Devices for minimally invasive pelvic surgery

• US 20080125621A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Gellman, Barry N., Brenneman, Rodney, Appell, Rodney, Morin, Armand A., Sauvageau, David, Pintauro, William
• Granted Patent: US 8,814,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/37
• 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 17/0218 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0281, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0482 Needle or suture guides guides for drills, pins or wire A61B17/17; for puncturing needles A61B17/3403
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06109 Big needles, either gripped by hand or connectable to a handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/221 Gripping devices in the form of loops or baskets for gripping calculi or similar types of obstructions surgical snare instruments A61B17/32056
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32 Surgical cutting instruments A61B18/042 takes precedence; suture cutters A61B17/0467; instruments for ligaturing or cutting A61B17/128; instruments for rupturing the amniotic membrane A61B17/4208; specially adapted knives for eye surgery A61F9/0133
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3415 for introducing tubes or catheters, e.g. gastrostomy tubes, drain catheters A61B17/3417 takes precedence; body piercing catheter guide needles A61M25/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00349 Needle-like instruments having hook or barb-like gripping means, e.g. for grasping suture or tissue A61B17/06066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00805 Treatment of female stress urinary incontinence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06052 Needle-suture combinations in which a suture is extending inside a hollow tubular needle, e.g. over the entire length of the needle hollow suture needles A61B2017/061
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/061 hollow or tubular suture extending inside a hollow needle A61B2017/06052; hollow sutures A61B2017/06185
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06104 interconnected at their distal ends, e.g. two hollow needles forming a loop for passing a suture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22035 for retrieving or repositioning foreign objects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22038 with a guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320044 Blunt dissectors blunt suture needles A61B2017/06085
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/02 Devices for expanding tissue, e.g. skin tissue implements for holding wounds open, surgical tractors A61B17/02; implantable mammary prosthesis A61F2/12; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0045 Support slings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/25 Artificial sphincters and devices for controlling urinary incontinence

Abstract

The invention, in various embodiments, provides systems, devices, and methods for treating urinary incontinence.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method for treating female urinary incontinence in a patient comprising,

inserting a shaft through an incision in a patient'"'"'s vaginal wall;

providing a sling having first and second ends;

associating the sling with an end of the shaft;

extending the shaft within the patient to position at least a portion of the sling under the urethra; and

removing the shaft from the patient'"'"'s vagina by moving the shaft in a direction from the incision toward the vaginal opening.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising extending the shaft through the incision to position the first end of the sling on a left side of the patient'"'"'s pelvic area and the second end of the sling on the right side of the patient'"'"'s pelvic area.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising anchoring the sling in fascia located in the patient'"'"'s pelvic area.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sling has a length of about 1.5 cm to about 6 cm in length.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sling length is 2.5 cm to 4 cm in length.

7. The method of claim 2, comprising creating an incision in a patient'"'"'s abdomen, and inserting a retrieval device through the abdomen to engage the shaft.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising inserting the retrieval device through a suprapubic incision in the patient.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the body tissue is between the patient'"'"'s urethra and upper vaginal wall.

10. The method of claim 2, comprising penetrating the patient'"'"'s upper vaginal wall.