| abstract |
A catheter system (100) includes a power source (124), a controller (123), and a light guide (122). The power source (124) generates a plurality of energy pulses (242B, 342B). The controller (123) controls the power source (124) so that the plurality of energy pulses (242B, 342A-B) cooperate to produce a composite energy pulse (348A-B, 448A-C, 548A-F) having a composite pulse shape. The light guide (122) receives the composite energy pulse (348A-B, 448A-C, 548A-F). The light guide (122) emits light energy in a direction away from the light guide (122) to generate a plasma pulse (246A-B, 346A-B) away from the light guide (122). The power source (124) can be a laser and the light guide (122) can be an optical fiber. Each of the energy pulses (242B, 342A-B) has a pulse width, and the energy pulses (242B, 342A-B) are added to one another so that the composite energy pulse (348A-B, 448A-C, 548A-F) has a pulse width that is longer than the pulse width of any one of the energy pulses (242B, 342A-B). At least two of the energy pulses (242B, 342A-B) can have the same wavelength as or a different wavelength from one another. |