A treatment system including a therapy device for treating soft tissue inflammation of the ear. The device includes an inflation fluid supply tube, an inner member, and a balloon. The inflation fluid supply tube has an inflation lumen extending longitudinally therethrough and an opening disposed between opposing first and second ends. The inner member is formed of a shape memory material and defines distal, proximal, and center portions. The center portion extends longitudinally within the inflation fluid supply tube. The distal portion extends distally from the first end and the proximal portion extends through the opening. A lumen of the inner member is fluidly open at and between distal and proximal ends. The balloon is disposed along the distal portion, and is fluidly coupled to the inflation lumen. A tracking device for image guided navigation can be attached to the distal portion of the inner member.

A device for dilating an Eustachian tube of a patient including an inner member, an inflation fluid supply tube, a balloon, and a coupler. The inner member includes a lumen fluidly open at distal and proximal ends. The inner member has a distal portion, a proximal portion, and a central portion. The inflation fluid supply tube is fixedly disposed around the central. The inflation fluid supply tube has an opening disposed between first and second ends. A proximal portion of the inner member extends through the opening and the opening is fluidly sealed against an exterior surface of the inner member. The coupler is configured to selectively couple the inflation fluid supply tube to an endoscope. The coupler is configured to engage against an exterior surface of the inflation fluid supply tube. The coupler is disposable between the first end and the opening of the inflation fluid supply tube.

Systems and methods can be employed for trans-tympanic membrane access to the middle ear for delivery of a formulation or implant device to a target location under direct visualization. The systems and methods can also be used to improve accessibility and visualization for various otological surgical procedures, such as, but not limited to, cholesteatoma removal, tympanic membrane repair and ossicular chain repair.

Variations of integral navigation controls may be used in conjunction with a medical instrument to provide navigation functions for an image guided surgery (IGS) system that is in communication with the integral navigation controls. In some variations, a medical instrument with integrated navigation wheels allows movement of a cursor of the IGS system along the x and y axis by scrolling the wheel, or allows selection, zooming, or other controls by combined clicking and/or scrolling of wheels, and may be sterilized or discarded along with the device. In some other variations, a control overlay may be temporarily attached to the medical instrument to provide additional controls, such as buttons or a pointing stick, and then removed and sterilized or discarded after a procedure. In each variation, inputs may be communicated via wire or wirelessly to an IGS system to provide navigation of images during a surgical procedure.

A method for cleaning an isthmus of a Eustachian tube (ET) of a patient includes using an instrument. The instrument includes a proximal portion, a distal portion, and a shaft extending therebetween, and a treatment feature disposed at the distal portion. The method includes directing the instrument into an oro-nasal cavity of the patient and advancing at least the distal portion of the instrument into an opening of the ET. The method further includes further advancing the instrument within the ET so that the treatment feature is disposed past, or is coincident with, the isthmus. The method further includes moving the treatment feature relative to the isthmus to clean the isthmus.

An apparatus comprises a shaft, an expandable dilator, and at least one ventilation pathway. The shaft defines a longitudinal axis and comprises a distal and proximal ends with at least one shaft lumen. The expandable dilator comprises body with its own proximal and distal ends. The body is configured to transition between a contracted state and an expanded state. The body is configured to dilate a Eustachian tube of a patient in the expanded state. The at least one ventilation pathway is configured to provide ventilation from the distal end of the body to the proximal end of the body when the body is in the expanded state. In some examples, the ventilation pathway comprises a set of transversely oriented vent openings formed through the shaft. In some other examples, the ventilation pathway comprises a space defined between one or more radially outwardly protruding features of the expandable dilator.

This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for robotically assisted implantation of an implant in a patient. A system includes an external positioning unit configured to engage an elongate member of the implant, and a control console communicatively coupled to the external positioning unit. The control console may have a user interface that enables a user to input motion control instructions. The control console may generate a motion control signal, according to a specific motion control instruction, to control the external positioning unit to propel the implant into a target implant site. The system may be used to robotically control the delivery and positioning of a cochlear implant during a hearing-preservation cochlear implant surgery.

A dilation catheter includes a catheter shaft, an expandable element, and a navigation sensor. The catheter shaft has a proximal shaft portion defining a proximal shaft end, a distal shaft portion defining a distal shaft end, and a working lumen extending between the proximal and distal shaft ends. The expandable element is disposed on the distal shaft portion proximally of the distal shaft end, and is configured to expand to dilate an anatomical passageway of a patient. The navigation sensor is arranged at the distal shaft portion, and is configured to generate a signal corresponding to a location of the distal shaft portion within the patient. In various examples, the dilation catheter may further include a bulbous distal tip, and the navigation sensor may be arranged within the bulbous distal tip.

Systems and methods for treating target tissues within the ears are disclosed. Systems include a device including a cutting edge configured to form an incision in a tympanic membrane, a pressure equalization tube positionable within an interior space of the device in a compressed configuration and configured to expand into an expanded configuration when released from the interior space, and an elongate positioning element configured to release the pressure equalization tube from the interior space such that the pressure equalization tube is deployed in the incision formed in the tympanic membrane.

A system for delivering a fluid to a Eustachian tube (ET) of a patient includes a guide member and a tubular member. The guide member includes a shaft having a proximal portion, a distal portion, and a bend at the distal portion. The bend is configured to provide access to an opening in the ET. The system further includes a tubular member comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending therebetween. The tubular member is sized to fit within the ET. One or both of the tubular member and the guide member comprises a first stop member configured to engage the other of the tubular member or the guide member. The first stop member is configured to restrict a distal advancement of the tubular member relative to the guide member.