JPS6125544A - Laser medical optical fiber applicator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an optical fiber applicator for a laser endoscope, particularly an improved intra-laser applicator that enables diagnosis or treatment of an affected area.
[Regarding an optical fiber applicator for use]

[Prior Art] Laser endoscopes are mainly used to discover and treat cancers and ulcers within body cavities.
After a certain period of time, argon laser light (514,5 nm) or selected dye laser light (
630ni) 11)J Then, cancer is detected using the phenomenon that only cancer cells emit fluorescence at a specific wavelength. Then, the discovered cancer cells are irradiated with an argon laser or a dye laser beam (405 nm) with a different wavelength from the dye laser beam used to discover the cancer. Attempts are being made to simultaneously perform diagnosis and treatment using a single endoscopic device.

In recent years, treatments for cancer and ulcers include photocoagulation using an Nd-YAG laser and photochemical reaction using the aforementioned argon laser or dye laser. Near-infrared light with a wavelength of 106 μm is used, and this laser light has a low absorption rate for water, so it can be used relatively deep in the human body (approximately 51 Ill).
This treatment uses the protein coagulation effect of this thermal effect to stop the activity of cancer cells and kill them, and also uses the frontal and sterilizing effects of the thermal effect to heal ulcers. It is also a law.

On the other hand, the latter is a treatment that uses an argon laser or a dye laser to cause a photochemical reaction to cause necrosis of cancer cells as described above, and both are used as effective treatments for cancer.

However, even when using an argon laser or a dye laser, or even when using a YAG laser that can treat relatively deep areas, the laser beam reaches 13 meters into the affected tissue.
There is a natural limit, and even if the pulse peak value of the pulsed laser beam is increased, the laser beam cannot effectively reach the deep annular tissue, and even if the superficial affected tissue is healed, the deep affected tissue cannot be effectively reached. The problem was that it could not be cured.

Furthermore, as is clear from the conventional 81 optical fiber shown in Fig. 4, the laser irradiation port at the tip of the optical fiber is cut almost perpendicularly to the optical axis, so the divergence angle is small, and therefore, one The drawback was that the treatment range by irradiation was narrow. Furthermore, since the irradiation area of the vertical cutting irradiation port is small and the light emission distribution is uneven, the energy density locally becomes extremely high, and as the treatment progresses, tissue and white liquid are scorched and the irradiation port It had the disadvantage of being attached to it.

``Object of the Invention'' The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a laser beam that can uniformly irradiate a wide range of tissues without burning tissue, and can perform deep treatment. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber applicator for an endoscope.

[Structure of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a laser endoscope for performing diagnosis or treatment using laser light, in which an optical fiber that guides the laser light has a conical needle-shaped projection at the light exit tip. It is characterized by consisting of a conical end formed as J.

[Example 1 Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which the endoscope applicator 10 has approximately
A guide pipe 12 with an outer diameter of 0111 mφ is provided protruding from 3 to 5111111 as shown in the figure.
! An optical fiber 14 is movably inserted into the guide pipe 12.

A characteristic feature of the present invention is that the tip of the optical fiber 14, which is the laser beam irradiation port, is formed with a conical needle-like protrusion. As shown in FIG. 1, the conical end 14a is formed to provide a wide range of irradiation angles and facilitate puncturing into the affected area Jljli. In the embodiment, the tip of the optical fiber 14a inserted into the tissue can reach a depth of about 30III from the tissue surface.

In addition, in the embodiment, the optical fiber 14 has a refractive index characteristic of a focusing type (GI type) quartz optical fiber (composition).
The Gl type optical fiber is formed so that the refractive index distribution state from the axle to the outer wall of the fiber changes continuously, and uniform irradiation over a wide area can be achieved by appropriately setting the cone angle1). It is possible to configure it so that it can be obtained. A polymer coating 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the GI-shaped stone tip optical fiber 4 to protect the optical fiber 14 at the conical end 14a.
It is set up to expose the

When actually diagnosing and treating gastric cancer using the device of this example,
First, a hematoporphyrin derivative is administered to the patient by intravenous injection one day before the test, and the applicator 10 of the laser endoscope is inserted into the stomach and the laser beam is directed onto the stomach wall to perform the test for gastric cancer. It will be done.

In this case, since the tip 14 of the optical fiber is conical, it is possible to irradiate a wide range of laser beams, and cancer tissue into which hematoporphyrin derivatives have been incorporated can be found more easily than with conventional devices.

After a cancerous tissue is discovered, the wavelength of the laser beam is switched to a wavelength (405 nn+) at which a photochemical reaction occurs and the cancerous tissue is irradiated with the laser beam, thereby causing necrosis of the cancerous cells on the surface. In this case as well, the laser beam can be irradiated over a wider area at once compared to the conventional device, and in the example, since the GI type optical fiber is provided, a uniform irradiation density distribution over a wide area from circle 1@14a can be achieved. As a result, cancer treatment can be performed efficiently in a short period of time.

If cancerous tissue is present in a deep area, the guide vibrator 12 at the tip of the applicator 10 may be lightly pressed against the surface of the tissue, as shown in FIG. The quartz optical fiber 14 is punctured to the required depth. As a result, the conical end 14a of the optical fiber reaches deep cancer tissue, making it possible to treat cancer with laser light.

Further, by providing the surface of the conical end 14a with a surface treatment 1!116a@ so as to reduce reflection loss in the living tissue, efficient light irradiation in the living tissue becomes possible.

In addition, as mentioned above, since the laser beam is uniformly emitted from the enlarged light exit surface, there is no possibility of scorched blood or tissue from sticking due to local focusing at the light exit end surface, making it effective. Light irradiation can be performed stably even within living tissue.

Further, as described above, since the polymer coating 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the quartz optical fiber 14, the optical fiber 1
The guide vibrator 4 can be freely moved within the guide vibrator 12 without damaging the optical fiber 14, and light leakage problems due to mechanical damage to the optical fiber 14 are prevented.

Furthermore, since the refractive index of this polymer layer is smaller than that of the quartz fiber, the refractive index is 8! Even when laser irradiation is performed with the tip of the optical fiber bent at a steep angle by mirror operation, it is possible to eliminate light leakage or fiber burnout at the core.

The present invention is applicable not only to treatment by photochemical reaction, but also to treatment by G laser to NCI-Y.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, since the tip of the optical fiber is made into a conical needle-like protrusion, it can be easily punctured into the living body's gill, and the firing can be performed uniformly over a wide range without burning. Laser light irradiation is now possible, especially for deep treatment of cancer.
It can contribute to the early detection and treatment of cancer and ulcers using laser endoscopy.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the conical end of the optical fiber according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship of the optical fiber in the applicator, and Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the surface treatment layer and the conical end of the optical fiber. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the polymer coating on the outer periphery of the optical fiber, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the tip of the optical fiber of a conventional device. 10... Applicator 12... Guide vibrator 14... Quartz optical fiber 14a... Conical end 16... Polymer coating 16a... Surface treatment layer.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A laser endoscope that performs diagnosis or treatment using laser light, characterized in that the light emitting tip of the optical fiber that guides the laser light consists of a conical end formed as a conical needle-like protrusion. Optical fiber applicator for laser endoscopes. (2) In the device described in claim (1), the optical fiber has a converging type (GI type) refractive index characteristic, and the laser beam can be irradiated from the conical end with a uniform irradiation density distribution. Features: Optical fiber applicator for laser endoscopes. (3) In the device according to claims (1) and (2), a surface treatment layer having a desired refractive index is formed on the surface of the conical end, so that light emitted from the conical end can be controlled even within living tissue. An optical fiber applicator for laser endoscopes that enables irradiation with little reflection loss.