Method and inflatable chamber apparatus for separating layers of tissue
First Claim
1. A device for dissection of tissue layers and instrument anchoring, including:
- an anchoring assembly including a cannula, and an anchoring balloon mounted to the cannula; and
a dissection balloon assembly including a housing attached to the anchoring assembly and a dissection balloon, wherein the dissection balloon has a mouth and a distal end, the mouth is attached to the housing, and a viewing window is provided at the distal end.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for tissue dissection and instrument anchoring, including a dissection balloon having a viewing window (preferably a rigid, transparent window) at its distal end, or including an anchoring or dissection balloon having nonuniform elasticity selected to achieve desired inflated shape and pressure characteristics, and methods for using such apparatus. The window, which can be a lens, is transparent and either rigid or non-rigid but sufficiently strong to retain a desired optical shape while being pushed against tissue layers by a rigid instrument deployed within the balloon. In preferred embodiments, the balloon is a long-necked dissection balloon deployed through a cannula. In other embodiments, the invention is a dissection balloon assembly including a long-necked dissection balloon having a viewing window at its distal end, and a housing to which the dissection balloon'"'"'s mouth is attached. In use, the distal end of a long-necked dissection balloon is inserted between tissue layers and inflated to dissect the tissue layers.
210 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A device for dissection of tissue layers and instrument anchoring, including:
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an anchoring assembly including a cannula, and an anchoring balloon mounted to the cannula; and a dissection balloon assembly including a housing attached to the anchoring assembly and a dissection balloon, wherein the dissection balloon has a mouth and a distal end, the mouth is attached to the housing, and a viewing window is provided at the distal end. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A device for dissection of tissue layers and instrument anchoring, including:
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an anchoring assembly including a cannula, and an anchoring balloon mounted to the cannula; and a dissection balloon assembly including a housing attached to the anchoring assembly and a dissection balloon, wherein the dissection balloon has a mouth attached to the housing, and the dissection balloon has nonuniform elasticity selected to achieve desired inflated shape and pressure characteristics, wherein the dissection balloon has a distal end, and a viewing window is provided at the distal end of the dissection balloon.
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16. A device for dissection of tissue layers and instrument anchoring, including:
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an anchoring assembly including a cannula, and an anchoring balloon mounted to the cannula; and a dissection balloon assembly including a housing attached to the anchoring assembly and a dissection balloon, wherein the dissection balloon has a mouth attached to the housing, and the dissection balloon has nonuniform elasticity selected to achieve desired inflated shape and pressure characteristics, wherein the dissection balloon comprises a first sheet having a first elasticity, and a second sheet having a second elasticity bonded to the first sheet, wherein the second elasticity is substantially less than the first elasticity. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A device for dissection of tissue layers and instrument anchoring, including:
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an anchoring assembly including a cannula, and an anchoring balloon mounted to the cannula; and a dissection balloon assembly including a housing attached to the anchoring assembly and a dissection balloon, wherein the dissection balloon has a mouth attached to the housing, and the dissection balloon has nonuniform elasticity selected to achieve desired inflated shape and pressure characteristics, wherein the dissection balloon comprises; a first sheet; a second sheet bonded to the first sheet; and a third sheet bonded to a central portion of the second sheet, wherein the first sheet and the second sheet have substantially identical size, shape, and elasticity, and the third sheet has an elasticity substantially less than the elasticity of the second sheet.
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21. A device for dissection of tissue layers and instrument anchoring, including:
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an anchoring assembly including a cannula, and an anchoring balloon mounted to the cannula; and a dissection balloon assembly including a housing attached to the anchoring assembly and a dissection balloon, wherein the dissection balloon has a mouth attached to the housing, and the dissection balloon has nonuniform elasticity selected to achieve desired inflated shape and pressure characteristics, wherein the dissection balloon comprises; a first sheet; and a second sheet bonded to the first sheet, wherein the first sheet and the second sheet have substantially identical size and shape, the second sheet has lateral end portions and a central portion between the lateral end portions, the first sheet and the lateral end portions of the second sheet have substantially identical elasticity, and the central portion of the second sheet has an elasticity substantially less than the elasticity of the first sheet.
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22. The device of claim 22, wherein the lateral end portions and the central portion are portions of a single piece of material, but said material has greater thickness at the central portion than at the lateral end portions.
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23. A device for dissection of tissue layers and instrument anchoring, including:
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an anchoring assembly including a cannula, and an anchoring balloon mounted to the cannula; and a dissection balloon assembly including a housing attached to the anchoring assembly and a dissection balloon, wherein the dissection balloon has a mouth attached to the housing, and the dissection balloon has nonuniform elasticity selected to achieve desired inflated shape and pressure characteristics, wherein the cannula has a distal tip, the dissection balloon has a distal end and a neck between the mouth and the distal end, the neck is deployed through the cannula, and the distal end of the dissection balloon extends beyond the distal tip of the cannula. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A method for dissecting tissue layers and anchoring an object between dissected tissue layers, using an apparatus including a dissection assembly and an anchoring assembly, said dissection assembly including a housing and a dissection balloon having a mouth and a distal end, wherein the mouth is attached to the housing and a viewing window is provided at the distal end, said anchoring assembly including a cannula and an anchor balloon attached to the cannula, wherein the dissection balloon is initially deployed through the cannula, and wherein a rigid instrument having a distal tip and is initially deployed through the housing and the cannula so that the distal tip is within the dissection balloon, said method including the steps of:
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(a) inserting the distal end of the dissection balloon between the tissue layers and pushing the rigid instrument, thereby pressing the distal tip against the viewing window and advancing said distal tip and said viewing window together as a unit between the tissue layers; (b) inflating the dissection balloon to dissect the tissue layers; and (c) inflating the anchor balloon to anchor the cannula between the dissected tissue layers. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method for dissecting tissue layers and anchoring an object between dissected tissue layers, using an apparatus including a dissection assembly and an anchoring assembly, said dissection assembly including a housing and a dissection balloon having a mouth and a remaining portion, wherein the mouth is attached to the housing and the remaining portion has nonuniform elasticity selected to achieve desired inflated shape and pressure characteristics when the remaining portion is inserted between two tissue layers and inflated to dissect said tissue layers, said anchoring assembly including a cannula and an anchor balloon attached to the cannula, wherein the dissection balloon is initially deployed through the cannula, and wherein a rigid instrument having a distal tip is initially deployed through the housing and the cannula so that the distal tip is within the dissection balloon, said method including the steps of:
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(a) inserting a distal end of the remaining portion of the dissection balloon between the tissue layers and pushing the rigid instrument, thereby pressing the distal tip against the distal end and advancing said distal tip and said distal end together as a unit between the tissue layers; (b) inflating the dissection balloon to dissect the tissue layers; and (c) inflating the anchor balloon to anchor the cannula between the dissected tissue layers. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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Specification