US20210186758A1 - Methods and systems for manufacturing a thermally robust laser probe assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide a thermally robust laser probe assembly. The probe assembly comprises a cannula through which one or more optical fibers extend at least partially for transmitting laser light from a laser source to a target location. The probe assembly also comprises a lens housed in the cannula and a protective component at a distal end of the cannula, wherein the lens is positioned between the one or more optical fibers and the protective component, and wherein the distal end of the cannula is sealed at a sealing location of the probe assembly.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM
• This application:
• (a) is a continuation application of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/218,243, filed Dec. 12, 2018, titled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANUFACTURING A THERMALLY ROBUST LASER PROBE ASSEMBLY,” whose inventors are Chenguang Diao, Christopher Cook, and Alireza Mirsepassi, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein;
• (b) claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/597,550 titled “SURGICAL PROBE WITH SHAPE-MEMORY MATERIAL,” filed on Dec. 12, 2017, whose inventors are Alireza Mirsepassi, Kambiz Parto and Christopher Cook (U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/218,243 claimed the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/597,550), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein;
• (c) claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/598,653 titled “MULTIPLE-INPUT-COUPLED ILLUMINATED MULTI-SPOT LASER PROBE,” filed on Dec. 14, 2017, whose inventors are Ronald T. Smith, Alireza Mirsepassi and Jochen Horn (U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/218,243 claimed the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/598,653), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein;
• (d) claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/622,299 titled “THERMALLY ROBUST MULTI-SPOT LASER PROBE,” filed on Jan. 26, 2018, whose inventors are Alireza Mirsepassi and Christopher Cook (U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/218,243 claimed the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/622,299), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein; and
• (e) claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/630,865 titled “MULTIPLE-INPUT-COUPLED ILLUMINATED MULTI-SPOT LASER PROBE,” filed on Feb. 15, 2018, whose inventors are Ronald T. Smith, Alireza Mirsepassi, Mark Harrison Farley and Gerald David Bacher (U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/218,243 claimed the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/630,865), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
• The present disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for manufacturing a thermally robust laser probe assembly.
BACKGROUND
• A laser probe assembly may be used during a number of different procedures and surgeries. As an example, a laser probe assembly may be used during retinal laser surgeries in order to seal retinal tears, among other things. Laser light is typically transmitted from a laser source through an optical fiber cable. The optical fiber cable proximally terminates in a laser connector, which connects to the laser source, and distally terminates in a probe assembly that is manipulated by the surgeon. Note that, herein, a distal end of a component refers to the end that is closer to a patient's body, or where the laser light is emitted out of the laser probe. On the other hand, the proximal end of the component refers to the end that is facing away from the patient's body or in proximity to, for example, the laser source.
• The probe assembly comprises a hand-piece coupled to a cannula that is partly inserted in a patient's eye. The optical fiber cable extends through the hand-piece and the cannula to transmit laser light onto the patient's retina. A lens may also be used to collimate and project the laser beams propagated by the optical fiber on the patient's retina for increased performance. Typically, the lens is placed in front of the optical fiber and is attached to the cannula.
• In certain cases, the optical fiber cable houses more than one optical fiber, enabling the laser probe assembly to deliver more than one photocoagulation beam at the same time. For example, in certain cases, the optical fiber cable may house four optical fibers or a multi-core optical fiber, In such cases, due to the high power throughput a confined space (e.g., within the cannula), the cannula and the lens may experience excessive heat when blood or other dark materials exist in front of or at least partially block or touch the tip of the cannula or the lens. In some cases, the excessive heat is created because the laser beams propagated by the optical fibers are reflected back by the blood or the dark material onto the lens, the cannula, and the adhesive bonding between the lens and the cannula. This overheating and thermal run-away results in the cannula and the lens melting and also causing the lens to detach from the cannula.
BRIEF SUMMARY
• The present disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for manufacturing a thermally robust laser probe assembly.
• Particular embodiments of the present invention provide a probe assembly comprising a cannula through which one or more optical fibers extend at least partially for transmitting laser light from a laser source to a target location. The probe assembly further comprises a lens housed in the cannula and a protective component at a distal end of the cannula, wherein the lens is positioned between the one or more optical fibers and the protective component, and wherein the distal end of the cannula is sealed at a sealing location of the probe assembly.
• Particular embodiments of the present invention provide a sealant application system comprising a stage machine comprising a mount configured to hold a sealant applicator comprising a wire, wherein the stage machine is configured to position the wire at a sealing location at a distal end of a cannula of a probe assembly. The sealant application system also comprises a cannula holder comprising a groove for holding the cannula and an actuator configured to rotate the cannula once the stage machine has positioned the wire at the sealing location such that sealant on the wire is able to be applied to the sealing location.
• Particular embodiments of the present invention provide a method of manufacturing a probe assembly. The method comprises positioning a wire coated with sealant at a sealing location at a distal end of a cannula of the probe assembly. The method further comprises rotating the cannula to apply the sealant to the sealing location.
• The following description and the related drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The appended figures depict certain aspects of the one or more embodiments of the present invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope of this disclosure.
• FIG. 1A illustrates a probe assembly comprising a hand-piece and a cannula in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the tip of the cannula ofFIG. 1A.
• FIG. 2A illustrates a cross-sectional view of a protective component that is placed at the tip of a cannula in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 2B illustrates a three-dimensional view of the protective component ofFIG. 2A.
• FIG. 2C illustrates a front view of the tip of the cannula shown inFIG. 2A.
• FIG. 2D illustrates a three-dimensional view of the tip of the cannula shown inFIG. 2A.
• FIG. 3 illustrates an example gap between the inner surface of the distal end of a cannula and the outer surface of the distal end of a protective component housed by the cannula.
• FIG. 4A illustrates an example of a contaminated protective component.
• FIG. 4B illustrates a cross-sectional view of a sealed distal end of a cannula in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 5A illustrates a sealant application system in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 5B illustrates a front view of a cannula holder holding a cannula in a u-shaped groove in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 6A-6D illustrate stages of a sealant application procedure in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 7 illustrates additional components of the sealant application system ofFIG. 5.
• FIG. 8 illustrates a sealant application system in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 9 illustrates a cannula holder with a clamp in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 10 illustrates example operations for sealing a laser probe in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the drawings. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and systems for manufacturing a thermally robust laser probe assembly.
• As described above, a probe assembly with a high power throughput may experience overheating (e.g., when blood contaminates the lens or blocks the laser beam) such that the lens within the cannula may melt. A melting lens may also detach from the cannula resulting in the probe assembly malfunctioning.
• FIG. 1A illustrates an example of aprobe assembly100 comprising a hand-piece102 and acannula104. A surgeon uses hand-piece102 to guide cannula104 (e.g., cylindrical shaped hollow tube) into a patient's body part, which may be a patient's eye. As shown,probe assembly100 concurrently providesmultiple photocoagulation beams106 resulting in multiple laser spots. Each laser spot's power may be between about 250 and about 500 milliwatts (mW) such that by providing multiple laser spots, the minimum power passing throughcannula104 may be about 1 watt (W). A lens (e.g.,lens100 inFIG. 1B) may be placed in front of the optical fibers, which extend through the cannula, for projecting the laser beams onto, for example, a patient's eye's retinal surface.
• FIG. 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the tip ofcannula104, wherelens110 is placed for collimating and projectingbeams106 propagated by multipleoptical fibers108 extending throughcannula104.Optical fibers108, in certain embodiments of the present invention, may be an optical fiber array or a multi-core optical fiber. When cannula104 is placed in a patient's body part, such as through a trocar cannula, beams106 may be reflected back intocannula104, such as when there is blood or other dark material in front of the tip ofcannula104 or partially blocking or touchinglens110. The reflection of laser beams back intocannula104 adds to the amount of heat that is already generated withincannula104. This overheating may meltcannula104 andlens110 and also causelens110 to detach fromcannula104.
• In certain embodiments of the present invention, in order to protectlens110, a protective component is attached to and/or inserted into, the distal end of a probe assembly's cannula. The protective component (e.g., protective window) is placed in front of the distal end of the lens that is itself placed in front of one or more optical fibers. The protective component protects the lens by restricting movements of the lens along the cannula and/or also by preventing the lens from detaching from the cannula.
• FIG. 2A illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exampleprotective component212 that is placed at the tip ofcannula104. As shown,protective component212 is placed at the distal end205 ofcannula104 while theproximal end207 ofcannula104 is connected to a hand-piece (e.g., hand-piece102 shown inFIG. 1A). As described above, distal end205 ofcannula104 is the end that is inserted into the patient's body part, or where laser light is configured to be emitted out ofprobe assembly100. In certain embodiments,cannula104 comprises material such as stainless steel, Nitinol (NiTi), or a platinum-iridium alloy (Pt—Ir).
• Protective component212 comprises proximal end215 anddistal end213. In certain embodiments,protective component212 comprises an optically clear or transparent material. Examples of suitable transparent materials include sapphire, fused silica, or other glass or ceramic materials with high transition temperatures.
• In certain embodiments,protective component212 is attached to cannula104 by way of press-fittingcomponent212 intocannula104. Press-fitting, also known as interference fitting or friction fitting, is a technique for securingprotective component212 tocannula104, the securing being achieved by friction betweenprotective component212 andcannula104 afterprotective component212 is pushed intocannula104. In certain embodiments,protective component212 may be attached tocannula104 using brazing techniques.
• FIG. 2B illustrates a three-dimensional view ofprotective component212. In certain embodiments,protective component212 is a cylindrical component that is placed into the cylindrical opening in the distal end ofcannula104. Althoughprotective component212 shown inFIGS. 2A-2B is a cylindrical component with flat ends, in certain embodiments,protective component212 may have a different shape. For example, in certain embodiments, the proximal end ofprotective component212 may be spherical or aspherical.
• FIG. 2C illustrates a front view of the tip ofcannula104 that housesprotective component212.
• FIG. 2D illustrates a three-dimensional view of the tip ofcannula104. As shown,protective component212 partially extends outside ofcannula104.
• In certain cases,protective component212 andcannula104 do not have matching dimensional tolerances. Dimensional tolerances are assigned to parts, such asprotective component212 andcannula104, as boundaries for acceptable build for manufacturing purposes. In situations whereprotective component212 andcannula104 do not have matching tolerances, the inner diameter ofcannula104 may be larger than the outer diameter ofprotective component212 in certain areas, resulting in a gap. Also, in some situations,protective component212 andcannula104 may have surfaces with different degrees of roughness. Such incompatibilities and differences in dimensional tolerance and surface roughness may make the probe vulnerable to leaking. For example, fluids such as balanced salt solution (BSS), perfluorooctane (PFO), blood, etc., may leak into the cannula and reach in-between the lens and the fibers (e.g.,lens210 andfiber108 ofFIG. 2A), causinglens210 and, therefore,probe assembly100 to malfunction. As an example, the fluids leaking intocannula104 may come in contact with anti-reflective-coated surfaces, resulting in lower laser beam transmittance, overheating the probe tip, and thermal runaway.
• FIG. 3 illustrates an example front view ofcannula104 housingprotective component212 in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention. In the example ofFIG. 3, theinner diameter330 ofcannula104 is larger than the outer diameter332 ofprotective component212 resulting ingap334. As described above, this gap may result from incompatibilities and differences in dimensional tolerance and surface roughness betweenprotective component212 andcannula104. Note that the size and shape ofgap334 are exemplary and also exaggerated for illustration purposes. In real applications,gap334 may be, for example, much smaller than a micrometer. However, even a very small gap may makeprobe assembly110 susceptible to leakage.
• Accordingly, certain embodiments described herein relate to sealant application techniques for sealing openings or gaps in-between the inner diameter of the distal end of a cannula and the outer diameter of a protective component attached to the distal end of the cannula.
• As the protective component and the cannula tip are of miniature size, applying a very small amount of sealant (e.g., adhesive material) accurately to the cannula and the protective component, at a sealing location described below, can be a challenge. Without a well-controlled sealant application technique, the protective component may be contaminated by sealant, resulting in blocking of the laser beam and a potential failure of the probe assembly. Also, excess sealant may be applied to the outer surface of the distal end of the cannula, resulting in an enlargement of the outer diameter of the distal end of the cannula, thereby, making it difficult for the surgeon to insert and remove the probe assembly's cannula into and from a trocar cannula that is inserted into the patient's body part.
• FIG. 4A illustrates an example ofsealant402 contaminatingprotective component212 and also overflowing onto the outer surface of the distal end ofcannula104. The sealant application techniques described herein overcome the challenge of applying a small amount of sealant to seal the probe without contaminatingprotective component212 or overflowing onto the outer surface ofcannula104.
• FIG. 4B illustrates an example cross sectional view of the distal end ofcannula104, which is sealed using the sealant application techniques described herein. As shown,sealant406 is only applied to sealinglocation430, which refers to any opening or gap (e.g.,gap334 inFIG. 3) between the inner surface of the distal end ofcannula104 and the outer surface of the distal end of theprotective component212. Therefore, as shown,sealant406 has not contaminatedprotective component212 or been applied to the outer surface of the distal end ofcannula104. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the sealant is a dual-cured sealant. Also, the sealant may have a viscosity in the range of about 500 to about 5000 centipoise (cP).
• FIG. 5A illustrates an examplesealant application system500 for sealing the distal end ofcannula104 using the sealant application techniques described herein. As shown,system500 comprises acannula holder520 having a u-shaped groove (e.g.,groove540 inFIG. 5B) wherecannula104 is able to be placed and rotated along an axis of rotation (e.g., axis ofrotation505 inFIG. 5B) parallel to cannula104 itself.FIG. 5B illustrates a front view ofcannula holder520 holdingcannula104 inu-shaped groove540. As shown,u-shaped groove540 is configured such that a portion ofcannula104 remains above the stop surface ofcannula holder520.FIG. 5B also shows an axis ofrotation505 around which cannula104 as well asprotective component212 are configured to rotate relative tocannula holder520.
• Referring back toFIG. 5A,system500 also comprises an XYZ stage machine (not shown) on which asealant applicator530 can be mounted. An XYZ stage machine is able to provide translations along the X, Y, and Z planes, as shown.Sealant applicator530, as shown, comprises a hand-piece534 with arigid tube535 and awire532 extending out ofrigid tube535. A user uses hand-piece534 to dipwire532 in sealant that is used during the sealing process. The user then placessealant applicator530 on the XYZ stage machine and adjusts the position of thesealant applicator530.Wire532, in certain embodiments, is a very thin wire with a diameter in the range of about 20 to about 40 microns (μm). For example,wire532 may have a diameter of about 40 μm. The very small diameter ofwire532 ensures that only a very small and controlled amount of sealant is picked-up bywire532 whenwire532 is dipped in the sealant. In addition, in certain embodiments,wire532 is flexible, which is advantageous because aflexible wire532 may be able to flex in response to being pushed up or down againstprotective component212 when the wire is being placed at the sealing location (e.g., sealinglocation430 ofFIG. 4B). Aflexible wire532 may also facilitate an even and smooth application of the sealant to the sealing location. As an example,wire532 may be made of Nitinol.
• Using the XYZ stage machine,wire532 may be precisely placed at the sealing location, such that the sealant makes contact with bothprotective component212 andcannula104 at the sealing location. Oncewire532 is placed at the sealing location,cannula104 may be rotated so that the sealant can be evenly distributed around and applied to the entire circumference ofprotective component212 at the sealing location.
• At the same time, as shown inFIG. 6C,sealant applicator530 may also be moved to ensure that enough sealant is applied to the sealing location (e.g., to apply the additional sealant on other areas ofwire532 to the sealing location). Using athin wire532 ensures that the sealant is only applied to the sealing location and not to any additional areas of the protective component's surface. In other words, using athin wire532 allows for a more precise application of the sealant. Example stages of the sealant application procedure, in accordance with particular embodiments of the present invention, are illustrated inFIGS. 6A-6D.
• FIG. 6A illustrateswire532 dipped in sealant as well ascannula104 housingprotective component212. As described above, an XYZ stage machine may be used to precisely placewire532 at sealinglocation430.
• FIG. 6B illustrates the tip ofwire532 being placed at sealinglocation430. While not shown, oncewire532 is placed at sealinglocation430,cannula104 may be rotated (e.g., along axis ofrotation505 inFIG. 5B) so that the sealant can be evenly applied to the entire circumference ofprotective component212 at the sealinglocation430. After a certain number of rotations, however, there may not be enough sealant remaining on the tip ofwire532. As a result, as shown inFIG. 6C,wire532 may be horizontally moved forward so that the sealant on the lower part ofwire532 can be used for the sealing.
• FIG. 6C illustrateswire532 being horizontally pushed forward (e.g., by an XYZ stage machine (not shown)) in order to apply the sealant on the lower part ofwire532 to sealinglocation430. In another example, if the sealant on the lower part ofwire532 is first used,wire532 may be pulled backward in order to use the sealant on the upper part ofwire532.
• FIG. 6D illustrates anexample sealing location430 that is completely sealed using the sealant application technique described above.
• FIG. 7 illustrates additional components of thesealant application system500 described in relation toFIGS. 5A and 5B. For example,FIG. 7 illustrates anXYZ stage mount740 thatsealant applicator530 is mounted on.XYZ stage740 mount is able to be coupled to an XYZ stage machine (not shown) that is capable of movingXYZ stage mount740 along the X, Y, and Z planes. As shown, using this mechanism,wire532 is able to be placed precisely at the sealing location (e.g., sealinglocation430 inFIG. 4B) and adjusted (e.g., pushed forward or backward) during the sealant application process.FIG. 7 also provides a front view of astage750 that is coupled to an actuator (not shown) for rotatingcannula104 that is placed in the u-shaped groove (e.g.,groove540 inFIG. 5B) ofcannula holder520. In certain embodiments, the actuator is operated by a user, who is able to turn the actuator on and off. When the actuator is turned on, it rotatescannula104 around an axis of rotation (e.g., axis ofrotation505 inFIG. 5B) parallel tocannula104.
• In certain embodiments, the duration for which cannula104 is rotated and the speed at which cannula104 is rotated are parameters that can be controlled and adjusted by a user. In certain other embodiments, the actuator is controlled and operated by a control module. In such embodiments, the control module operates the actuator for a certain number of rotations (e.g., or a certain amount of time) at a certain speed. The control module may also be configured to terminate the operation of the actuator after a user-defined number of rotations is performed.
• In certain embodiments, a clamp may be used to furthersecure cannula104 and prevent any undesired movements during the sealant application process. Using a clamp is especially advantageous whencannula104 is not straight. For example, in some cases, a cannula's distal tip is curved as shown inFIG. 1A. In such cases, the curved cannula, which may be made of elastic material such as Nitinol can be temporarily straightened and placed in the u-shaped groove of the cannula holder. The cannula can then be clamped such that the cannula tip is prevented from wobbling when it is rotated during the sealant application procedure.
• FIG. 8 illustrates an examplesealant application system800 for sealing a cannula with a curved tip. Although, note thatsystem800 may also be used for sealing a straight cannula as well.Sealant application system800 comprises arotation stage850 including astationary housing840 and arotatable wheel830 that is coupled tocannula holder820.Rotatable wheel830 is configured to rotatecannula holder820 along with cannula104 (e.g., a curved cannula), which is clamped byclamp860. In other words, unlike inFIG. 7 where only cannula104 is rotated during the sealant application procedure, in the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 8,cannula104 along withcannula holder820 as well asrotatable wheel830 are all rotated together around an axis of rotation parallel to cannula104 (e.g., parallel to the X axis, as shown). In certain embodiments,rotatable wheel830 may be coupled to an actuator that is configured to rotaterotatable wheel830.
• As shown inFIG. 8,cannula holder820 has anopening870, which provides some hand-room, thereby, allowing a user to manipulatecannula104 and adjust its placement, etc. InFIG. 8,cannula holder820 is shown as coupled to clamp860 withscrews862aand862b.Although, in other embodiments, elements other than screws may be used to coupleclamp860 tocannula holder820.
• FIG. 9 illustrates another view ofcannula holder820 coupled to clamp860 for clampingcannula104.Clamp860 is able to securecannula104 by applying pressure to the top ofcannula104. In certain embodiments,clamp860 is made of flexible material such that clampingcannula104 would not damagecannula104. Note that, as described above, whencannula104 is curved, the tip (e.g., shown as tip980) of the distal end ofcannula104 may be left out of the u-shaped groove in order to preventcannula104 from wobbling during the rotations.
• FIG. 10 showsflowchart1000, which illustrates the steps in a method for sealing a laser probe in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, the steps offlowchart1000 are performed using a sealant application system (e.g., sealant application system500). In certain embodiments, a user is involved in performing steps1002-1012 and, in other embodiments,sealant application system500 may be configured to automatically perform at least some of steps1002-1012.
• Atstep1002, a cannula (e.g., cannula104) of a probe assembly is positioned in a u-shaped groove of a cannula holder, such as by a user. As described in relation toFIG. 2A, a protective component is placed at the distal end of the cannula. At its proximal end, the cannula is coupled to an actuator for rotating the cannula.
• Atstep1004, a sealant applicator's wire is dipped into a sealant.
• Atstep1006, the sealant applicator is placed in an XYZ stage mount of an XYZ stage machine.
• Atstep1008, the position of the sealant applicator is adjusted such that a wire of the sealant applicator is placed at a sealing location of a laser probe. Placing the wire at the sealing location causes the sealant on the wire to be applied to at least an area of the sealing location (e.g., sealinglocation430 ofFIG. 4).
• Atstep1010, the operation of the actuator to rotate the cannula is initiated. Rotating the cannula allows for the sealant on the wire to be applied to all areas of the sealing location.
• Atstep1012, optionally the XYZ stage machine moves the wire forward in order to apply sealant in other areas (e.g., lower areas) of the wire to the sealing location. The actuator continues to rotate the cannula until the sealing location is completely sealed.
• Performingsteps1002 through1010 (and optionally1012) offlowchart1000 results in a thermally robust laser probe assembly with a sealed distal end that prevents or, at least, reduces the amount of fluids that may leak into the probe. In certain embodiments, after the sealing location is sealed, the probe may be dual-cured (ultraviolet (UV)+thermal curing of the adhesive).
• The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims.

Claims (20)

What is claimed is:

1. A probe assembly, comprising:

a cannula through which one or more optical fibers extend at least partially for transmitting laser light from a laser source to a target location;

a lens housed in the cannula; and

a protective component at a distal end of the cannula;

wherein the lens is positioned between the one or more optical fibers and the protective component; and

wherein the distal end of the cannula is sealed at a sealing location of the probe assembly.

2. The probe assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the sealing location comprises a gap between an inner surface of the distal end of cannula and an outer surface of the protective component.

3. The probe assembly ofclaim 2, wherein the sealing location is sealed by a sealant with a viscosity in a range of about 500 to about 5000 centipoise.

4. The probe assembly ofclaim 2, wherein the sealing location is sealed with a dual-cure sealant.

5. The probe assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the sealing location is dual-cured.

6. The probe assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the protective component is press-fitted into the distal end of the cannula.

7. A sealant application system, comprising:

a sealant applicator comprising a wire;

a stage machine configured to hold the sealant applicator and to position the wire at a sealing location at a distal end of a cannula of a probe assembly; and

an actuator configured to rotate the cannula once the stage machine has positioned the wire at the sealing location such that sealant on the wire is able to be applied to the sealing location.

8. The sealant application system ofclaim 7, wherein the probe assembly comprises:

the cannula through which one or more optical fibers extend at least partially through for transmitting laser light from a laser source to a target location;

a lens housed in the cannula; and

a protective component at the distal end of the cannula;

wherein the lens is positioned between the one or more optical fibers and the protective component.

9. The sealant application system ofclaim 8, wherein the sealing location comprises a gap between an inner surface of the distal end of cannula and an outer surface of a distal end of the protective component.

10. The sealant application system ofclaim 7, wherein the stage machine is configured to move the wire forward or backward while the actuator rotates the cannula.

11. The sealant application system ofclaim 7, wherein the sealing location is sealed by a sealant with a viscosity in a range of about 500 to about 5000 centipoise.

12. The sealant application system ofclaim 7, wherein the sealing location is sealed with a dual-cure sealant.

13. The sealant application system ofclaim 7, wherein the sealing location is dual-cured.

14. The sealant application system ofclaim 7, further comprising a cannula holder configured to secure the cannula during application of the sealant.

15. The sealant application system ofclaim 14, wherein the actuator is configured to rotate the cannula holder along with the cannula.

16. The sealant application system ofclaim 7, wherein the wire is made of Nitinol.

17. The sealant application system ofclaim 7, wherein a diameter of the wire is within a range of about 20 to about 40 micrometers.

18. A method of manufacturing a probe assembly, the method comprising:

positioning a wire coated with sealant at a sealing location at a distal end of a cannula of the probe assembly;

rotating the cannula to apply the sealant to the sealing location.

19. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising:

moving the wire forward and backward during the rotating.

20. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising:

dual-curing the sealing location after it is sealed.

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