Tissue resection and treatment with shedding pulses
A fluid stream is directed toward tissue to generate a plurality of shedding clouds. The fluid stream can be scanned such that the plurality of shedding clouds arrive a different overlapping locations. Each of the plurality of shedding clouds can remove a portion of the tissue. In many embodiments, an apparatus to ablate tissue comprises a source of pressurized fluid, and a nozzle coupled to the source of pressurized fluid to release a fluid stream, in which the fluid stream generates a plurality of shedding clouds.
1. An apparatus to abate tissue, the apparatus comprising:
a source of pressurized fluid; and
a nozzle coupled to the source of pressurized fluid to release a fluid stream, wherein the nozzle and the source are configured to generate a plurality of shedding clouds with a characteristic frequency, wherein each of the plurality of shedding clouds comprises cavitation regions and is configured to remove a portion of the tissue;
wherein the source of pressurized fluid comprises a pump having a pumping frequency less than the characteristic frequency of the plurality of shedding clouds.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a scanner coupled to the nozzle to ablate the tissue with partially overlap of the plurality of shedding clouds.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid stream comprises a first liquid, the apparatus further comprising an irrigation opening to irrigate the tissue with a second liquid.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first liquid comprises saline and the second liquid comprises saline.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises a Strouhal number within a range from about 0.02 to about 0.03.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic frequency is within a range from about 1 k Hz to about 10 kHz.