Devices, systems and methods for diagnosing and treating sinusitis and other disorders of the ears, Nose and/or throat

• US 9,101,384 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2009
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acclarent Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Acclarent Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Makower, Joshua, Chang, John Y., Goldfarb, Eric, Morriss, John, Facteau, William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berdichevsky, Aarti Bhatia
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHELL, LAURA C
• Application Number:
  US12/355,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20090187098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: 604/890.1, 604/891.1, 604/891.2, 604/500, 604506-510, 604/514, 604/516, 606/196, 128/204.12, 128/898, 424/434, 600/309, 600/310, 600/249, 600/342, 600/101, 600/160, 600/178, 600/179, 600/182, 600/183, 385/117
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0661 Endoscope light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12045 double occlusion, e.g. during anastomosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12104 in an air passage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12136 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1214 Coils or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12172 having a pre-set deployed three-dimensional shape methods of manufacturing A61B2017/00526
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12186 liquid materials adapted to be injected
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1219 expandable in contact with liquids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/24 for use in the oral cavity, larynx, bronchial passages or nose for medical inspection of cavities or tubes in the body A61B1/00; Tongue scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320725 with radially expandable cutting or abrading elements A61B17/32075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32075 Pullback cutting; combined forward and pullback cutting, e.g. with cutters at both sides of the plaque
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320758 with a rotating cutting instrument, e.g. motor driven A61B17/320725, A61B17/32075 and A61B17/320783 take precedence; for removing intra-ocular material A61F9/00763; endoscopic rotatable cutting instruments A61B17/32002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320783 through side-hole, e.g. sliding or rotating cutter inside catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3478 Endoscopic needles, e.g. for infusion biopsy needles A61B10/0233; catheters with injection needles A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22061 for spreading elements apart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3945 Active visible markers, e.g. light emitting diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2217/005 with suction drainage system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/107 Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 : in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 : Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 : Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 : Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0037 : characterized by lumina being arranged side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/004 : characterized by lumina being arranged circumferentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0087 : Multiple injection needles protruding laterally from the distal tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0096 : being laterally outward extensions or tools, e.g. hooks or fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 : for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/109 : having balloons for removing solid matters, e.g. by grasping or scraping plaque, thrombus or other matters that obstruct the flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/003 : characterized by features relating to least one lumen located at the distal part of the catheter, e.g. filters, plugs or valves catheter tips A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0068 : Static characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. shape, atraumatic tip, curved tip or tip structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/007 : Side holes, e.g. their profiles or arrangements; Provisions to keep side holes unblocked
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0074 : Dynamic characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. openable, closable, expandable or deformable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0082 : Catheter tip comprising a tool
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10 : Balloon catheters A61M25/0125 takes precedence; embolectomy A61B17/22032; retractors A61B17/02; inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts A61F2/958 ; stomach balloons for treatment of obesity A61F5/0003; oesophagal tubes A61J15/00

Abstract

Various diagnostic procedures and devices are used to perform imaging studies, mucus flow studies, air/gas flow studies, anatomic dimension studies, endoscopic studies and transillumination studies. Devices and methods for visually confirming the positioning of a distal end portion of an illuminating device placed within a patient include inserting a distal end portion of an illuminating device internally into a patient, emitting light from the distal end portion of the illuminating device, observing transillumination resulting from the light emitted from the distal end portion of the illuminating device that occurs on an external surface of the patient, and correlating the location of the observed transillumination on the external surface of the patient with an internal location of the patient that underlies the location of observed transillumination, to confirm positioning of the distal end portion of the illuminating device.

Claims

1. A method of confirming the location of the distal tip of a device placed within the sinus of a patient comprising:

introducing an endoscope into a nasal passageway of the patient;

advancing a guide catheter into the nasal passageway under the endoscopic visualization;

advancing a distal tip of a light emitting elongate member through the guide catheter and into a desired sinus cavity;

inputting light to the light emitting elongate member via a proximal light port disposed external to the patient; and

viewing the location of the light through the patient'"'"'s skin and based on said viewing determining whether the distal tip of the light emitting elongate member is correctly located in the desired sinus cavity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising advancing distally a balloon catheter into the desired sinus cavity if the distal tip of the light emitting elongate member is correctly located in the desired sinus cavity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the introduction of the distal tip comprises distal advancement of the light emitting elongate member over a wire guide.