Patent ID: 8343179

Claim:
A system for tissue removal comprising: a motor; and a rotatable shaft assembly coupled to the motor, wherein the rotatable shaft assembly comprises: a shaft with a proximal opening along a side surface, a proximal groove adjacent to the proximal opening, a distal opening along a side surface, and a distal groove adjacent to the distal opening, wherein the proximal groove is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shaft and the distal groove deviates from the longitudinal axis and turns around a portion of the shaft; a flexible elongate member coupled to the shaft through the distal opening and the proximal opening, wherein a proximal portion of the elongate member is at least partially seated within the proximal groove and the distal portion of the elongate member is at least partially seated within the distal groove, and the elongate member has a first retracted configuration and a second extended configuration, wherein the flexible elongate member includes a helical configuration about the shaft, and a perpendicular distance between a portion of the flexible elongate member and the shaft is greater in the second extended configuration than in the first retracted configuration.