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AssigneeEthicon, Inc.
InventorsGene W. Kammerer, Brian Luscombe, Hans-Jochen Hoepffner, Susanne Landgrebe, Ulf Ulmsten, Jorn Lehe, Laura Angelini
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Described is a surgical instrument and method for treating female urinary stress incontinence. The instrument includes a first curved needle-like element defining in part a curved shaft having a distal end and a proximal, a tape, or mesh, for implanting into the lower abdomen of a female to provide support to the urethra; a second curved needle element having a proximal end and a distal end, and a coupler for simultaneous attachment to the distal end of the first needle and the distal end of the second needle. In an alternate embodiment, the second curved needle is an anesthesia needle and the method includes anesthetizing the needle pathway through a patient's body to facilitate the passage of the first needle and mesh therethrough.
A surgical instrument for treating a patient suffering from female urinary stress incontinence, comprising:
An improved surgical instrument for treating a patient suffering from female urinary stress incontinence, including a tape for implanting into the lower abdomen of a female to provide support to the urethra, said tape having a pair of ends;
A method for treating a patient suffering from female urinary incontinence, comprising the steps of:
An improved method for treating a patient suffering from female urinary incontinence, including the steps of passing a tape into the patient's body along a pathway proximate to the patient's urethra and positioning at least a portion of the tape between the vaginal wall and the urethra such that the tape forms a supportive loop beneath the urethra;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.