Patent ID: 8057487

Claim:
A needle guiding apparatus comprising: a base defining an opening therethrough, the base including a top surface; an outer rim disposed substantially completely around a perimeter of the base, the base and the outer rim defining an aperture between the perimeter and the outer rim, and the base being independently rotatable relative to the outer rim; a guide platform disposed adjacent to the opening, the guide platform being rotatable about a rotation axis, the rotation axis extending through the opening; a cylindrical pivot disposed completely above the top surface of the base and at least partially within the guide platform and being rotatable about a pivot axis that is substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis; a guide shaft comprising a proximal end, a distal end and an internal passageway configured to receive a needle and disposed at least partially within the cylindrical pivot, the guide shaft extending along a longitudinal axis from the proximal end of the guide shaft to the distal end of the guide shaft, the longitudinal axis intersecting with the rotation axis at a common point, the guide shaft comprising a radiopaque material extending from the first end to a locus along the guide shaft, the locus located adjacent to a material being less radiopaque than the radiopaque material; and a guide rod with a distal end being coupled to the cylindrical pivot and a proximal end extending away from the pivot, a length of the guide rod being greater than a length of the guide shaft.