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US 10,238,543 B2Granted
Vitrectomy probe with an optical fiber scanner
AssigneeNovartis AG
InventorMark Farley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vitrectomy probe for treating an eye of a patient, the probe including a body arranged for grasping by a surgeon, and a photodisruption element extending from the body. The photodisruption element includes a needle having a main lumen extending from the body, the needle comprising a port at an end, a fiber cannula within the main lumen, the fiber cannula having a fiber lumen, and an optical fiber within the fiber lumen, the optical fiber being mechanically agitatable within the fiber lumen.
Claims20
A vitrectomy probe for treating an eye of a patient, the probe comprising:
- a body arranged for grasping by a surgeon;
- and
- a photodisruption element extending from the body, the photodisruption element including:
- a needle having a main lumen extending from the body, the needle comprising a port in a side wall of the needle, wherein the needle is closed at a distal-most end of the needle, wherein the port has a bottom and an opposing top, wherein the bottom of the port is adjacent the distal-most end of the needle and wherein a distance between the bottom and the top forms a height of the port, and the port has a first side and an opposing second side that are located between the top and bottom such that a distance between the first and second sides forms a width of the port;
- a fiber cannula within the main lumen, the fiber cannula having a fiber lumen and the fiber lumen having a longitudinal axis;
- and
- an optical fiber within the fiber lumen, the fiber lumen being positioned in the needle to direct a laser beam from the optical fiber across the port in the side wall of the needle;
- a motor coupled to the optical fiber, wherein the motor agitates the optical fiber within the fiber lumen to scan the laser beam in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, repeatedly across the port in the side wall between the first side and the second side, at a frequency within a range of 10 hertz (Hz) to 10 kHz, such that vitreous humor entering the port in the side wall is severed by the scanning laser beam.
5 more elements
An ophthalmic surgical system comprising:
- a probe comprising:
- a body arranged for grasping by a surgeon;
- a photodisruption element extending from the body, the photodisruption element including:
- a needle having a main lumen, the needle comprising a port in a side wall of the needle, wherein the needle is closed at a distal-most end of the needle, wherein the port has a bottom and an opposing top, wherein the bottom of the port is adjacent the distal-most end of the needle and wherein a distance between the bottom and the top forms a height of the port, and the port has a first side and an opposing second side that are located between the top and bottom such that a distance between the first and second sides forms a width of the port;
- a fiber cannula having a fiber lumen, wherein the fiber lumen has a longitudinal axis;
- and
- an optical fiber within the fiber lumen, the fiber lumen being positioned in the needle to project a laser beam from the optical fiber across the port in the side wall of the needle;
- and
- a motor coupled to the optical fiber to move the optical fiber in an elliptical motion within the fiber lumen such that the laser beam projecting from the optical fiber results in a travel path corresponding to an elliptical shape as the laser beam scans repeatedly, in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, at a frequency within a range of 10 hertz (Hz) to 10 kHz, across the port in the side wall, between the first side and the second side, of the needle such that vitreous humor entering the port in the side wall is severed by the scanning laser beam.
6 more elements
A method for operating a vitrectomy probe, the method comprising:
- projecting a laser beam from a surface of an optical fiber, the laser beam being projected across a port within a side wall of a needle of the vitrectomy probe having a closed distal end, the optical fiber being housed within a fiber cannula that is within the needle, the fiber cannula having a fiber lumen, wherein the fiber lumen has a longitudinal axis, and wherein the port has a bottom and an opposing top, wherein the bottom of the port is adjacent the closed distal end of the needle and wherein a distance between the bottom and the top forms a height of the port, and the port has a first side and an opposing second side that are located between the top and bottom such that a distance between the first and second sides forms a width of the port;
- and
- mechanically agitating the optical fiber within the fiber lumen such that the laser beam scans repeatedly, in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, at a frequency within a range of 10 hertz (Hz) to 10 kHz, across the port in the side wall of the needle between the first side and the second side, such that vitreous humor entering the port in the side wall is severed by the laser beam scanning the port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.