Surgical instrument and method for treating female urinary incontinence
AssigneeEthicon, Inc.
InventorUlf Ulmsten
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Abstract
The method of the present invention relates to treating female urinary incontinence and involves passing opposite ends of a tape into a female patient's body and then positioning at least a portion of the tape between the vaginal wall and the urethra, whereby the tape forms a supportive loop beneath the urethra. The ends of the tape are extended through the patient's abdominal wall and outside of the patient's body and then the position and tension of the supportive loop are adjusted to achieve a clinically acceptable degree of urinary continence.
Claims20
A method for treating female urinary incontinence, comprising the steps of:
- passing first and second ends of a tape into a female patient's body;
- and
- positioning at least a portion of the tape between the vaginal wall and the urethra.
A method for treating female urinary incontinence using a tape having first and second ends and being at least partially enclosed in a sheath, comprising the steps of:
- passing the first and second ends of the tape into a female patient's body;
- positioning at least a portion of the tape between the vaginal wall and the urethra;
- and
- extending the first and second ends of the tape over the patient's pubic bone and through her abdominal wall such that at least a portion of the tape forms a supportive loop beneath the urethra and such that the first and second ends of the tape extend outside of the patient's body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.