Medical apparatus, especially for reducing intraocular pressure
First Claim
1. A medical apparatus for reducing intraocular pressure by acting upon a Schlemm'"'"'s canal and tissue of a trabecular network directly in contact with the Schlemm'"'"'s canal, said apparatus comprising:
- a probe, insertable into the Schlemm'"'"'s canal so that an outer radius thereof extends along an outer wall of the Schlemm'"'"'s canal, comprising a photoconductor connectable to a laser, anda surface coating having at least one emission window therein provided on said photoconductor, said probe photoconductor and surface coating having a combined diameter of at most about 400 μ
m,said at least one emission window being disposed in a curved or bendable section of the photoconductor so that laser light issues directly toward an interior wall of the Schlemm'"'"'s canal to perforate the interior wall and the trabecular network while remaining areas of the Schlemm'"'"'s canal and the trabecular network are protected from the laser light by said surface coating,wherein the tissues of the interior wall and the trabecular network are removed in a sequence contrary to a drainage direction of fluid.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A medical apparatus especially for lowering intraocular pressure by acting on the Schlemm'"'"'s canal and on the tissue of the trabecular meshwork directly in contact with the Schlemm'"'"'s canal, including a probe containing a photoconductor which is curved or elastically or plastically deformable to a curved configuration and which is connected to a laser, the photoconductor having a surface coating having at least one emission window therein facing the inner curvature of the photoconductor, the emission window permitting a laser beam to issue from the photoconductor at an angle of 90° to the curvature of the photoconductor.
138 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A medical apparatus for reducing intraocular pressure by acting upon a Schlemm'"'"'s canal and tissue of a trabecular network directly in contact with the Schlemm'"'"'s canal, said apparatus comprising:
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a probe, insertable into the Schlemm'"'"'s canal so that an outer radius thereof extends along an outer wall of the Schlemm'"'"'s canal, comprising a photoconductor connectable to a laser, and a surface coating having at least one emission window therein provided on said photoconductor, said probe photoconductor and surface coating having a combined diameter of at most about 400 μ
m,said at least one emission window being disposed in a curved or bendable section of the photoconductor so that laser light issues directly toward an interior wall of the Schlemm'"'"'s canal to perforate the interior wall and the trabecular network while remaining areas of the Schlemm'"'"'s canal and the trabecular network are protected from the laser light by said surface coating, wherein the tissues of the interior wall and the trabecular network are removed in a sequence contrary to a drainage direction of fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification