Tissue accessing and anchoring device and method

Abstract

The invention provides systems, methods and a node accessing and anchoring device, comprising an elongated shaft, a tissue cutting member, at least one anchoring element extending from a position at or near the distal end of the shaft; and a radiation detector. The radiation detector is effective to locate and identify sentinel lymph nodes following injection of radioactive material into a primary lesion site within a patient. The tissue cutting member, which may be activated with radio frequency energy, is effective to allow access of the elongated shaft to a sentinel lymph node. The anchoring elements are effective to anchor the device to or adjacent a sentinel lymph node accessed by the device. Anchoring elements may assume radially, longitudinally, or mixed radially and longitudinally curved or coiled configurations when deployed.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation in part of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 146,185, filed Sep. 1, 1998, by Burbank et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 159,467, filed Sep. 23, 1998, by Burbank et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 856,187, filed Jul. 16, 1999 by Burbank et al.; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 477,255, filed Jan. 4, 2000 by Burbank et al, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 727,112, filed Nov. 29, 2000, by Burbank et al. All of the above copending applications, and all patents and patent applications referred to below, are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The invention relates to the field of medical devices and methods used in the treatment of diseases such as cancer which have the ability to metastasize within a patient's body. More specifically, the invention is directed to methods and devices for accessing sentinel lymph nodes associated with a l...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018] The devices, methods and systems of the invention provide the advantages of locating and accessing a desired location within a patient's body with a single device which may be directly anchored at the location. Including these capabilities in a single device avoids the delay and imprecision in anchoring a device at a proper location that results from the use of multiple devices for these functions. Moreover, the methods and devices of the present invention are suitable for use outside of an operating room, simplifying and reducing the cost of such procedures. In addition, the coiling of the anchoring elements serves to shield the sharp tips, protecting physicians from possible injury during excision of a patient's tissue. The present invention thus provides improved devices for marking and excising a sentinel lymph node that has accumulated radiation and is suspected of harboring cancerous tissue. In addition, the devices provide anchoring elements that radially extend through a substantial angular extent to provide improved anchoring and demarcation of a location within a patient's body.

Problems solved by technology

It should be noted that total axillary lymph node dissection can be an extremely painful and debilitating procedure for patients who often suffer from severe lymph edema as a result of the body's inability to channel the flow of lymph fluid once most or all of the lymph nodes have been excised.

Such wires may have exposed, sharp ends to cut into tissue, and may expose physicians to accidental injury during excision of tissue.

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