Method of surgical repair of vagina damaged by pelvic organ prolapse and prosthetic materials and devices suitable for use therein
AssigneeEthicon, Inc.
InventorMarcus Carey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for repairing a vaginal wall (35) which has been damaged by one or more prolapsed pelvic organs said method including: (a) mobilising the vaginal epithelium off the underlying fascia of at least a portion of the damaged vaginal wall; (b) positioning a prosthetic material (36) over the exposed fascia; (c) re-fixing the vaginal epithelium over the prosthetic material (36) and the fascia; and thereafter (d) locating an intra-vaginal splint into the vagina.
Claims42
A method for repairing a vaginal wall which has been damaged by one or more prolapsed pelvic organs said method including:
- (a) mobilising the vaginal epithelium off the underlying fascia of at least a portion of the damaged vaginal wall;
- (b) positioning a prosthetic material over the exposed fascia;
- (c) re-fixing the vaginal epithelium over the prosthetic material and the fascia;
- and thereafter
- (d) locating an intra-vaginal splint into the vagina.
A method as claimed in any one of the previous claims wherein said prosthetic material once positioned over the exposed fascia of the vaginal wall being repaired is thereafter attached to the underlying fascia by sutures.
A method as claimed in any one of the previous claims wherein the fascia of the damaged vaginal wall is plicated after the vaginal epithelium has been mobilized but prior to the positioning of a prosthetic material over the exposed fascia.
A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the intra-vaginal splint once located within the vagina is attached to the adjacent vaginal epithelium by sutures.
A method for repairing the anterior and posterior vaginal walls of the vagina damaged by one or more prolapsed pelvic organs, said method including:
- (a) mobilizing the vaginal epithelium off the underlying fascia of at least a portion of the anterior vaginal wall;
- (b) positioning a first prosthetic material over the exposed fascia of the anterior vaginal wall;
- (c) re-fixing the vaginal epithelium over the said first prosthetic material and the fascia of the anterior vaginal wall;
- (d) mobilizing the vaginal epithelium off the underlying fascia of at least a portion of the posterior vaginal wall;
- (e) position a second prosthetic material over the exposed fascia of the posterior vaginal wall;
- (f) re-fixing the vaginal epithelium over the second prosthetic material and the fascia of the posterior vaginal wall;
- and thereafter
- (g) locating an intra-vaginal splint into the vagina.
A flexible synthetic mesh for use in the repair of a vaginal wall damaged by the prolapse of one or more pelvic organs said synthetic mesh including a plurality of open pores bounded by strands made of non-woven polymeric material, wherein the junctions between the respective strands are without open interstices and wherein a majority of the open pores of the mesh have an area of less than 15 mm2.
An intra-vaginal splint which includes two longitudinally extending side arms both having first and second ends, said side arms being connected at their respective first ends by a first connecting member and at their respective second ends by a second connecting member wherein said first and second connecting members are of different lengths.
A kit suitable for use in repairing a vaginal wall of the vagina of a woman suffering from pelvic organ prolapse;
- said kit including at least one piece of a flexible synthetic mesh having a plurality of open pores bounded by strands made of non-woven polymeric material in which junctions between the respective strands are without open interstices and wherein a majority of the open pores of the mesh have an area of less than 15 mm2 and a range of three or more differently sized intra-vaginal splints.
A method substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to what is shown in any one or more of the drawings.
A flexible synthetic mesh substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to what is shown in FIG. 9.
A flexible synthetic mesh substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to what is shown in FIG. 10.
An intra-vaginal splint substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to what is shown in any one of FIGS. 11 to 17.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.