Stent for treating ocular disorders

• US 10,568,762 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2019
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Glaukos Corporation
• Original Assignee: Glaukos Corporation
• Inventors: Lynch, Mary G., Brown, Reay H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deak, Leslie R
• Application Number:
  US16/392,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20190247232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0008 elliptical or oval
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0052 T-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0067 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0017 implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00781 Apparatus for modifying intraocular pressure, e.g. for glaucoma treatment drainage implants in general A61M27/002
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/0612 Eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0068 Static characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. shape, atraumatic tip, curved tip or tip structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/007 Side holes, e.g. their profiles or arrangements; Provisions to keep side holes unblocked
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0074 Dynamic characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. openable, closable, expandable or deformable

Abstract

Shunt devices and a method for continuously decompressing elevated intraocular pressure in eyes affected by glaucoma by diverting excess aqueous humor from the anterior chamber of the eye into Schlemm'"'"'s canal where post-operative patency can be maintained with an indwelling shunt device which surgically connects the canal with the anterior chamber. The shunt devices provide uni- or bi-directional flow of aqueous humor into Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

Claims

1. A stent for use in an eye to enhance drainage of aqueous fluid from an anterior chamber of an eye into one or more collecting channels on an outer wall of Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye, wherein the stent comprises:

a biocompatible metal body shaped to reside partially within Schlemm'"'"'s canal, the body having a trough-like aspect that is oriented to open toward the outer wall of Schlemm'"'"'s canal when positioned in the eye,

wherein the trough-like aspect extends to a distal end of the body,

wherein the body further comprises an inlet at a proximal end shaped to reside at least partially within the anterior chamber,

wherein the body further comprises a fenestration located between the proximal end and the distal end of the body.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a pre-formed curvature.

3. The stent of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a central longitudinal axis, and wherein the central longitudinal axis is within the trough-like aspect.

4. The stent of claim 1, wherein the fenestration is oval-shaped.

5. The stent of claim 4, wherein the body comprises multiple fenestrations located between the proximal end and the distal end of the body.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein the body is non-luminal.

7. The stent of claim 1, wherein the stent is sized and shaped to extend within at least 6 mm of Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

8. The stent of claim 7, wherein an inner cross-sectional dimension of the body is between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm.

9. An implant designed to relieve elevated intraocular pressure, the implant comprising:

a biocompatible metal stent having approximately 6 mm of its length forming a curved length shaped to reside within Schlemm'"'"'s canal of an eye,

wherein the curved length has a trough-like shape,

the stent being configured such that the trough-like shape is oriented to open toward one or more collecting channels of Schlemm'"'"'s canal when positioned in the eye,

wherein the curved length further includes a fenestration, and

wherein the stent further includes an inlet at its proximal end shaped to reside at least partially within the anterior chamber.

10. The implant of claim 9, wherein the stent comprises a central longitudinal axis, and wherein the central longitudinal axis is within the curved length.

11. The implant of claim 9, wherein the fenestration is oval-shaped.

12. The implant of claim 9, wherein the stent comprises multiple fenestrations located between the proximal end and a distal end of the stent.

13. The implant of claim 9, wherein the trough-like shape extends to the distal end of the stent.

14. The implant of claim 9, wherein a distal end of the curved length is non-tubular.

15. The implant of claim 9, wherein an inner cross-sectional dimension of the stent is between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm.