Flexible sleeve slidingly transformable into a large suction sleeve

Abstract

A sleeve is provided for placing over a flexible endoscope. The sleeve has a port between its distal and proximal openings and the port is connected to a vacuum source. Once the endoscope is retracted proximal to the suction port, the sleeve's proximal opening is sealed off and the entire sleeve is turned into a suction lumen. Devices and methods in accordance with the invention provide improvement in removing materials from body cavities, especially in removing stones from the upper urinary tract.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the priority to and the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 136,007 filed on May 26, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to methods and devices useful for removing unwanted materials such as calculi, deposits and tissues from a body cavity. BACKGROUND INFORMATION [0003] Currently, urologists performing a procedure known as percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) often use a rigid nephroscope, a flexible cystoscope, or a flexible ureteroscope in conjunction with flexible baskets or graspers to remove stones and stone fragments from the renal cavity of a patient. A rigid or semi-rigid scope is often used to treat the lower urinary tract, while accessing upper urinary tract needs a flexible scope for negotiating the tortuosity when the ureter crosses the iliac vessels. Because of the high degree of deflexibility requi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] An object of the present invention is thus to provide an effective and efficient means for the removal of stones and other unwanted materials from cavities only accessible by a flexible endoscope, such as the upper urinary tract. A more general objective is to provide a suction means that can remove large targets and be suitable for treatment of all cavities in the body including those accessible by rigid instruments.

[0008] The present invention provides devices and related methods for the removal of unwanted materials such as calculi, deposits, tissues (e.g., polyps and tumor cells) and fluid from a patient's (human or animal) body cavity. The invention achieves these objectives by providing a sleeve that is to be placed over an elongated instrument such as a flexible endoscope. The sleeve wall contains a port disposed between the distal opening and proximal opening; the port divides the lumen into a distal lumen and a proximal lumen. When the distal end of the inserted instrument is retracted beyond the port, a seal prevents direct passage of gas or liquid between the sleeve's proximal opening and the port. Hence, a passageway is created between the sleeve's distal opening and the port, and through a portion of the sleeve lumen. When the port is connected to a vacuum source, materials from a treatment site can be removed through the suction passageway. When the port is connected to a source of positive pressure (liquid or gas), it results in irrigation or ventilation of the treatment site through the sleeve's passageway.

[0009] Because the passageway so created may have a cross-section as large as the entire cross-section of the sleeve, effective removal of large targets becomes possible. This maximization in the cross-section of the passageway offers a significant advantage over the removal capacity of known suction lumens that are integrated in a rigid, semi-rigid or flexible endoscope. Particularly for treatment of upper urinary tracts where scope deflexibility is crucial, the invention provides the possibility for a flexible scope containing a lithotripter in its working channels to also possess a suction function. The device of the invention also eliminates the need for using flexible forceps and flexible baskets through the working channels of flexible scopes, an operatively difficult and inefficient procedure for treating upper urinary tracts.

Problems solved by technology

This saves the operator from re-performing the often time-consuming and technically-demanding procedure of maneuvering the medical instrument inside a body cavity such as the tortuous renal cavity.

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