Elongating balloon device and method for soft tissue expansion
First Claim
1. A method for separating soft tissues for cannula access to a treatment site within a patient body, the method comprising:
- providing a catheter having a tissue distractor on a distal end thereof;
positioning the catheter between soft tissues near the treatment site;
expanding the tissue distractor so as to separate the soft tissues; and
elongating the tissue distractor by mechanical actuation.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Tissue distractor devices, systems, and methods for soft tissue expansion in order to create a space between the tissue to improve visualization and for increased working space during surgery are disclosed. One method for separating soft tissues for cannula access to a treatment site within a patient body comprises providing a catheter having a tissue distractor on a distal end thereof and positioning the catheter between the soft tissues near the treatment site. Once properly positioned, the tissue distractor is expanded so as to separate the soft tissues. The tissue distractor is then elongated by mechanical actuation so as to provide cannula access to the treatment site. The cannula forms a working channel for surgical procedures, particularly minimally invasive surgical procedures.
169 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for separating soft tissues for cannula access to a treatment site within a patient body, the method comprising:
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providing a catheter having a tissue distractor on a distal end thereof;
positioning the catheter between soft tissues near the treatment site;
expanding the tissue distractor so as to separate the soft tissues; and
elongating the tissue distractor by mechanical actuation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A device for separating soft tissues for cannula access to a treatment site within a patient body, the device comprising:
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a catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end;
an expansible tissue distractor disposed on the distal end of the catheter; and
a mechanical actuation mechanism coupled to the tissue distractor for elongating the tissue distractor. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system for separating spinal tissues for cannula access to a spine within a patient body, the system comprising:
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a catheter body having a balloon tissue distractor disposed on a distal end thereof configured to separate spinal tissues near the spine and a mechanically actuatable elongation mechanism coupled to the balloon tissue distractor; and
a cannula disposed over the catheter body.
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Specification