Follicular dissection device and method

• US 9,480,496 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2006
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cole Isolation Technique, Llc
• Original Assignee: Cole Isolation Technique, Llc
• Inventors: Cole, John P., Gutema, Tesfaye H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tyson, Melanie
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TIN DUC
• Application Number:
  US11/508,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,724 Days
• Field of Search: 606/133, 606/131, 606/187, 606/184, 606/185, 606/167, 606/170, 606/132, 606/32, 606/166, 606/186, 606/172, 600/566, 600/567, 604/173, 303/05, 623/15.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32053 Punch like cutting instruments, e.g. using a cylindrical or oval knife A61B17/326 takes precedence; trepans A61B17/1695; for use on the cornea A61F9/007
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/322 Skin grafting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3403 Needle locating or guiding means guides for suture needles A61B17/0482; guiding or tracking by nuclear magnetic resonance G01R33/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3468 for implanting or removing devices, e.g. prostheses, implants, seeds, wires devices for implanting seeds A61M37/0069
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3496 Protecting sleeves or inner probes; Retractable tips for protecting body piercing guide needles A61M25/0612
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00752 Hair removal or transplantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00902 transparent or translucent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00969 used for transplantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/3492 against the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/036 abutting on tissue or skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/062 penetration depth

Abstract

Provided herein is an apparatus and method useful for surgical removal of mammalian tissue. In one or more implementations, a cylindrical punch having one or more cutting edges may be provided for surgically extracting one or more hair follicles during a follicular dissection procedure. In one or more implementations, one or more cutting edges may be located along an outside diameter of a cylindrical punch.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical punch, comprising an approximately cylindrical housing and at least two members forming an approximately cylindrical shape, the at least two members of the cylindrical punch having inclined surfaces and forming a first end and a second end, the second end having an edge comprising at least three denticulations, at least a portion of the second end comprising the edge extending in an approximately axial direction out of the approximately cylindrical housing to perform a hair follicle dissection, at least a portion of an outer surface of the at least two members abutting an inner surface of the approximately cylindrical housing, at least a portion of the second end formed by the at least two members having an approximately uniform diameter larger than a diameter of the approximately cylindrical housing;

wherein

the edge forms an approximately circular shape;

at least one of the at least three denticulations comprises at least first, second, and third cutting surfaces, the first cutting surface being disposed on the edge of the cylindrical punch,

the cylindrical punch to be rotatable around a longitudinal axis projected through the first end and the second end, and

the approximately uniform diameter of the second end being formed by the at least two members and being adjustable to two or more different fixed sizes while maintaining an approximately circular shape in response to axial movement of the inclined surfaces of the at least two members relative to the approximately cylindrical housing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the at least three denticulations is sharp.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the at least three denticulations further comprises a shape comprising a scallop, square, semicircle, or polygon.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the apparatus to dissect tissue.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a motion conversion mechanism coupled to the cylindrical punch.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first cutting surface comprises one or more approximately arced shapes.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first cutting surface comprises one or more sharp points.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more sharp points comprise points at which portions of the second and third cutting surfaces meet at the edge of the second end.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second or third cutting surfaces comprise one or more approximately arced shapes.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a majority of the at least three denticulations are capable of cutting skin tissue approximately simultaneously during operation of the cylindrical punch.