Systems and Methods for a Surgical Tissue Manipulator

Abstract

An apparatus for manipulating tissue during a procedure performed within an eye of a patient is disclosed herein. The apparatus includes a hand-held controller and an elongate member configured to be inserted into the eye of the patient. The elongate member has a proximal end and a distal end, with the proximal end of the elongate member being coupled to the hand-held controller. The elongate member also has a lumen extending through the length of the elongate member. The apparatus further includes a plurality of flexible grasping fibers extending through at least a portion of the lumen and beyond the distal end thereof. The grasping fibers are adjustable by the hand-held controller to advance or retract relative to the elongate member by altering a distance between distal ends of the grasping fibers and the distal end of the elongate member.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for manipulating tissue during a procedure performed within an eye of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
 a controller;   an elongate member configured to be inserted into the eye and having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the elongate member being coupled to the controller, a lumen extending through a length of the elongate member; and   a plurality of flexible grasping fibers extending through at least a portion of the lumen and beyond the distal end thereof, the grasping fibers being adjustable by the controller to advance or retract relative to the elongate member by altering a distance between distal ends of the grasping fibers and the distal end of the elongate member.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a slide block coupled to a proximal end of each grasping fiber of the plurality of grasping fibers. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the elongate member is configured to move relative to the slide block. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the grasping fibers are configured to grasp tissue when the distance between the distal ends of the grasping fibers and the distal end of the elongate member is decreased. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate member moves relative to the grasping fibers to open and close the plurality of grasping fibers. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate member has an outer diameter ranging from about 0.4 millimeters to about 0.9 millimeters. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each grasping fiber of the plurality of grasping fibers has a diameter of about 0.01 millimeters to about 0.1 millimeters. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of grasping fibers have hooked ends or textured ends. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of grasping fibers are formed with a curve proximate a distal end of each of the plurality of grasping fibers. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to move the elongate member relative the plurality of grasping fibers when the controller is activated by an operator. 
     
     
         11 . A minimally invasive apparatus for manipulating tissue in an eye of a patient, comprising:
 an elongate member configured to be inserted through a minimally invasive surgical opening in the eye of the patient, the elongate member having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending through a length of the elongate member from the proximal end to the distal end;   a hand-held controller coupled to the proximal end of the elongate member; and   a plurality of grasping fibers extending through at least a portion of the lumen and beyond the distal end thereof, the grasping fibers being adjustable by the hand-held controller to advance or retract relative to the elongate member by altering a distance between distal ends of the grasping fibers and the distal end of the elongate member.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the elongate member is coupled to the hand-held controller configured to control displacement of the elongate member relative to the plurality of grasping fibers. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the elongate member is a metal tube. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of grasping fibers is formed from plastic, glass, silicone, metal or a composite. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of grasping fibers comprises a first set of grasping fibers and a second set of grasping fibers. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the first set of grasping fibers and the second set of grasping fibers are biased to curve in opposite directions when the apparatus is an open state. 
     
     
         17 . A method of positioning retinal tissue that has detached from a back surface of an eye of a patient, the method comprising:
 making an incision in the eye;   inserting a retinal manipulator into the eye through the incision, the retinal manipulator having two pluralities of grasping fibers at a distal end thereof;   grasping a portion of the retinal tissue that is detached from the back surface of the eye between the two pluralities of grasping fibers; and   maneuvering the retinal tissue by maneuvering the grasped portion with the retinal manipulator.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the retinal manipulator comprises a tube having the two pluralities of grasping fibers positioned therein, the two pluralities of fibers being biased to extend in different directions. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising adjusting a stiffness of the plurality of grasping fibers by positioning the tube relative to the two pluralities of grasping fibers. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising fully retracting the two pluralities of fibers into a tube prior to inserting the retinal manipulator into the eye through the incision.