Laser process promises improved treatment for vein disease

The technique, which has been demonstrated by a team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM), could, it is claimed, be used to automate the production and improve the quality of the optical fibres that are used to treat various types of venous disease such as varicose veins or thrombosis.

Endovenous laser vein therapy typically uses a plastic-coated 0.5mm diameter optical fibre which is inserted into the affected blood vessel.

During the procedure, laser light is conducted through the middle of the fibre to the fibre tip, and at a temperature of several hundred degrees, the emitted light cauterizes the tissue and causes the veins to collapse.

To ensure that the light strikes the sidewalls of the vein directly, the fibre tip is tapered with a cone-shaped indentation that forms a reflective surface for the laser light. The process developed by the Fraunhofer team uses a laser specially developed for glass processing to precisely shape the tip.