Patent ID: 7517321
Filing Date: 2009-04-14
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method for performing a biopsy comprising: providing a cannula having a lumen, a closed distal end and an orifice located on a circumferential surface of said cannula, wherein a sheath is slidably or rotatably disposed on said cannula; generating a negative pressure, relative to an atmospheric pressure, in the lumen of said cannula; inserting said cannula into a body of tissue within a patient while said orifice is covered by said sheath; exposing said orifice to capture a sample of said body of tissue in the lumen of said cannula; displacing said sheath to cover said orifice with said sheath thereby separating said sample from said body of tissue; removing said cannula from said patient's body; generating a positive pressure, relative to said atmospheric pressure, in the lumen of said cannula while the orifice of said cannula is covered with said sheath; and after generating said positive pressure, sliding said sheath to at least partially uncover said orifice to expose said sample of said body of tissue.