Micro-minimally Invasive Surgery (MMIS) Instrumentation for Ultrasound Guided Surgery

Reference #:

2005-229

Inventors/Contributors

Darryl E. Barnes M.D., Jay Smith M.D.

Description

This instrumentation represents platform technology utilized to perform ultrasound guided minimally invasive surgery. The success of minimally invasive surgical techniques for a variety of orthopedic procedures, and the rapid proliferation of high resolution ultrasound (US) machines provides the opportunity to combine the advantages of both within a novel platform. Stainless steel and similar metals are highly echogenic when imaged under US. Ultrasound provides excellent imaging of soft tissue structures, including nerves, muscles, tendons, vessels, and ligaments. In addition, ultrasound can easily identify and localize areas of tendinosis, scarring, or calcification. Consequently, US guidance using standard stainless steel needles has been utilized to perform joint and soft tissue injections, break up symptomatic calcifications, and disrupt tendinopathic tissue to promote a normal healing response. However, the use of simple stainless steel needles for these purposes is gross, imprecise, incomplete (eg. Cannot remove tissue efficiently) and suboptimal. Current engineering and manufacturing techniques offer the possibility of developing small instrumentation that can be passed through a mini-trocar into areas of abnormality using US guidance for precise placement. This MMIS instrumentation represents platform technology that consists of an echogenic mini-trocar, and variety of instruments which can be passed through it, to perform more complete orthopedic procedures with a minimally invasive approach. These procedures include, but are not limited to trigger finger release, carpal tunnel release, percutaneous tenotomy and debridement (medial and lateral epicondylitis, calcific rotator cuff tendonitis, ischial bursopathy/tendinopathy, greater trochanteric bursopathy/tendinopathy, patellar tendinopathy, Achilles tendinopathy), percutaneous plantar fasciectomy and debridement, delivery of growth factors or similar substances to elicit a healing response from injured tissues, percutaneous shock wave treatment, percutaneous radiofrequency/coblation treatment, and precise injections or aspirations. The advantages of the system are clear - provide precise pathological localization and treatment, potentially in an office-based setting, using a micro-minimally invasive approach without radiation or general anesthesia exposure.

Patent Status

Pending