World's Smallest Medical Implant Used For the First Time

16 Aug 10

The smallest medical device to be implanted in the human body has been used in an eye operation for the first time in Britain.

The millimetre-long titanium tube is designed to halt the progress of glaucoma, which is responsible for causing blindness in more than 67 million people worldwide.

Called the iStent, it replaces the need for a daily routine of different eye drops and can be implanted in a 15-minute operation.

"The problem with drops is that you need to take them religiously to put a hold on the disease," Jackie Handley, national business manager of Spectrum, the iStent's UK distributor said.

'Existing operations such as a trabeculectomy are more for the end stage of the disease and leave you with little choice of doing anything else. They can cause blebs [blisters] and can be uncomfortable for patients.'

Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve related to increased pressure in the eye over a long period of time. While a trabeculectomy involves creating a channel in the eye to remove fluid, the iStent is implanted in the natural draining canal.

It is made from surgical grade non-ferromagnetic titanium and weighs 60µg with a snorkel bore diameter of 120µm. It measures 1mm by 0.5mm by 0.25mm.

"Titanium is the same material used for heart valves so it won't be rejected by the body," said Ms Handley.

"The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work."

The iStent was designed by California-based company Glaukos and it is also available in Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The company is waiting for FDA approval to sell the device in the US.

By Stephen Harris

More information can be found at: www.theengineer.co.uk/news/surgeons-use-istent-implant-on-uk-glaucoma-patient/1002799.article

Click here to find manufacturers of micro-medical implants.