Foldable Pressing Balloon Structure for Retinal Hole Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing retinal detachment treatments, such as scleral buckling and vitrectomy, cause significant damage to the eyeball and are irreversible, with scleral buckling causing muscle strain and vitrectomy being harmful to the vitreous body, and current foldable balloon structures require incisions and fillings that can lead to discomfort and prolonged recovery.
Innovation Solution
A foldable pressing balloon structure with a flat first surface and curved second surface, implanted under the fascia bulbi, uses normal saline or air as a filling medium, and features a drainage valve and fixing bodies to minimize incisions, reduce muscle strain, and allow for gradual pressure reduction post-surgery, without affecting the vitreous body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If scleral buckling surgery is performed to seal retinal holes, then the holes can be sealed effectively, but the extraocular muscles are stretched causing patient discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a balloon as an intermediary device that can be inflated to press against the retina and seal holes without requiring encircling bands that stretch muscles. The balloon acts as a mediator between the sealing requirement and the avoidance of muscle strain, providing localized pressure exactly where needed without affecting surrounding muscles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible balloon that can be inflated to the desired pressure and then deflated for removal. This flexible shell approach allows the sealing function to be performed without rigid encircling structures, thereby avoiding muscle stretching while maintaining effective retinal contact.
2Reliability
If vitrectomy is performed to treat multiple retinal holes, then all holes can be treated, but the vitreous body is severely damaged and surgery is irreversible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the vitreous cavity and performs it externally through the sclera. By using a balloon that presses from outside, the treatment achieves completeness for multiple holes without needing to enter and manipulate the vitreous body, thus avoiding its damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The balloon serves as an intermediary that enables complete treatment of multiple retinal holes without direct intervention in the vitreous cavity. It provides the necessary sealing pressure from an external location, eliminating the need for harmful vitreous manipulation.
3Ease of manufacture
If encircling bands are used to fix multiple body parts, then suturing becomes easier, but the device complexity and surgery time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sealing function into discrete balloon units that can be positioned and inflated independently at different retinal locations. This segmentation allows treatment of multiple holes without requiring a complex encircling band structure, simplifying the overall device while maintaining ease of securing multiple sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The balloon acts as an intermediary that replaces the complex encircling band system. Instead of using a continuous band that requires extensive suturing, the balloon provides localized sealing that is easier to secure with minimal suturing while treating multiple areas through separate balloon placements.
4Reliability
If larger incisions are made for balloon insertion and filling, then the balloon can be properly positioned and filled, but patient discomfort increases and recovery is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible balloon that can be collapsed into a compact form for insertion through small incisions. After positioning, the balloon is inflated to achieve the desired sealing effect. This flexible shell approach maintains positioning accuracy while minimizing incision size and associated patient discomfort.
Data Source
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AI summary
A foldable pressing-type balloon structure (10), comprising a balloon body (100) used for arrangement in the Tenon capsule and a drainage component (200) capable of being closed automatically. The balloon body (100) is formed with a balloon cavity used for supplying normal saline or air; the balloon body (100) has a planar first surface (110) and a curved second surface (120); the height of the balloon body (100) along the first surface (110) is 0.2-2.0 cm; the drainage component (200) is connected to the second surface (120) of the balloon body (100) and communicated with the balloon cavity. The foldable pressing-type balloon structure (10) is implanted under the Tenon capsule, and a break is sealed by pressing by filling the inside of the balloon body (100) with a medium. Compared with scleral buckles in the prior art, fixing with buckles is not required, and it is only necessary to fix the position of the drainage component (200) by suturing to prevent displacement, so that an incision in surgery is reduced; moreover, because fixing with buckles is not required, extraocular muscles will not be pulled, so that a patient does not feel uncomfortable after surgery. The surgical method is simple in operation, the difficulty is reduced, and the time required for surgery is shortened.