Surgery – Blood drawn and replaced or treated and returned to body – Constituent removed from blood and remainder returned to body
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-30
2001-06-12
Sykes, Angela D. (Department: 3762)
Surgery
Blood drawn and replaced or treated and returned to body
Constituent removed from blood and remainder returned to body
C604S004010, C604S005040, C128S898000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06245038
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new method for the effective therapeutic treatment of ocular diseases especially maculopathy and non arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
In the past ophthalmological diseases like age-related maculopathy (AMD) retinal vein occlusion, diabetic retinopathy, arterial occlusion, uveal effusion syndrome, NAION, Stargardt-disease, uveitis, and maculopathy of different origin could not be treated with a generally accepted therapy. For example for the treatment of AMD lasering treatments, radiation and operation were used. However these methods had no effect on the further development of the disease in many of the patients suffering therefrom. Out of the different ocular diseases AMD is the major disease. AMD is a severe progressive disease which occurs in the elderly. It is considered to be the most frequent cause of blindness in patients beyond an age of 65 years. There are more than 4.5 million Americans suffering from this disease. Two types of AMD are known. The “dry” form develops more slowly, however ends up in blindness generally not later than after 12 to 14 years.
The second form the “wet” type progresses rapidly leading to blindness generally within a few up to 7 years though sometimes much shorter within months. The other ocular diseases which are mentioned above are not so common but also for these diseases no general accepted therapy exists. Therefore, there is a great need for a new and effective therapeutic treatment of the above ocular diseases. In the early '90s the inventors of the present invention observed that the elimination of fibrinogen and plasma proteins of higher molecular weight led to an increase of the visual acuity of patients suffering from macular disease and uveal effusion syndrome (Brunner, Borberg et al. Acta Medica Austriaca 1991, 18, supplement 1, page 63 to 65). In this document 1 patient with uveal effusion syndrome and 16 patients which maculopathy were treated. The haematocrit was reduced by erythrocyte apheresis. Fibrinogen and plasma proteins were eliminated by plasma exchange using a solution of 5% human albumin. The visual acuity of 9 of the patients with maculopathy was significantly increased after one therapy.
In a further publication from 1991 (Brunner, Borberg et al., Dev. Ophthalmol., Karger (Public.) Basel, 1992, vol. 23, p. 275 to 284) it was studied whether clinical improvements could be obtained by plasma exchange therapy with patients suffering from intermediate uveitis using a solution of 5% human albumin. It was found out that both the haemorheological and immunomodulatory effects of this treatment could be beneficial in this disease. Human albumin as well as preserved serum were used as exchange fluids.
However, a general concept for the effective therapeutic treatment of ocular diseases was not described in these documents.
Therefore it was the object of the invention to provide a method for the effective therapeutic treatment of ocular diseases, especially different kinds of maculopathy and NAION.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object was solved by a method for the effective therapeutic treatment of ocular diseases which comprises the treatment of blood of patients suffering from ocular diseases by extracorporeal plasmapheresis techniques. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the ocular diseases which can be treated are selected from the group comprising age-related maculopathy, retinal vein occlusion, diabetic retinopathy, arterial occlusion, uveal effusion syndrome, non arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION), Stargardt-disease, uveitis, maculopathy of different origin.
In a further preferred embodiment the plasmapheresis technique is selected from the following techniques: blood cell plasma separation, plasma differential separation, plasma differential precipitation, plasma differential adsorption, plasma differential filtration.
The treatment comprises the steps of withdrawing the blood from the patient, treatment of the blood by the plasmapheresis techniques mentioned above and re-infusing the treated blood.
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Brunner, R.; Erythrocyte apheresis in combination with elimination of fibrinogen and plasma proteins of higher molecular weight in macular disease and in uveal effusion syndrome; Acta Med. Austriaca, 1991, spec Issue 1, 63-65.*
Brunner et al. “Clinical Efficacy of Haemorheological Treatment Using Plasma Exchange, Selective Adsorption and Membrane Differential Filtration in Maculopathy . . . ”Transfus. Sci.17(4):493-498, 1996.
Brunner et al. “Change in Hemorrheological and Biochemical Parameters Following Membrane Differential Filtration”,Intl. J. Artifical Organs18(12):794-798, 1995.
Brunner, Borberg et al. “Plasma Exchange and Immunoglobulins in the Treatment of Intermediate Uveitis”,Dev. Ophthalmol., Karger (Public.) Basel, vol. 23, p. 275-284, 1992.
Brunner, Borberg et al. “Erythrocyte Apheresis in Combination with Elimination of Fibrinogen and Plasma Proteins of Higher Molecular Weight in Macular Disease and in Uveal Effusion Syndrome”,Acta Medica Austriaca 18, supplement 1, p. 63-65, 1991.
Borberg Helmut
Brunner Richard
Bianco Patricia
Needle & Rosenberg P.C.
Sykes Angela D.
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