is ≤2.5 mm; The distance between the end face of the optical fiber (510) and the large end (532) is 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

11. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to claim 9, wherein the optical fiber output assembly (500) may further include a second reflector (550); The reflector (550) has an included angle of 30° to 60° with the central axis of the optical fiber (510), and is arranged in the protection tube (530) to reflect the laser transmitted by the optical fiber (510); The protection tube (530) may further include a light exit hole (534); The light exit hole (534) is located outside the sleeve (520) and is opposite to the second reflector (550).

12. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to claim 7, wherein the optical fiber output assembly (500) may further include a protective cap (570), a flexible water pipe (561), a rigid water pipe (560) and a fixed pipe (580); The protective cap (570) is made of glass or quartz material and is fixed on the optical fiber (510) to protect the optical fiber (510); The rigid water pipe (560) is closely attached to the side of the protective cap (570) and is used to transmit positive pressure fluid and flush the protective cap (570). The axial distance between the outlet of the rigid water pipe (560) and the position where the optical fiber (510) emits laser light is 1 mm to 2 mm. The flexible water pipe (561) is tightly connected to the rigid water pipe (560) for transmitting positive pressure fluid; The fixing tube (580) is used to fix the optical fiber (510), the protection cap (570), the rigid water tube (560) and the flexible water tube (571).

13. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the electronic control component (200) comprises a display control module (270), a main control board (210), a laser power control module (220), a pulse control module (230), a first monitoring module (240), a second monitoring module (250), an Internet of Things module (280) and a laser output switch (260); The display control module (270) is used to display and control the state parameters of the system; The laser power control module (220) is used to control the laser power output by the light source (100); The pulse control module (230) is used to control the laser mode output by the light source (100), and the output laser mode includes a continuous wave mode, a chopped pulse mode and a predetermined pulse mode; The first monitoring module (240) is used to monitor the laser power of the first laser assembly (110) and the third laser assembly (130); The second monitoring module (250) is used to monitor the working status of the laser shaping component (140) and the first optical fiber coupler (150); The IoT module (280) is used to provide communication between the system and a central computer or other IoT systems; The laser output switch (260) is used to control the on and off of the light source (100); The main control board (210) is used to control the working states of the power component (300) and the cooling and temperature control component (400).

14. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to claim 13, wherein the electronic control component (200) may further include a wavelength control module (290); The main control board (210) can be further used to control the working state of the wavelength control module (290); The wavelength control module (290) is used to adjust the wavelength of the laser emitted by the light source (100).

15. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the light source (100) emits visible light laser with a wavelength of 400 to 480 nm and a power range of 100 W to 250 W.

16. A semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the light source (100) can further emit near-infrared laser with a wavelength of 780 to 1600 nm and a power range of 30 W to 120 W.

17. According to a semiconductor laser-based soft tissue surgery system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, the light source (100) can further emit pulsed laser with a peak power of 400-1000W, a pulse width of 1-2ms, a duty cycle of 10-20%, and an average power of 30-120W.

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