Patent ID: 7226424

Claim:
A method for extracting a tissue sample from a patient, the method comprising the steps of: providing an instrument comprising an outer hollow cannula having a closed tissue piercing distal tip and a lateral tissue receiving port disposed proximally of the distal tip, an inner cutting member, and a tissue sample holder disposed proximally of the lateral tissue receiving port; piercing tissue with the distal tip and directing at least a portion of the outer hollow cannula into the patient; drawing tissue into the lateral tissue receiving port of the outer hollow cannula; translating and rotating the inner cutting member for severing a tissue sample from the tissue drawn into the outer hollow cannula with the inner cutting member; disposing the tissue sample in the tissue sample holder without removing the tissue sample from the instrument; and rotating the outer hollow cannula within the patient to obtain a plurality of tissue samples from different angular orientations about a tissue mass without removing the outer hollow cannula from the patient; wherein the severed tissue sample enters the tissue sample holder along a line substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the inner cutting member.