# US 10,478,266 B2 · Illuminated surgical probe having multiple optical fibers

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- Number: US 10,478,266 B2
- Document ID: US10478266B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/812,021
- Filed: 2017-11-14
- Published: 2018-06-21
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-15
- Assignees: Novartis AG
- Applicants: Novartis AG
- Inventors: Alireza Mirsepassi; Michael J. Papac; Kambiz Parto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478266B2

## CPC

- A61B 90/30: Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
- A61B 1/07: using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
- A61B 18/1477: {Needle-like probes}
- A61F 9/00736: {Instruments for removal of intra-ocular material or intra-ocular injection, e.g. cataract instruments (A61F9/008 takes precedence)}
- A61F 9/008: using laser
- A61B 2090/062: {penetration depth}
- A61B 2090/306: {using optical fibres}
- A61F 2009/00844: {Feedback systems}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C)

## Abstract

A surgical probe system comprising a surgical probe having a probe needle, a first optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the first optical fiber projects a first beam of illumination light over a tip of the probe needle when activated; a second optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the second optical fiber projects a second beam of illumination light over the tip of the probe needle when activated; and a third optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the third optical fiber projects a third beam of light over the tip of the probe needle to perform a distance measurement between the probe needle and a patient's when activated, wherein the distance measurement is displayed or audibly presented to aid a user in probe positional awareness with respect to the patient's retina.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An illuminated surgical probe system, comprising:
a surgical probe having a probe needle;
a first optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the first optical fiber projects a first beam of illumination light over a tip of the probe needle when activated;
a second optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the second optical fiber projects a second beam of illumination light over the tip of the probe needle when activated;
a third optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the third optical fiber projects a third beam of light over the tip of the probe needle to perform a distance measurement between the probe needle and a patient's retina when activated, wherein the distance measurement is displayed or audibly presented to aid a user in positional awareness of the probe needle with respect to the patient's retina; and
a processor that, based on the distance measurement, automatically toggles the illumination light between the first beam having a first numerical aperture that facilitates vitreous visualization and the second beam having a second numerical aperture that facilitates background illumination, wherein the second numerical aperture is larger than the first numerical aperture.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The surgical probe system as in claim 1, wherein the first numerical aperture has a numerical value of approximately less than or equal to 0.3.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The surgical probe system as in claim 1, wherein the second numerical aperture has a numerical value of approximately greater than 0.3.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The surgical probe system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:
compare a current distance measurement to a predetermined threshold distance;
responsive to determining that the current distance measurement is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold distance, activate the first beam of illumination comprising a narrow beam of illumination; and
responsive to determining that the current distance measurement is less than the predetermined threshold distance, activate the second beam of illumination comprising a wide beam of illumination.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The surgical probe system as in claim 1, wherein the surgical probe comprises a vitrectomy probe or a laser probe.

### Claim 6

An illuminated surgical probe system, comprising:
a surgical probe having a probe needle;
a first optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the first optical fiber projects a first beam of illumination light over a tip of the probe needle when activated;
a second optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the second optical fiber projects a second beam of illumination light over the tip of the probe needle when activated, wherein activation of the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber is toggled manually by the user;
a third optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the third optical fiber projects a third beam of light over the tip of the probe needle to perform a distance measurement between the probe needle and a patient's retina when activated, wherein the distance measurement is displayed or audibly presented to aid a user in positional awareness of the probe needle with respect to the patient's retina; and
a processor configured to automatically control intensity of the illumination light proportionally based on the distance measurement;
wherein the processor is configured to:
responsive to determining a general illumination mode is activated, activate the second optical fiber to produce a wide beam;
receive the distance measurement from the third optical fiber during operation of the surgical probe;
lower intensity of the wide beam as a probe needle of the surgical probe is moved closer to a retina, as indicated by increasingly smaller distance measurements; and
increase the intensity of the wide beam as the probe needle is moved farther from the retina, as indicated by increasingly larger distance measurements.

### Claim 7

A computer-implemented method of providing an illuminated surgical probe, the surgical probe comprising a probe needle, the method comprising:
incorporating a first optical fiber onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the first optical fiber projects a first beam of illumination light over a tip of the probe needle when activated;
incorporating a second optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the second optical fiber projects a second beam of illumination light over the tip of the probe needle when activated; and
incorporating a third optical fiber onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the third optical fiber projects a third beam of light over the tip of the probe needle to perform a distance measurement between the probe needle and a patient's retina when activated, wherein the distance measurement is displayed or audibly presented to aid a user in positional awareness of the probe needle with respect to the patient's retina;
based on the distance measurement, automatically toggling by a processor, the illumination light between the first beam having a first numerical aperture that facilitates vitreous visualization and the second beam having a second numerical aperture that facilitates background illumination, wherein the second numerical aperture is larger than the first numerical aperture.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method as in claim 7, wherein the first numerical aperture has a numerical value of approximately less than or equal to 0.3.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method as in claim 7, wherein the second numerical aperture has a numerical value of approximately greater than 0.3.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method as in claim 7, further comprising:
comparing, by the processor, a current distance measurement to a predetermined threshold distance;
responsive to the processor determining that the current distance measurement is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold distance, activating the first beam of illumination comprising a narrow beam of illumination; and
responsive to the processor determining that the current distance measurement is less than the predetermined threshold distance, activating the second beam of illumination comprising a wide beam of illumination.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The method as in claim 7, wherein the surgical probe comprises a vitrectomy probe or a laser probe.

### Claim 12

A computer-implemented method of providing an illuminated surgical probe, the surgical probe comprising a probe needle, the method comprising:
incorporating a first optical fiber onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the first optical fiber projects a first beam of illumination light over a tip of the probe needle when activated;
incorporating a second optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the second optical fiber projects a second beam of illumination light over the tip of the probe needle when activated, wherein activation of the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber is toggled manually by the user; and
incorporating a third optical fiber onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the third optical fiber projects a third beam of light over the tip of the probe needle to perform a distance measurement between the probe needle and a patient's retina when activated, wherein the distance measurement is displayed or audibly presented to aid a user in positional awareness of the probe needle with respect to the patient's retina;
automatically controlling, by a processor, intensity of the illumination light proportionally based on the distance measurement;
responsive to the processor determining a general illumination mode is activated, activating the second optical fiber to produce a wide beam;
receiving the distance measurement by the processor from the third optical fiber during operation of the surgical probe;
lowering intensity, by the processor, of the wide beam as a probe needle of the surgical probe is moved closer to a retina, as indicated by increasingly smaller distance measurements; and
increasing the intensity, by the processor, of the wide beam as the probe needle is moved farther from the retina, as indicated by increasingly larger distance measurements.