Subcutaneous tunneller

Abstract

The invention provides an orchidopexy tunneller (10) for us in orchidopexy surgery. The tunneller comprises an arcuate elongate body (12) having a tunneling head (14), and attachment means (16) at the opposite end thereof for attachment with a testicle to be repositioned in the human body by the tunneller during orchidopexy surgery. The attachment means is preferably capable of being secured to the testis by means of a surgical stitch, and may comprise an aperture formed in the end of the body 12 for holding the stitch. The invention also provides a unidirectional orchidopexy surgical procedure wherein an incision (30) is made in the abdominal wall of a patient in the region of the undescended testis so that the testis can be located externally of the patient's body. The tunneller head is inserted in the incision (30) then moved to a position within the scrotum (38) to form a subcutaneous tunnel and scrotal pouch (dartos pouch) (40). A second incision (42) is formed in the scrotum in the region of the tunneller head so that the tunneller may be pulled through the patient's body with the undescended testis (34) attached to the other end of the tunneller by means of a surgical stitch. The surgical procedure is completed by releasing the testis from the end of the tunneller and anchoring it to the scrotum prior to closing the incisions previously formed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.