Light-guided joint access
AssigneePivot Medical, Inc.
InventorAndrew J. Hamel
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Abstract
A method for accessing the interior of a joint, wherein the joint comprises tissue which defines a boundary of the joint, the tissue comprising an interior surface facing toward the interior of the joint and an exterior surface facing away from the interior of the joint, the method comprising: providing a light-emitting needle assembly comprising a hollow needle having a light source at the distal end thereof; and observing the interior surface of the tissue from the interior of the joint as the needle approaches the exterior surface of the tissue.
Claims54
A method for accessing the interior of a joint, wherein the joint comprises tissue which defines a boundary of the joint, the tissue comprising an interior surface facing toward the interior of the joint and an exterior surface facing away from the interior of the joint, the method comprising:
- while moving a light-emitting element from the exterior of the joint towards the joint, observing the interior surface of the tissue of the joint to detect the location of the light-emitting element relative to the interior of the joint.
A method for accessing the interior of a joint, wherein tissue defines a boundary of the joint, the tissue comprising an interior surface facing toward the interior of the joint and an exterior surface facing away from the interior of the joint, the method comprising:
- providing a light-emitting needle assembly comprising a needle and a light unit carried by the needle, wherein the needle comprises a distal end and a proximal end, and wherein the light unit comprises a light-emitting element for delivering light to the distal end of the needle;
- and
- observing the interior surface of the tissue from the interior of the joint to detect light from the light unit carried by the needle as the distal end of the needle is advanced from the exterior of the joint toward the interior of the joint.
A method for accessing the interior of a joint, wherein the joint comprises tissue which defines a boundary of the joint, the tissue comprising an interior surface facing toward the interior of the joint and an exterior surface facing away from the interior of the joint, the method comprising:
- providing a light-emitting needle assembly comprising a hollow needle having a light source at the distal end thereof;
- and
- observing the interior surface of the tissue from the interior of the joint as the needle approaches the exterior surface of the tissue;
- wherein an arthroscope is used to observe the interior surface of the tissue from the interior of the joint as the needle approaches the exterior surface of the tissue.
A method for accessing the interior of a joint, wherein the joint comprises tissue which defines a boundary of the joint, the tissue comprising an interior surface facing toward the interior of the joint and an exterior surface facing away from the interior of the joint, the method comprising:
- providing a light-emitting needle assembly comprising a hollow needle having a light source at the distal end thereof;
- and
- observing the interior surface of the tissue from the interior of the joint as the needle approaches the exterior surface of the tissue;
- wherein the orientation of the needle approaching the exterior surface of the tissue is modified as the needle approaches the exterior surface of the tissue based upon observation of the light source at the distal end of the light-emitting needle assembly;
- wherein, after the light-emitting needle assembly has advanced through the tissue, the light source is removed from the light-emitting needle assembly without removing the needle from the tissue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.