Method and apparatus for minimally invasive tissue removal
First Claim
1. A tissue morcellator for use in percutaneous tissue removal, comprising:
- a handpiece;
a motor supported by said handpiece having means for producing linearly reciprocating motion;
an elongated cannula sized for introduction into the body, said cannula having a proximal end and a distal end, said cannula supported by said handpiece at said proximal end and having a tissue introduction opening at said distal end and further having an end surface at said distal end facing said introduction opening;
a tubular drive shaft connected to said motor and extending through said cannula to said introduction opening; and
a tissue impactor engaged to said drive shaft and having an impacting surface arranged to oppose said end surface of said cannula, whereby tissue extending into said introduction opening is disposed between said end surface and said impacting surface as said impactor is reciprocated by said motor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for minimally invasive tissue removal contemplates a system including a tissue cutting tool having a motor driven cutting blade reciprocating within a percutaneously introducable cannula. In accordance with one method of the invention, the frequency of reciprocation of the cutting blade is tuned to a characteristic frequency of the target tissue to be excised, which frequency is a function of certain properties of the target tissue and the surrounding tissue. Cutting at the characteristic frequency of the target tissue not only enhances the speed and efficiency of the tissue excision, but also minimizes the risk of cutting surrounding tissue. Another aspect of the system includes feedback control of both aspiration and irrigation circuits of the system. With the feedback control, coupled with user settable inputs, the surgeon can control the system to "tease" tissue into the cutting opening to provide more manageable bite sizes of the excised tissue. Controllable valves and pressure transducers allow the operator to set and maintain the aspiration vacuum and irrigation pressure at optimum levels. In other aspects of the invention, other cutting heads, such as a rasp and a tissue morcelator, are disclosed which take advantage of the integrated feedback control system of the invention.
237 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A tissue morcellator for use in percutaneous tissue removal, comprising:
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a handpiece; a motor supported by said handpiece having means for producing linearly reciprocating motion; an elongated cannula sized for introduction into the body, said cannula having a proximal end and a distal end, said cannula supported by said handpiece at said proximal end and having a tissue introduction opening at said distal end and further having an end surface at said distal end facing said introduction opening; a tubular drive shaft connected to said motor and extending through said cannula to said introduction opening; and a tissue impactor engaged to said drive shaft and having an impacting surface arranged to oppose said end surface of said cannula, whereby tissue extending into said introduction opening is disposed between said end surface and said impacting surface as said impactor is reciprocated by said motor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A tissue morcellator, comprising:
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a handpiece; a motor; an elongated cannula sized for introduction into a patient'"'"'s body, said cannula having a proximal end and a distal end, said cannula being supported by said handpiece at said proximal end and defining a tissue introduction opening proximate to said distal end; a drive shaft connected to said motor and extending through said cannula to said introduction opening, said drive shaft being configured to reciprocate within said cannula in response to activation of said motor; and a tissue impactor coupled to said drive shaft to reciprocate across the introduction opening as said drive shaft reciprocates, said impactor being positioned to oppose a surface of said cannula to morcellate tissue located between said surface and said impactor as said impactor reciprocates. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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Specification