CONDUCTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENT

摘要

A device having an optical element with a conductive coating. The device may include an optical element, a conductive material and at least one connector. The conductive material is disposed on at least a portion of the optical element. The optical element, for example, may be an object lens of an endoscope or an optical coupler. The connectors (acting as terminal(s)) are capable of providing energy (such as electrical energy) to the conductive material. In one aspect, the conductive material is an optically transparent material. Advantageously, the device may allow visualization of an object—such as body tissue or other matter—concurrent with the application of energy to the object via the conductive coating. This allows the user to observe the alteration of tissue and other matter in real time as the energy is delivered.

主权项

1. An endoscopic device comprising:
an optical element for use with an image capture device; a conductive material disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface of the optical element; and at least one connector configured to provide energy to the conductive material to create a tissue effect, wherein the tissue effect is a member selected from the group consisting essentially of desiccating, denaturing, cauterizing, cutting, and coagulating tissue, as energy is transmitted across the conductive material to tissue, and wherein the conductive material is configured for receiving energy from the connector and transmitting energy to a tissue disposed adjacent or in contact with the conductive material.