Endoscopic tissue manipulator with expandable frame

• US 5,325,848 A
• Filed: 09/10/1992
• Issued: 07/05/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Embertson, Randy J., Adams, Ronald D., Allman, Robert C., Tolkoff, M. Joshua, de Toledo, Fernando A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Graysay, Tamara L.
• Application Number:
  US07/943,096
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 606/191, 606/198, 606/108, 606/113, 606/159, 606/127, 128/20
• US Class Current: 600/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0218 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0281, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence

Abstract

A tissue manipulator is provided which is insertable through an endoscopic tube to enable a surgeon to manipulate tissue inside a body cavity. The endoscopic tissue manipulator includes an expandable tissue manipulating frame adapted to expand transversely through a longitudinal slot in a support tube to provide a spatula-shaped platform which can be manipulated by rotation of the support tube about its longitudinal axis to engage and displace large body organs away from a desired surgical site in a body cavity. The frame consists of a plurality of flexible frame members or wires adapted to flex laterally outward through the longitudinal slot in the support tube into a bow-shaped configuration overlapping the other frame members or wires of the spatula-shaped platform. The instrument can be provided with a single tissue manipulating frame or a pair of frames which are expandable through separate longitudinal slots in the support tube to provide a pair of spatula-shaped platforms to engage the tissue. The pair of frames of the dual frame embodiment may be actuated together or independently.

Claims

1. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

a support tube extending from said handle and defining a longitudinal axis, said support tube including an elongated continuous slot formed therein, said slot having a plane normal to said longitudinal axis;

an expandable frame mounted within said support tube adjacent to said slot; and

means for expanding said frame transversely from said support tube through said slot to provide a spatula-shaped in an expanded configuration platform for manipulating tissue;

wherein said frame comprises a plurality of elongated flexible frame members, each frame member being adapted to flex laterally to extend through said slot, in a common transverse direction relative to said support tube.

2. The tissue manipulator of claim 1 wherein:

each frame member is adapted to bend into a bow-shaped configuration extending from said slot and so that each said frame member overlaps at least one of the other frame members of said platform.

3. The tissue manipulator of claim 2, wherein:

said spatula-shaped platform is substantially planar platform located in the same plane with the longitudinal axis of said support tube.

4. The tissue manipulator of claim 2, which includes:

means for retaining said frame in the expanded configuration.

5. The tissue manipulator of claim 1, wherein said frame members plurality of frame members comprises

a series of wires adapted to expand laterally outward from said support tube.

6. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

a support tube extending from said handle and including an elongated slot formed therein;

an expandable frame mounted within said support tube adjacent to said slot; and

means for expanding said frame transversely from said support tube through said slot to provide a spatula-shaped platform for manipulating tissue;

wherein said frame comprises a plurality of elongated flexible frame members, each frame member being adapted to flex laterally relative to said support tube;

wherein said plurality of frame members comprises a series of wires adapted to expand laterally outward from said support tube; and

wherein said wires are staggered along said support tube and arranged in an overlapping relationship with respect to one another.

7. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

a support tube extending from said handle and defining a longitudinal axis, said support rube including a pair of elongated slots formed therein on opposite sides, relative to any plane normal to the longitudinal axis which is not common to any one of said pair of said slots, of said support tube, each of said pair of elongated slots having a plane normal to said longitudinal axis;

a pair of expandable frames mounted within said support tube each of said expandable frames being located adjacent to one of said slots; and

means for selectively expanding said frames transversely from said support tube through said slots to provide a pair of spatula-shaped platforms for manipulating tissue;

wherein each of said pair of frames comprises a plurality of elongated flexible frame members, each frame member being adapted to flex laterally relative to said support tube.

8. The tissue manipulator of claim 7, wherein said plurality of frame members comprises:

a series of wires adapted to expand laterally outward from said support tube into a substantially planar configuration to form said pair of spatula-shaped platforms for manipulating the tissue.

9. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

a support tube extending from said handle and including a pair of elongated slots therein on opposite sides of said support tube;

a pair of expandable frames mounted within said support tube each of said expandable frames being located adjacent to one of said slots; and

means for selectively expanding said frames transversely from said support tube through said slots to provide a pair of spatula-shaped platforms in expanded configurations for manipulating tissue;

wherein each of said pair of frames comprises a plurality of elongated flexible frame members, each frame member being adapted to flex laterally relative to said support tube; and

wherein each frame member is adapted to bend into a bow-shaped configuration extending from one of said slots and so that each frame member overlaps at least one of the other frame members of one of the platforms.

10. The tissue manipulator of claim 9, wherein;

each said spatula-shape platform is substantially planar platform located in the same plane with the longitudinal axis of said support tube.

11. The tissue manipulator of claim 9, which includes:

means for retaining said frame members of each platform in the expanded configuration.

12. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

a support tube extending from said handle and including a pair of elongated slots formed therein on opposite sides of said support tube;

a pair of expandable frames mounted within said support tube each of said expandable frames being located adjacent to one of said slots; and

means for selectively expanding said frames transversely from said support tube through said slots to provide a pair of spatula-shaped platforms for manipulating tissue;

wherein each of said pair of frames comprises a plurality of elongated flexible frame members, each frame member being adapted to flex laterally relative to said support tube;

wherein said plurality of frame members comprises a series of wires adapted to expand laterally outward from said support tube; and

wherein said wires are staggered along said support tube and arranged in an overlapping relationship with respect to one another.

13. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

an elongated hollow support tube extending from said handle and defining a longitudinal axis, said tube having a longitudinal continuous slot formed therein adjacent to its distal end, said slot having a plane normal to said longitudinal axis;

an actuator member mounted for longitudinal movement relative to said support tube;

an expandable frame comprising a plurality of elongated flexible frame members, each of said frame members being connected at its opposite ends to said support tube and to said actuator member; and

said frame members being adapted to flex in a common direction transverse relative to said longitudinal axis through said slot in said support tube by movement of said actuator member relative to said support tube to provide a spatula-shaped platform in an expanded configuration for manipulating tissue.

14. The tissue manipulator of claim 13, wherein:

said frame members are adapted to expand from a collapsed configuration within said support tube to the expanded configuration, wherein said frame members project laterally from said slot in said support tube.

15. The tissue manipulator of claim 14, which includes:

a manually operable actuator slide mounted on said handle and connected to said actuator member for moving said actuator member relative to said support tube to expand and collapse said frame members.

16. The tissue manipulator of claim 15, which includes:

ratchet means on said handle for releaseably engaging said actuator slide to retain said frame members in said expanded and said collapsed configuration.

17. The tissue manipulator of claim 16, which includes:

a manually operable release button on said actuator slide for disengaging said actuator slide from said ratchet means to allow said frame members to move between the expanded configuration and the collapsed configuration.

18. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

an elongated hollow support tube extending from said handle and defining a longitudinal axis, said tube having a longitudinal slot formed therein adjacent to its distal end;

an actuator member mounted for longitudinal movement relative to said support tube;

an expandable frame comprising a plurality of elongated flexible frame members, each of said frame members being connected at its opposite ends to said support tube and to said actuator member; and

said frame members being adapted to flex transversely relative to said longitudinal axis through said slot in said support tube by movement of said actuator member relative to said support tube to provide a spatula-shaped platform in an expanded configuration for manipulating tissue;

wherein each frame member is adapted to bend into a bow-shaped configuration extending laterally from said slot and so that each said frame member overlaps at least one of the other frame members of said platform.

19. The tissue manipulator of claim 18, wherein said plurality frame members comprises:

a series of wires adapted to expand laterally outward from a collapsed configuration within said support tube into the expanded configuration which is substantially planar.

20. The tissue manipulator of claim 19, wherein:

said wires are staggered along said support tube and arranged in an overlapping relationship with respect to one another.

21. The tissue manipulator of claim 20, which includes:

means for pivotally connecting a distal end of each wire to said support tube.

22. The tissue manipulator of claim 21, which includes:

means for pivotally connecting a proximal end of each wire to said actuator member.

23. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

an elongated hollow support tube extending from said handle and defining a longitudinal axis, said support tube having a pair of longitudinal slots formed on opposite sides thereof adjacent to its distal end;

a pair of actuator members mounted for longitudinal movement relative to said support tube;

a pair of expandable frames each comprising a set of elongated flexible frame members, each set of frame members being connected at its opposite ends to said support tube and to one of said actuator members; and

each set of frame members being adapted to flex transversely relative to said longitudinal axis through one of said slots by movement of one of said actuator members relative to said support tube to provide a pair of spatula-shaped platforms in expanded configurations for manipulating tissue.

24. The tissue manipulator of claim 23, wherein:

each frame member is adapted to bend into a bow-shaped configuration extending laterally from one of said slots and overlapping the other frame members of one of the platforms.

25. The tissue manipulator of claim 24, wherein each set of frame members comprises:

a series of wires adapted to expand laterally outward from a collapsed configuration within said support tube into the expanded configuration which is substantially planar.

26. The tissue manipulator of claim 25, wherein:

said wires are staggered along said support tube and arranged in an overlapping relationship with respect to one another.

27. The tissue manipulator of claim 26, which includes:

means for pivotally connecting a distal end of each wire to said support tube.

28. The tissue manipulator of claim 27, which includes:

means for pivotally connecting a proximal end of each wire to one of said actuator members.

29. The tissue manipulator of claim 23, wherein:

each set of frame members is adapted to expand from a collapsed configuration within said support tube to the expanded configuration projecting laterally from said slot in said support tube.

30. The tissue manipulator of claim 29, which includes:

a pair of manually operable actuator slides mounted on said handle, each slide being connected to one of said actuator members for moving said actuator member relative to said support tube to expand and collapse one set of said frame members.

31. The tissue manipulator of claim 30, which includes:

ratchet means on said handle for releaseably engaging each of said actuator slides to retain each set of said frame members in said expanded and said collapsed configuration.

32. The tissue manipulator of claim 31, which includes:

a manually operable release button on each actuator slide for disengaging said actuator slide from said ratchet means to allow each set of frame members to move between the expanded configuration and the collapsed configuration.