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, require multiple incisions, and can lead to patient discomfort due to extraocular muscle stretching and irreversible vitreous body interference.
Innovation Solution
A foldable pressing balloon structure with a balloon body and self-sealing drainage component is implanted under the fascia bulbi, using normal saline or air as a filling medium, which reduces the need for encircling band fixation and allows for simple, minimally invasive surgery with reduced muscle stretching and vitreous cavity interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If scleral buckling surgery is performed with encircling band fixation, then retinal holes can be sealed, but the surgery becomes complex with multiple incisions and causes patient discomfort due to extraocular muscle stretching
Solution Approach 1:
The encircling band is divided into multiple independent pressing balloons (first pressing balloon, second pressing balloon, third pressing balloon) that can be independently positioned and inflated at different retinal locations, eliminating the need for a continuous encircling band and its associated complex fixation sutures
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing balloons serve multiple functions: they provide localized retinal compression to seal holes, act as positioning markers, and eliminate the need for separate encircling band fixation, thereby simplifying the overall surgical procedure
2Reliability
If vitrectomy is performed to treat multiple retinal holes, then all holes can be closed, but the surgery causes significant damage to the vitreous body and requires filling the eyeball with media
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the pressing function from the vitreous cavity and relocates it to the sub-Tenon's space, allowing retinal holes to be sealed through external compression without interfering with the natural vitreous body
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing balloons act as intermediaries that transmit compression force from the sub-Tenon's space to the retina, enabling hole sealing without direct intervention in the vitreous cavity
3Adaptability or versatility
If encircling band fixation is used, then multiple retinal holes can be treated, but the surgery time is extended and operation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple independent pressing balloons can be simultaneously or sequentially deployed to treat multiple retinal holes at different locations, eliminating the need for sequential suture placement and extending the treatment capability without proportionally increasing surgical time
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing balloons are pre-assembled and can be rapidly deployed to multiple locations, allowing surgeons to pre-plan and efficiently treat multiple retinal holes in a single surgical session
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The balloon structure effectively seals retinal holes with minimal incisions, reduces patient discomfort, and preserves the natural vitreous body by avoiding encircling band fixation and vitreous cavity intervention, shortening surgery time and improving treatment efficacy.
Implementation Method 1
a balloon body configured to be provided in a fascia bulbi of an eyeball and having a balloon cavity to be filled with normal saline or air
Implementation Method 2
a self-sealing drainage component connected to the second surface of the balloon body and in communication with the balloon cavity
Data Source
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.