Methods for obtaining fluid and cellular material from a breast duct
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsSusan M. Love, Sanford H. Barsky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for performing medical procedures within the duct of a breast are described. An exemplary embodiment of the invention includes the steps of introducing a guiding member into a breast duct; introducing and positioning a member having an internal lumen in the breast duct; introducing a wash fluid into the breast duct through the internal lumen; removing washings from the breast duct through the internal lumen; and collecting the washings for cytological analysis.
Claims15
A method for obtaining fluid and cellular material from a breast duct comprising:
- (a) locating at least one breast duct on a nipple of a breast, wherein the orifice of the breast duct is located by labeling cellular material at the orifice with a detectable label coupled to an antibody specific for a tissue marker characteristic of the tissue at the ductal orifice and locating the orifice by observing the presence of the detectable label;
- (b) introducing washing fluid into the breast duct via a catheter;
- and
- (c) collecting the washing fluid from the breast duct with the catheter, wherein the washing fluid collected comprises fluid and cells from the breast duct.
A method for obtaining fluid and cellular material from a breast duct comprising:
- (a) locating at least one breast duct on a nipple of a breast, wherein the breast duct exhibits no observable spontaneous discharge;
- (b) introducing washing fluid into the breast duct via a catheter;
- and
- (c) collecting the washing fluid from the breast duct with the catheter, wherein the washing fluid collected comprises fluid and cells from the breast duct.
A method for obtaining fluid and cellular material from a breast duct for cytological analysis comprising:
- (a) locating at least one breast duct on a nipple of a breast;
- (b) introducing washing fluid into the breast duct via a catheter;
- and
- (c) collecting the washing fluid from the breast duct with the catheter, wherein the washing fluid collected comprises fluid and cells from the breast duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.