Method for eye lens removal using cavitating microbubbles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11844724-B2
Application number	US-202117509641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2021
Priority date	Jan 4, 2019
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

A surgical method of cataract fragmentation and extraction via microbubble cavitation is described. In particular, gas-filled microbubbles are injected into a lens capsule of a subject's eye, and cavitation of the microbubbles is activated by applied ultrasound energy. The ultrasound energy can be applied from an external device. The cavitation fragments cataract tissues without damaging other tissue, such as the lens capsule. Fragmented lens material is then aspirated from the lens capsule. The method can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods, such as phacoemulsification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for removing a lens from an eye, the method comprising:
injecting microbeads into the eye of a subject;
directing energy at the injected microbeads sufficient to cause the microbeads to undergo cavitation;
fragmenting lens material of the eye with the cavitation; and
aspirating the fragmented lens material from the eye.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
repeating the injecting, directing, fragmenting, and aspirating to remove the entire lens from the subject.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the microbeads is comprised of:
a phospholipid shell; and
a fluorinated alkane gas inside the phospholipid shell.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the fluorinated alkane gas is selected from the group consisting of perfluoropropane and butane.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the microbeads is comprised of:
a block copolymer or functionalized natural polymer shell; and
a fluorocarbon gas inside the shell.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the microbeads is comprised of:
a multiphase polymer shell; and
air inside the shell.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the microbeads are coated with a targeting moiety configured to bind to the lens material, the method further comprising:
binding the microbeads to the lens material of the lens.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the targeting moiety comprises polypeptides or acidic groups.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
performing a capsulorhexis on the eye;
hydrodissecting the lens from the eye; and
inserting an artificial intraocular lens into the eye.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the injecting of the microbeads is performed with hydrodissecting liquid.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the microbeads are in a liquid suspension, and the injecting includes injecting the liquid suspension into the eye.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the liquid suspension is used to irrigate the eye.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the microbeads are injected into or around the lens.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy reaches the microbeads by being transmitted through biological tissue from outside of the eye.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy is transmitted from within the eye using an ultrasonic tip.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
inserting a phacoemulsification handpiece tip into the eye; and
emulsifying, during or after the fragmenting, the lens material using emulsifying energy transmitted from the phacoemulsification handpiece tip within the eye,
wherein less emulsifying energy from the phacoemulsification handpiece tip inside the eye is required to remove the lens than if the fragmenting with the cavitation were not performed.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject is one or more of:
a human;
a dog; or
a rabbit.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the microbeads are injected into a lens capsule of the eye.

19. A system for removing a lens from an eye of a subject, the system comprising:
stabilized gas-filled microbeads having an outside diameter less than 500 microns, wherein the stabilized gas-filled microbeads are suitable for injecting into the eye and configured to undergo cavitation when subjected to ultrasound energy;
a microbubble activation instrument configured to direct ultrasound energy to the injected stabilized gas-filled microbeads sufficient to cause the microbeads to undergo cavitation and fragment lens material with the cavitation while preserving a lens capsule of the eye.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the microbubble activation instrument includes:
an ultrasonic tip for transmitting the ultrasound energy from within the eye; or
a phacoemulsification handpiece tip for inserting into the eye.

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn
• Univ California
• Us Gov Represented By The Department Of Veterans Affairs

Inventors

• Grubbs Robert H
• Stoller Marshall L
• Han Ying
• Brodie Frank L

Classifications

• A61F9/00745 Primary

  using mechanical vibrations, e.g. ultrasonic · CPC title