Dissecting device

A dissecting device for dissecting tissue surrounding a blood vessel in a living body, the blood vessel including a branch vessel branching outwardly away from the blood vessel, the dissecting device comprising:

• an elongated tubular body comprising an insertion lumen configured to permit an imaging device to be positioned in the insertion lumen, the elongated tubular body being graspable by a user, the elongated tubular body possessing a distal portion;
• a dissecting member connected to the distal portion of the elongated tubular body, the dissecting member being insertable into the living body and movable along the blood vessel to dissect the tissue surrounding the blood vessel, the dissecting member extending in a longitudinal direction and possessing a lateral direction and a vertical direction;
• the dissecting member comprising a base part and two protruding parts extending distally from the base part, the two protruding parts each possessing a distal end and a proximal end, the two protruding parts being spaced apart from one another in the lateral direction to create a blood vessel guide passage between the two protruding parts, the blood vessel guide passage comprising a tapered portion and a straight portion proximal of the tapered portion, the tapered portion possessing a distal end and proximal end and the straight portion possessing a distal end and a proximal end;
• one of the two protruding parts possessing an inner surface and an other of the two protruding parts possessing an inner surface opposite the inner surface of the one protruding part, the inner surface of the one protruding part being spaced apart from the inner surface of the other protruding part in the lateral direction;
• a distance between the inner surface of the one protruding part and the inner surface of the other protruding part gradually decreasing throughout the tapered portion of the blood vessel guide passage from the distal end of the two protruding parts to the proximal end of the tapered portion;
• the distance between the inner surface of the one protruding part and the inner surface of the other protruding part being constant along the straight portion of the blood vessel guide passage from the distal end of the straight portion to the proximal end of the straight portion;
• the dissecting member comprising a treating section at the proximal end of the straight portion of the blood vessel guide passage, the treating section comprising two electrodes and a cutting section, the two electrodes being configured to stanch the branch vessel and the cutting section being configured to cut the branch vessel;
• and
• the blood vessel guide passage of the dissecting member being configured to accept the branch vessel branched from the blood vessel at the tapered portion of the blood vessel guide passage and guide the branch vessel through the straight portion of the blood vessel guide passage to the treating section when the dissecting member is moved along the blood vessel.

A dissecting method for dissecting tissue surrounding a blood vessel in a living body, the method comprising:

• introducing a dissecting device into the living body by way of an incision, the dissecting device comprising a main body, two protruding portions, a stanching section and a cutting section, the main body extending in a longitudinal direction and possessing a thickness direction, the two protruding portions protruding distally beyond the main body in the longitudinal direction of the main body;
• positioning the dissecting device below the blood vessel in the living body, the stanching section and the cutting section being at a bottom of the dissecting device in the thickness direction of the dissecting device so that the stanching section and the cutting section are below the blood vessel and spaced apart from the blood vessel;
• dissecting the tissue surrounding the blood vessel in the living body by moving the dissecting device forward along the blood vessel while the dissecting device is below the blood vessel, the blood vessel including branch vessels that branch outwardly away from the blood vessel;
• guiding one of the branch vessels toward the stanching section using the two protruding portions;
• stanching the one branch vessel using the stanching section of the dissecting device;
• cutting the one branch vessel from the blood vessel using the cutting section of the dissecting device after the stanching of the one branch vessel;
• introducing a different dissecting device into the living body before the one dissecting device is introduced into the living body, the different dissecting device being configured differently than the one dissecting device;
• positioning the different dissecting device above the blood vessel in the living body;
• dissecting the tissue surrounding the blood vessel in the living body by moving the different dissecting device forward along the blood vessel while the different dissecting device is above the blood vessel;
• and
• removing the different dissecting device from the living body after the dissecting of the tissue by the different dissecting device.