Methods and Apparatus for Delivering Ocular Implants Into the Eye

• US 20100121342A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ivantis Inc. (Alcon Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schieber, Andrew T., Wardle, John, Euteneuer, Charles L., Matthees, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,337,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/108
• 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 2025/0004 having two or more concentrically arranged tubes for forming a concentric catheter system
• 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 25/01 Introducing, guiding, advancing, emplacing or holding catheters A61M25/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/00 Devices for introducing or retaining media, e.g. remedies, in cavities of the body A61M25/00 takes precedence ; introducing or retaining ophthalmic products into the ocular cavities A61F9/0008

Abstract

A cannula for an ocular implant delivery system. In some embodiments, the cannula includes a tubular member having a curved portion, a distal opening surrounded by a distal opening surface, and a distal tip, the distal tip being adapted to be inserted into an anterior chamber of a human subject'"'"'s eye, through trabecular meshwork and into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye, a proximal portion of the tubular member being adapted to extend from a location exterior to the eye when the distal tip is in Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye, the cannula being further adapted to cooperate with an advancement mechanism to advance an ocular implant through the tubular member toward and through the distal opening into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye when the distal tip is disposed in Schlemm'"'"'s canal. The invention also includes a method of deploying an ocular implant into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of a human eye including the following steps: inserting a distal tip of a delivery tool within an anterior chamber of the eye through trabecular meshwork of the eye into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye; and advancing an ocular implant through a curved portion and a distal opening of the delivery tool to place a body portion of the ocular implant in Schlemm'"'"'s canal and an inlet portion of the ocular implant in the anterior chamber.

Claims

1. A cannula for an ocular implant delivery system comprising:

a tubular member comprising a curved portion, a distal opening surrounded by a distal opening surface, and a distal tip, the distal tip being adapted to be inserted into an anterior chamber of a human subject'"'"'s eye, through trabecular meshwork and into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye, a proximal portion of the tubular member being adapted to extend from a location exterior to the eye when the distal tip is in Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye, the cannula being further adapted to cooperate with an advancement mechanism to advance an ocular implant through the tubular member toward and through the distal opening into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye when the distal tip is disposed in Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

2. The cannula of claim 1 wherein the tubular member further comprises a tongue region extending proximally from the distal tip on one side of the tubular member, the tongue region forming at least part of the distal opening surface.

3. The cannula of claim 2 wherein the distal opening surface extends solely proximally from the distal tip.

4. The cannula of claim 3 wherein the distal opening surface is disposed in a distal opening plane.

5. The cannula of claim 4 wherein the tubular member curved portion defines a curve plane, and the distal opening plane is at an angle other than 90 degrees with respect to the curve plane.

6. The cannula of claim 3 wherein the distal opening surface comprises a first section disposed in a distal opening plane disposed at a first section angle between 0 degrees and 90 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tubular member at the distal opening and a second section whose angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member varies from an angle less than the first section angle at a distal limit of the second section to an angle greater than the first section angle at a proximal limit of the second section.

7. The cannula of claim 3 wherein the distal opening surface comprises an edge formed from a circumferential portion of a cylindrical envelope defined by the tubular member, the angular extent of the circumferential portion within the cylindrical envelope increasing from the distal tip proximally to a first point, the angular extent of the circumferential portion within the cylindrical envelope decreasing between the first point and a second point proximal to the first point, the angular extent of the circumferential portion within the cylindrical envelope increasing to 360 degrees between the second point and a third point proximal to the second point.

8. The cannula of claim 2 wherein the tubular member further comprises a second tongue region and a stop member defining the distal opening surface.

9. The cannula of claim 1 wherein an external diameter of the tubular member at a distal end of the tubular member is less than an external diameter of the tubular member proximal to the distal opening.

10. The cannula of claim 1 wherein the curved portion of the tubular member has a bend angle between 105 degrees and 165 degrees.

11. An ocular implant system comprising:

an ocular implant comprising an inlet sized and configured to be disposed in an anterior chamber of a human subject'"'"'s eye and a body sized and configured to be disposed in Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye, the ocular implant being adapted to bend preferentially in a preferential bending plane; and

a delivery cannula comprising a tubular member comprising a curved portion, a distal opening surrounded by a distal opening surface, and a distal tip, the distal tip being adapted to be inserted into an anterior chamber of a human subject'"'"'s eye, through trabecular meshwork and into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye, the tubular member being adapted to extend from a location exterior to the eye when the distal tip is in Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye, the cannula being further adapted to cooperate with an advancement mechanism to advance the ocular implant through at least the curved portion of the tubular member toward and through the distal opening into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye when the distal tip of the delivery tool is disposed in Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

12. The ocular implant system of claim 11 wherein a central axis of the cannula defines a cannula curvature plane, the ocular implant being oriented within the cannula so that the implant preferential bending plane is co-planar with the cannula curvature plane.

13. A method of deploying an ocular implant into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of a human eye comprising:

inserting a distal tip of a delivery tool within an anterior chamber of the eye through trabecular meshwork of the eye into Schlemm'"'"'s canal of the eye; and

advancing an ocular implant through a curved portion and a distal opening of the delivery tool to place a body portion of the ocular implant in Schlemm'"'"'s canal and an inlet portion of the ocular implant in the anterior chamber.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the delivery tool comprises a curved distal portion, the inserting step comprising aligning the curved distal portion with respect to Schlemm'"'"'s canal so that the ocular implant is delivered into the center of Schlemm'"'"'s canal or slightly radially inward of an outer wall of Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the curved distal portion of the delivery tool has a radius of curvature smaller than a radius of curvature of Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the inserting step comprises advancing the distal tip into Schlemm'"'"'s canal until a stop portion of a distal opening surface surrounding the distal opening engages the trabecular meshwork.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the inserting step comprises depressing trabecular meshwork and Schlemm'"'"'s canal tissue with the distal tip with a distal opening surface surrounding the distal opening, the distal opening surface being disposed at an angle other than 90 degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis of the delivery tool.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the delivery tool comprises a distal opening surface surrounding the distal opening, the inserting step comprising inserting less than all of the distal opening surface into Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the delivery tool comprises a distal opening surface surrounding the distal opening and the distal tip is disposed at the distal end of a tongue, the inserting step comprising inserting the tongue into Schlemm'"'"'s canal.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the advancing step comprises advancing the ocular implant through the distal opening while a portion of the distal opening surface is disposed in Schlemm'"'"'s canal and a portion of the distal opening surface is disposed outside of Schlemm'"'"'s canal.