GRIN Fiber Multi-Spot Laser Probe Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-spot laser probes for ophthalmic photocoagulation face challenges with thermal management, increased invasiveness due to distal fiber bending, and high costs associated with disposable components, including the risk of overheating and loose components inside the eye.
Innovation Solution
A surgical probe design featuring a long GRIN fiber with a cannula assembly and adapter system, where the GRIN fiber interface is outside the patient's eye, allowing for efficient heat dissipation and reducing the risk of mechanical failure, with a reusable adapter and cannula system to minimize disposable costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a GRIN lens is placed at the distal end of the probe to project multi-spot pattern onto the retina, then the desired distance and magnification are achieved, but thermal management becomes difficult due to heat accumulation at the distal end
Solution Approach 1:
The GRIN lens is extracted from the distal end of the probe and relocated to the proximal end, outside the patient's eye. This removes the heat-generating optical element from the constrained distal environment where heat accumulation occurs, while preserving its optical function for projecting the multi-spot pattern onto the retina at the desired distance and magnification.
2Area of stationary object
If the distal ends of fibers are bent into desired angular directions to distribute laser spots widely, then areal coverage is enhanced, but the probe diameter increases and invasiveness increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bending fibers in three-dimensional space at the distal end (which increases probe diameter), the invention uses a GRIN lens at the proximal end to achieve spot distribution through optical refraction and focal properties. This transforms the problem from a mechanical spatial arrangement to an optical solution, maintaining a slender probe profile while achieving wide areal coverage on the retina.
3Productivity
If a fiber bundle with GRIN lens is used to achieve multi-spot distribution, then therapy speed is increased, but the cost increases due to disposable components
Solution Approach 1:
The probe is segmented into disposable and reusable portions. The cannula and handpiece containing the GRIN lens are designed as reusable components that can be sterilized and reused across multiple procedures. Only the portion that enters the eye is disposable, thereby maintaining the productivity benefits of multi-spot therapy while significantly reducing the cost per procedure by reusing expensive optical components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances thermal robustness, reduces the risk of overheating and component dislodgment, and lowers procedure costs by using mostly reusable components, improving safety and accessibility of ophthalmic photocoagulation procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a surgical probe, according to embodiments of the present invention can include a cannula assembly, having a graded index (GRIN) fiber, configured to receive a multi spot beam at a proximal end and to emit the multi-spot light beam at a distal end
Implementation Method 2
an adapter, having a distal end, configured to receive the cannula assembly with the proximal end of the GRIN fiber, a proximal end, configured to couple to a light guide via a connector and to receive a light delivered by the light guide from a laser source to the adapter, and an interface, configured to couple the light delivered by the light guide to the proximal end of the GRIN fiber
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical probe includes a cannula assembly, having a graded index (GRIN) fiber that is configured to receive a multi-spot light beam at a proximal end and to emit the multi-spot light beam at a distal end; an adapter, having a distal end, configured to receive the cannula assembly, with the proximal end of the GRIN fiber, a proximal end, configured to couple to a light guide via a connector and to receive a light delivered by the light guide from a laser source to the adapter, and an interface, configured to couple the light delivered by the light guide to the proximal end of the GRIN fiber; wherein a length of the GRIN fiber is sufficiently long that the interface is outside a patient's eye during a photocoagulation procedure.