Nerve surveillance cannulae systems

• US 20070049962A1
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuvasive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nuvasive Incorporated
• Inventors: Marino, James, Ahigren, Dan
• Application Number:
  US11/489,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20070049962A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/198
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1757 for the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3417 Details of tips or shafts, e.g. grooves, expandable, bendable; Multiple coaxial sliding cannulas, e.g. for dilating syringe needles A61M5/32; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3423 Access ports, e.g. toroid shape introducers for instruments or hands access sites for liquids A61M39/0247
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3439 with means for changing the inner diameter of the cannula, e.g. expandable A61B17/3423, A61B17/3431 take precedence; catheters A61M25/0662
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/148 having a short, rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously, e.g. for neurosurgery or arthroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1487 Trocar-like, i.e. devices producing an enlarged transcutaneous opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/3484 Anchoring means, e.g. spreading-out umbrella-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00589 Coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00595 Cauterization
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/296 for electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4029 for evaluating the peripheral nervous systems A61B5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4041 Evaluating nerves condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4893 Nerves
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes

Abstract

An expandable tip cannula system, comprising: a hollow cannula shaft having a proximal end and a distal end; and an expandable tip mounted at the distal end of the hollow cannula shaft, the expandable tip comprising a plurality of generally-triangular shaped petals held together in a radially-inwardly tapered arrangement between adjacent petals, each petal comprising a nerve sensing electrode disposed therein.

Claims

1. A system for accessing a surgical target site, comprising:

a plurality of tissue displacement members dimensioned to be advanced to a surgical site and moved relative to one another to provide surgical access to said surgical target site; and

an expandable member coupled to said plurality of tissue displacement members to prevent tissue from migrating into said surgical target site during surgical access.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of tissue displacement members may be at least one of straight and curved in shape.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said expandable member is coupled to an exterior surface of said plurality of tissue displacement members.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said expandable member is disposed over at least half of the length of said tissue displacement members.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said expandable member is disposed over at least seventy-five percent of the length of said tissue displacement members.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said tissue includes neural tissue.

7. An apparatus for preventing tissue ingress during surgical access, comprising:

an expandable member dimensioned to be coupled to a surgical access system to prevent tissue from migrating into a surgical target site during surgical access.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said surgical access system includes a plurality of tissue displacement members dimensioned to be advanced to said surgical target site and moved relative to one another to provide surgical access to said surgical target site.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said plurality of tissue displacement members may be at least one of straight and curved in shape.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said expandable member is coupled to an exterior surface of said surgical access system.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said expandable member is disposed over at least half of the length of said tissue displacement members.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said expandable member is disposed over at least seventy-five percent of the length of said tissue displacement members.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said tissue includes neural tissue.

14. A method for accessing a surgical site, comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling an expandable member to a plurality of tissue displacement members;

(b) advancing the plurality of tissue displacement members to a surgical target site; and

(c) moving said plurality of displacement members relative to one another to provide surgical access to said surgical site, wherein said expandable member prevents tissue from migrating into said surgical target site.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said plurality of tissue displacement members may be at least one of straight and curved in shape.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said expandable member is coupled to an exterior surface of said tissue displacement members.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said expandable member is disposed over at least half of the length of said tissue displacement members.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said expandable member is disposed over at least seventy-five percent of the length of said tissue displacement members.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said tissue includes neural tissue.