Method and apparatus for in VIVO treatment of mammary ducts by light induced fluorescence
First Claim
1. A method of treating atypical tissue in the mammary duct of a woman'"'"'s breast using a micro-endoscope assembly having a distal end with a diameter ranging from 0.5 mm to about 1.2 nm, the method comprising the steps of:
- a. administering a dosage of a chemical fluorescent marker compound into the interior of a mammary duct;
b. incubating said fluorescent marker compound in the duct from about 1 to about 4 hours;
c. inserting the distal end of the micro-endoscope into the mammary duct of a woman patient;
d. transmitting light into the dosed mammary duct to match the excitation frequency of the marker compound causing atypica tissue to fluoresce;
e. viewing the interior of the duct until the location of tissue fluorescence is ascertained;
f. positioning the micro-endoscope assembly proximate the atypical tissue;
g. transmitting light through said micro-endoscope onto the atypical tissue at a wave length suitable to cause fluoresced cells to be destroyed; and
h. withdrawing the micro-endoscope from said mammary duct.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is directed toward a micro-endoscope assembly for the treatment of diseased tissue in breast ducts comprising a cylindrical guide tube with a distal end defining an internal cylindrical passageway, a first smaller cylindrical tube eccentrically formed in the cylindrical passageway of a smaller diameter than said tube internal cylindrical passageway to receive and guide an endoscope, the smaller cylindrical tube forming together with an inner wall surface of the cylindrical guide tube a second passageway. A light transmitting probe is mounted in the second passageway and is connected at the distal end of the guide tube with an energy transmitting device. The light probe is activated to generate light at a particular wavelength to cause the tissue to fluoresce and is again activated to generate light at a specific wavelength to necrose the diseased tissue.
83 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of treating atypical tissue in the mammary duct of a woman'"'"'s breast using a micro-endoscope assembly having a distal end with a diameter ranging from 0.5 mm to about 1.2 nm, the method comprising the steps of:
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a. administering a dosage of a chemical fluorescent marker compound into the interior of a mammary duct;
b. incubating said fluorescent marker compound in the duct from about 1 to about 4 hours;
c. inserting the distal end of the micro-endoscope into the mammary duct of a woman patient;
d. transmitting light into the dosed mammary duct to match the excitation frequency of the marker compound causing atypica tissue to fluoresce;
e. viewing the interior of the duct until the location of tissue fluorescence is ascertained;
f. positioning the micro-endoscope assembly proximate the atypical tissue;
g. transmitting light through said micro-endoscope onto the atypical tissue at a wave length suitable to cause fluoresced cells to be destroyed; and
h. withdrawing the micro-endoscope from said mammary duct. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of treating atypical tissue in the mammary duct of a woman'"'"'s breast using a micro-endoscope assembly having a distal end with a diameter ranging from 0.5 mm to about 1.2 mm, the method comprising the steps of:
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a. administering a dosage of a chemical fluorescent marker compound into the interior of a mammary duct;
b. incubating said fluorescent marker compound in the duct from about 1 to about 4 hours c. inserting the distal end of the micro-endoscope into the mammary duct of a woman patient;
d. transmitting light into the dosed mammary duct at a specific wave length to match the excitation frequency of the marker compound causing atypical cells to fluoresce at a longer wavelength than the excitation frequency;
e. viewing the interior of the duct to ascertain tissue fluorescence location;
f. positioning the micro-endoscope assembly for direction of light of the atypical tissue;
g. transmitting light through said micro-endoscope onto the atypical tissue at a designated wave length for a period of time suitable to generate cytotoxic singlet oxygen in the fluoresced cells causing same to be necrosed; and
h. withdrawing the micro-endoscope from said mammary duct. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of treating atypical tissue in the mammary duct of a woman'"'"'s breast using a micro-endoscope assembly having a distal end with a diameter ranging from 0.5 mm to about 1.2 mm, the method comprising the steps of:
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a. administering a dosage of a chemical fluorescent marker compound into the interior of a mammary duct by injecting the compound in the duct;
b. incubating the dosage in the duct for a period of about 1 to about 4 hours to allow atypical cells to interact with the marker compound and absorb the marker compound in the mitochrondia surrounding the cell nucleus. c. inserting the distal end of the micro-endoscope into the mammary duct of a woman patient;
d. transmitting light through the micro-endoscope into the dosed mammary duct to match the excitation frequency of the marker compound causing atypical cells to fluoresce;
e. viewing the interior of the duct until the location of tissue fluorescence is ascertained;
f. positioning the micro-endoscope proximate the abnormal tissue at a distance to receive light transmitted through the micro-endoscope;
g. transmitting light through said micro-endoscope onto the atypical tissue at a wave length ranging from about 600 nm to about 700 nm for a period of time suitable to cause fluoresced atypical cells to be destroyed; and
h. withdrawing the micro-endoscope from said mammary duct. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of treating diseased tissue in the mammary ducts of a patients breast with a micro-endoscopic assembly and a cannula sheath having a diameter ranging from about 0.5 mm to about 1.2 mm wherein said endoscope assembly includes a guide having a working channel, a light source and a lens;
- said guide forming an irrigation channel and an energy transmitting probe moveably mounted in said endoscope;
said method comprising the steps of;a. inserting the distal end of said cannula sheath into a mammary duct of a dilated nipple of a breast which has been treated with a fluorescent producing compound said fluorescent producing compound is being incubated in said duct from about 1 to about 4 hours. b. inserting a micro-endoscope into said cannula sheath and transmitting a light source causing atypical cells to fluoresce;
c. projecting an image of the interior of said breast duct on a video monitor;
d. moving said micro-endoscope along said duct until an area of atypical cells is detected by viewing cells which fluoresce;
e. positioning said micro-endoscope in said duct;
f. applying light at a specific wavelength to said probe to said atypical cell area for a period of time sufficient to cause atypical cell destruction;
g. irrigating the interior of said breast duct by injecting liquid through an irrigation channel of said micro-endoscope; and
h. extracting destroyed tissue from said breast duct. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
- said guide forming an irrigation channel and an energy transmitting probe moveably mounted in said endoscope;
Specification