Apparatus, system and method for providing laser steering and focusing for incision, excision and ablation of tissue in minimally-invasive surgery

Abstract

Provided and described herein are exemplary embodiments of apparatus, system, computer-accessible medium, procedure and method according to the present disclosure which can be used for providing laser steering and focusing for, e.g., incision, excision and/or ablation of tissue in minimally-invasive surgery. For example, an exemplary apparatus is provided that can include at least one optical element which can be configured to refract and/or diffract light provided in a structure which can be configured to be inserted into a body, where at least one of the optical element(s) is structured to receive the light at a first angle and generate a refracted and/or diffracted light at a second angle which can be different from the first angle relative to an optical axis. According to a particular exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an exemplary actuating arrangement can be provided, which can be configured to control the optical element(s), can be provided and situated at least partially within the at least one structure.

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 at least one optical element which is configured to at least one of refract or diffract at least one light; and   at least one structure which is configured to be inserted into a body, wherein the at least one optical element is provided in the at least one structure, and wherein the at least one optical element is structured to receive the at least one light at one first angle, and generate at least one refracted or diffracted light at a second angle which is different from the first angle relative to an optical axis.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one light is a laser light. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the second angle is uniform. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one optical element is at least one of a plurality of optical elements, a prism or a grating, and wherein (i) at least two of the optical elements are structured to generate the at least one retracted or diffracted light, or (ii) the grating at least one of (a) has a variable spatial frequency, (b) is an acoustooptical grating, or (c) is a fixed grating. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the fixed grating is at least one of a holographic transmission grating or a blazed grating. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an actuating arrangement which is configured to control the at least one optical element to change the second angle of the at least one refracted or diffracted light, wherein the actuating arrangement is situated at least partially within the at least one structure. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the actuating arrangement is further configured to control the at least one optical element to change the second angle of the at least one refracted or diffracted light and a uniform third angle of the at least one refracted or diffracted light which is different from the uniform second angle. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the actuating arrangement is controlled at least one of (i) manually, mechanically, electrically, electromechanically or remotely, or (ii) at least partially by a mechanical arrangement. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a fiber optic configuration which is configured to provide the at least one light there through, wherein the fiber optic configuration is configured to deliver the at least one light to the at least one optical element. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one lens which is optically associated with the at least one optical element, wherein the at least one optical element is a plurality of optical elements, and wherein the at least one lens is provided in an optical path between (i) the optical elements, or (ii) between the at least one optical element and the fiber optic configuration. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one lens is provided after the at least one optical element in an optical path. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an arrangement which is configured to provide the at least one light and which is controlled so as to modify a depth of a delivery of the at least one refracted or diffracted light to a target tissue in the at least one structure, wherein the further-arrangement includes at least one of an ablation laser, an incision laser or an excision laser. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a receiving arrangement which is structured to be provided in the body and configured to receive at least one further light from a target tissue in the at least one structure, wherein (i) the at least one further light is a visual light or (ii) the receiving arrangement includes at least one light detector, and (i) wherein the at least one light detector is at least one of a charged-coupled device (CCD), a fiberoptic bundle or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) detector, or (ii) further comprising an additional arrangement which is configured to provide the at least one further light to the target tissue and which is structured to be situated within the body. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the receiving arrangement is configured to provide at least one image of the target tissue, and further comprising a particular arrangement which facilitates a visual control of an application of the at least one light by at least one of (i) a user control or (ii) automatically. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an external configuration which is configured to deliver the at least one light to the at least one structure, and situated externally from the body, and
 (i) wherein the external configuration; (a) is further configured to control frequencies of the at least one light at least one of sequentially in time or at the same time, or (b) comprises a tunable laser arrangement or   (ii) further comprising at least one dispersive element configured to at least one of deflect or reflect the at least one light at a particular wavelength dependent angle in a radial direction during a rotation of the at least one dispersive element to move the at least one light in a rotational motion, wherein at least one of:
 (i) the external configuration is further configured to vary the wavelength of the at least one light so as to move the at least one light radially, or 
 (ii) the at least one dispersive element is further configured to be rotated so as to move the at least one light. 
   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one light has a plurality of first beams, and the at least one refracted or diffracted light has a plurality of second beams, and further comprising:
 a first optical arrangement which is configured to provide the first beams to the at least one optical element at the first angle; and   a second optical arrangement which is configured to receive the second beams at the second angle, and converge the second beams.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a light propagating arrangement which is configured to provide the at least one light toward the at least one optical element at the first angle; and   an actuating arrangement which is configured to control the light propagating arrangement to change a position thereof within the at least one structure to change the first angle.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the actuating arrangement includes at least one magnet arrangement. 
     
     
         19 - 37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . A computer-accessible medium, which has stored thereon computer executable instructions for providing laser steering and focusing, which, when executed by a hardware processing arrangement, configure the hardware processing arrangement to:
 define a pattern to irradiate at least one section in a body; and   control at least one optical element provided in a housing to at least one of refract or diffract at least one light based on the pattern, wherein the housing is structured to be inserted into the body.   
     
     
         39 - 42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . A process for at least one of steering or focusing a laser on or to a target tissue within a body, comprising:
 locating the target tissue within the body from a position within the body;   establishing a position of the device relative to the target tissue using a particular arrangement that has a housing that is inserted into the body;   generating control data by at least one of (i) tracing over an image of the tissue a path to be cut with at least one electro-magnetic radiation, (ii) defining an area to be effected by the at least one electro-magnetic radiation, or (iii) controlling the position of the at least one electro-magnetic radiation in real time; and   with at least one actuating arrangement provided in the housing, controlling at least one optical element provided in the housing, based on the control data, to at least one of refract or diffract at least one light.   
     
     
         44 . (canceled)