An ablation device for the treatment of an eye to lower intraocular pressure including a handle; and an array of rods projecting from a distal end region of the handle and electrically-connected to an energy delivery generator. Each rod of the array of rods is configured to create a cavity in a surface of the eye via ab externo tissue ablation to enhance drainage of aqueous humor from the eye. Related devices, systems, and methods are provided.

An apparatus comprises a body assembly, a shaft, an acoustic waveguide, an articulation section, an end effector, and an articulation drive assembly. The shaft extends distally from the body assembly and defines a longitudinal axis. The acoustic waveguide comprises a flexible portion. The articulation section is coupled with the shaft. A portion of the articulation section encompasses the flexible portion of the waveguide. The articulation section comprises a plurality of body portions aligned along the longitudinal axis and a flexible locking member. The flexible locking member is operable to secure the body portions in relation to each other and in relation to the shaft. The end effector comprises an ultrasonic blade in acoustic communication with the waveguide. The articulation drive assembly is operable to drive articulation of the articulation section to thereby deflect the end effector from the longitudinal axis.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument having a handle assembly, a waveguide extending distally from the handle assembly, an end-effector located at a distal end of the waveguide, and a clamp assembly removably mounted to the handle assembly, the clamp assembly including a clamp arm pivotally mounted on the distal end of the clamp assembly for pivotal movement with respect to the end effector. The clamp assembly is removably mounted to the handle assembly by axially aligned first and second bayonet mounts, each of the bayonet mounts including a female bayonet coupling having at least one bayonet slot configured to matingly receive a bayonet mounting pin of a male bayonet coupling therein, wherein the bayonet slots extend circumferentially about a common longitudinal axis corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the waveguide. A method of removing the clamp assembly of the ultrasonic surgical instrument is also provided, as well as an ultrasonic surgical shears instrument and a clamp assembly are also provided.

An ultrasonic catheter assembly includes a sheath having a sheath lumen. A core wire is at least partially disposed within the sheath lumen. The core wire has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The proximal portion of the core wire is configured to be coupled to an ultrasound-producing mechanism. A working length of the distal portion of the core wire extends distally from the sheath. The working length is configured for longitudinal displacement, transverse displacement, or a combination of longitudinal and transverse displacement, in accordance with a plurality of output modes for vibrational energy supplied to the core wire proximal portion by the ultrasound-producing mechanism.

A surgical instrument includes an end effector, and a shaft assembly. The end effector includes an ultrasonic blade, a rotating body, and a clamp arm movable between an open and a closed position. The shaft assembly extends along an axis and includes clamp arm clocking assembly and a clamp arm pivot assembly. The clamp arm clocking assembly can drive the rotating body and the clamp arm between a first clocked position and a second clocked position. The clamp arm pivot assembly includes an actuator body defining a track, where the actuator body can actuate to drive the clamp arm between the open position and the closed position while the actuator body is in a rotational position relative to the ultrasonic blade. The track houses a portion of the clamp arm in the first clocked position and the second clocked position while the actuator body is in the rotational position.

Systems and methods for noncontact ablation of tissues or materials in/on the body using an ablation catheter that has a directional ablation unit. The ablation unit has a set of individual transducer (e.g., ultrasound) elements that are movably positioned. A position adjustment element (a deformer) is movable with respect to the ultrasonic transducer to alter the positions of the individual transducer elements and thereby alter the directions in which the transducer elements emit ultrasonic energy. In one embodiment, the ablation catheter is a lumen catheter through which a positioning/measurement catheter can be inserted. The luminal ablation catheter is inserted through the skin and into the body via conventional methods. The ablation and positioning catheters can be used to make electrical measurements with respect to the surrounding tissue, and the ablation catheter can be used to emit energy in a desired direction and/or pattern to ablate target tissue.

A phacoemulsification device includes a needle, one or more piezoelectric crystals, and one or more thermocouples. The needle is configured for insertion into a lens capsule of an eye. The one or more piezoelectric crystals are configured to vibrate the needle. The one or more thermocouples are thermally coupled directly to the respective piezoelectric crystals and are configured to measure respective temperatures of the one or more piezoelectric crystals as the crystals vibrate, and to output indications of the respectively measured temperatures.

Methods of treating tumors by administering compounds to a patient are provided. Compounds such as pro drugs, e.g., 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), may be administered to the patient orally, by injection, intravenously, or topically, which then accumulate preferentially as compounds such as protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in tumor cells. After such accumulation, compounds such as PpIX are then activated in various aspects to treat tumors cells, thereby treating cancer. Cancers such as glioblastoma may be treated.

Disclosed herein is a method of operating a medical instrument (100, 200, 400, 500). The medical instrument comprises a user interface (108) with a display. The method comprises receiving (300) an anatomical segmentation (122) identifying a location of an anatomical structure (416) and receiving (302) a target zone segmentation (124) identifying a location of a volume (416) at least partially within the anatomical segmentation. The method further comprises displaying (304) a planning graphical user interface (112) using the display. The planning graphical user interface comprises a first panel (130) configured for rendering a cross sectional view of the anatomical segmentation (136) and the target zone segmentation (138). The planning graphical user interface comprises a second panel (132) configured for displaying a first three-dimensional model (140) of the anatomical segmentation and the target zone segmentation. The planning graphical user interface further comprises a third panel (134) configured for displaying a second three-dimensional model (142) of a remaining portion of the target zone segmentation. The planning graphical user interface further comprises an ablation selector (144, 144′, 146) configured for providing an ablation zone. The method further comprises repeatedly: receiving (306) the ablation zone from the ablation selector; and updating (308) the remaining portion by removing the ablation zone from the remaining portion.

A surgical instrument including an end effector that has a selectively reciprocatable implement movably supported therein. The implement is selectively advanceable in a distal direction upon application of a rotary actuation motion thereto and retractable in a proximal direction upon application of a rotary retraction motion thereto. An elongate shaft assembly is coupled to the end effector and is configured to transmit the rotary actuation motion and rotary retraction motion to the reciprocatable implement from a robotic system that is configured to generate the rotary actuation motion and said rotary retraction motion.