Systems and methods for treating hearing loss
AssigneeSpiral Therapeutics Inc.
InventorsEugene de Juan, Signe Erickson, Charles Limb, Hugo Peris, Andrew Ayoob, Vrad Levering
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods can be employed for trans-tympanic membrane access to the middle ear for delivery of a therapeutic agent, for example, to the round window niche adjacent to the cochlea under direct visualization. The systems and methods can also be used to improve accessibility and visualization for various otological surgical procedures, such as, but not limited to, cholesteatoma removal, tympanic membrane repair and ossicular chain repair.
Claims20
A system for delivering a therapeutic formulation adjacent to a cochlea of a patient, the system comprising:
- first and second tympanic membrane port devices configured to be removably implanted in spaced apart positions in a tympanic membrane of the patient, the first tympanic membrane port device defining a first lumen and the second tympanic membrane port device defining a second lumen;
- an endoscope slidable through the first lumen of the first tympanic membrane port device while the first tympanic membrane port is implanted in the tympanic membrane such that a distal end portion of the endoscope is positionable in a middle ear to visualize a round window niche of the cochlea;
- and
- an injector instrument slidable through the second lumen of the second tympanic membrane port device while the second tympanic membrane port device is implanted in the tympanic membrane such that a curved distal tip portion of the injector instrument is advanceable to the round window niche, the injector instrument configured to deliver the therapeutic formulation to the round window niche while the distal end portion of the endoscope in the middle ear is spaced apart from the injector instrument to provide visualization of the injector instrument.
A system for delivering an otic treatment fluid adjacent to a cochlea of a patient, the system comprising:
- a middle ear injection device including a proximal end and a flexible distal tip portion, the flexible distal tip portion being adjustable from a longitudinally straight shape during advancement through a tympanic membrane of the patient to a curved shape to orient a distal delivery port of the distal tip portion at a round window niche adjacent to the cochlea;
- and
- an otic treatment fluid source in fluid communication with the middle ear injection device so that the distal delivery port of the distal tip portion is configured to deliver the otic treatment fluid into the round window niche while the flexible distal tip portion is arranged in the curved shape.
A system comprising:
- a middle ear tissue manipulator having a tissue engagement tip portion that is movable within a middle ear to modify a pseudomembrane at least partially covering a round window niche of an inner ear, wherein the inner ear tissue manipulator is shaped to be advanced through a first access path through a tympanic membrane;
- and
- a middle ear medicament injector having a steerable distal tip portion configured to access a region of the round window niche where the pseudomembrane was modified and to deliver a medicament adjacent to a cochlea via the round window niche, wherein the middle ear medicament injector is shaped to be advanced through the same first access path through the tympanic membrane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.