Valve assembly including diameter reduction structure for trocar

Abstract

A surgical seal assembly includes a sleeve housing adapted to be operatively connected to a surgical sleeve, a seal housing adapted for releasable mounting to the sleeve housing and having a seal member with inner portions adapted to permit passage of a surgical object in substantial sealed relation therewith, and a manual lock member associated with the sleeve housing. The manual lock member is adapted for movement relative to the seal housing between a first position corresponding to a release position of the seal housing to permit removal of the seal housing from mounting to the sleeve housing and a second position corresponding to a lock position of the seal housing to secure the seal housing to the sleeve housing. The manual lock member is preferably adapted for rotational movement relative to a longitudinal axis of the seal housing to move between the first and second positions thereof.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 380,942, which is a national phase application of International Application No. PCT / US01 / 31911, filed Oct. 12, 2001, which claims priority to U.S. Application Ser. No. 60 / 240,506, filed Oct. 13, 2000, the entire contents of each application being hereby incorporated by their entireties by reference herein.BACKGROUND [0002] 1. Technical Field [0003] The present disclosure relates to a mechanism for controlling the operable inside diameter of a passageway through a valve assembly of a trocar housing. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a diameter reduction structure that restricts the movement of small surgical instruments and. accommodates large diameter surgical instruments in the passageway of a trocar housing to facilitate the maintenance of a gas tight seal formed by the valve assembly. [0004] 2. Background of Related Art [0005] Trocar ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Fixed outer seals are limited by their ability to sustain a seal when a smaller surgical instrument is moved off-axis relative to a central axis of the trocar.

Fixed seals are also limited by their ability to sustain their integrity when the surgical instrument is angulated.

Such extreme ranges of motion of smaller diameter surgical instruments within the cannula can create a “cat eye” or crescent shaped gap in the fixed seal that can result in a loss of seal integrity.

Additional problems include the flexibility of the seal in maintaining its integrity when both small diameter and large diameter surgical instruments are used.

These diameter reducing devices, however, typically employ additional seals and / or structures that require adjustments by the user to accommodate different sized surgical instruments, thereby complicating the surgical process.

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