Laser Enucleation of Prostate Vapor Bubble Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laser devices used in procedures like laser enucleation of the prostate (LEP) and laser ablation of the prostate (LAP) face issues with fiber burnback and optical energy loss due to vapor bubbles expanding and collapsing near the fiber tip and endoscope, leading to reduced treatment efficiency and increased wear on equipment.
Innovation Solution
The method involves generating a first vapor bubble around the fiber tip and a second, larger bubble distally of the endoscope and fiber tip, with controlled pulse timing and energy distribution to displace liquid and deliver energy effectively to the target tissue, reducing fiber and endoscope damage while enhancing tissue separation and ablation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If laser pulses are delivered in a liquid environment during LEP procedure, then optical energy can be delivered to target tissue, but vapor bubbles form and cause fiber burnback and optical energy loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic pulsed laser delivery with specific timing intervals between pulses. The pulse repetition rate is controlled to allow vapor bubbles to dissipate between pulses, preventing continuous energy loss while maintaining effective tissue treatment. This periodic action resolves the contradiction by delivering energy in controlled intervals rather than continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces irrigation fluid flow as an intermediary element that actively removes vapor bubbles from the treatment zone. The irrigation system acts as a mediator between the laser source and target tissue, clearing the optical path of bubbles that would otherwise cause energy loss and fiber damage.
2Productivity
If high energy laser pulses are used to improve tissue separation efficiency, then treatment effectiveness increases, but fiber burnback and endoscope wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary irrigation and bubble clearance actions before high-energy laser pulses are delivered. By pre-clearing the treatment zone of vapor bubbles through irrigation, the system enables safe delivery of high-energy pulses without the harmful effects of bubble-induced fiber burnback, thus maintaining both productivity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous irrigation fluid flow throughout the laser treatment process. This continuous action of fluid delivery and bubble removal ensures that high-energy laser pulses can be delivered continuously without interruption or damage, sustaining both treatment efficiency and equipment integrity throughout the procedure.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If vapor bubbles are allowed to expand and collapse near fiber tip, then some tissue ablation occurs, but optical energy is lost and fiber damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts vapor bubbles from the vicinity of the fiber tip through active irrigation and fluid flow. By removing bubbles from the harmful zone near the fiber before they can cause burnback, the system maintains the beneficial tissue ablation effects while eliminating the harmful fiber damage effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful vapor bubble formation into a beneficial process by controlling bubble dynamics. The laser energy that would otherwise cause harmful bubble-induced fiber damage is instead used to create controlled vaporization at the target tissue site, where the bubbles expand and collapse to enhance tissue ablation while irrigation prevents fiber damage.
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
This approach minimizes fiber burnback and endoscope wear, increases optical energy delivery to the target tissue, and improves the efficiency of tissue separation and ablation by strategically manipulating bubble formation and pulse repetition rates.
Implementation Method 1
a first vapor bubble is formed around the fiber tip and a second, larger bubble is formed distally of the endoscope and fiber tip
Implementation Method 2
Liquid environment tends to absorb optical energy and therefore may affect both, the adjacent liquid environment itself as well as the characteristics of the emitted laser beam
Implementation Method 3
vapor bubbles expanding and collapsing near the fiber tip and endoscope
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for the treatment of a target tissue with a laser beam in which the target tissue is immersed in a liquid medium within a body lumen. The laser device is configured to provide one or more laser pulses which are configured by a controller to have an energy sufficient to form one or more vapor bubbles in the liquid medium at the distal delivery end of the fiber. The one or more pulses are configured by the controller to: first, cause a vapor bubble to be formed distally of the distal end portion of the endoscope and around the distal delivery end of the optical fiber; second, cause a second bubble to be formed distally of the first bubble; and, third, inflate the second bubble as the first bubble has begun to collapse to expand an amount sufficient to displace a substantial portion of the liquid medium from the space between the distal delivery end of the fiber and the target tissue.