Medical instrument for treating biological tissue

• US 6,413,230 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2000
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Storz Medical AG
• Original Assignee: Ferton Holding SA
• Inventors: Haupt, Gerald, Schulz, Manfred, Menne, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S.
• Application Number:
  US09/446,097
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 601/2-4, 606/128
• US Class Current: 601/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2251 characterised by coupling elements between the apparatus, e.g. shock wave apparatus or locating means, and the patient, e.g. details of bags, pressure control of bag on patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/56 Surgical instruments or methods for treatment of bones or joints; Devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00544 pneumatically
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/924 Impact element driving means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/927 Returning means
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/008 using shock waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/04 with hydraulic or pneumatic drive hydraulic or Pneumatic massages, A61H9/00; underwater massages, A61H33/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/043 producing shock waves G10K15/046, G10K15/06 take precedence; generating seismic energy G01V1/02

Abstract

The invention relates to a medical instrument for treating biological tissue, comprising a device for generating extra-corporeal pressure waves and a transmission element (2) for injecting pressure waves into the bodies of living organisms. According to the invention the transmission element (2) has a blunt probe tip (22) with a flat exit surface (24) which injects non-focused mechanically generated pressure waves into the biological tissue.

Claims

1. A medical instrument for treating biological tissue comprising a device for generating extracorporeal pressure waves, said pressure waves generating device including a beater part (10) constructed and arranged for striking against a transmission element (2) for injecting the generated pressure waves into the bodies of living organisms, said transmission element (2) having a probe tip (22), said probe tip (22) including an exit boundary surface (24), said exit boundary surface (24) being one of a flat and convex surface configuration which induces non-focused mechanically generated pressure waves into biological tissue of living organisms, and said beater part (10) being accelerated to a velocity of more than 5 m/sec. when striking against said transmission element (2) and displacing said probe tip (22) by less than 1 mm.

2. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 including actuating means (14) for accelerating said beater part (10) in a direction for striking against said transmission element (2).

3. The medical instrument as defined in claim 2 wherein said beater part (10) travels in a first direction for striking against said transmission element (2) and moving said transmission element (2) in said first direction, and means (30) for moving said transmission element (2) in a second direction opposite said first direction to thereby effect reciprocal movement of said transmission element (2).

4. The medical instrument as defined in claim 3 including means (28) for holding said beater part (10) at a position remote from said transmission element (2).

5. The medical instrument as defined in claim 3 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2).

6. The medical instrument as defined in claim 3 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2), and means (32) for introducing pressurized fluid into said guiding means (6) at an end thereof remote from said transmission element (2).

7. The medical instrument as defined in claim 2 wherein said beater part (10) travels in a first direction for striking against said transmission element (2) and moving said transmission element (2) in said first direction, means (30) for moving said transmission element (2) in a second direction opposite said first direction to thereby effect reciprocal movement of said transmission element (2), and said transmission element moving means (30) being defined by a biasing means.

8. The medical instrument as defined in claim 7 including means (28) for holding said beater part (10) at a position remote from said transmission element (2).

9. The medical instrument as defined in claim 7 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2).

10. The medical instrument as defined in claim 7 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2), and means (32) for introducing pressurized fluid into said guiding means (6) at an end thereof remote from said transmission element (2).

11. The medical instrument as defined in claim 2 including means (28) for holding said beater part (10) at a position remote from said transmission element (2).

12. The medical instrument as defined in claim 2 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2).

13. The medical instrument as defined in claim 2 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2), and means (32) for introducing pressurized fluid into said guiding means (6) at an end thereof remote from said transmission element (2).

14. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 including actuating means (14) for accelerating said beater part (10) in a direction for striking against said transmission element (2), and means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10).

15. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the beater part (10) and the transmission element (2) are arranged in coaxial relationship to each other.

16. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the beat frequency of the beater part (10) is substantially 1 to 30 Hz.

17. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the beat frequency of the beater part (10) is substantially 6 to 20 Hz.

18. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said beater part (10) travels in a first direction for striking against said transmission element (2) and moving said transmission element (2) in said first direction, and means (30) for moving said transmission element (2) in a second direction opposite said first direction to thereby effect reciprocal movement of said transmission element (2).

19. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said beater part (10) travels in a first direction for striking against said transmission element (2) and moving said transmission element (2) in said first direction, means (30) for moving said transmission element (2) in a second direction opposite said first direction to thereby effect reciprocal movement of said transmission element (2), and said transmission element moving means (30) being defined by a biasing means.

20. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 including means (28) for holding said beater part (10) at a position remote from said transmission element (2).

21. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 including means (28) for magnetically holding said beater part (10) at a position remote from said transmission element (2).

22. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said probe tip exit boundary surface (24) is substantially flat with a rounded peripheral edge (21).

23. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said probe tip exit boundary surface (24) is substantially convex configuration with a rounded peripheral edge (21).

24. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said probe tip exit boundary surface (24) is of a larger diameter than an entry boundary surface (26) of said transmission element (2).

25. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 including an impedance matching medium disposed on said probe tip exit boundary surface (24).

26. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said transmission element (2) is substantially 20-100 mm in length.

27. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said transmission element (2) is constructed of different materials to effect selective impedance matching.

28. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said transmission element (2) is constructed of different materials to effect selective impedance matching, and said different materials are disposed adjacent each other along the length of said transmission element (2).

29. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2).

30. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2), and means (32) for introducing pressurized fluid into said guiding means (6) at an end thereof remote from said transmission element (2).

31. The medical instrument as defined in claim 1 including means (6) for guiding the movement of said beater part (10) toward and away from said transmission element (2), means (32) for introducing pressurized fluid into said means (6) at a first end thereof remote from said transmission element (2), and means (16) at a second end (18) of said guiding means (6) remote from said first end of said guiding means (6) for venting fluid from said guiding means (6) during movement of said beater part (10) toward said transmission element (2).