59 results about "Photoablation" patented technology

A method of smoothing irregular corneal surfaces and removing protuberances from corneal surfaces by photoablative eximer laser keratectomy is provided. Collagen compositions for use in making collagen modulators useful in photoablative procedures are described. These compositions are applied to irregular corneal surfaces in sufficient amounts to at least fill in depressions or other irregularities on a corneal surface and are converted into a modulator, as a gel or polymerized film, prior to photoablation. The collagen modulators facilitate the photoablative smoothing of irregular corneal surfaces and protect adjacent corneal tissue from undesired photoablation.

A closed-loop control system for the intrastromal photoablation of tissue includes an active mirror for individually directing the component beams of a diagnostic laser beam to a focal point on the retina of an eye. The reflected beam is analyzed to identify a distorted wavefront indicative of required corneal corrections, and an induced wavefront indicative of optical aberrations introduced by bubbles formed during tissue ablation. A comparator alters the induced wavefront with a desired wavefront to create a rectified wavefront, and a comparator compares the rectified wavefront with the distorted wavefront to create error signals. The error signals are then used to operate the active mirror and to control an ablation laser until the absence of error signals indicate the required stromal tissue has been photoablated.

A method and delivery system are disclosed for creating an aqueous flow pathway in the trabecular meshwork, juxtacanalicular trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal of an eye for reducing elevated intraocular pressure. Pulsed laser radiation is delivered from the distal end of a fiber-optic probe sufficient to cause photoablation of selected portions of the trabecular meshwork, the juxtacanalicular trabecular meshwork and an inner wall of Schlemm's canal in the target site. The fiber-optic probe may be advanced so as to create an aperture in the inner wall of Schlemm's canal in which fluid from the anterior chamber of the eye flows. The method and delivery system may further be used on any tissue types in the body.

A method and device for photoablation is disclosed wherein photoablation occurs along the interface between a material having a lower energy ablation threshold and a material having a higher energy ablation threshold. The method and device utilize a laser beam having a beam energy density which is less than the higher energy ablation threshold and greater than or equal to the lower energy ablation threshold. By directing such a laser beam to the interface, the material having the lower energy threshold is photoablated while the material having the higher energy threshold is largely unaffected.

A Computer Assisted and Robot-Guided Laser Osteotome (CARLO) medical device (1) for perforating hard tissue, having a photoablation laser source (31) mounted in a robotic arm (2), and optical system (37) for focusing a laser beam in a target plane of the ostetomy line featuring an autotracking navigation system (8).

The present invention addresses the treatment of ocular conditions by the enhancement of lens regeneration. This is accomplished by the administration of a high viscosity composition including a hyaluronic acid compound and laser photoablation. Excess high viscosity composition may be removed by focal laser photophacoablation. Additionally, a collagen product may be injected within the lens capsule to improve lens cell proliferation and differentiation, and to improve the configuration, shape and structure of regenerated lenses. Various embodiments involving the enhancement of lens regeneration are described. For example, lens regeneration may be enhanced by filling the lens capsule bag with the inventive hyaluronic acid compound; by inserting at least one collagen patch in the lens capsule; and/or by injecting a collagen-based product into the lens capsule.

A system and method for performing ophthalmic surgery requires splitting a laser beam into a pattern having a plurality of focal points. The pattern is then moved along a spiral path according to a predetermined, two-phase protocol. In the first phase, a radial spacing “Δr” between spiral lines, and the velocity of the pattern “rω” are held constant as the radius “r” is decreased from r₁ to r₂. In the second phase the angular velocity “ω” is held constant and the radial spacing “Δr” is proportionally increased as “r” is further decreased from r₂ to r₃. Additional LIOB is required both inside r₃, as r is reduced to zero and, then, along the periphery of the treatment area for a rim cut at r₁.

A turbulence-controlled vacuum debris removal subsystem safely exhausts particles ejected during photoablation. Nested interconnected chambers provide diminishing sweeping gas partial pressure and diminishing turbulence, ejecting particles from the ablation beam path between pulses, without compromising continuing particle conductance. Removal rate (debris generation rate) depends on conductance and particle sizes. The chambers interconnect through metering holes which enable optimization of partial pressure differentials. Controlled flow accomplishes debris removal, reducing turbulence of the mixture of debris and sweeping gases. A preferred embodiment uses a nest of concentric chambers, providing a clear light path. Another preferred embodiment uses orifices on chamber faces for removal and forming an envelope of gas around the processing region for dynamically containing the ejected particulate matter from the ablation site to the exhaust.

The present invention provides a method for ablating a presbyopic lens for restoring accommodation in human eye and a system thereof wherein a laser beam is directed obliquely to carry out multiple photoablations in circular way within the lens behind the iris and preferably near the edge or equator of the lens and/or in the vicinity of zonules to re-establish accommodation of the lens lost due to presbyopia.

Device for dentistry treatments having a photodiagnosis unit for performing photodiagnosis of a portion of gingival tissue, a temperature measurement unit for measuring the temperature of the portion of gingival tissue, a photoablation unit for performing photoablation of part of the portion of gingival tissue, a phototherapy unit for performing photodynamic and/or photoinductive therapy of the portion of gingival tissue, a control unit configured to acquire, by means of the photodiagnosis unit and the temperature measurement unit, information relative to the state of the portion of gingival tissue, and to control operation of the photoablation and phototherapy units according to the information acquired.

The invention provides a catheter for optical ablation of tissue in a living body, the catheter including: a distal end; a proximal end; an elongate catheter body coupled between the distal end and the proximal end; a light emission device at the distal end and configured to emit an ablation light having characteristics selected to regulate an optically regulatable transcription control element operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence for a gene product, the expression of which gene product in cells directly or indirectly kills cells; and a projection control mechanism coupled to the light emission device and configured to control an effectively illuminated area where the optically regulatable transcription control element is effectively regulatable by the ablation light projected from the light emission device. Also provided is a system which includes the catheter, and methods to prevent, inhibit or treat AF which employ an expression cassette and/or one or more selected wavelengths of light.

A system and method for performing ophthalmic laser surgery requires directing a laser beam through a stationary beam splitter to create a pattern of multi-focal spots. Also, a beam scanner is used to move this pattern along a substantially spiral path in a target area of tissue. To compensate for cyclical changes in orientation of the pattern relative to its spiral path, a computer is used to phase modulate pattern movement. Specifically, this phase modulation is expressed as:

v′=v(1+F sin(nθ))

where v is a variable (e.g. angular speed, line spacing, or z-spacing), v′ is the phase modulated variable, F is a magnitude factor for phase modulation control, n is an integer, and θ is an angular position of the pattern during phase modulation.

A closed-loop control system for altering the optical characteristics of a patient's cornea includes an algorithm for predicting the shape of the cornea after one or more gas bubbles resulting from intrastromal photoablation have collapsed. Patient data can be used as an input for the algorithm, which is then run to prepare an initial treatment plan for a corneal alteration. The initial plan typically includes a plurality of intrastromal photoablation locations and corresponding ablation energies. After photoablation of plan location(s) and before the resulting bubbles collapse, a real-time wavefront shape for light passing through the cornea is measured. The wavefront is then used in the algorithm to predict a post bubble collapse cornea shape and to generate an updated treatment plan. The procedure then continues by ablating location(s) identified in the updated treatment plan. Wavefront measurement and plan updating can be repeated as many times as desired.

Low mass-per-unit-area plastic film, preferably polyimide, prepared by a process of controlled treating of a supply of plastic film, possibly with one surface reflectively coated, at a microlithography workstation with included photoablation optics. This treatment achieves significant controlled removal of material in a selected pattern by providing relative motion between untreated plastic film and the workstation's photoablation optics while controlling photoablation of a pattern in the film. The material has a significant quantity of the mass of its plastic removed by photoablation, leaving a tessellated pattern of ridges surrounding individual wells. The resulting low-mass, rip-resistant film retains the general attributes of a large-area plastic film. The treated film also retains its reflective surface, on which amorphous silicon may be deposited. The silicon may be thereafter crystallized, utilizing the same optics, and used for fabrication of microelectronics.

A system and method are provided for minimizing the adverse effects of any optical aberrations, and particularly higher order aberrations, that may be introduced into an eye during the correction of a visual defect by photoablation (i.e. removal) of corneal tissue. In accordance with the present invention, after a predetermined time interval following the photoablation of tissue (e.g. about two weeks), the eye is evaluated for aberrations. Laser Induced Optical Breakdown (LIOB) is then performed on intrastromal tissue, as needed, to correct for the introduced aberrations.

A system for spatially stabilizing a base point on the optical axis of a patient's eye, for photoablation of the cornea, includes an optical element for identifying the base point. The system also includes an illumination source which is a fixation point for the eye. Movement of the illumination source induces a saccadic movement of the eye wherein the optical axis of the eye moves from a first orientation to a second orientation. Following the saccadic movement of the eye there is a latency period during which the base point, and hence the eye, is substantially stabilized. Movement of the light source is timed to coincide the latency period with the resting period of the patient's heartbeat sequence, and the relaxation period of the patient's respiration cycle. During the latency period, photoablation is accomplished by directing a train of laser pulses from a laser source into the corneal tissue.