Patent ID: 8906053

Claim:
A surgical method for treating a brain tumor of a patient, the method comprising: providing a surgical system including a source of negative pressure, tubing and a surgical instrument comprising: an inner member including a distal cutting tip, an outer member having a distal region forming a cutting window and an elevator tip distal the cutting window, wherein the inner member is rotatably received within the outer member such that the cutting tip is exteriorly exposed at the cutting window, the cutting tip and the distal region combining to define a cutting implement, wherein the source of negative pressure is fluidly connected to the cutting implement along a fluid pathway, an aspiration control device fluidly connected to the fluid pathway and forming a user interface hole, a handpiece defining a first end maintaining the inner member and the outer member and a second end opposite the first end and maintaining an aspiration control port, the inner member coupled to an inner member hub positioned within the handpiece and spaced apart from the second end at a first distance along the fluid pathway, wherein the tubing fluidly connects the source of negative pressure with the aspiration control port, the user interface hole positioned proximate the first end of the handpiece and spaced apart from the second end at a second distance that is greater than or equal to the first distance, creating an opening through a skull of the patient to provide external access to a target site at which the brain tumor is located; delivering the cutting implement through the opening and to the target site; inserting the elevator tip partially between the tumor and tissue of the target site selected from the group consisting of dura, arachnoid, pia, and cerebral cortex; placing the cutting tip into contact with the tumor; using a motor to move the inner member relative to the outer member to cause the cutting tip to cut tissue of the tumor; selectively aspirating the target site to remove the cut tumor tissue.