Patent ID: 7270663

Claim:
A medical cauterization snare instrument comprising: a tubular member; an elongate member disposed at least partially inside said tubular member; a resilient loop having a substantially planar fully expanded configuration of a first size attached to one end of said elongate member, said loop including a first bend on a side of said loop opposite said elongate member, said loop further including two loop sections each extending from said elongate member to said bend, at least one of said loop sections being formed with at least one notch or dent for enabling a use of said loop in at least one second size smaller than said first size upon a positioning of said loop by moving said elongate member and said tubular member relative to one another so that said notch or dent is disposed at a mouth opening of said tubular member, said two loop sections being disposed entirely outside of said tubular member in said fully expanded configuration of said loop, said one of said loop sections including, in the fully expanded configuration of said loop, a second bend or kink disposed between said first bend and said notch or dent, said second bend or kink defining a concavity facing towards the other of said loop sections, said loop being made of an electrically conductive material for cauterizing organic tissues of a patient, said notch or dent being so small relative to said loop that said loop in the fully expanded configuration takes the form of a single oval having a width that is substantially unaffected by said notch or dent so that said loop in the fully expanded configuration can be used to sever a polyp substantially larger than any polyp severable by said second size of said loop; a connector electrically linked to said loop for operatively coupling said loop to a voltage source; and wherein each of said notches or dents includes a pair of linear segments connected to one another by an arcuate bight, said segments being disposed at an angle of approximately 80° to approximately 120° relative to one another.