Methods and devices for the treatment of urinary incontinence

• US 20010053916A1
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Published: 12/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Rioux, Robert F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,527,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/139
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0469 Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0483 Hand-held instruments for holding sutures A61B17/0469 takes precedence; other holders for needles or sutures A61B17/06061; surgical forceps A61B17/28; surgical pincettes A61B17/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06109 Big needles, either gripped by hand or connectable to a handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00805 Treatment of female stress urinary incontinence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06085 having a blunt tip blunt dissectors A61B2017/320044
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2904 curved, but rigid

Abstract

Methods and devices for treating female stress urinary incontinence are disclosed. The methods include transvaginally accessing the pelvic cavity and introducing a suburethral sling into the retropubic space. In some embodiments the ends of the sling are attached to an anatomical support structure. In other embodiments, the ends of the suburethral sling are not attached to an anatomical support structure. The devices include a surgical instrument for blunt dissection of the pelvic cavity which includes a curved shaft and a blunt distal end. A hook deployment device may optionally be attached to the surgical instrument.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument for treating female urinary incontinence, the instrument comprising:

a) a handle;

b) a shaft extending in a distal direction from the handle and comprising a curved portion, the shaft being adapted to access interior tissue within a human body;

c) a blunt tip disposed at a distal end of the shaft for blunt dissection of tissue; and

d) a grasping mechanism located within a distal end portion of the shaft.

2. The surgical instrument of

claim 1

, wherein the shaft is adapted to transvaginally access interior tissue within a female human body.

3. The surgical instrument of

claim 1

, wherein the grasping mechanism comprises a window operated by an actuator, the window being movable between an open position, an intermediate position, and a closed position.

4. The surgical instrument of

claim 3

, wherein

a suture or a sling may be introduced into the instrument when the window is placed in the open position,

a suture or a sling may be retained by the instrument when the window is placed in the intermediate position, and

a suture or a sling may be released from the instrument when the window is placed in the closed position.

5. The surgical instrument of

claim 3

, wherein the actuator comprises a knob located on the handle.

6. The surgical instrument of

claim 1

, wherein the handle comprises a friction-based gripping surface.

7. A device for deploying an implant within a human body, the device comprising:

a body member including

(a) a connector adapted to attach onto an instrument;

(b) a retainer coupled to the connector for holding the implant;

(c) a shield located adjacent to and spaced apart from the retainer and at a distal end of the for shielding the implant from surrounding tissue during insertion of the device into a human body; and

(d) a pair of proximal tabs located adjacent to and spaced apart from the shield, the pair of proximal tabs being adapted to undo the shielding mechanism so as to expose the implant and disengage the implant from the device, thereby allowing the implant to engage into surrounding tissue.

8. The device of

claim 7

, wherein the implant is a surgical hook having a suture attached thereto, and the shielding mechanism protects a tip of the surgical hook during insertion of the surgical hook into the human body.

9. The device of

claim 7

, wherein the retainer holds the implant to the body member by a friction fit.