Basket with one or more moveable legs

Details Basket with one or more moveable legs Basket with one or more moveable legs

1998-04-23

2001-01-16

Buiz, Michael (Department: 3731)

Surgery

Instruments

Means for concretion removal

C606S113000, C606S200000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06174318

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention generally relates to medical retrieval devices for retrieving material from within a body. More particularly, the invention relates to such a device that has a basket at its distal end with one or more legs that are actuateable independent of the other legs for maneuvering the basket around the material (e.g., a stone of some kind) to enhance the basket's ability to capture the material.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Baskets are used to retrieve biological material from the body. Baskets are used, for example, to retrieve stones from the urinary tract (e.g., ureteral stones) or stones from the biliary tree (e.g., bile duct stones). Baskets may or may not be used through a catheter, an endoscope, or a laparoscope.
Existing retrieval baskets generally consist of legs, and the diameter and overall shape of the basket is defined by the number, flexibility, shape, and length of the legs. The legs generally are equal and fixed in length, providing overall symmetry to the basket shape. The legs of the basket typically are joined at the tip of the basket and at the base of the basket closest to the sheath. The legs can be joined with solder, by welding the legs together, or by some type of mechanical mechanism. At the basket base, the joined legs typically also are attached to a shaft, wire, or coil. The shaft can be moved back and forth within the sheath or catheter by an actuation device such as a proximal handle with a back-and-forth hand-activated slider. Alternatively, the sheath can be moveable back and forth to expose and cover the basket. In any case, the basket is exposed and expanded fully, within the sheath and collapsed fully, or somewhere in between those two extreme positions, and the legs generally all move in a collective manner as they are joined at both the tip and base to form the basket.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention features a medical retrieval device that has a basket with one or more legs that are actuateable or moveable independent from the other legs to facilitate the capture of material (e.g., a stone) from within the body and to improve retention of the captured material in the basket. For example, one leg of a four leg basket can be independently moveable, or two of the four legs can be actuated together independent of the other two legs, or three legs of a five leg basket can be moveable together independent of the fourth and fifth legs. Baskets according to the invention can be tilted, maneuvered, and/or steered to achieve capture and release of the material. A basket of the invention also allows improved dilation or opening force to expand a tract in which the basket is placed. According to the invention, the shape and size of the distance between at least one pair of basket legs is adjustable by individual action of one or more legs. That is, when the basket is maneuvered to capture a stone, at least one leg can be actuated independently to adjust the distance between the basket legs. Once the stone is captured, the independently actuateable leg(s) can be moved again alone and/or with the other legs to retain the stone. In one embodiment, the distal end of the basket is non-perforated, which can aid in retaining the captured material within the basket.
In one aspect, the invention relates to a medical retrieval device that comprises a proximal handle, a sheath, and a basket. The sheath extends from the handle and has at least one lumen therewithin. The sheath has a distal end away from the handle and a proximal end nearer the handle. The basket is moveable within the lumen relative to the sheath between a collapsed position within the lumen of the sheath and an extended position in which the basket extends from the distal end of the sheath and assumes a three-dimensional shape out of the lumen of the sheath. The basket comprises at least three legs, and at least one of the legs is moveable independently from at least one of the other legs. For example, two of the legs can be moved together independent from the other basket legs, or one leg could be moveable independent of all of the other legs.
Embodiments according to this aspect of the invention can include various features. For example, at least one of the legs can be coupled to a first elongate member extending within the lumen of the sheath to the handle, and at least one other different one of the legs can be coupled to a second elongate member extending within the lumen of the sheath to the handle, such that independent movement of the first elongate member within the sheath causes independent movement of the leg coupled thereto and independent movement of the second elongate member within the sheath causes independent movement of the leg coupled thereto. Also, at least one of the legs can include an inner surface which has at least a portion that is roughened. The basket shape can have a distal end which is non-perforated.
In another aspect, the invention involves a device of the type described above with a handle, sheath and basket. This device also includes first and second elongate members, a ring, and a stop. The first elongate member is disposed and moveable within the lumen of the sheath, and it is attached at one end to a base of the basket. The ring encircles the first elongate member, and it is disposed and moveable within the lumen of the sheath. The second elongate member is moveable within the lumen of the sheath, and it is attached at one end to the ring and at the other end to at least one of the legs. The stop is located within the lumen of the sheath for contact by the ring to prevent the second elongate member from advancing beyond a predetermined distance within the lumen such that further movement by the first elongate member within the lumen toward the distal end of the sheath causes the basket to “mushroom” or otherwise alter its shape.
In still another aspect, the invention relates to a medical retrieval device that comprises a proximal handle, a sheath, and a basket, and the sheath has a plurality of lumens therewithin. The sheath has a distal end away from the handle and a proximal end nearer the handle. The basket is moveable between a collapsed position and an extended position, and the basket comprises at least three legs with each leg being disposed and moveable within a different one of the lumens. The basket takes a three-dimensional shape when all legs are extended out of the distal end of the sheath. The basket shape has a distal end which is non-perforated, and at least one of the legs is moveable independently from at least one of the other legs.
Embodiments according to this aspect of the invention can include various features. For example, each of the legs can be coupled to an elongate member extending within each of the lumens to the handle, and at least one of the elongate members can be moveable independently from at least one of the other elongate members, such that independent movement of at least one of the elongate members within the sheath causes independent movement of the leg coupled thereto. Also, at least one of the legs can include an inner surface which has at least a portion that is roughened to facilitate purchase on the item to be retrieved.
In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for retrieving material from a body. The method comprises inserting a medical retrieval device (such as a device described above) into a body, placing the basket in the extended position, maneuvering the basket to surround the material by moving at least one of the legs independently from at least one of the other legs, drawing all of the legs back into the lumen to grasp the material with the legs of the basket, and withdrawing the device from the body to remove the grasped material from the body.
The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description and from the claims.


REFERENCES:
patent: 1996261 (1935-04-01), Storz
patent: 2556783 (1951-06-01), Wallace
patent: 3137298 (1964-06-01), Glassman
patent: 3472230 (1969-10-01), F

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