Optical device for intravascular low-power laser illumination

摘要

The treatment method presented in this paper is an adjunct to coronary angioplasty. It consists in irradiating a previously dilated artery with laser light which stimulates endothelium proliferation and reduces local inflammation [1]. The influence of 808 nm laser light on the endothelium was studied in vitro [2]. Because of the location of atherosclerotic plaques, illumination of the endothelium poses a problem. To overcome it, we have designed and built a laser set-up for homogeneous intravascular illumination in vivo.