Medical Applications of Fiber-Based Optical Power Delivery

Abstract

This paper reviews the current status of fiber-based optical power delivery for medicine and its applications to minimally invasive therapeutics and diagnostics. Quartz glass fibers, hollow fibers, and infrared glass/crystalline fibers are used for the power transmission of medical lasers. The characteristics of these fibers and fiber-based medical laser devices are described. For clinical applications, fibers are used in combinationwith catheters, endoscopes, or cannulas. Catheter-based applications include laser angioplasty, laser thrombolysis, and PTMR (Percutaneous Trans-Myocardial Revascularization). The endoscope allows the delivery of optical power not only for coagulation but also for tissue removal (ablation). Endoscopes for PDT (PhotoDynamic Therapy) are also developed. For cannula-based applications, PLDD (Percutaneous Laser Disk Decompression), ILCP (Interstitial Laser Coagulation of Prostate), and TUBAL-T (TransUrethral Balloon Thermotherapy) are described. For use in fiber-based optical biopsies, the principle and apparatus of a fluorescence imagingsystem for early cancer detection and an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) are introduced.