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.

The devices described herein are used for holding an undelay graft and an overlay graft in place for repair a tympanic membrane. The devices include a post having a proximal end and a distal end; and first and second arms, each having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end of the post is flexibly joined to the proximal end of the first arm and to the proximal end of the second arm. When the device is in a deployed configuration, the first arm and the second arm extend substantially perpendicularly from the post; and when the first arm and the second arm are clamped into a constrained configuration, the first arm and the second arm extend substantially parallel to a central axis of the post.

Provided is a tympanic membrane or ear canal regeneration agent comprising a combination of a gelatin sponge that carries basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and a covering material. The covering material is used not only to fix the gelatin sponge to the affected portion, but also for the purpose of preventing drying and infections to provide a culturing environment that is favorable for regenerating tissue isolated from the outside. To promote tissue regeneration, the margin of the tympanic membrane or ear canal defect is preferably freshened in advance.

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.

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.

A device and method for dilating a Eustachian tube of a patient is disclosed. The device includes a guide catheter and a balloon dilation catheter. The balloon dilation catheter has an actuator that prevents injury to the middle ear. The balloon dilation catheter is slidably coupled with the guide catheter through the guide catheter lumen and is fully inserted into the guide catheter lumen when the distal side of the actuator is adjacent to the proximal end of the guide catheter. The method involves advancing the guide catheter and balloon dilation catheter through a nasal passage of the patient to dilate a portion of the Eustachian tube.

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.

In various embodiments, a device for inserting an implant on a human or animal body may be provided. The device may include an operable portion configured to make an incision on the human or animal body and configured to hold the implant for insertion on the human or animal body. The device may further include an actuator mechanism coupled to the operable portion, the actuator mechanism configured to move the operable portion along a first axis and configured to vibrate the operable portion along a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis.

A device for dilating a structure in an ear, nose or throat of a patient includes a handle, a shaft extending from the handle, an elastic distal portion extending from the shaft, a balloon disposed over at least part of the elastic distal portion, and an inflation tube extending from the handle and coupled with the balloon via an inflation lumen. The inflation tube is bendable to form a kink in the tube and thus push inflation fluid out of the inflation tube and through the inflation lumen to inflate the balloon. In other embodiments, a bendable hydraulic tube is used to push fluid through a device to actuate other types of hydraulically driven mechanisms.