Shunt placement through the sclera

• US 9,017,276 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AqueSys, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: AqueSys, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Horvath, Christopher, Romoda, Laszlo O., Lewis, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCETICH, ADAM M
• Application Number:
  US13/952,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20140018720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 604/8, 604/9, 604/10, 604/27, 604/30, 604/31, 604/34, 604/43, 604/294, 604/523, 623/4.1, 623/5.11, 623/5.16, 623/905
• US Class Current: 604/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3417 Details of tips or shafts, e.g. grooves, expandable, bendable; Multiple coaxial sliding cannulas, e.g. for dilating syringe needles A61M5/32; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3468 for implanting or removing devices, e.g. prostheses, implants, seeds, wires devices for implanting seeds A61M37/0069
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/3454 Details of tips
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00891 Glaucoma
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/007 Methods or devices for eye surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00736 Instruments for removal of intra-ocular material or intra-ocular injection, e.g. cataract instruments A61F9/008 takes precedence
• 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 27/002 Implant devices for drainage of body fluids from one part of the body to another intraocular A61F9/00781; middle ear A61F11/202

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to intraocular shunts, and in particular, to intraocular shunts configured to form a drainage pathway between the anterior chamber and the intra-Tenon'"'"'s space.

Claims

1. A method of placing an intraocular shunt into a human eye, the method comprising:

advancing a hollow shaft through the anterior chamber, the hollow shaft holding the intraocular shunt and having a distal tip, the distal tip comprising a bevel;

penetrating the sclera with the beveled distal tip until all of the bevel is positioned distal to a distal wall of the sclera;

after all of the bevel has been positioned distal to the distal wall, advancing the shunt at least partially from the hollow shaft into a space between the sclera and Tenon'"'"'s capsule; and

withdrawing the hollow shaft from the eye.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising advancing the hollow shaft through the cornea.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising injecting an aqueous solution into the eye.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the aqueous solution is injected below Tenon'"'"'s capsule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed without inducing subconjunctival Webbing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the shunt is deployed into the eye without the use of an optical apparatus.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the optical apparatus is a goniolens.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the shunt is deployed into the eye with the use of an optical apparatus that does not directly contact the eye.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the optical apparatus is an ophthalmic microscope.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the beveled distal tip comprises three bevels with a first bevel of the three bevels being located proximal to the other bevels, and wherein the sclera is penetrated with the beveled distal tip until an entirety of the first bevel is positioned distal to a distal wall of the sclera.

11. A method of placing an intraocular shunt into an eye comprising a cornea, an anterior chamber, a sclera, and a Tenon'"'"'s capsule, the method comprising:

inserting a hollow shaft from the anterior chamber through the sclera toward Tenon'"'"'s capsule, the hollow shaft holding the intraocular shunt and having a beveled distal tip and an unbeveled portion proximal to the beveled distal tip;

positioning the unbeveled portion distal to a distal wall of the sclera;

after positioning the unbeveled portion to the distal wall of the sclera, withdrawing the hollow shaft from the eye and leaving a distal end of the shunt in a space between the sclera and Tenon'"'"'s capsule.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising advancing the hollow shaft through the cornea.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein further comprising injecting an aqueous solution into the eye.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the aqueous solution is injected below Tenon'"'"'s capsule.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is performed without inducing subconjunctival Webbing.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the shunt is deployed into the eye without the use of an optical apparatus.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the optical apparatus is a goniolens.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the shunt is deployed into the eye with the use of an optical apparatus that does not directly contact the eye.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the optical apparatus is an ophthalmic microscope.