Patent Application
20070106174
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for anesthetizing the uterus and collecting intrauterine cells for diagnostic purposes. More particularly, the present invention relates to the application of anesthetic and removal of a uterine tissue sample while reducing a patient's discomfort.
Various gynecological procedures require an analysis of intrauterine tissue. Previously-known devices typically have not been concerned with patient comfort as a design priority and may cause patient pain or discomfort during use. In addition, previously-known cell collection systems have required multiple devices to be inserted serially into the uterus to obtain a sample.
Intrauterine tissue collection apparatus and methods are known in which anesthetic is applied to the external cervical os using an elongated tube having a hard plastic acorn disposed at the distal end. The tube is inserted such that the acorn contacts the cervical os, and the anesthetic is then released. The acorn generally keeps the anesthetic localized at the application site, but some leakage may occur after the acorn is withdrawn. This leakage reduces the available anesthetic at the application site and thus the duration and intensity of the pain relief.
In addition, some patients are reluctant to undergo gynecological procedures due to the discomfort involved. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,038 to Vancaillie, an intrauterine anesthesia device is described which is used to administer anesthetic and is then withdrawn to allow access for the next instrument used in the intra-uterine manipulation. To reduce patient discomfort, it would be desirable to provide apparatus device and methods that reduce the number of instruments that must be separately inserted into the patient.
Another source of discomfort associated with previously-known devices may arise due to the size of the device that must be inserted into the patient's vagina. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,992 to Leon describes a cervical cell collection device having a diameter of 40 to 52 mm. That device may by inserted and remain in the patient's cavity for 24 hours. To reduce a patient's discomfort, it would be desirable to provide a cell collection device with a reduced size compared to such previously known devices.
A further disadvantage of previously known apparatus is the amount of tissue removed during the cell collection process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,369 to Tao et al. describes a brush having a multiplicity of bristles designed to comprehensively contact the undilated uterine canal. It would therefore be desirable to provide apparatus and methods that reduce the degree of patient discomfort when obtaining a medically useful sample size.
In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and methods for use in applying anesthetic and collecting intrauterine cell samples that facilitates anesthetic delivery and reduces leakage during the cell collection process.
It is also an object of this invention to provide apparatus and methods for applying an anesthetic and collecting uterine cell samples that reduces the number of instruments that must be serially inserted and removed from the patient's cavity.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus and methods for applying anesthetic and collecting uterine cell samples that employs a compact device profile to reduce patient discomfort.
Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus and methods for applying anesthetic and collecting uterine cell samples that uses suction to collect cells from a focal sample area.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing apparatus comprising an elongated outer tube having an applicator mounted on the distal end for delivering anesthetic, and a cell collection tube configured to be advanced through the elongated outer tube. The apparatus of the present invention has a compact insertion profile that minimizes discomfort, and facilitates the routine use of anesthetic in connection with intrauterine sample collection. In addition, the device is configured to enable cell collection without serially insertion of multiple devices.
In the first preferred embodiment, the elongated outer tube comprises a polymer or other non-metallic material having a length of approximately 20 cm to 30 cm long and a diameter of 3 mm to 5 mm. The outer tube includes a lumen that is open at the distal end and fitted with a standard Luer-Lok adapter at the proximal end to permit coupling to a conventional syringe. An applicator, preferably conical and comprising a closed-cell foam rubber, is disposed on the distal end of the elongated outer tube.
The apparatus further comprises an inner tube, preferably is at least 5 cm to 10 cm longer than the outer tube, configured to freely reciprocate through the lumen of the outer tube. The inner tube has proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therebetween. The lumen is closed at the distal end but includes an aperture disposed in a lateral wall surface that communicates with the collection lumen.
A plunger is disposed in sliding relation within the inner tube. The plunger includes a distal end having the size and shape approximating the interior dimensions of the inner tube, so that proximal displacement of the plunger causes intrauterine fluid and cells to be drawn through the aperture and into the collection lumen.
In an alternative embodiment, the plunger is omitted and the inner tube instead has a Luer-Lok fitting at its proximal end. This fitting permits a conventional syringe to be attached to the proximal end of the inner tube so that the collection lumen may be used to dispense anesthetic into the uterus and subsequently permit uterine fluids and cells to be aspirated through the collection lumen.
Methods of using the apparatus of the present invention to anesthetize a patient's uterus and to collect cell samples also are provided.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods for applying anesthetic and collecting intrauterine tissue samples, while reducing patient discomfort. Previously-known intrauterine cell collection apparatus have focused primarily on efficient mechanisms for cell collection, with little regard to patient comfort. Consequently, most patients regard such devices as unpleasant, invasive and occasionally painful. The present invention is designed to address these issues.
Referring to
Device 10 comprises three members: elongated outer tube 11, inner tube 20, and plunger 30. Elongated outer tube 11 has anesthetic applicator 12 disposed at distal end 13 and Luer-lok fitting 14 disposed on proximal end 15. Lumen 16 that extends from distal end 13 to proximal end 15 to provide communication between opening 18 of Luer-lok fitting 14 at the proximal end and opening 17 at the distal end.
Applicator 12 preferably comprises a conical resilient closed-cell foam material capable of conforming to the cervical os. Applicator 12 of device 10 differs from the hard plastic “acorns” used in previous-known devices in that foam cell is designed to conform to the anatomy of the cervical os, rather than deforming the anatomy to conform to the shape of the instrument. Applicator 12 is designed to remain in place against the cervical os during the duration of the sample collection procedure, thereby helping to deliver and retain anesthetic at that location.
Applicator 12 may be affixed to body 19 of outer tube 11 using any of a variety of methods, such as with biocompatible adhesive or interference fit. Applicator 12 preferably has a base diameter of approximately 15 mm and a height of approximately 15 mm. Other embodiments may vary in dimension to accommodate differences between patients.
Outer tube 11 preferably is essentially cylindrical and constructed of semi-rigid clear or opaque polymer, such as silicon, polyethylene, or polycarbonate, which allows visualization of the contents of lumen 16. Although the device will function sufficiently well if constructed of metal alloy or glass, the use of polymers is preferred to avoid patient discomfort associated with the “cold” feeling of metallic instruments. In a preferred embodiment, outer tube 11 has a length of about 20 cm to 30 cm and a diameter of about 3 mm to 5 mm.
Referring also to
While distal end 23 is depicted as closed in
In a preferred embodiment, inner tube 20 has markings 24 on body 29 near proximal end 25 that enable the clinician to determine the circumferential position of aperture 22 relative to proximal end 25. Markings 24 also may be provided to indicate depth of overall insertion or insertion relative to outer tube 11.
Still referring to
Plunger 30 preferably comprises a single piece of molded polymer, although other embodiments may have multiple pieces formed of different material, such as a two-piece design with a rubber end piece 32 and a rigid wooden shaft 39, for example. Plunger 30 preferably extends beyond the proximal end of inner tube 20 sufficiently far to allow a clinician to comfortably use handle 34 to manipulate plunger 30. For example, plunger 30 may extend for a length of 2 cm to 3 cm beyond the proximal end of inner tube 11, although a shorter or longer length for plunger 30 may be desired in particular case.
Proximal end 35 of plunger 30 includes handle 34. Handle 34 may be simple in design, such as a continuation of shaft 39, or more complex, such as providing an increased diameter to facilitate grip, as depicted in
When components 11, 20 and 30 are assembled, distal end 33 of plunger 30 is inserted into lumen 26 of inner tube 20, and distal end 23 of inner tube 20 is inserted into lumen 16 of outer tube 11. As depicted in
Next, a preferred method of using device 10 of the present invention is described. First, the clinician inserts distal end 13 of outer tube 11 into the patient's vaginal canal. The clinician then advances outer tube 11 and positions applicator 12 against the patient's external cervical os. Once so positioned, the clinician may attach a conventional syringe containing anesthetic to Luer-Lok fitting 14 on proximal end 15 of outer tube 11. The clinician then may deliver the desired dosage of anesthetic, which passes through lumen 16 of outer tube 11 and to the cervical os. Applicator 12 reduces leakage of anesthetic into the vaginal space by directing the anesthetic toward the cervical os and acting as a barrier to retain the anesthetic in the uterus. Applicator 12 preferably remains in position for the duration of the sample collection procedure. At this point, either the patient or the clinician may continue to hold outer tube 11 in place until the anesthetic takes effect.
The clinician confirms that plunger 30 is positioned inside inner tube 20. Once sufficient time has passed for the anesthetic to take effect, the clinician removes the syringe from Luer-Lok fitting 14 and inserts distal end 23 of inner tube 20 into opening 18 at proximal end 15 of outer tube 11. The clinician then may refer to markings 24 and turn inner tube 20 so that aperture 22 is facing in the desired direction. Inner tube 20 and plunger 30 are advanced through lumen 16 until distal end 23 of inner tube 20 penetrates the patient's uterus and inner tube 20 extends beyond the distal end of outer tube 11. The clinician may the position aperture 22 so that it contacts the intrauterine lining to permit collection of intrauterine cells.
Once distal end 23 of inner tube 20 has been retracted back into outer tube 11, the clinician removes inner tube 20 from outer tube 11. At this point, the clinician may examine the contents of lumen 26 of inner tube 20 to determine whether sufficient sample has been removed from the patient. If not, inner tube 20 and plunger 30 may be reinserted and the procedure repeated until a sufficient sample is obtained. Once a satisfactory sample has been collected, the clinician removes outer tube 11 from the patient, thereby completing the tissue collection process.
Referring now to
Inner tube 40 preferably is cylindrical, at least 5 cm to 10 cm longer than outer tube 11′, and configured to freely reciprocate inside lumen 16′ of outer tube 11′. In a preferred embodiment, inner tube 40 has markings 24′ on body 29′ near proximal end 45 that enable the clinician to determine the circumferential position of aperture 22′. Markings 24′ also may be used to determine the depth of overall insertion of inner tube 40 or insertion of inner tube 40 relative to outer tube 11′.
A method of using device 50 is now described. First, the clinician inserts distal end 13′ of outer tube 11′ into a patient's vaginal canal. The clinician then advances outer tube 11′ and positions applicator 12′ against the patient's external cervical os. Anesthetic may then be applied by one of two methods. In a first method, the clinician delivers the anesthetic from a syringe attached to Luer-Lok fitting 14′ on proximal end 15′ of outer tube 11′.
In an alternative method, the clinician attaches a syringe containing anesthetic to the Luer-Lok fitting 44 on proximal end 45 of inner tube 40. Distal end 23′ of inner tube 40 then may be inserted into lumen 16′ of outer tube 11′ through opening 18′. Inner tube 40 is advanced through lumen 16′ until it is in the vicinity of the cervical os. The clinician then depresses the syringe to release the anesthetic through inner tube 40 and aperture 22′. Preferably, the clinician rotates inner tube 40 as the anesthetic passes through aperture 22′ to allow for a more uniform application.
Once the anesthetic is applied, either the patient or the clinician may continue to hold outer tube 11′ in place until the anesthetic takes effect. If the anesthetic was distributed directly through outer tube 11′, the clinician removes the syringe from Luer-Lok fitting 18′ and inserts inner tube 40 coupled to an empty syringe via Luer-Lok fitting 44. Inner tube 40 is inserted into opening 18′ and advanced until inner tube 40 is within the patient's uterus. If, instead, the anesthetic was applied via inner tube 40, the clinician advances inner tube 40 through lumen 16′ so that distal end 23′ is within the patient's uterus.
Once distal end 43 of inner tube 40 is within the patient's uterus, the clinician orients aperture 22′ by rotating inner tube 40 and observing markings 24′ on body 29′. Inner tube 40 is held in position by grasping Luer-Lok fitting 44 and then suction is applied to lumen 26′ of inner tube 40 by retracting the plunger of the syringe. This suction draws fluid and/or tissue from the uterine lining through aperture 22′ into lumen 26′ of inner tube 40. Preferably, suction is maintained while withdrawing inner tube 40 from lumen 16′ of outer tube 11′, so as to assist in separating the intrauterine tissue from the uterine wall. The clinician then completely withdraws inner tube 40 from outer tube 11′ to ensure sufficient sample was collected. If an insufficient sample was collected, the clinician may reinsert inner tube 40 and repeat the procedure. Once sufficient sample is collected, outer tube 11′ is removed from the patient.
The embodiment depicted in
Although preferred illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described hereinabove, it will be evident to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention. It is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
