Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – With means for cutting – scarifying – or vibrating tissue
Patent
1996-01-03
1997-12-30
Thaler, Michael H.
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
With means for cutting, scarifying, or vibrating tissue
606 14, 606169, A61B 1732
Patent
active
057023603
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a surgical knife, and more particularly an ultrasonic laser surgical knife adapted to perform cutting, dissection, vaporization and hemostasis of biological tissues.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known that ultrasonic surgical knives are used in surgery to ensure the fragmentation of tissues. This fragmentation can be carried out in a selective manner, because of the phenomenon of cavitation which takes place on the more hydrated portions of the tissue, which cavitation phenomenon can be modulated by means of controlled irrigation and/or adjustment of the amplitude of the vibrations.
There is known, particularly from French patent No. 85.11106 in the name of the applicant, an ultrasonic surgical knife comprising irrigation means for the tissues to be fragmented and suction means permitting recovering both the fragmented tissues and the irrigation liquid.
It is also known that if the ultrasonic surgical knives are suitable for performing selective action on the tissues, their hemostatic power is limited to the very small vessels, so that the surgeon must have suitable means to effectuate cauterization of the tissues once the cutting of them has been carried out. Such a cutting operation therefore requires the use of a second instrument which, in the case of complicated operations, particularly in the case of endoscopic surgery, has substantial drawbacks, particularly because of the difficulty which exists to reposition precisely and exactly the cauterization instrument, such that its tool will be located in the initial position in which the cutting tool was located.
It has been proposed to carry out cauterization of the tissues by using the sonotrode of ultrasonic apparatus in the form of a high frequency electrode. The drawback of this technique is that the sonotrode, if it is of a shape suitable for propagation of ultrasound and the phenomenon of fragmentation of the tissues, has a profile which does not correspond to that which is needed for a cutting or hemostasis device.
There has also been used, as a surgical knife, lasers which carry out precise cutting of the tissues as well as hemostasis of these latter, but which have the drawback, when they cut, of not clearing the operating site. Moreover, these instruments have the drawback of producing smoke which obscures the operating field and limits accordingly the precision of the work of the surgeon.
There is known from the patent DE-A-2 707 921 an ultrasonic surgical knife provided with a laser whose radiation is guided by an optical filter to the forward end of the surgical knife.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has for its object to provide an ultrasonic surgical instrument, provided with laser cutting and cauterization means, which permits eliminating the debris of carbonization resulting from cutting effected by this latter as well as the smoke produced in the course of this cutting.
The present invention thus has for its object a surgical instrument comprising ultrasonic generator means adapted to subject a sonotrode disposed at its forward end, to ultrasonic vibratory movement, the surgical knife being traversed by at least one axial suction channel connecting its forward portion to its rearward portion, and comprising means to guide laser radiation to the forward end of the sonotrode, characterized in that it comprises means to direct said laser radiation through the suction channel and to focus it at a focal point located in front of the forward end of the sonotrode.
In an interesting embodiment of the invention, the surgical instrument comprises a suction channel opening into the central channel and closure means for this latter disposed upstream of the suction channel.
In another interesting embodiment of the invention, the surgical instrument comprises distribution means for a gaseous flow in the second axial suction channel, which open into this latter upstream of the suction conduit, and which create a gaseous current opposite the suction current.
BRIEF DESC
REFERENCES:
patent: 3982541 (1976-09-01), L'Esperance, Jr.
patent: 4729373 (1988-03-01), Peyman
patent: 4808153 (1989-02-01), Parisi
patent: 4816018 (1989-03-01), Parisi
patent: 5413556 (1995-05-01), Whittingham
patent: 5474530 (1995-12-01), Passafaro et al.
Billard Jean-Luc
Dieras Francis
Satelec S.A.
Thaler Michael H.
LandOfFree
Ultrasonic surgical knife does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Ultrasonic surgical knife, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Ultrasonic surgical knife will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-197501