BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified overall view of a laparoscopic laser system made according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a graph of wavelength versus absorption coefficient for water and oxyhemoglobin;
FIG. 3 is a simplified view showing both irrigating liquid and laser light extending along a laser energy path from the distal end of the body of the device of FIG. 1 to a target tissue site;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the distal end of the body of FIG. 3,
FIG. 5 is a simplified overall view of an alternative embodiment of the laparoscopic laser device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4 of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the irrigation pathway is generally coaxial with and surrounds the exit of a laser energy delivery element;
FIG. 7 is a view similar set of FIG. 3 of an alternative embodiment using a side firing laser energy delivery element;
FIG. 7A is a simplified partial side view of a further alternative embodiment of the laparoscopic laser device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a simplified diagram of a diode pumped, solid-state laser system producing over 100 Watts frequency converted output power;
FIG. 9 is a graph of absorption efficiency versus wavelength for pump energy sources in an Nd:YAG gain medium;
FIG. 10 illustrates one end of a gain medium in a system such as described with reference to FIG. 8;
FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of the distribution of pump energy at one end of the gain medium for a system such as described with reference to FIG. 8;
FIG. 12 illustrates in intensity profile on at least one dimension of the pump energy delivered to one end of the gain medium for a system such as described with reference to FIG. 8; and
FIG. 13 is a heuristic diagram illustrating operational characteristics of the system of FIG. 8.
Patent Application
20070185474
