Cervical discectomy instruments

• US 5,472,426 A
• Filed: 08/17/1993
• Issued: 12/05/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AOB Properties Limited
• Original Assignee: BEI Medical
• Inventors: Bonati, Alfred O., Ware, Philip J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BENNETT, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US08/108,036
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 606/191, 606/193, 606/194, 606/197, 606/198, 606/199, 128/751, 128/754, 128/753, 128/752, 604/22, 604/161-165, 604/169, 604/170
• US Class Current: 604/164.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1604 Chisels; Rongeurs; Punches; Stamps
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2909 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320016 Endoscopic cutting instruments, e.g. arthroscopes, resectoscopes A61B10/0233, A61B17/29, A61B17/3207 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320708 Curettes, e.g. hollow scraping instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3417 Details of tips or shafts, e.g. grooves, expandable, bendable; Multiple coaxial sliding cannulas, e.g. for dilating syringe needles A61M5/32; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00261 Discectomy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00469 for insertion of instruments, e.g. guide wire, optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22038 with a guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2845 with a spring pushing the handle back
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0175 having telescopic features, interengaging nestable members movable in relations to one another

Abstract

Arthroscopic cervical discectomy instruments include a push knob for a guide wire, a pair of telescopically mounted dilator tubes, one of which includes a water port so that the tube provides the additional function of an irrigation tube, a ligament cutter, a continuous suction punch, a cervical osteotone, a cervical cureet, a nucleus extractor and a cureet nucleus extractor. The dilator tubes, the ligament cutter, and the continuous suction punch are all centrally bored to receive the guide wire. All of the instruments are of arthroscopic proportions and each instrument, exclusive of its handle, is slideably insertable through the bore of the largest in diameter dilator tube. The largest in diameter dilator tube serves as a dilator, an irrigation tube, and as the main sheath through which the other tools are inserted. In a second embodiment, the pair of dilator tubes are replaced with a plurality of telescoping dilator tubes of progressively larger diameters and shorter lengths. The tools enable a novel dilation method and a novel surgical method.

Claims

1. A method of dilating an incision, comprising the steps of:

inserting a stylet having an inner bore and an outer barrel through said incision and withdrawing said inner bore;

providing a first tube of cylindrical construction having a first predetermined length and a first predetermined diameter;

providing a second tube of cylindrical construction having a second predetermined length greater than said first predetermined length and a second predetermined diameter less than said first predetermined diameter but greater than an outer diameter of said outer barrel so that said first tube telescopically receives said second tube and so that said second tube telescopically receives said outer barrel;

tapering a leading end of said second tube so that said leading end is easily slid into a ligament without imparting trauma to the ligament;

dilating an incision a first amount by inserting the tapered leading end of the second tube through said incision;

dilating said incision further by inserting the leading end of the first tube thereinto, said insertion being accomplished by sliding said first tube toward the incision over said second tube until the leading end of the first tube is flush with the leading end of the second tube, said second tube serving to guide the first tube to the incision; and

withdrawing said second tube from the inner bore of said first tube and leaving said first tube in the incision so that subsequent surgical instruments may be introduced to a surgical site through the inner bore of said first tube.

2. A dilator tube, comprising:

an elongate tube;

a base member fixedly secured to a proximal end of said tube;

a recess of predetermined depth formed in a distal end of said base member;

a boss means formed in said distal end of said base member, said boss means having a distal end extending distally beyond the distal end of said base member and said boss means having a proximal end integral with a bottom wall of said recess; and

said elongate tube having a tapered distal end to facilitate its insertion through an incision in the substantial absence of trauma to tissue.

3. A dilator means, comprising:

a first dilator tube of predetermined length;

a base member secured to a proximal end of said first dilator tube;

said first dilator tube and said base member having a common bore formed therein;

a water port formed in said base member, said water port having a bore formed therein in fluid communication with the bore common to said first dilator tube and said base member;

a recess of predetermined depth formed in a proximal end of said base member;

a second dilator tube having a predetermined length greater than the predetermined length of said first dilator tube;

said second dilator tube having an outside diameter less than said common bore so that said first dilator tube telescopically receives said second dilator tube;

a base member secured to a proximal end of said second dilator tube;

a recess of predetermined depth formed in a distal end of said second dilator tube base member;

a boss member extending from a bottom wall of said recess, said boss member extending distally beyond the distal end of said second dilator tube base member;

said boss member configured and dimensioned to be slidingly received within the recess formed in the proximal end of the first dilator tube base member;

the proximal end of said first tube dilator base member being slidingly received within the recess formed in the second dilator tube base member when said first dilator tube slidingly receives said second dilator tube;

whereby a double lock is provided to lock the first dilator tube base member to the second dilator tube base member, said first and second dilator tubes forming said dilator means when coupled together.