Multi-directional stereotactic biopsy and injection system based on shape memory alloy

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and more particularly to a multi-directional stereoscopic directional puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy, comprising a control handle, a sliding plunger, an outer rigid cannula, a nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle and a 360-degree rotary dial. The sliding plunger controls the sliding of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle in the cavity, so that the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle penetrates out of the outer rigid cannula and restores the bent shape. The 360-degree rotary dial drives the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle to rotate through a transmission mechanism, sweeping out a conical space in the lesion. In the state of not pulling out the outer rigid cannula, the present application can realize multi-angle biopsy sampling of the lesion through a single channel, significantly improving the operation efficiency and reducing the physical trauma of brain tissue.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloys. Background Technology

[0002] Current stereotactic biopsy procedures typically use a linear needle in conjunction with a stereotactic frame to perform unidirectional biopsy sampling. When the initial linear puncture misses the core area of ​​the lesion, or when dealing with a large lesion requiring multi-point sampling and drug injection, the operator must completely remove the entire linear needle along with the external sheath from the patient's body. The three-dimensional coordinate parameters of the stereotactic frame are then readjusted, and the puncture procedure is performed again.

[0003] Existing linear puncture devices are limited by their single-path puncture physical structure. Repeatedly removing the puncture device and replanning the puncture path not only prolongs the operation time, but also increases the risk of mechanical damage to the patient's brain tissue due to repeated insertion of large-diameter puncture needles into deep tissues, thereby reducing surgical efficiency and the spatial coverage of biopsy sampling at the lesion edge. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloys.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the specific contents of the present invention are as follows: This invention provides a method for recovering residual cement grout in grouting projects, comprising a control handle, a sliding plunger, an outer rigid tube, a nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle, and a 360-degree rotating dial; the control handle has a needle outlet at its front end, a cavity inside the control handle with a central axis, and a movable insertion hole at its rear end communicating with the cavity; the rear end of the outer rigid tube is fixedly connected to the needle outlet, and a central channel is formed inside the outer rigid tube; the sliding plunger passes through the movable insertion hole into the cavity, and the sliding... The movable plunger slides in the cavity along the central axis; the tail end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle is fixedly connected to the front end of the sliding plunger, and the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle passes through the central channel; the 360-degree rotating dial is sleeved on the outside of the control handle, and a transmission mechanism is provided inside the control handle. The input end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the 360-degree rotating dial, and the output end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle. The rotation of the 360-degree rotating dial drives the transmission mechanism to operate, and the transmission mechanism drives the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle to rotate along the central axis.

[0006] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, the outer surface of the outer rigid cannula is provided with depth markers.

[0007] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, the control handle includes a housing; the outer surface of the 360-degree rotating dial is provided with azimuth angle scale lines.

[0008] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle is made of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy, and the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle is in a bent shape.

[0009] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle has a bending angle of fifty degrees.

[0010] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle is provided with a needle tip and a biopsy opening.

[0011] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, the transmission mechanism is a bevel gear transmission mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, when the sliding plunger slides along the central axis toward the tail end of the control handle, the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle is housed within the central channel, the inner wall of the central channel abuts against the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle, and the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle is in a straight state.

[0013] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, when the sliding plunger slides along the central axis toward the front end of the control handle, the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle passes through the outer rigid cannula and is located outside the outer rigid cannula, and the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle is in a bent shape.

[0014] Furthermore, in the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy described in this invention, when the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle is in a bent shape, the 360-degree rotating dial rotates to drive the bevel gear transmission mechanism to operate, and the bevel gear transmission mechanism drives the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle to rotate along the central axis, and the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle rotates around the central axis to form a conical space.

[0015] Beneficial effects of this invention: This invention utilizes a pre-bent nickel-titanium inner needle with memory properties and a 360-degree rotating dial. After passing through the outer rigid cannula, the pre-bent inner needle returns to its bent shape and rotates along the central axis driven by the 360-degree rotating dial, creating a physical operating space with an inverted cone trajectory within the lesion. Operators do not need to change the insertion depth or absolute spatial position of the outer rigid cannula; multi-angle and multi-depth biopsy sampling of lesions in different surrounding areas can be completed using a single linear puncture wound channel.

[0016] Existing linear puncture devices require repeated removal of large-diameter puncture needles and replanning of the puncture path when sampling at multiple points. This invention uses an outer rigid cannula as a fixed main channel, avoiding repeated insertion of the puncture needle into deep brain tissue, and greatly reducing the risk of mechanical damage to the patient's brain tissue from a physical structural perspective.

[0017] When the initial puncture misses the core of the lesion, the operator can directly push in the sliding plunger and rotate the 360-degree rotary dial to precisely point the biopsy opening towards the lesion at any angle around the main channel. This completely eliminates the cumbersome steps of completely removing the puncture needle from the patient's body and readjusting the three-dimensional coordinate parameters of the stereotactic frame, saving surgical time and improving the sampling efficiency of the target area. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall appearance structure of the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy system based on shape memory alloy of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the internal mechanical structure of the control handle and transmission mechanism of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the working state sequence of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle front end deployment process of the present invention.

[0020] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 10-Control handle, 11-Needle outlet, 20-Sliding plunger, 30-Outer rigid cannula, 31-Depth marker, 40-Ni-titanium pre-bent inner needle, 41-Needle tip, 42-Biopsy opening, 50-360-degree rotating dial. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the technical solution of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. The present invention provided by various embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. To better understand the purpose of the present invention, the present invention will be described in further detail below.

[0022] Please see Figure 1 The present invention mainly includes a control handle 10 with a transparent shell, a sliding plunger 20, a 360-degree rotating dial 50, an outer rigid insertion tube 30, and a nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40.

[0023] The tail end of the outer rigid cannula 30 is fixedly connected to the front end of the control handle 10 at the needle outlet 11. Meanwhile, the outer surface of the outer rigid cannula 30 is engraved with a depth mark 31, which is specifically used to indicate the specific vertical depth of the outer rigid cannula 30 inserted into the tissue.

[0024] The movable socket located at the tail end of the control handle 10 allows the cylindrical sliding plunger 20 to pass through, so that the sliding plunger 20 enters the internal cavity of the control handle 10, and the sliding plunger 20 can slide back and forth along the central axis in the internal cavity of the control handle 10.

[0025] The slender nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 is fixedly connected to the front end of the sliding plunger 20 and passes through the central channel inside the outer rigid cannula 30. The nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 is made of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy material and has a factory-preset fixed 50-degree angle physical bending shape.

[0026] The foremost end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 is provided with a needle tip 41 and a biopsy opening 42, which is specifically used to cut, grasp and collect deep lesion tissue samples.

[0027] A 360-degree rotating dial 50 is fitted onto the outer middle section of the control handle 10, and its outer surface is engraved with azimuth angle scale lines from 0 degrees to 360 degrees. The 360-degree rotating dial 50 is directly mechanically linked to the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 located on the central axis through a bevel gear transmission mechanism inside the control handle 10. Thus, by rotating the 360-degree rotating dial 50, the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 is directly driven to rotate synchronously along the central axis.

[0028] During the first stage of the multi-directional puncture procedure, namely the linear puncture stage, the operator pulls the sliding plunger 20 at the tail of the control handle 10 backward, causing the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 to fully retract and be hidden in the central channel inside the outer rigid cannula 30. Due to the high-strength physical rigidity of the outer rigid cannula 30's metal wall, the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 deforms and maintains a straight line consistent with the outer rigid cannula 30. Subsequently, the straight outer rigid cannula 30, together with the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40, is vertically inserted into the target location of the lesion along the predetermined puncture trajectory.

[0029] When advancing to the second stage of the multi-directional puncture operation, namely the bending stage, the sliding plunger 20 at the tail of the control handle 10 is pushed forward, driving the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 to move forward, causing the needle tip 41 at the end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 to pass through the end needle outlet port of the outer rigid insertion tube 30. The front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40, having lost the physical rigidity constraint of the outer rigid insertion tube 30, recovers its factory-preset physical bending shape based on the physical memory characteristics of the nickel-titanium alloy material.

[0030] During the third stage of the multi-directional puncture procedure, namely the multi-directional sampling stage, the sliding plunger 20 is fully pushed to its lowest position. The pre-bent nickel-titanium inner needle 40 at the front end is completely freed from the physical constraint of the outer rigid cannula 30 and enters a fully deployed state, exhibiting a fixed 50-degree bend. Rotating the 360-degree rotary dial 50, the bevel gear transmission mechanism drives the pre-bent nickel-titanium inner needle 40 in its 50-degree bend state to rotate 360 ​​degrees in a circular motion within the lesion area, creating an inverted cone trajectory for the bent nickel-titanium needle tip 41 within the lesion area. In this third stage, without changing the insertion depth or absolute spatial position of the outer rigid cannula 30, the sliding plunger 20 at the tail of the push-pull control handle 10 extends the pre-bent nickel-titanium inner needle 40 to different lengths. Combined with rotating the 360-degree rotary dial 50, the biopsy opening 42 is directed towards the lesion at any angle around the main channel.

[0031] By relying on a single linear puncture wound channel, multi-angle and multi-depth biopsy sampling of lesions in different surrounding areas can be completed, improving the sampling efficiency of the target area and reducing the degree of trauma to normal brain tissue.

[0032] Embodiment 1 of this invention: Taking a multi-point stereotactic biopsy sampling procedure for deep gliomas as an example. A three-dimensional medical imaging model for navigation is constructed preoperatively. Two-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of the patient's brain are obtained through continuous scanning, and these images are input into the three-dimensional medical imaging model. The three-dimensional medical imaging model performs image segmentation and spatial reconstruction operations, outputting spatial three-dimensional coordinate target point data for the tumor core region and its peripheral infiltration zone. The stereotactic control system receives this coordinate target point data and adjusts the puncture angle and needle insertion depth of the positioning guide stent based on this data.

[0033] Advancing to the surgical procedure stage, the operator first pulls the sliding plunger 20 backward. The sliding plunger 20 is located at the tail of the control handle 10, which is made of medical-grade transparent polycarbonate material. Pulling backward causes the pre-bent inner needle 40, made of medical-grade nickel-titanium alloy, to fully retract and return to the central channel of the outer rigid cannula 30. The pre-bent inner needle 40 remains straight under the high-strength rigid constraint of the outer rigid cannula 30's wall. Subsequently, the operator slowly inserts the straight outer rigid cannula 30 into the brain tissue along the pre-set guide path. The outer surface of the outer rigid cannula 30 is marked with depth markers 31 with a precision of 1 mm. By observing the depth markers 31, the operator controls the actual insertion depth of the outer rigid cannula 30, ensuring it is positioned at the center of the lesion, 65 mm from the skull surface.

[0034] When the tumor is large and irregular in shape, multiple sampling points are required to determine the invasion boundary. The specific biopsy sampling steps are as follows: Positioning and Multidirectional Deployment: The operator does not need to remove and reinsert the outer rigid cannula 30; instead, they slowly push the sliding plunger 20 forward, allowing the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 to exit through the outlet 11 at the front end of the control handle 10. After exiting, the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 automatically unfolds and returns to its 50-degree curved shape based on shape memory characteristics, obliquely penetrating into the tumor margin tissue. Negative Pressure Suction: An external negative pressure device is connected to the negative pressure interface (i.e., vacuum interface) at the tail end of the sliding plunger 20. After the negative pressure is turned on, the negative pressure airflow acts on the biopsy opening 42 through the connected hollow cavity, drawing the surrounding glioma lesion tissue into the lumen of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40. Core Cutting: After tissue aspiration, the operator pushes the flexible cutting core downward along the central axis. The flexible cutting core advances along the 50-degree bending trajectory of the pre-bent nickel-titanium inner needle 40, using its front cutting edge to sweep across the biopsy opening 42, instantly cutting off the aspirated tissue and sealing and trapping it within the end lumen of the pre-bent nickel-titanium inner needle 40. Sample collection and rotation: After tissue cutting is completed, the flexible cutting core or the trapped sample can be directly withdrawn for sampling; subsequently, the operator moves the 360-degree rotating dial 50 sleeved on the outside of the control handle 10 to change the azimuth angle of the biopsy opening 42, repeating the above negative pressure aspiration and core cutting actions to complete omnidirectional sampling.

[0035] The control handle 10 has a medical stainless steel bevel gear transmission mechanism with a 1:1 transmission ratio inside its cavity. When the 360-degree rotating dial 50 rotates, it drives the medical stainless steel bevel gear transmission mechanism inside the control handle 10 cavity. The medical stainless steel bevel gear transmission mechanism then drives the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 to rotate precisely and synchronously 90 degrees or 180 degrees along its central axis. The needle tip 41, in a 50-degree bent state, smoothly sweeps through the brain lesion tissue, forming a continuous motion trajectory in an inverted cone space. The biopsy opening 42 follows the motion trajectory to other marginal infiltration target points around the main channel to perform secondary scavenging sampling.

[0036] This embodiment relies solely on a single linear puncture wound channel as the fixed main axis. Based on this fixed main axis channel, the lateral extension and detection range of the needle tip 41 is controlled by pushing and pulling the sliding plunger 20, while the circumferential sampling orientation is controlled by rotating the 360-degree dial 50. Existing unidirectional linear devices require repeated removal of the large-diameter puncture needle and readjustment of the three-dimensional coordinate parameters of the orientation frame when sampling large lesions. Repeated punctures and needle insertions can cause repeated structural tearing and compression damage to normal brain tissue. The multidirectional sampling structure described above eliminates the cumbersome steps of removing and re-puncturing the needle. Without increasing the number of brain puncture channels or prolonging the operation time, it increases the spatial sampling coverage of the edge area of ​​complex lesions.

[0037] Embodiment 2 of the present invention: Taking the scenario of multi-point stereotactic radioactive particle implantation surgery for deep tumors as an example.

[0038] To enable multi-angle implantation of radioactive particles, the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 adopts a hollow tubular structure, with a delivery cavity extending to the biopsy opening 42 inside. The sliding plunger 20 has an inlet channel penetrating both ends, which communicates with the delivery cavity.

[0039] The operator first pulls the sliding plunger 20 backward. The sliding plunger 20 moves backward, causing the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 to fully retract and return to the center channel of the outer rigid cannula 30. The nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 remains straight under the high-strength rigid constraint of the outer rigid cannula 30 wall.

[0040] Subsequently, the operator slowly inserted the outer rigid cannula 30, which was in a straight line, into the brain tissue and positioned it at the center of the lesion.

[0041] The operator slowly pushes the sliding plunger 20 forward, causing the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 to emerge from the needle outlet 11 at the front end of the control handle 10. After the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 emerges from the outer rigid cannula 30, it loses its rigid constraint, automatically unfolds and returns to the factory-preset 50-degree bending shape, while simultaneously penetrating obliquely into the tumor edge tissue.

[0042] After penetration is completed, the operator inserts the radioactive particles through the inlet channel at the end of the sliding plunger 20, and uses a flexible pusher to push the radioactive particles to the biopsy opening 42 along the inlet channel and the delivery cavity, so that the radioactive particles are implanted into the tumor tissue at the corresponding angle through the biopsy opening 42.

[0043] After the radioactive particle implantation in the first direction is completed, the operator moves the 360-degree rotating dial 50, which is sleeved on the outside of the control handle 10. When the 360-degree rotating dial 50 rotates, it drives the bevel gear transmission mechanism inside the cavity of the control handle 10. The bevel gear transmission mechanism drives the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40 to rotate precisely and synchronously along the central axis at a specific angle.

[0044] The needle tip 41, bent at a 50-degree angle, sweeps inside the brain lesion tissue, and the biopsy opening 42 follows the movement trajectory to point towards the target point of the marginal infiltration zone around the main channel.

[0045] The operator used the flexible pusher again to push new radioactive particles into the currently targeted tumor tissue through the biopsy opening 42.

[0046] Repeatedly perform the steps of rotating the dial 50 360 degrees and pushing the radioactive particles to achieve the array-like distribution and implantation of radioactive particles at different azimuth angles within the space of the inverted cone.

[0047] Example 2 fully utilizes the mechanical linkage architecture composed of the aforementioned control handle 10, outer rigid cannula 30, nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle 40, and 360-degree rotating dial 50, highly integrating the biopsy sampling function with the radioactive particle implantation function, eliminating the cumbersome steps of pulling out and re-puncturing the needle, and improving the surgical efficiency of deep tumor radiotherapy.

Claims

1. A method for recovering residual cement grout in grouting projects, characterized in that, The device includes a control handle (10), a sliding plunger (20), an outer rigid cannula (30), a nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40), and a 360-degree rotating dial (50). The control handle (10) has a needle outlet (11) at its front end, a cavity with a central axis inside, and a movable insertion hole at its rear end, which communicates with the cavity. The rear end of the outer rigid cannula (30) is fixedly connected to the needle outlet (11). At the location, the outer rigid cannula (30) has a central channel inside; the sliding plunger (20) passes through the movable insertion hole and enters the cavity, and the sliding plunger (20) slides in the cavity along the central axis; the tail end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is fixedly connected to the front end of the sliding plunger (20), the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) passes through the central channel, and the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is a hollow tubular structure with a biopsy opening (42) on its side wall. The 360-degree rotating dial (50) is sleeved on the outside of the control handle (10). The control handle (10) is provided with a transmission mechanism. The input end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the 360-degree rotating dial (50), and the output end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40). The rotation of the 360-degree rotating dial (50) drives the transmission mechanism to operate, and the transmission mechanism drives the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) to rotate along the central axis.

2. The shape memory alloy based multi-directional stereotactic biopsy injection system of claim 1, wherein, The outer surface of the outer rigid cannula (30) is provided with depth markings (31).

3. The shape memory alloy based multi-directional stereotactic biopsy injection system of claim 1, wherein, The control handle (10) includes a housing; the outer surface of the 360-degree rotating dial (50) is provided with azimuth scale lines.

4. The shape memory alloy based multi-directional stereotactic biopsy injection system of claim 1, wherein, The nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is made of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy, and the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is in a bent shape.

5. The shape memory alloy based multi-directional stereotactic biopsy injection system of claim 4, wherein, The bending angle of the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is fifty degrees.

6. The shape memory alloy based multi-directional stereotactic biopsy injection system of claim 1, wherein, The front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is provided with a needle tip (41) and a biopsy opening (42).

7. The multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission mechanism is a bevel gear transmission mechanism.

8. The multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the sliding plunger (20) slides along the central axis toward the tail end of the control handle (10), the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is received in the central channel, the inner wall of the central channel abuts against the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40), and the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is in a straight line state.

9. The multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the sliding plunger (20) slides along the central axis toward the front end of the control handle (10), the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) passes through the outer rigid cannula (30) and is located outside the outer rigid cannula (30), and the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is in a bent shape.

10. The multi-directional stereotactic puncture biopsy drug injection system based on shape memory alloy according to claims 7 and 9, characterized in that, When the front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) is in a bent shape, the 360-degree rotating dial (50) rotates and drives the bevel gear transmission mechanism to operate. The bevel gear transmission mechanism drives the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) to rotate along the central axis. The front end of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) rotates around the central axis to form a conical space. It also includes a negative pressure interface, which is located at the tail end of the sliding plunger (20) and is fully connected to the internal cavity of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40) to form a negative pressure suction air passage; It also includes a flexible cutting core, which is coaxially slidably inserted into the internal cavity of the nickel-titanium pre-bent inner needle (40). The front end of the flexible cutting core has a cutting edge for slicing the aspirated tissue sample by passing over the biopsy opening (42) when sliding forward.

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