Ophthalmic treatment apparatus

• US 7,276,019 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Retinalabs, Inc. (Iridex Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Retinalabs, Inc. (Iridex Corporation)
• Inventors: Hallen, Paul, DeJuan, Eugene Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Krishnamurthy; Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US11/075,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 600 1- 8, 128/898, 604/294, 604/521, 514/912
• US Class Current: 600/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1089 Electrons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1017 Treatment of the eye, e.g. for "macular degeneration"

Abstract

A surgical device for localized delivery of beta radiation in surgical procedures, particularly ophthalmic procedures. Preferred surgical devices include a cannula with a beta radiotherapy emitting material at the distal end of the cannula. The surgical device is particularly suitable for use in the treatment of treat Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Claims

1. An intra-ocular ophthalmic surgical device for use in radiotherapy treatment of tissue of the eye, comprising:

a cannula having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, said cannula sized for insertion of the distal end portion into the vitreous chamber of a human eye;

a radiotherapy emitting material cooperatively associated with the distal end portion of the cannula during the radiotherapy treatment of the eye tissue, said cannula being adapted to allow positioning of the radiotherapy emitting material at a selected location within the vitreous chamber spaced from the tissue to be treated during radiotherapy treatment thereof.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the distal end portion of the cannula is tapered.

3. The device of claim 1 further including a shield at least partially shielding the radiotherapy emitting material.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the cannula has a diameter between about 0.6 mm to about 1.2 mm.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the cannula comprises a length of about 28 mm to about 32 mm.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the cannula includes a curve to provide access to the macula.

7. The device of claim 3 wherein the distal end portion of the cannula comprises the shield.

8. The device of claim 3 wherein the shield comprises metal.

9. The device of claim 3 wherein the shield at least partially shields the radiotherapy emitting material so that the radiotherapy emitting material is exposed to only a selected localized area of the eye.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the selected localized area comprises sub-retinal tissue.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the sub-retinal tissue comprises blood vessels.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material has an energy sufficient to provide a dose rate from between about 50 cGy/sec to about 100 cGy/sec.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material comprises a beta radiation emitter.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material comprises a pure beta emitting therapeutic component.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material has sufficient energy to treat neovascularization.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the cannula has a radiotherapy emitting material portion having a length between about 2 mm and about 3 mm.

17. The device of claim 1 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material is disposed within the distal end portion of the cannula.

18. The device of claim 1 in which the cannula has a diameter between about 0.8 and 1.0 mm.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material has an energy sufficient to provide a dose rate greater than or equal to about 50 cGy/sec.

20. The device of claim 1 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material cooperatively associated with the distal end portion of the cannula is at least partially housed within the cannula.

21. The device of claim 1 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material cooperatively associated with the distal end portion of the cannula is fixedly or removeably associated with the distal end portion of the cannula.

22. The device of claim 3 wherein the shield and the radiotherapy emitting material are relatively moveable.

23. An intra-ocular ophthalmic surgical device for radiotherapy treatment of tissue of the eye, comprising:

a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, said distal end portion sized for insertion into the vitreous chamber of an eye;

the distal end portion of the surgical device including a radiotherapy emitting material cooperatively associated therewith so that radiation is emitted from the distal end portion of the surgical device to radioactively treat eye tissue; and

a shield at least partially shielding the radiotherapy emitting material and configured to allow radiation emitted from the distal end portion of the surgical device to be exposed to target eye tissue.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material is disposed in the distal end portion of the device.

25. The device of claim 23 wherein the target eye tissue comprises sub-retinal tissue.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein the sub-retinal tissue comprises blood vessels.

27. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material has an energy sufficient to provide a dose rate from between about 50 cGy/sec to about 100 cGy/sec.

28. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material comprises a beta radiation emitter.

29. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material comprises a pure beta emitting therapeutic component.

30. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material has sufficient energy to treat neovascularization.

31. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material and the shield are relatively moveable.

32. The device of claim 23 in which the device comprises a cannula that has a diameter between about 0.6 mm to about 1.2 mm.

33. The device of claim 23 in which the device comprises a cannula that has a diameter between about 0.8 and 1.0 mm.

34. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material has an energy sufficient to provide a dose rate greater than or equal to about 50 cGy/sec.

35. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material cooperatively associated with the distal end portion of the device is at least partially housed within the device.

36. The device of claim 23 wherein the radiotherapy emitting material cooperatively associated with the distal end portion of the device is fixedly or removeably associated with the distal end portion of the device.