Infrared hollow optical fibers and their applications in medicine

Yi Wei Shi*, Yuji Matsuura, Katsumasa Iwai, Masashi Endo, Takashi Katagiri, Mitsunobu Miyagi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Techniques for coating hollow glass fibers with layers of silver and cyclic olefin polymer have been developed for low-loss delivery of infrared laser light as well as a visible pilot beam. They have yielded losses of only 0.2 dB/m for Er:YAG and CO2 laser light and only 0.7 dB/m for red LD laser light. Debris is kept from entering the hollow output end of a fiber by hermitically sealing it with a quartz cap, and various focusing effects in both air and water have been obtained by controlling distal-end geometry of the caps during fabrication. Controlled focus patterns of Er:YAG laser light with an output energy of more than 400 mJ and a 10-Hz repetition rate have been delivered in saline through the fibers with sealing caps. Calculi were fragmented in vitro by using a hollow fiber with a sealing cap. It has been shown that Er:YAG laser combined with an effective delivery system could be used for minimally invasive calculi fragmentation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)298-306
Number of pages9
JournalProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume5449
DOIs
StatePublished - 2004
EventLaser and Laser Information Technologies - Smolyan, Bulgaria
Duration: 2003/09/272003/10/01

Keywords

  • Calculus fragmentation
  • Cyclic olefin polymer
  • End-sealing
  • Hollow fiber
  • Infrared lasers
  • Pilot beams

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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