Patents Represented by Law Firm Weingarten, Schurgin, Gagnerbin & Hayes
  • Patent number: 5318513
    Abstract: A fixation stent and a method for using the stent to repair canalicular lacerations and to block fluid flow through a canalicular canal are provided The stent includes a flexible tube having a proximal end, a distal end, an inflatable portion in fluid communication with the distal end, and a plug for sealing and anchoring the proximal end within a body canal. In ophthalmic applications, the distal end of the stent is inserted into a punctum of an eyelid and is then urged through the associated canaliculus towards a lacrimal sac at the end of the canaliculus Once inside the lacrimal sac, the balloon is inflated to a diameter greater than the diameter of the canalicular canal, thereby anchoring and sealing the distal end of the stent within the lacrimal sac.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1994
    Inventors: Martin L. Leib, Peter Michalos