Patent ID: 11918360
Assignee: THE BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A diagnostic method for evaluating a urinary bladder, comprising:
introducing a urinary catheter having a proximal end and a distal end into a patient's urinary bladder by way of the urethra, the urinary catheter including an outer tubular member including an inflatable member disposed thereon, and a stylet that is slidably disposable within a passage defined in the outer tubular member;
inflating the inflatable member inside of the bladder;
inflating the bladder with a liquid to enhance visualization of an inner surface of the bladder;
illuminating a red-light source through the inflatable member to illuminate the bladder; and
directly visualizing an outer portion of the illuminated bladder from within the abdominal or pelvic cavity using a separate visualization device situated in the abdominal or pelvic cavity.