Process for cleaning and enlarging passages
US5116227A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 1, 1991 |
| Grant date | May 26, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 1, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2017/22008
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A process for cleaning and/or shaping passages, comprising providing an optical fiber having a diameter sufficiently small to be introduced into the passage and having a free end provided with a radiation focussing element; introducing the free end of the fiber into the passage so that the focal point defined by the radiation focussing element is located adjacent the region to be cleaned or shaped; providing a liquid in the passage at the location of the focal point of the radiation focussing element; and supplying pulses of laser radiation to the fiber so that the radiation exits the fiber via the free end to provoke a cavitation of vapor at the interior of the irrigating liquid.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.