Endoscopic tissue manipulator

• US 5,358,496 A
• Filed: 09/30/1993
• Issued: 10/25/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saline Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Malecki, William W., Ortiz, Mark S., Tolkoff, M. Joshua, de Toledo, Fernando A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Anthony H.
• Application Number:
  US08/130,162
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 606/198, 606/191, 606/106-108, 606/127, 606/128, 604/104-107
• US Class Current: 606/198
• 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 tissue manipulator includes an expandable frame comprising a plurality of flexible, interconnected frame members which are adapted to expand laterally outward into a spatula-like platform for engaging the tissue. The platform is selectively expandable into a tulip-shaped configuration and a bulb-shaped configuration to manipulate large body organs such as the liver, lungs or intestines without risk of injury to such organs. The platform is infinitely adjustable in size from its collapsed configuration to its expanded configuration.

Claims

1. An endoscopic tissue manipulator, comprising:

a handle;

a support shaft extending from said handle;

a tube slidably mounted on said support shaft for longitudinal movement relative to said support shaft; and

an expandable frame mounted at the distal end of said support shaft and connected to said tube, said frame being expandable by movement of said tube relative to said support shaft to provide a platform for manipulating tissue wherein said frame includes

a pair of expandable fingers each comprising a flexible outer strip secured to the distal end of said tube and a flexible inner strip secured to the distal end of said support shaft, said inner and outer strips being joined together at a distal finger tip; and

said fingers being flexed laterally outward in opposite directions by axial movement of said tube relative to said shaft to provide a platform for engaging the tissue.

2. The tissue manipulator of claim 1, wherein:

said fingers are expandable into a tulip-shaped configuration with said finger tips spread apart and into a bulb-shaped configuration with said finger tips together.

3. The tissue manipulator of claim 2, wherein:

said fingers are expandable to said tulip-shaped configuration by movement of said tube proximally relative to said support shaft and to said bulb-shaped configuration by movement of said tube distally relative to said support shaft.

4. The tissue manipulator of claim 1, wherein said frame includes:

a connector sleeve slidably mounted on said inner strips and located at a position beyond the distal end of said tube; and

a pair of elongated flexible struts extending from said connector sleeve, each of said struts being secured to an intermediate portion of one of said outer strips and being flexed outwardly when said fingers are expanded.

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

a guide tube extending distally from said connector sleeve for slidably receiving said inner strips therein, said guide tube serving to hold said inner strips together when said actuator tube is advanced to prevent misalignment and crossover of said finger tips.

6. The tissue manipulator of claim 1, wherein said frame includes:

a connector sleeve slidably mounted on said support shaft and located at a position beyond the distal end of said tube; and

a pair of elongated flexible struts extending from said connector sleeve, each of said struts being secured to an intermediate portion of one of said outer strips and being flexed outwardly when said fingers are expanded.

7. The tissue manipulator of claim 1, wherein:

each of said fingers comprises an elongated strap which is folded back upon itself to define said inner and outer strips.

8. An endoscopic tissue manipulator for insertion into an endoscopic tube for manipulating tissue in a body cavity, comprising:

a handle;

a support shaft extending from said handle;

an actuator tube slidably mounted on said support shaft for longitudal movement relative to said support shaft; and

a tissue manipulating frame mounted at the distal end of said support shaft and connected to said actuator tube, said frame having a collapsed configuration for insertion through the endoscopic tube, and said frame being expandable by movement of said actuator tube relative to said shaft to provide a platform for manipulating the tissue in the body cavity wherein said frame includes

a pair of expandable fingers each comprising a flexible outer strip secured to the distal end of said actuator tube and a flexible inner strip secured to the distal end of said support shaft, said inner and outer strips being joined together at a distal finger tip; and

said fingers being flexed laterally outward in opposite directions by axial movement of said acutator tube relative to said shaft to provide a platform for engaging the tissue.

9. The tissue manipulator of claim 8, wherein:

said fingers are expandable into a tulip-shaped configuration with said finger tips spread apart and into a bulb-shaped configuration with said finger tips together.

10. The tissue manipulator of claim 9, wherein:

said fingers are expandable to said tulip-shaped configuration by movement of said actuator tube proximally relative to said support shaft and to said bulb-shaped configuration by movement of said actuator tube distally relative to said support shaft.

11. The tissue manipulator of claim 8, wherein said frame includes:

a connector sleeve slidably mounted on said inner strips and located at a position beyond the distal end of said actuator tube; and

a pair of elongated flexible struts extending from said connector sleeve, each of said struts being secured to an intermediate portion of one of said outer strips and being flexed outwardly when said fingers are expanded.

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

a guide tube extending distally from said connector sleeve for slidably receiving said inner strips therein, said guide tube acting to hold said inner strips together when said actuator tube is advanced to prevent misalignment and crossover of said finger tips.

13. The tissue manipulator of claim 8, wherein said frame includes:

a connector sleeve slidably mounted on said support shaft and located at a position beyond the distal end of said actuator tube; and

a pair of elongated flexible struts extending from said connector sleeve, each of said struts being secured to an intermediate portion of one of said outer strips and being flexed outwardly when said fingers are expanded.

14. The tissue manipulator of claim 8, wherein:

each of said fingers comprises an elongated strap which is folded back upon itself to define said inner and outer strips.

15. The tissue manipulator of claim 8, which includes:

a manually operable slide connected to said actuator tube for advancing and retracting said actuator tube axially relative to said handle.

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

collet means on said handle for releaseably engaging said actuator tube to retain said platform in an expanded configuration.

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

a manually operable release button on said handle for releasing said collet means to disengage said actuator tube and allow said platform to return to its collapsed configuration.

18. The tissue manipulator of claim 8, which includes:

a sheath slidably mounted on said actuator tube for covering said frame in its collapsed configuration.