78 results about "Breast Duct" patented technology

Methods, systems, and kits for treating breast tissue rely on transferring energy to or from cells lining an individual breast duct. Energy can be introduced into the breast duct, e.g., by filling the duct with an electrically conductive medium and applying radiofrequency energy to the medium. Other energy forms could also be used, such as light, ultrasound, radiation, microwave energy, heat, cold, direct current, and the like. By treating individual breast ducts, cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions originating in the duct can be effectively treated.

The invention is directed toward a micro-endoscope assembly for the treatment of diseased tissue in breast ducts comprising a cylindrical guide tube with a distal end defining an internal cylindrical passageway, a first smaller cylindrical tube eccentrically formed in the cylindrical passageway of a smaller diameter than said tube internal cylindrical passageway to receive and guide an endoscope, the smaller cylindrical tube forming together with an inner wall surface of the cylindrical guide tube a second passageway. A light transmitting probe is mounted in the second passageway and is connected at the distal end of the guide tube with an energy transmitting device. The light probe is activated to generate light at a particular wavelength to cause the tissue to fluoresce and is again activated to generate light at a specific wavelength to necrose the diseased tissue.

A medical instrument including a ductal access device comprising a low profile, ergonomic manifold hub usable to introduce fluids into a breast duct and collect ductal fluid samples including ductal epithelial cells and clumps of ductal epithelial cells from within a breast duct. The ductal access device also comprises an elongated access catheter having a distal end, one lumen and dimensions which permit introduction of the distal end through a ductal orifice so that a distal end of the catheter may be positioned distal to the ductal sphincter of a human breast. The medical instrument may also include at least one spacing member for adjustably positioning the manifold hub a desired distance above the surface of the nipple. The spacing member may control the insertion depth of the catheter into the duct. The medical instrument may also include at least one member for anchoring the device to the breast.

A ductal access device is provided for accessing a breast duct and collecting biological material from within the duct. The access device may include an elongated member having an outer diameter sized for positioning within the breast duct and an internal lumen for infusing a fluid into the breast duct and collecting fluid from the breast duct and adapted to slideably receive a ductal introducer. The introducer may extend beyond the distal tip of the catheter and serve to penetrate the ductal orifice.

A system for treating breast tissue includes a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends, the distal end configured for insertion into a breast duct such that the lumen is in fluid communication with the breast duct, and a tissue diagnostic device disposed within the lumen. A system for treating breast tissue includes a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends, the distal end configured for insertion into a breast duct such that the lumen is in fluid communication with the breast duct, an imaging device for providing imaging functionality to the cannula, and an energy delivery device secured to, or slidably disposed within the lumen of, the cannula.

A catheter retainer includes a spacer and an anchor that coact to maintain a catheter in a predetermined position within a mammary duct during a ductal lavage procedure. The spacer and the anchor operate together to resist angular or axial displacement of the catheter. A catheter retainer kit is disclosed as well.

The invention is directed toward a micro-endoscope assembly for the removal of tissue and cells from breast ducts comprising a cylindrical guide tube with a beveled distal end defining an internal cylindrical passageway and a first smaller cylindrical tube eccentrically formed in the cylindrical passageway of a smaller diameter than the tube internal cylindrical passageway and adapted to receive and guide an endoscope with a handle assembly wherein the smaller cylindrical tube together with an inner wall surface of the cylindrical guide tube forms a second passageway. A second conduit of a smaller diameter than the smaller cylindrical tube is mounted in the second passageway to divide the second passageway into two separate divided sections and is of sufficient diameter to receive a laser fiber and a micro-endoscope is mounted in the smaller cylindrical tube and a laser is mounted in the second cylindrical tube in the second passageway. The assembly is inserted into a mammary duct and the interior of the duct is viewed until an abnormality is determined in the duct. The tissue and cells from the abnormality area are dislodged, irrigated and aspirated through a suction channel to a removable collection device.

A ductal access device is provided for accessing a breast duct and collecting biological material from within the duct. The access device may include an elongated member having an outer diameter sized for positioning within the breast duct and an internal lumen for infusing a fluid into the breast duct and collecting fluid from the breast duct. The elongated member may include a central axis extending through the internal lumen and a different axis being parallel to the central axis defining an off-axis configuration. An elongated distal tip extends beyond the distal end of the internal lumen and along the different axis. The elongated distal tip has a closed distal end for navigating within the breast duct. The elongated distal tip may include an internal passageway that is sized to slidiably or removably receive an elongated introducer.

The invention discloses a mistura with effects of resolving hard mass and promoting lactation and a preparation method thereof, belonging to the field of traditional Chinese medicine. The composition is used for treating postpartum hypogalactia and breast milk silting-up and prepared by the following raw materials according to parts by weight: 30 parts of membranous milkvetch root, 15 parts of Chinese angelica, 15 parts of largehead atractylodes rhizome, 10 parts of beautiful sweetgum fruit, 10 parts of Chinese thorowax root, 6 parts of bitter orange (stir-fried, broken), 6 parts of pangolin scales, 10 parts of cowherb seed, 10 parts of uniflower swisscentaury root, 6 parts of Szechuan lovage rhizome, 15 parts of pilose Asiabell root, 10 parts of akebia stem, 10 parts of liquoric root and 600 parts of front pig trotters, the front pig trotters are stewed, then soup is used for decoction, and the mistura is prepared by concentration, bottling and disinfection. The invention can also make the addition and the subtraction based on the basic formula according to the symptoms. The mistura has low price, simple operation, convenient administration and no toxic side effects. The mistura can be made by patients, the cure rate for a variety of lack of milk, rare breast milk and breast duct blockage is 98.2 percent and the total effective rate is 100 percent. Compared with the other drugs at present, the effect is extremely significant.

The invention provides a breast implant three-dimensional structure and a rapid forming method thereof and belongs to the field of manufacturing of medical equipment, biological materials and organs. A breast implant comprises nerve fiber bundles, blood vessels and a mammary gland system, wherein the nerve fiber bundles and the blood vessels are formed by commixing and printing a synthesized macromolecular solution, a natural macromolecular solution, growth factors and human cells, and then culturing; the mammary gland system comprises adipose tissue, a mammary gland duct and a nipple, and are formed by commixing and printing a synthesized macromolecular solution, growth factors and human stem cells, and then transforming; and the mammary gland system is distributed between a breast dermic layer and chest tissues. By utilizing a composite multi-nozzle 3D printing technology, integrated three-dimensional construction of different materials in different directions is realized; a novel concept and a novel method are provided for rapidly manufacturing an artificial breast implant in vitro; and the disadvantages that structures of previous other forming methods are too simple and the process operation is complicated are overcome, and physiological functions of a plurality of types of structure tissues in a human breast can be simulated very well.

The present invention relates to the field of systems of methods for the positioning of medical devices in body cavities. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method that uses pressure to detect the position a catheter within a breast duct.

A method apparatus and computer product for imaging a human breast to map the breast ductal tree is disclosed. First, a breast is diffusion tensor imaged with high spatial resolution. Then the breast ductal tree is tracked using a protocol for breast based on echo-planar imaging (EPI) diffusion designed for optimizing diffusion weightings (b values), number of non-collinear directions for tensor calculations, diffusion, echo and repetition times, spatial resolution, signal to noise, scanning time and a sequence for fat suppression. The diffusion tensor is calculated by a non-linear best fit algorithm and then diagonalized with principal component analysis to three eigen vectors and their corresponding eigen values. A vector field map is obtained for tracking of breast ducts of the ductal trees along the direction of the 1^st eigenvector v₁ and the ductal tree is displayed on a voxel by voxel basis in parametric images using color coding and vector pointing.

A medical instrument including a ductal access device comprising a low profile, ergonomic manifold hub usable to introduce fluids into a breast duct and collect ductal fluid samples including ductal epithelial cells and clumps of ductal epithelial cells from within a breast duct. The ductal access device also comprises an elongated access catheter having a distal end, one lumen and dimensions which permit introduction of the distal end through a ductal orifice so that a distal end of the catheter may be positioned distal to the ductal sphincter of a human breast. The medical instrument may also include and activate valve and a Nitinol introducer.

The invention discloses a method for establishing a tree-shrew breast cancer model for slow virus by nipple injection. Slow virus is introduced to a tree-shrew breast duct by adopting a nipple injection technology, so that a cancer gene is over-expressed or an anti-cancer gene is knocked down after epithelial cells in a mediated duct are infected, and therefore, tree-shrew breast tumors are induced. According to the method for establishing a tree-shrew breast cancer model for slow virus by nipple injection disclosed by the invention, the breast tumors can be touched within two weeks after expressing the cancer gene PyMT; and moreover, the induction success rate is almost 100%, and the method is short in incubation period, strong in specificity, extremely high in induction rate, stable and convenient and simple to operate. The method disclosed by the invention can be used for quickly and efficiently establishing the tree-shrew breast cancer model.

Methods, kits, and apparatus for locating, labelling, and accessing breast ducts are described. An orifice to one or more ductal networks is marked to enhance visibility. In a first embodiment, the orifice is labelled using a specific binding substance, typically an antibody, specific for a tissue marker present on the orifice. Exemplary tissue markers include those present on the ductal epithelium, such as cytokeratins, including cytokeratin 8 and cytokeratin 18; cadhedrins, such as E cadhedrin; and epithelial membrane antigens. In a second embodiment, a dye is injected into the base of the nipple and preferentially accumulates at at least some of the orifices. Other marking techniques are also described. Marking of the ductal orifices permits reliable identification and access to each of the multiple ductal networks which may be present in an individual breast.

A cost-effective and sensitive apparatus and method for detecting individuals at risk for developing or having breast cancer is provided. More particularly, an apparatus and method for detecting markers associated with breast cancer risk is provided in one embodiment. The apparatus and method use nipple aspirate fluid obtained from breast ducts. This nipple aspirate fluid is applied to a marker panel that tests for the presence of specific markers associated with breast cancer risk. The apparatus and method provide a positive response based upon the detection of at least one marker associated with an increased risk for developing or having breast cancer.

Methods and systems for identifying a virus in breast ducts are provided. In addition, antiviral therapy for treating a virally infected breast duct is also provided. Patients with a viral infection identified in the breast ducts may be at risk for developing breast precancer or cancer.