Surgical instrument and method for treating female urinary incontinence

#The invention relates to a surgical instrument and a method for treating female urinary incontinence, i.e. the incapacity of controlling the discharge of urine.

#Women account for more than 11 million of incontinence cases. Moreover, a majority of women with incontinence suffer from stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Women with SUI involuntarily lose urine during normal daily activities and movements, such as laughing, coughing, sneezing and regular exercise.

#SUI may be caused by a functional defect of the tissue or ligaments connecting the vaginal wall with the pelvic muscles and pubic bone. Common causes include repetitive straining of the pelvic muscles, childbirth, loss of pelvic muscle tone, and estrogen loss. Such a defect results in an improperly functioning urethra. Unlike other types of incontinence, SUI is not a problem of the bladder.

#FIGS. 1a-c are alternate embodiments of the tape;

#FIG. 2 is a cut-away elevation view of the tape of FIG. 1;

#FIGS. 3a-f illustrate diagrammatically one embodiment of several surgical steps of the method for inserting a tape according to the invention

#Before explaining the present invention in detail, it should be noted that the invention is not limited in its application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and description, because the illustrative embodiments of the invention may be implemented or incorporated in other embodiments, variations and modifications, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, the terms and expressions employed herein have been chosen for the purpose of describing the illustrative embodiments of the present invention for the convenience of the reader and are not for the purpose of limiting the invention.

#The invention discloses an apparatus and method for treating SUI. A tape is passed through pelvic tissue and positioned underneath the urethra, creating a supportive sling. The tape provides a structure means for tissue ingrowth and thereby provides a newly created body tissue supporting means for the urethra. When pressure is exerted upon the lower abdomen, such as during a cough or sneeze, the tape provides support to the urethra, allowing it to keep its seal and prevent the unwanted discharge of urine.

#Referring to FIGS. 1a-c and 2, tape 12 comprises any tissue-compatible synthetic material, or any natural material, including, but not limited to, autologous, allograft, xenograft, a tissue engineered matrix, or a combination thereof. An exemplary synthetic material is PROLENE® polypropylene mesh, a mesh having a thickness of 0.7 mm and openings of about 1 mm manufactured by Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company located at Somerville, N.J., U.S.A. This material is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for implantation into the human body. A still further embodiment of the tape 12 is a combination of a synthetic material 11 and a natural material 13 centered between the synthetic material 11. A still further embodiment of the tape 12 includes a combination of synthetic material 11 and natural material 13, whereby the natural material is placed over or incorporated within a generally central portion of the synthetic material 11. One advantage of the tape configurations is that natural material 13 is along the center region of tape 12 so that after installation of tape 12, natural material 13 is positioned below the urethra and eliminates possible erosion issues at the interface of the urethra and tape. Natural material 13 may be connected to the synthetic material 11 by means of sewing, a bio-compatible glue, cell culturing techniques or other known means.