Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Material introduced into and removed from body through...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-12-18
Seidel, Richard K. (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Material introduced into and removed from body through...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06331171
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of cataract surgery and more particularly to a handpiece for practicing the liquefracture technique of cataract removal.
The human eye in its simplest terms functions to provide vision by transmitting light through a clear outer portion called the cornea, and focusing the image by way of the lens onto the retina. The quality of the focused image depends on many factors including the size and shape of the eye, and the transparency of the cornea and lens.
When age or disease causes the lens to become less transparent, vision deteriorates because of the diminished light which can be transmitted to the retina. This deficiency in the lens of the eye is medically known as a cataract. An accepted treatment for this condition is surgical removal of the lens and replacement of the lens function by an artificial intraocular lens (IOL).
In the United States, the majority of cataractous lenses are removed by a surgical technique called phacoemulsification. During this procedure, a thin phacoemulsification cutting tip is inserted into the diseased lens and vibrated ultrasonically. The vibrating cutting tip liquifies or emulsifies the lens so that the lens may be aspirated out of the eye. The diseased lens, once removed, is replaced by an artificial lens.
A typical ultrasonic surgical device suitable for ophthalmic procedures consists of an ultrasonically driven handpiece, an attached cutting tip, and irrigating sleeve and an electronic control console. The handpiece assembly is attached to the control console by an electric cable and flexible tubings. Through the electric cable, the console varies the power level transmitted by the handpiece to the attached cutting tip and the flexible tubings supply irrigation fluid to and draw aspiration fluid from the eye through the handpiece assembly.
The operative part of the handpiece is a centrally located, hollow resonating bar or horn directly attached to a set of piezoelectric crystals. The crystals supply the required ultrasonic vibration needed to drive both the horn and the attached cutting tip during phacoemulsification and are controlled by the console. The crystal/horn assembly is suspended within the hollow body or shell of the handpiece by flexible mountings. The handpiece body terminates in a reduced diameter portion or nosecone at the body's distal end. The nosecone is externally threaded to accept the irrigation sleeve. Likewise, the horn bore is internally threaded at its distal end to receive the external threads of the cutting tip. The irrigation sleeve also has an internally threaded bore that is screwed onto the external threads of the nosecone. The cutting tip is adjusted so that the tip projects only a predetermined amount past the open end of the irrigating sleeve. Ultrasonic handpieces and cutting tips are more fully described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,589,363; 4,223,676; 4,246,902; 4,493,694; 4,515,583; 4,589,415; 4,609,368; 4,869,715; 4,922,902; 4,989,583; 5,154,694 and 5,359,996, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In use, the ends of the cutting tip and irrigating sleeve are inserted into a small incision of predetermined width in the cornea, sclera, or other location. The cutting tip is ultrasonically vibrated along its longitudinal axis within the irrigating sleeve by the crystal-driven ultrasonic horn, thereby emulsifying the selected tissue in situ. The hollow bore of the cutting tip communicates with the bore in the horn that in turn communicates with the aspiration line from the handpiece to the console. A reduced pressure or vacuum source in the console draws or aspirates the emulsified tissue from the eye through the open end of the cutting tip, the cutting tip and horn bores and the aspiration line and into a collection device. The aspiration of emulsified tissue is aided by a saline flushing solution or irrigant that is injected into the surgical site through the small annular gap between the inside surface of the irrigating sleeve and the cutting tip.
Recently, a new cataract removal technique has been developed that involves the injection of hot (approximately 45° C. to 105° C.) water or saline to liquefy or gellate the hard lens nucleus, thereby making it possible to aspirate the liquefied lens from the eye. Aspiration is conducted with the injection of the heated solution and the injection of a relatively cool solution, thereby quickly cooling and removing the heated solution. This technique is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,120 (Andrew, et al.), the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. The apparatus disclosed in the publication, however, heats the solution separately from the surgical handpiece. Temperature control of the heated solution can be difficult because the fluid tubings feeding the handpiece typically are up to two meters long, and the heated solution can cool considerably as it travels down the length of the tubing.
Therefore, a need continues to exist for a surgical handpiece that can heat internally the solution used to perform the liquefracture technique.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention improves upon the prior art by providing a tip for a liquefraction surgical handpiece. The tip uses at least two tubes. One tube is used for aspiration and at least one other tube is used to inject heated surgical fluid for liquefying a cataractous lens. The distal portion of the injection tube terminates just inside of the aspiration tube so that heated fluid escaping the injection tube reflects off of the internal wall of the aspiration tube prior to entering the eye. The internal wall is textured or roughened to further diffract the fluid stream. Such an arrangement prevents the injected fluid from directly entering the eye. The handpiece may also contain other tubes, for example, for injecting relatively cool surgical fluid.
Accordingly, one objective of the present invention is to provide a surgical handpiece having at least two tubes.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a safer tip for a surgical handpiece having a pumping chamber.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a surgical handpiece having a device for delivering the surgical fluid through the handpiece in pulses that do not directly enter the eye.
These and other advantages and objectives of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description and claims that follow.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3589363 (1971-06-01), Banko et al.
patent: 3606878 (1971-09-01), Kellog
patent: 3818913 (1974-06-01), Wallach
patent: 3930505 (1976-01-01), Wallach
patent: 3994297 (1976-11-01), Kopf
patent: 4024866 (1977-05-01), Wallach
patent: 4169984 (1979-10-01), Parisi
patent: 4223676 (1980-09-01), Wuchinich
patent: 4246902 (1981-01-01), Martinez
patent: 4493694 (1985-01-01), Wuchinich
patent: 4515583 (1985-05-01), Sorrich
patent: 4517977 (1985-05-01), Frost
patent: 4570632 (1986-02-01), Woods
patent: 4577629 (1986-03-01), Martinez
patent: 4589414 (1986-05-01), Yoshida et al.
patent: 4589415 (1986-05-01), Haaga
patent: 4609368 (1986-09-01), Dotson, Jr.
patent: 4634419 (1987-01-01), Kreizman et al.
patent: 4634420 (1987-01-01), Spinosa et al.
patent: 4662869 (1987-05-01), Wright
patent: 4674502 (1987-06-01), Imonti
patent: 4696298 (1987-09-01), Higgins et al.
patent: 4706669 (1987-11-01), Schlegel
patent: 4753234 (1988-06-01), Martinez
patent: 4869715 (1989-09-01), Sherburne
patent: 4909249 (1990-03-01), Akkas et al.
patent: 4911161 (1990-03-01), Schechter
patent: 4922990 (1990-05-01), Wuchinich et al.
patent: 4974581 (1990-12-01), Wiskell
patent: 4986827 (1991-01-01), Akkas et al.
patent: 4989583 (1991-02-01), Hood
patent: 4989588 (1991-02-01), Kubota et al.
patent: 5019035 (1991-05-01), Missirlian et al.
patent: 5106364 (1992-04-01), Hayafuji et al.
patent: 5154694 (1992-10-01), Kelman
patent: 5163433 (1992-11-01), Kagawa et al.
patent: 5226910 (1993-07-01), Kajiyama et al.
patent: 5250065 (1993-10-01), Clement et al.
patent: 5261923 (1993-11-01), Soares
Alcon Laboratories Inc.
Schira Jeffrey S.
Seidel Richard K.
Thanh Loan H.
LandOfFree
Tip for a liquefracture handpiece does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Tip for a liquefracture handpiece, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Tip for a liquefracture handpiece will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2574872