Intraocular Shunt Deployment Device for Closed Angle Glaucoma
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Solution Overview
Problem
Closed angle glaucoma poses a challenge in surgical interventions as the closed anterior chamber angle prevents the deployment device from accessing the anterior chamber angle, making it difficult to properly position and deploy an intraocular shunt.
Innovation Solution
A deployment device configured to re-open a partially or completely closed anterior chamber angle, allowing access for the deployment of an intraocular shunt by using a device with a distal portion that can slide into the angle and provide resistance feedback for proper positioning, and a mechanism to deploy the shunt into areas like the intra-Tenon's space or Schlemm's canal without the need for optical apparatuses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional deployment device is used, then the device structure is simple, but the device cannot access the anterior chamber angle in closed angle glaucoma
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment device is divided into a proximal portion and a distal portion that can be selectively deployed. The distal portion includes a shunt and a deployment mechanism that can be inserted into the anterior chamber angle through the trabecular meshwork, while the proximal portion remains outside the eye. This segmentation allows the device to access the anterior chamber angle without requiring the entire device to be inserted, thus maintaining relative simplicity while achieving the required adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shunt is nested within the hollow shaft of the deployment device, and the deployment mechanism is contained within the housing. The distal portion can be advanced through the cornea and trabecular meshwork while retracted within the proximal portion. This nesting arrangement allows the device to maintain a compact profile during insertion while enabling deployment of the distal portion into the anterior chamber angle, resolving the contradiction between access capability and structural simplicity.
2Measurement precision
If optical apparatuses are used for visualization, then positioning precision is improved, but the procedure complexity and trauma increase
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment device incorporates resistance feedback mechanisms that allow the surgeon to sense proper positioning through tactile feedback during insertion. The device self-guides through the cornea and trabecular meshwork using its structural design, eliminating the need for external optical apparatuses like goniolenses. This self-service approach maintains positioning accuracy while reducing procedure complexity and ocular trauma associated with additional devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The device provides resistance feedback to the surgeon during insertion, allowing tactile detection of proper positioning in the anterior chamber angle. This inherent feedback mechanism eliminates the need for separate optical visualization systems, achieving both accurate positioning and reduced procedural complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the deployment device is inserted deeply into the eye, then shunt deployment accuracy is improved, but ocular trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
Only the necessary distal portion of the device (shunt and deployment mechanism) is inserted into the eye through the cornea and trabecular meshwork, while the bulk of the device remains outside. This minimizes the foreign body presence in the eye and reduces trauma while maintaining accurate deployment positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment device is designed to quickly pass through the cornea and trabecular meshwork with a minimally invasive profile, reducing the time the device spends in sensitive ocular tissues. The sharp distal tip allows rapid penetration through these barriers, minimizing trauma while achieving accurate positioning in the anterior chamber angle.
Data Source
AI summary
Glaucoma can be treated by implanting an intraocular shunt into the eye. Such procedures can employ various deployment devices, shunts, and implantation techniques.