An optical valvulotome having a replaceable blade head for in situ cutting of venous valves has a catheter that can be pushed through a vein. An anchor is attached to the catheter, and a cutting head can be releasably engaged with the anchor to cut the valves as the catheter is pushed through the vein. The cutting head has two spaced apart cutting blades that form a light passageway between the blades. An optical fiber is disposed in the catheter for collecting light from the light passageway be...

A nail for fixing the position and shape of broken long bones is provided. The nail has a shank having a central main body and longitudinal chamber-like expansion elements attached to the central main body which are expandable while in situ. The expansion elements run substantially the length of the shank and are preferably arranged substantially equiangularly around the central main body. When the expansion elements are expanded, a cross-section of the central main body is expanded. The central...

A process is described for changing the curvature of the cornea in which the light of a light source is focused in the cornea with a wavelength of approximately 1.5 .mu.m to 6 .mu.m so that the collagenic tissue shrinks selectively. The invention is characterized in that the light is applied continuously at such a power that, although a temperature is reached which leads to irreversible coagulations of the collagenic tissue, the temperature within the coagulated region rises to values at which t...

In a hand-held unit (1) with a housing (2), with a light conductor (3) held in the housing (2), particularly for the dental treatment with laser light, and with a flushing means (4) directing liquid in the region of the operating point of the laser light beam, it is provided that the flushing means (4) produces a bundled liquid jet (6), and that the laser light beam (8) is coupled into the liquid jet (6).

A fiberoptic diffuser for photodynamic therapy applications comprises an optical fiber having a light transmitting core, cladding about the core, and a buffer layer about the cladding. The distal end portion of the fiber core is free from the cladding and buffer layer, and the exposed distal end of the core has a conical configuration. A cap extends about the distal end portion of the fiber and has a spheroidal end portion of light diffusing material which extends about the exposed conical end o...

The present invention provides an energy delivery device for use with a medical treatment system for the more efficacious treatment of patients during laser surgery which limits the number of uses or prevents reuse of the energy delivery device after a certain threshold limit has been reached. The energy delivery device comprises a diffusing optical fiber and a memory device having data programmed therein and being operatively connected to an energy generator the optical fiber includes a tempera...

A cement plug for sealing the medullary canal of a bone to restrict the flow of cement, debris, etc. beyond a predetermined point in the canal. The cement plug, which is executed in a biocompatible plastic, comprises (1) a tubular body that is a slit axially at three or more locations to define resilient fingers, (2) an obturator plate located at the upper end of the body, (3) a tapered conical plug that can be advanced through the lower end of the body and intot he interior thereof, and (4) a t...

An intervertebral implant consisting of a disc-shaped spacer made of rigid material and insertable between opposed and adjacent vertebrae in which the opposing sides (1, 2) of the implant bordering the vertebrae are circular discs and have a central raised dome (3 or 4) and roof-shaped projections thereon (5 or 6).

A device treats skin by radiation. The device has a housing accommodating a radiation source and having an exit opening for the radiation. The device activates the radiation source only if the presence of skin immediately in front of the exit opening is detected. The radiation source cannot be activated if the exit opening is not covered.

An optical fiber device for forming channels within a wall of a patient's heart, and particularly the epicardium, which has an elongated optical fiber, a probe tip secured to the distal end of the optical fiber and an outer support tube secured to the proximal portion of the probe tip and a distal portion of the optical fiber proximal to the probe tip. A handle is described for a flexible optical fiber device which greatly facilitates delivery of the distal end of the optical fiber device to a d...