Novartis Ag

Alcon, Inc.

Kambiz Parto

Barry Lynn Wheatley

Alireza Mirsepassi

Mark Harrison Farley

Chenguang Diao

Ronald T Smith

Michael James Papac

Lingfeng Yu

Edouard G Schmidtlin

Christopher A Cook

Dean Lin

Tammo Heeren

Brian William McDonell

Mauricio Jochinsen

Bruno X Lassalas

Tammo Hereen

Brian William Mcdonell

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a thermally robust laser probe assembly comprising a cannula, wherein one or more optical fibers extend at least partially through the cannula for transmitting laser light from a laser source to a target location. The probe assembly further comprises a lens housed in the cannula and a protective component press-fitted to the distal end of the cannula, wherein the lens is positioned between the one or more optical fibers and the protective component.

Thermally robust laser probe assembly

An example multi-fiber, multi-spot laser probe comprises a plurality of fibers extending from a proximal end of the laser probe to at least near a distal end of the laser probe, where the proximal end of the laser probe is configured to be coupled to a laser source via an adapter interface, and a cannula having a distal end and surrounding the plurality of fibers along at least a portion of the laser probe at or near the distal end of the laser probe, where a distal end of each of the plurality of fibers is angle-polished so that the distal end of each fiber is angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the cannula and relative to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cannula. Additional embodiments employ lensed fibers, a distal window, ball lens, lens array, or faceted wedge.

Multi-fiber multi-spot laser probe with simplified tip construction

Various embodiments are generally directed to a surgical probe with shape-memory material, such as a probe with a set of light sources, for instance. Some embodiments are particularly directed to a cannula with a shape-memory material that is used to secure a window. In one or more embodiments, for example, an apparatus for surgical use may include a cannula with a shape-memory material in an austenitic phase. In some embodiments, the window may be positioned at an opening of the cannula when the shape-memory material is in a martensitic phase. In some embodiments, transitioning the shape-memory material from the martensitic phase to the austenitic phase secures the window in position at the opening of the cannula.

Surgical probe with shape-memory material

In certain embodiments, an illuminating endoprobe system includes one or more light sources, a housing, a vitreous visualization fiber, and a general illumination fiber. The light sources generate a visualization light and an illumination light. The housing receives the visualization and illumination light, and has a probe tip with a probe axis. The vitreous visualization fiber transmits the visualization light through the probe tip. The visualization light has a visualization axis and a visualization beam angle at the probe tip. The general illumination fiber transmits the illumination light through the probe tip. The illumination light has an illumination axis and an illumination beam angle at the probe tip. The illumination beam angle is greater than the visualization beam angle, and the illumination axis is at an offset angle relative to the visualization axis, where the offset angle greater than 5 degrees.

Illuminating ophthalmic endoprobe

In some embodiments, an illuminated microsurgical instrument system includes a microsurgical instrument having a distally projecting tubular member arranged to perform a medical procedure. The tubular member has a distal tip and an outer surface, the outer surface having a flat surface formed therein. The instrument includes a sheath member surrounding a portion of the tubular member and extending toward the distal tip of the tubular member and an optical fiber extending along a length of the flat surface between the tubular member and the sheath member. The instrument may include an opening such as a slot in the distal end of the sheath member to direct exiting air away from the tip of the optical fiber. The instrument may further include a slack chamber, collar structure, and fiber guard member to support and guide the optical fiber to the distal tip.

Medical instrument with an integrated optical fiber

Provided herein is an illuminated microsurgical instrument system and an illuminated microsurgical instrument. In one implementation, the system includes a microsurgical instrument having a distally projecting tubular member arranged to perform a medical procedure at an interventional site. The tubular member has a distal tip and an outer surface, the outer surface having a flat surface formed therein. The instrument includes a sheath member surrounding a portion of the tubular member and extending toward the distal tip of the tubular member and an optical fiber extending along a length of the flat surface between the tubular member and the sheath member. The instrument may further include a slack chamber, collar structure, and fiber guard member to support and guide the optical fiber to the distal tip.

A surgical probe system comprising a surgical probe having a probe needle, an optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a proximal end of the optical fiber is connected to a light source and a distal end of the optical fiber projects illumination light from the light source over a tip of the probe needle; and an adjustment mechanism that varies the illumination light between a first beam having a first numerical aperture that facilitates vitreous visualization and a second beam having a second numerical aperture that facilitates background illumination, wherein the second numerical aperture is larger than the first numerical aperture.

Illuminated surgical probe having a variable illumination numerical aperture

A surgical probe system comprising a surgical probe having a probe needle, a first optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the first optical fiber projects a first beam of illumination light over a tip of the probe needle when activated; a second optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the second optical fiber projects a second beam of illumination light over the tip of the probe needle when activated; and a third optical fiber incorporated onto the probe needle, wherein a distal end of the third optical fiber projects a third beam of light over the tip of the probe needle to perform a distance measurement between the probe needle and a patient's when activated, wherein the distance measurement is displayed or audibly presented to aid a user in probe positional awareness with respect to the patient's retina.

Illuminated surgical probe having multiple optical fibers

A scanning optical probe and method includes a cannula, optical fiber, lens, and an actuating mechanism for tilting the optical fiber back and forth within the cannula. An actuator in the probe handle is coupled to various flexing and guide components extending through the cannula and towards the distal end of the scanning optical probe. Reciprocating motion from the actuator is transmitted to the components thereby causing the optical fiber at the distal end of the scanning optical probe to aim across target surfaces. The light emitted from the optical fiber is processed to generate a scan of the target area.

Scanning optical probe with flexing mechanism

The imaging probe can comprise a housing, having a proximal region configured to be coupled to an optical cable; a cannula, extending from a distal region of the housing; an optical guide, positioned partially in the housing and partially in the cannula, configured to receive an imaging light from the cable in the proximal region of the housing, and to guide the imaging light towards a distal end of the cannula; an optical focusing element, configured to receive the imaging light from the optical guide, and to emit a focused imaging light; an elastomeric optical element, configured to receive the focused imaging light from the optical focusing element, and to be deformable to redirect the focused imaging light; and an actuator system, configured to deform the elastomeric optical element to redirect the focused imaging light.

Imaging probes and associated devices, systems, and methods utilizing an elastomeric optical element

An optical light scanning probe is presented, the probe comprising a handle, shaped for grasping by a user; a cannula, protruding from a distal portion of the handle with an outer diameter smaller than 20 gauge; an optical fiber with a distal fiber-portion off a probe-axis, configured to receive a light from a light-source at a proximal fiber-portion, and to emit the received light at the distal fiber-portion; a fixed beam forming unit, disposed at a distal portion of the cannula, configured to receive the light from the distal fiber-portion, and to deflect the received light toward a target region; and a fiber actuator, housed at least partially in the handle, configured to move the distal fiber-portion to scan the deflected light along a scanning curve in the target region.

Forward scanning-optical probes, circular scan patterns, offset fibers

An adjustment system for an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging system includes an OCT light source; a beam splitter, splitting the OCT light beam into an imaging beam to an imaging arm, and a reference beam to a reference arm; a probe, guiding the imaging beam onto a target and receiving a returned imaging beam from the target; the beam splitter generating an interference beam from the returned imaging beam and a returned reference beam from the reference arm; an imaging detector, detecting the interference beam; an imaging processor, generating an OCT image from the detected interference beam; and an adjustment device, removably coupled to the probe, the adjustment device comprising the target attached to a distal region of a target holder at a working distance from a distal end of the imaging probe, wherein an optical length of the reference arm is adjustable to improve a calibration of the OCT image.

Devices, systems, and methods for calibrating an OCT imaging system in a laser surgical system

In certain embodiments, a scanning system includes optical elements and a movement system. The optical elements include an optical fiber and a gradient-index (GRIN) lens. The optical fiber has a fiber axis that extends to an imaginary fiber axis, and is configured to transmit a light ray. The GRIN lens has a GRIN perimeter and a GRIN lens optical axis, and is configured to refract the light ray. The movement system moves a first optical element relative to a second optical element in a closed path such that the GRIN lens optical axis substantially aligns with the imaginary fiber axis at at least one point of the path and the GRIN perimeter intersects the imaginary fiber axis at at least two points of the path.

Forward scanning optical probes

An OCT probe for imaging patient tissue may include an actuation system arranged to displace an optical fiber within a cannula. The actuation system may include a driver actuatable to displace a portion of the optical fiber, with the driver acting in an angled direction relative to the axis of the cannula. The actuation system also may include a pivot feature operably engaged with the optical fiber in a manner permitting the optical fiber to pivot on the pivot feature when the driver actuates to displace the portion of the optical fiber.

Growing community of inventors

Laguna Niguel, CA, United States of America

Kambiz Parto