APPARATUS FOR DISINTEGRATION OF URINARY CALCULI

• US 3,861,391 A
• Filed: 03/20/1974
• Issued: 01/21/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cybersonics, Inc
• Original Assignee: John N. Antonevich, Roger Goodfriend
• Inventors: Antonevich, John N., Goodfriend, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Pace, Channing L.
• Application Number:
  US05/453,063
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• Field of Search: 128/24A,328
• US Class Current: 606/128
• 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 2017/320073 probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00982 combined with or comprising means for visual or photographic inspections inside the body, e.g. endoscopes

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for disintegrating urinary calculi by subjecting the urinary calculi to ultrasonic forces transmitted transversely of a wave guide in a catheter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for fragmenting and drilling urinary calculi comprising a catheter adapted to be inserted into a ureter to abut the calculi to be removed, a coupling member extending lengthwise of the lumen of said catheter and having a diameter less than the diameter of said lumen whereby said coupling member may vibrate transversely within the catheter, ultrasonic means acting on the coupling member to cause transverse vibration of the end thereof adjacent the calculi, and means engaging the end of the catheter remote from the calculi whereby said end is immobilized relatively to the ultrasonic means and the ultrasonic means is mounted on a slide movable at a controlled rate to and from said catheter.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ultrasonic means is mounted on a slide and micrometer feed means act on the slide to provide a controlled rate of movement of the ultrasonic means toward and away from the end of the catheter.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the end of the said end of the catheter is mounted in a clamp on a tilting base carrying the slide and ultrasonic means mounted thereon.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the ultrasonic means is a transducer.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coupling member is less than two-thirds the diameter of the lumen.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coupling member is a wire.