System for tissue dissection and aspiration

• US 10,220,122 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ulthera Inc. (Merz Pharma GmbH & Company Kgaa)
• Original Assignee: Ulthera Inc. (Merz Pharma GmbH & Company Kgaa)
• Inventors: Clark, III, Robert L., Chomas, James E., Merchant, Adnan I., Brian, III, Ben F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holwerda, Kathleen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lauer, Christina
• Application Number:
  US14/698,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20150238666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/30 Surgical pincettes without pivotal connectionsfor holding suture needles or materials A61B17/0483; wound clamps A61B17/08 ; hand-held gripping tools without pivotal connections in general B25B9/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320016 Endoscopic cutting instruments, e.g. arthroscopes, resectoscopes A61B10/0233, A61B17/29, A61B17/3207 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3203 Fluid jet cutting instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3205 Excision instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320725 with radially expandable cutting or abrading elements A61B17/32075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32075 Pullback cutting; combined forward and pullback cutting, e.g. with cutters at both sides of the plaque
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00747 Dermatology
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/308 with suction cups
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0022 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00464 Subcutaneous fat, e.g. liposuction, lipolysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00589 Coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00601 Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1425 Needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1467 using more than two electrodes on a single probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2217/005 with suction drainage system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/002 Irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/007 Aspiration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/76 Handpieces specially for suction-irrigation A61M1/774, aspiration tips A61M1/84
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/84 : Drainage tubes; Aspiration tips for negative pressure wound therapy A61M1/90; for surgical cutting instruments A61B17/32

Abstract

A dermatological skin treatment device is provided. The device comprises a handpiece and a cutting tool, wherein the tool is inserted through the conduit and percutaneously inserted into a tissue disposed within a recessed area of the handpiece. The device and method cut the fibrous structures under the skin that cause cellulite at an angle substantially parallel to the surface of the skin and replace these structures with a non-cellulite forming structure by deploying a highly fibrous mesh through a single needle hole to create a highly fibrous layer directly or through wound healing processes. A tool is provided to aspirate excess fluid and tissue from the treatment area.

Claims

1. A skin treatment system, comprising:

a handpiece having a recessed area, the recessed area defining a dissection area and comprising a tissue apposition surface,

wherein the recessed area is configured to receive a target tissue comprising epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layers,

wherein the tissue apposition surface is configured to contact the epidermis of the target tissue and allow at least a portion of the subcutaneous layer of the target tissue to be positioned within the recessed area;

a conduit extending through a side of the recessed area,

wherein the conduit is positioned at a distance from the tissue apposition surface, the distance defining a treatment depth;

a tool configured to at least partially extend through the conduit and into the recessed area;

wherein the tool comprises a cannula and a suction fitting in fluid connection with an interior of the cannula, the suction fitting being configured for fluid removal, and a cutting blade comprising a cutting shaft, the cutting shaft being partially housed within the interior of the cannula,

wherein the portion of the cutting shaft housed within the interior of the cannula is shaped to create a gap between an outer surface of the cutting shaft and the interior of the cannula,

wherein application of vacuum pressure to the interior of the cannula via the suction fitting allows aspiration from the dissection area via the gap;

wherein the conduit is configured to constrain the movement of the tool within the recessed area to forward, reverse and side to side movements, said movements occurring in a plane at the treatment depth, and

wherein the conduit is dimensioned to cause a distal end of the tool passed through the conduit and within the recessed area to move in one side-to-side direction when a proximal end of the tool outside the conduit moves in an opposite side-to-side direction.

2. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the handpiece comprises a perimeter elevation and a top, and an intersection of an inner side of the perimeter elevation and an inner surface of the top cooperatively define the tissue apposition surface.

3. The treatment system of claim 2, wherein the conduit is wider at an outer side of the perimeter elevation as compared to at an inner side of the perimeter elevation, wherein the plane of the movement of the tool is substantially parallel to the tissue apposition surface, and wherein the tissue apposition surface is adapted to be positioned substantially parallel to a surface of the skin not raised within the recessed chamber.

4. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the cutting blade comprises one or more retractable blade members.

5. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the cutting blade moves axially within the cannula.

6. The treatment system of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum fitting operably coupled to the recessed area,

wherein the vacuum fitting is in fluid communication with the recessed area and is configured to receive a suction force from a vacuum pump,

wherein application of suction force causes the epidermis of the target tissue to be moved into contact with the apposition surface.

7. The treatment system of claim 6, further comprising a membrane positioned within the recessed area to reduce leakage of suction force through the conduit.

8. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein material aspirated from the dissection area passes through the gap and into a waste reservoir.

9. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein fluid enters the gap through a gap entry port at a distal end of the cannula.

10. The treatment system of claim 1, further comprising an infusion fitting positioned on the cannula and configured to be placed in fluid communication with a fluid source, the infusion fitting being configured to allow infusion of a fluid to the dissection area through the cannula.

11. The treatment system of claim 10, wherein fluid infused into the cannula travels through a gap and exits the cannula at a gap exit port and into the recessed area.

12. The treatment system of claim 1, wherein the treatment depth is between about 3 mm and about 15 mm below the dermis.

13. A skin treatment system, comprising:

a handpiece having a recessed area, the recessed area defining a dissection area and comprising a tissue apposition surface,

wherein the recessed area is configured to receive a target tissue comprising epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layers,

wherein the recessed area is configured to allow at least a portion of the subcutaneous layer of the target tissue to be positioned within the recessed area when a force is exerted on the handpiece;

a conduit extending through a side of the recessed area and positioned at a distance from the tissue apposition surface, the distance defining a treatment depth;

a cannula comprising a tool,

wherein the cannula comprising the tool is configured to at least partially extend through the conduit and into the recessed area,

wherein the cannula is configured to at least partially house the tool,

wherein the cannula is configured to aspirate material from, or infuse material into the dissection area around the portion of the tool housed in the cannula; and

wherein the conduit is configured to constrain the movement of the cannula comprising the tool within the recessed area to forward, reverse and side to side movements, said movements occurring in a plane parallel to the tissue apposition surface and at the treatment depth.

14. The treatment system of claim 13, wherein the tool comprises a needle, a RF cutter, a water jet, a laser, an ultrasonic scalpel, or a harmonic scalpel.

15. The treatment system of claim 13, wherein the force comprises vacuum pressure applied to the recessed area via a vacuum pump.

16. The treatment system of claim 13, wherein the handpiece comprises a perimeter elevation and a top that cooperatively define the apposition surface, and wherein the top is configured to adjust the distance between the conduit and the apposition surface, thereby adjusting the treatment depth.

17. The treatment system of claim 13, wherein the system is configured to improve the appearance of cellulite, improve the appearance of acne scars or other scars, improve the appearance of wrinkles, and/or to treat hyperhidrosis.

18. A skin treatment system, comprising:

a handpiece having a recessed area cooperatively defined by a perimeter elevation and a top of the handpiece, the recessed area defining a dissection area and comprising a tissue apposition surface facing into the dissection area,

wherein the recessed area is configured to receive a target tissue, to allow a surface of the target tissue to contact the tissue apposition surface and to allow at least a portion of a subcutaneous layer of the target tissue to be positioned within the recessed area;

a conduit extending through a side of the perimeter elevation and positioned at a distance from the tissue apposition surface, the distance defining a treatment depth;

a tool configured to at least partially extend through the conduit and into the recessed area;

wherein the tool comprises a cannula and a tissue cutting blade comprising a cutting shaft, the cutting shaft being partially housed within an interior of the cannula,

wherein the portion of the cutting shaft housed within the interior of the cannula is shaped to create a gap between an outer surface of the cutting shaft and the interior of the cannula,

wherein the cannula is configured to allow aspiration of material from, or infusion of material into the dissection area via the gap; and

wherein the conduit is configured to constrain the movement of the tool within the recessed area to forward, reverse and side to side movements, said movements occurring in a plane parallel to the tissue apposition surface and at the treatment depth.

19. The treatment system of claim 18, wherein the treatment depth is between 4 and 20 mm from the apposition surface.

20. The treatment system of claim 18, wherein the top is configured to adjust the distance between the conduit and the apposition surface, thereby adjusting the treatment depth.