Patent ID: 9579159
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61M

Claim:
1. A marking apparatus for the percutaneous placement of an imaging marker at a location in a tissue mass to facilitate subsequent determination of the location of the tissue mass, the marking apparatus comprising: a handle defining a hollow interior; a cannula mounted to the handle and configured to extend from the handle, the cannula being configured to define a lumen open to the hollow interior of the handle, a distal end of the cannula forming an insertion tip with an axial opening at the insertion tip; a stylet having a proximal end with a proximal tip and a distal end, slidably received within the lumen for movement between a ready position and an extended position, where, in the ready position, the distal end of the stylet is spaced inwardly from the insertion tip to define a marker recess between the distal end of the stylet and the axial opening, and in the extended position the distal end of the stylet extends at least into the marker recess; an imaging marker disposed completely within the marker recess to be expelled through the axial opening by movement of the stylet from the ready position to the extended position, wherein the imaging marker has no lead long enough to extend from the interior of the tissue mass to the exterior of the tissue mass when the imaging marker has been placed in the tissue mass; an actuator having a plunger connected to the proximal end of the stylet, and configured to effect the relative movement of the cannula and the stylet to move the stylet from the ready position to the extended position by moving the plunger between first and second positions to expel the imaging marker; and a safety configured to prohibit the sliding of the stylet, wherein the safety comprises a channel provided on one of the handle and the plunger and a catch provided on the other of the handle and the plunger such that when the catch and channel are aligned, the plunger can move between the first and second positions and when the catch and the channel are mis-aligned, the plunger cannot move between the first and second positions.