ELONGATED INTERVENTIONAL DEVICE WITH VARIABLE STIFFNESS

摘要

An elongated device, e.g. an interventional guide wire or catheter, comprises an optical fiber (OF) arranged to allow transmission of light to phase change material (PCM) arranged long the elongated device, for optically heating the phase change material (PCM) to change its stiffness from one stiffness value to a different stiffness value. Using distributed tilted or blazed Bragg gratings with light wavelength dependent unique grating periods along the optical fiber, it is possible to provide a guide wire or catheter which can be stiffness controlled at selected longitudinal portions. Especially, it may be preferred to be able to control the behavior of the tip of a guide wire or catheter for optimal navigation, e.g. during a FEVAR procedure. Portions of phase change material (PCM-1, PCM 2) arranged inside a tube material T_M can be activated at selected longitudinal parts of the elongated device.

主权项

1. An elongated device comprising:
a phase change material arranged along at least a part of a longitudinal extension of the elongated device, and an optical fiber arranged in relation to the phase change material so as to allow transmission of light from a proximal end of the optical fiber to at least part of the phase change material for optically providing heat to said at least part of the phase change material to cause said at least part of the phase change material to change its stiffness from one stiffness value to a different stiffness value, wherein the optical fiber comprises a plurality of longitudinal portions with tilted or blazed gratings arranged for guiding light in a direction away from the longitudinal extension of the optical fiber at respective longitudinal portions of the optical fiber, wherein a tilt angle of the gratings is selected so as to guide light of a specific range of wavelengths evenly along at least a longitudinal portion of the optical fiber.