Patent ID: 9566420
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: A61M

Claim:
1. A medical instrument for treating and/or diagnosing anorectal disorders, comprising: a slender member sized and shaped for being placed in the anal canal of a patient, along at least a portion of the anal sphincter; and a cover layer having a plurality of apertures, said cover layer substantially circumferentially covers an outer surface of a proximal end of said slender member, said slender member having a diameter set to push said cover layer so that when said medical instrument is located in said anal canal and a distal end of said slender member is above the anal dentate line, said cover layer is in contact with inner walls of said anal canal therearound; a dissolvable shell sized to cover at least said distal end of said slender member; wherein after said shell dissolves in the anal canal of said patient, an anchoring portion of said distal end expands to width which is wider than the width of the rest of the slender member in the anal sphincter; wherein when said medical instrument is located in said anal canal and said distal end is above the anal dentate line, said cover layer bandaging said inner walls to maintain a relatively constant humidity level in a proximate portion of the anal sphincter.