Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7517322?dq=5,598,374
Timestamp: 2014-10-23 06:04:26
Document Index: 699737222

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 06251160', 'Application No. 06251159', 'Application No. 07250896', 'Application No. 07251393', 'Application No. 06251159', 'Application No. 06251160']

Patent US7517322 - Biopsy device with variable side aperture - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA biopsy device and method are provided for obtaining a tissue sample, such as a breast tissue biopsy sample. The biopsy device may include an outer cannula having a distal piercing tip, a cutter lumen, a side tissue port communicating with the cutter lumen, and at least one fluid passageway disposed...http://www.google.com/patents/US7517322?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7517322 - Biopsy device with variable side apertureAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7517322 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/072,719Publication dateApr 14, 2009Filing dateMar 4, 2005Priority dateMar 4, 2005Fee statusPaidAlso published asCA2538406A1, CN1827050A, CN1830395A, CN1830395B, CN100508897C, EP1698282A1, EP1698282B1, US7717861, US8287466, US20060200040, US20080114264, US20100160820, US20120316464Publication number072719, 11072719, US 7517322 B2, US 7517322B2, US-B2-7517322, US7517322 B2, US7517322B2InventorsRobert F. Weikel, Jr., Lee E. Reichel, John A. Hibner, Michael R. LudzackOriginal AssigneeEthicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (57), Non-Patent Citations (26), Referenced by (7), Classifications (8), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetBiopsy device with variable side apertureUS 7517322 B2Abstract A biopsy device and method are provided for obtaining a tissue sample, such as a breast tissue biopsy sample. The biopsy device may include an outer cannula having a distal piercing tip, a cutter lumen, a side tissue port communicating with the cutter lumen, and at least one fluid passageway disposed distally of the side tissue port. The inner cutter may be advanced in the cutter lumen past the side tissue port to sever a tissue sample. After the tissue sample is severed, and before the inner cutter is retracted proximally of the side tissue port, the cutter may be used to alternately cover and uncover the fluid passageway disposed distally of the side tissue.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application cross references and incorporates by reference the following commonly assigned patent applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/676,944, �Biopsy Instrument with Internal Specimen Collection Mechanism� filed Sep. 30, 2003 in the name of Hibner et al.; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/732,843, �Biopsy Device with Sample Tube� filed Dec. 10, 2003 in the name of Cicenas et al.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to biopsy devices, and more particularly to biopsy devices having a cutter for severing tissue.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The diagnosis and treatment of tissue is an ongoing area of investigation. Medical devices for obtaining tissue samples for subsequent sampling and/or testing are know in the art. For instance, a biopsy instrument now marketed under the tradename MAMMOTOME is commercially available from Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. for use in obtaining breast biopsy samples.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention addresses these and other problems of the prior art by providing a core biopsy device having a probe assembly with a side aperture that is selectively longitudinally sized for taking samples. A proximal blocking member may be selectively positioned in the side aperture such that a proximal portion thereof is blocked when otherwise an outer layer of skin would prolapse into the side aperture when a cutter tube is retracted and then advanced to take a tissue sample. Thereby, discomfort and disfiguring scarring is avoided while still retaining the ability to take a tissue sample of a lesion near to a patient's skin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Core sampling biopsy devices are given additional flexibility to remove tissue samples that reside close to an insertion point by incorporating an ability to block a proximal portion of a side aperture in a probe, corresponding to where the outer tissue layers contact the probe when the distal portion of the side aperture is placed beside a suspicious lesion. This proximal blocking feature may be provided by a separate member attachable to generally-known biopsy devices, leveraging existing capital investments in an economical way. In the first illustrative version, a biopsy device that includes a long stroke cutter that retracts fully out of a probe between samples in order to retrieve tissue samples is thus adapted when a variable sized side aperture is desired. Alternatively, in a second illustrative version, a biopsy device that has tissue sample retrieval that is independent of cutter position is adapted to employ the cutter as the proximal blocking feature to achieve a variable sized side aperture.
The biopsy system 10 includes probe assembly 18 that includes a handle 20 proximally attached to the probe 12. The biopsy system 10 further includes a detachable holster 22 that serves as a manual user interface and a mechanical and electrical connection to a control module 24 that may be remotely positioned away from diagnostic systems (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) (not shown). The control module 24 includes a fluid collection system 26, a control unit 28, and a power transmission source 30. The handle 20 is detachably connected to the detachable holster 22. Together they constitute a lightweight, ergonomically shaped, hand manipulatable portion referred to as a biopsy device (�handpiece�) 32. The handpiece 32 is fluidly connected to the fluid collection system 26 by a first vacuum tube 34 and a second vacuum tube 36. The first and second vacuum tubes 34, 36 are detachably connected to the fluid collection system 26 by a first connector 38 and a second connector 40, respectively. The first connector 38 has a male portion 42 and a female portion 44 attached to the first vacuum tube 34. The second connector 40 has a female portion 30 and a male portion 26 attached to the second vacuum tube 36. The connector male and female portions, 4248, are attached in this manner to prevent the accidental switching of the first and second tubes 34, 36 to the fluid collection system 26. The detachable holster 22 includes a first rotatable shaft 50, a second rotatable shaft 52, and a control cord 54. The first and second rotatable shafts 50, 52 are advantageously flexible so that the operator may easily manipulate the handpiece 32 with one hand. The control cord 54 operatively connects the handpiece 32 to the power transmission source 30 and control unit 28.
The probe 12 includes an elongated cutter tube 98, typically metallic, defining a cutter lumen 100. On the side of the distal end of the cutter tube 98 is the side aperture 14 for receiving the tissue to be extracted from the surgical patient. Joined alongside the cutter tube 98 is an elongated, tubular, metallic vacuum chamber tube 102 defining a vacuum lumen 104. Cutter lumen 100 is in fluid communication with vacuum lumen 104 via a plurality of vacuum holes 106 located in the bottom of a �bowl� 108 defined by the side aperture 14. These holes 106 are small enough to remove the fluids but not large enough to allow excised tissue portions to be removed through the first vacuum tube 34, which is fluidly connected to the vacuum chamber tube 102. A sharpened, metallic distal end 110 is attached to the distal end of the probe 12. It is designed to penetrate soft tissue such as the breast. In this embodiment, the sharpened distal end 110 is a three-sided, pyramidal-shaped point, although the tip configuration may also have other shapes.
In one version, at the distal and proximal ends of lead screw thread 644, the helical thread is cut short so that the effective pitch width of the thread is zero. At the distal most and proximal most positions of thread 644, translation of drive carriage 634 is no longer positively driven by shaft 642 regardless of the continued rotation of shaft 642, as the carriage effectively runs off thread 644. Biasing members, such as compression coil springs 650 a and 650 b (FIG. 12), are positioned on shaft 642 adjacent the distal and proximal ends of screw thread 644. Springs 650 a/b bias drive carriage 634 back into engagement with lead screw thread 644 when the carriage runs off thread 644. While shaft 642 continues rotating in the same direction, the zero pitch width thread in combination with springs 650 a/b cause drive carriage 634 and, therefore, cutter 555 to �freewheel� at the end of the shaft. At the proximal end of the threaded portion of shaft 642, drive carriage 634 engages spring 650 a. At the distal end of the threaded portion of shaft 642, drive carriage 634 engages spring 650 b. When drive carriage 634 runs off screw thread 644, spring 650 a or 650 b engages drive carriage 634 and biases drive carriage 634 back into engagement with screw thread 644 of shaft 642, at which point continued rotation of shaft 642 again causes drive carriage 634 to run off screw thread 644. Accordingly, as long as rotation of shaft 642 is maintained in the same direction, drive carriage 634 (and cutter 555) will continue to �freewheel�, with the distal end of cutter 555 translating a short distance proximally and distally as the carriage is alternately biased onto thread 644 by spring 650 a or 650 b and then run off screw thread 644 by rotation of shaft 642. When the cutter is in the distal most position shown in FIG. 11C, with the distal end 606 of cutter 555 positioned distal of side aperture 564, spring 650 b will engage drive carriage 634, and repeatedly urge drive carriage 634 back into engagement with screw thread 644 when drive carriage 634 runs off screw thread 644. Accordingly, after cutter 555 is advanced such that the distal end 606 of cutter 555 translates distally past side aperture 564 to cut tissue, to the position shown in FIG. 11C, continued rotation of shaft 642 will result in distal end 606 oscillating back and forth, translating a short distance proximally and distally, until the direction of rotation of shaft 642 is reversed (such as to retract cutter 555 distally to the position shown in FIG. 11A). The slight movement of drive carriage 634 into engagement with screw thread 644 and out of engagement with screw thread 644 against the biasing force of spring 650 b, causes the distal end 606 of cutter 555 to repetitively reciprocate a short distance within cannula 590, which distance may be about equal to the pitch of threads 644, and which distance is shorter than the distance the cutter travels in crossing side aperture 564. This reciprocal movement of cutter 555 may provide alternate covering and uncovering of at least one fluid passageway disposed distally of side aperture 564, as described below.
A predefined amount of time after cutter 555 reaches its distal most position and begins to freewheel, the solenoid on rotary valve 544 may be deenergized or otherwise controlled by microprocessor 552 to replace lateral vacuum force 677 with forward pressurized air (either atmospheric or greater) as shown by the arrows 682 in FIG. 13C. The pressurized air is discharged through lateral tube 538 to vacuum lumen 594. With port holes 678 closed off by cutter 555, the pressurized air communicates with upper cutter lumen 592 through fluid passageway 679 to apply a force against the distal face of sample 682. The �push� force acting on the distal face of sample 682 may act in combination with �pull� axial vacuum force 680 provided through sample lumen 608 of cutter 555 to move sample 682 into and through sample lumen 608 of cutter 555, as shown in FIG. 13C. Alternatively, instead of employing pressurized air to provide a force on the distal face of sample 682, a pressurized liquid, such as saline, may be directed through lower vacuum lumen 594 and fluid passageways 679 to provide the force on the distal face of sample 682. The cutter 555 closes side aperture 564 from the flow of fluid (gas or liquid) so that tissue surrounding the outer cannula and side aperture 564 is not exposed to the fluid.
In FIG. 14, a probe 712 for the probe assemblies 18, 532 advantageously includes a piercing tip 720 having a reduced longitudinal length (e.g., approximately 2 mm shorter) than generally-known piercing tips so as to reduce the �dead space� to a distal end 722 of a side aperture 724 in a cutter lumen 726. Generally known dead spaces are often about 8 mm. Thereby, lesions close to the chest wall or the medial side of the breast may be sampled without piercing as far beyond the lesion. The piercing tip 720 may be a flat blade as depicted or a pyramidal tip, a rounded cone with needle point, orthogonally crossing flat blades or other shapes.
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UnderwoodVitrectomy probe with adjustable cutter port size* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification600/566, 606/171, 600/567, 600/568International ClassificationA61B10/00Cooperative ClassificationA61B10/0283, A61B10/0275European ClassificationA61B10/02P6NLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionOct 15, 2012FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jul 13, 2010ASAssignmentOwner name: GENERAL ELECTRIC CAPITAL CORPORATION, AS AGENT,MARFree format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:DEVICOR MEDICAL PRODUCTS, INC.;REEL/FRAME:24672/88Effective date: 20100709Owner name: GENERAL ELECTRIC CAPITAL CORPORATION, AS AGENT, MAFree format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:DEVICOR MEDICAL PRODUCTS, INC.;REEL/FRAME:024672/0088Jul 9, 2010ASAssignmentFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC.;REEL/FRAME:24656/606Effective date: 20100709Owner name: DEVICOR MEDICAL PRODUCTS, INC.,WISCONSINOwner name: DEVICOR MEDICAL PRODUCTS, INC., WISCONSINFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC.;REEL/FRAME:024656/0606Mar 4, 2005ASAssignmentOwner name: ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY, INC., OHIOFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:WEIKEL JR., ROBERT F.;REICHEL, LEE E.;HIBNER, JOHN A.;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:016365/0033;SIGNING DATES FROM 20050218 TO 20050302RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google