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Martin L Leib

Peter Michalos

A fixation stent and a method for using the stent to repair canalicular lacerations and to block fluid flow through a canalicular canal are provided The stent includes a flexible tube having a proximal end, a distal end, an inflatable portion in fluid communication with the distal end, and a plug for sealing and anchoring the proximal end within a body canal. In ophthalmic applications, the distal end of the stent is inserted into a punctum of an eyelid and is then urged through the associated canaliculus towards a lacrimal sac at the end of the canaliculus Once inside the lacrimal sac, the balloon is inflated to a diameter greater than the diameter of the canalicular canal, thereby anchoring and sealing the distal end of the stent within the lacrimal sac. A plug is secured within the proximal end of the stent subsequent to the inflation of the balloon, thereby serving to seal the proximal end of the stent The plug includes a portion with a diameter greater than the diameter of the punctum that rests on the margin of the eyelid, thereby anchoring the proximal end of the stent at the margin of the eyelid Although the stent is particularly suited to ophthalmological applications, it can be used in any narrow body canal.

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Riverdale, NY, United States of America

Martin L Leib