Research Project
2100915
DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from applicant's abstract) To date, practitioners have had few choices for fiberoptic systems that can deliver high power laser radiation in a distributed pattern to remote anatomical locations. A new generation of diffusing tips has been designed, and tested, in in vitro and in vivo studies, that will provide exciting new optical tools for minimally invasive medicine. The inherent flexibility of the design allows us to tailor their characteristics to optimize their emission patterns and mechanical properties to make them suitable to a wide range of applications in photomedicine. The ability to distribute high laser power (5-100 watts) uniformly, in a cylindrical geometry, in lengths that vary from 5-35 mm., will open new vistas in the treatment of benign and malignant disease. Equally important is the ability to uniformly distribute low or moderate laser power through small diameter (<400 um) diffusers, as remote and tortuous treatment sites can be accessed. Specifically, these tips have applications in photocoagulation, and in photodynamic and/or hyperthermia therapy. Further in vitro, preclinical animal and clinical studies are proposed to optimize the device geometry, dosimetry, as well as demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the systems for treatment of prostatic diseases, liver cancer, and in photodynamic therapies. Additionally, an extra feature will be added by implementing an infrared detecting shutoff circuit.
