Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Material introduced into and removed from body through...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-18
2001-09-18
Kennedy, Sharon (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Material introduced into and removed from body through...
C606S107000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290670
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for removing pathological centers useful for humans and animals. The device includes a supply capillary having a supply channel for a pressurized flow and a discharge capillary with a discharge channel, which is open to the pathological center, for suction flow.
Such devices are used in human and veterinary medicine, wherein pathological centers are understood as including bodily impairments and deficiencies in general.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pathological or etiological centers of the aforedescribed type can be found in the brain and in the central nervous system, including the eyes, and in those body structures which calls for a particularly mild form of invasive surgery due to the concentration of nerve and blood vessel tissue or other conditions. According to the present teachings, specialists treat or remove such pathological centers by surgical or micro-surgical means. These means are characterized by an applied force which is entirely or at least predominantly directed in a forward direction. These means include, for example, scalpels of any kind, coagulators and lasers of any kind, ultrasound aspirators, and the like. An pathological center or degenerative impairment of the aforedescribed type is, for example, a lens of the eye which may be impaired by a cataract and therefore may have to be removed and replaced by an artificial lens.
The first incision in the eye is a tunnel incision and the anterior capsule is opened with a flawless, preferably circular capsolorhexis. An instrument is then pushed into the diseased lens through this opening. The lens is then fractured, preferably by ultrasound, initially into small fragments which are subsequently suctioned off. After all fragments have been removed and the chamber of the eye has been cleaned, an artificial lens is inserted into the chamber of the eye through the channel of a special instrument. The lens relaxes when the instrument is pulled out and again assumes its original lens shape. Finally the artificial lens is oriented and secured in place.
Although this surgical procedure since has become routine, complications may still occur. For example, the residual fragments of the diseased lens can still not be completely removed from the chamber of the eye, since some of the peripheral fragments of the diseased cell residues are obscured from the view of the surgeon and may therefore remain in place. This creates a risk that the cataracts return. The cell residues can only be partially mobilized by manually injecting a fluid. In addition, the ultrasound energy produces excess heat which heats the corneal tissue and causes a loss of endothetical cells.
This surgical procedure also requires a variety of different surgical tools and a considerable number of independent time-consuming steps. This increases the cost of the surgical procedure. The large number of surgical steps and the large number of surgical tools also are demanding on the surgeon. As a result, the success of such a surgical procedure depends to a large extent on the surgeon's qualifications.
It is therefore an object of the invention to develop a method of the aforedescribed type which is less demanding on the surgeon, which can be performed in less time, and which is more gentle on the healthy tissue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is another object of the invention to provide a multi-functional device for carrying out the method.
The object is solved by providing a device for removing pathological centers which includes a supply capillary with a supply channel for a pressurized flow and a discharge capillary with a discharge channel, which is open to the pathological center, for a suction flow, the supply channel of the supply capillary has a throttle located at the distal end of the supply channel and is operatively connected with the discharge channel of the discharge capillary.
The invention eliminates the aforedescribed disadvantages of the present state of the art.
In addition, the method and the device have many applications and can be used at many locations where tissue has to be removed in order to be replaced or tested, independent if surgery is performed on the open body or in a body cavity. Advantageously, the surgical procedure is of high-quality and very gentle on healthy tissue. This is mainly due to the fact that with the method of the invention, the hydraulic jet no longer exerts a forward-directed force and therefore eliminates pressure build-up and possible turbulence in the body cavity. In particular, the retrograde effective direction of the hydraulic jet protects the healthy tissue. Furthermore, the volume of the removed tissue can be compensated which is advantageous with very small body cavities, for example in neurosurgery and ophthalmology.
As an additional advantage, the device is multi-functional and combines several functional elements. This protects the healthy tissue and simplifies and shortens the surgical procedure.
The invention will be described hereinafter in more detail with reference to an embodiment.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are intended solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.
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Andreas Pein Medizintechnik GmbH
Darby & Darby
Kennedy Sharon
Serke Catherine
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