OSCILLATING LITHOTRIPTER

• US 20180110534A1
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Published: 04/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Gavala, Artemie G., St. George, Lawrence J., Hu, Tie
• Granted Patent: US 10,813,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22 Implements for squeezing-off ulcers or the like on the inside of inner organs of the body; Implements for scraping-out cavities of body organs, e.g. bones; Calculus removers; Calculus smashing apparatus; Apparatus for removing obstructions in blood vessels, not otherwise provided for dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22012 in direct contact with, or very close to, the obstruction or concrement for removing obstructions in blood vessels by laser A61B18/245
• 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 17/32002 with continuously rotating, oscillating or reciprocating cutting instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00473 Distal part, e.g. tip or head A61B2017/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22011 Combined types of vibration, e.g. ultrasonic and electrohydraulic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22014 the ultrasound transducer being outside patient's body; with an ultrasound transmission member; with a wave guide; with a vibrated guide wire not applied in A61B17/22012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22079 with suction of debris
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320073 probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/32008 preventing clogging of suction channel

Abstract

A lithotripter is provided for fragmenting a stone inside a patient'"'"'s body. In one form, the lithotripter includes a motor having at least two modes of operation and is configured to produce first and second waveforms. A wave guide shaft is configured to transmit the first and second waveforms to the stone. In one form, at least one of the first and second waveforms is provided to the stone at a frequency that is about equal to a natural frequency of the stone. In a variation, the lithotripter may include an ultrasonic driver configured to produce an ultrasonic frequency waveform and a sonic driver configured to produce a sonic frequency waveform. The sonic driver is mechanically coupled to the ultrasonic driver. The ultrasonic driver and the sonic driver may be disposed within a driver housing. In another variation, the lithotripter may include a brushless DC motor.

Claims

1. A method of fragmenting urinary tract stones, the method comprising:

determining a size, determining a type, or determining both a size and type of a urinary tract stone;

selecting a magnitude of a sonic frequency for producing a sonic waveform, the magnitude of the sonic frequency being selected based on the size of the urinary tract stone;

producing the sonic waveform using a sonic driver;

producing an ultrasonic waveform having an ultrasonic frequency using an ultrasonic driver; and

transmitting the sonic waveform and the ultrasonic waveform to the urinary tract stone via a wave guide shaft.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the sonic frequency is provided at about the natural frequency of the urinary tract stone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the sonic frequency is selectable from at least a low sonic frequency, a medium sonic frequency, and a high sonic frequency, the low sonic frequency being provided in the range of about 0.3-16 Hz, the medium sonic frequency being provided in the range of about 16-70 Hz, and the high sonic frequency being provided in the range of about 70-200 Hz, and wherein the ultrasonic frequency is provided in the range of about 20-30 kHz.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ultrasonic waveform is provided having an ultrasonic waveform amplitude in the range of about 10-50 micrometers, and the sonic waveform is provided having a sonic waveform amplitude in the range of about 0.5-2 millimeters.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising at least one of suctioning and irrigating a urinary tract through a lumen extending through the ultrasonic driver and the sonic driver.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising electronic gating the ultrasonic waveform with a square wave of variable frequency and duty cycle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sonic driver is an electromagnetic linear driver.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sonic driver is one of a voice coil motor, moving coil, moving magnet, and a dual coil, the ultrasonic driver being a piezoelectric stack.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic driver and the sonic driver are disposed in series within the driver housing.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the ultrasonic driver has a proximal end and a distal end, the sonic driver has a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end of the ultrasonic driver is disposed adjacent to the distal end of the sonic driver.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the sonic driver is adjustable to provide the sonic waveform at various frequencies.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising a closed loop feedback circuit configured to determine a preferred ultrasonic frequency that oscillates at a maximum amplitude.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein the wave guide shaft is rigid.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein the wave guide shaft is one of semi-rigid and flexible.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein the wave guide shaft has a shaft length that is configured to deliver the ultrasonic waveform at a maximum amplitude of the ultrasonic waveform.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the shaft length is provided in an increment of a half ultrasonic wavelength of the ultrasonic waveform.