Power morcellation in a protected environment

A method of performing minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery on a subject, comprising:

• providing a plurality of laparoscopic ports in a body of said subject;
• excising a targeted specimen within an operative internal cavity of said subject;
• inserting a morcellation system in a deflated position into said operative internal cavity of said subject, said morcellation system including a pliable retaining carrier having a substantially hollow interior and a closable or sealable specimen-receiving opening, said specimen-receiving opening providing for completely open communication between said operative internal cavity of said subject and said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier,
• said morcellation system further including a plurality of laparoscopic tool- or trocar-receiving channels extending from a lining of said retaining carrier, said plurality of channels having an interior being in open communication with said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier, said plurality of channels positioned at a spaced distance away from said specimen-receiving opening and at a spaced distance away from each other, said plurality of channels being spatially aligned with said plurality of laparoscopic ports, said each channel having a first end that terminates at said lining of said retaining carrier within said operative internal cavity of said subject and a second end that is external to said body of said subject when said morcellation system has been inserted into said patient or subject;
• withdrawing each of said plurality of channels from said operative internal cavity through a respective spatially aligned laparoscopic port of said plurality of laparoscopic ports;
• positioning said excised, targeted specimen within said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier through said specimen-receiving opening;
• inserting one or more laparoscopic tools into at least one of said plurality of channels, wherein said laparoscopic tool has a distal end disposed within said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier and a proximal end disposed external to said body of said subject;
• insufflating said retaining carrier to distend in order to form a protected environment;
• morcellating said excised, targeted specimen within said insufflated retaining carrier in order to remove at least a majority of said excised, targeted specimen from said operative internal cavity of said subject;
• desufflating said retaining carrier;
• and
• withdrawing said morcellation system including said retaining carrier and said plurality of channels from said operative internal cavity through a laparoscopic port of said plurality of laparoscopic ports, said retaining carrier enclosing any remnants of said excised, targeted specimen in said substantially hollow interior.

A method of performing a hysterectomy on a subject, comprising:

• providing a plurality of laparoscopic ports in a body of said subject;
• excising a targeted specimen within an operative internal cavity of said subject, said operative internal cavity of said subject or patient being an abdominal or pelvic cavity, said excised, targeted specimen being a uterus in a female subject;
• inserting a morcellation system in a deflated position into said operative internal cavity of said subject, said morcellation system including a pliable retaining carrier having a substantially hollow interior and a closable or sealable specimen-receiving opening, said specimen-receiving opening providing for completely open communication between said operative internal cavity of said subject and said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier,
• said morcellation system further including a plurality of laparoscopic tool- or trocar-receiving channels extending from a lining of said retaining carrier, said plurality of channels having an interior being in open communication with said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier, said plurality of channels positioned at a spaced distance away from said specimen-receiving opening and at a spaced distance away from each other, said plurality of channels being spatially aligned with said plurality of laparoscopic ports,
• said plurality of channels including a morcellator channel structured to receive a morcellator, a control instrument channel structured to receive a control instrument, an insufflation channel structured to receive an insufflation source, and a camera channel structured to receive a camera, so that said morcellator can morcellate said targeted specimen within said protected environment of said morcellation system,
• wherein each of said plurality of channels includes an elongate suture tag attached to and positioned at said second end of said each channel to facilitate laparoscopic manipulation of said each channel,
• said each channel having a first end that terminates at said lining of said retaining carrier within said operative internal cavity of said subject and a second end that is external to said body of said subject,
• inserting a grasper into a first laparoscopic port of said plurality of laparoscopic ports and withdrawing a first channel of said plurality of channels through said first laparoscopic port;
• positioning said excised, targeted specimen within said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier through said specimen-receiving opening;
• tightening said specimen-receiving opening to enclose said excised, targeted specimen within said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier, such that said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier is not in completely open communication with said operative internal cavity of said subject,
• wherein said step of tightening, cinching, closing, or sealing said specimen-receiving opening is performed using a drawstring-type apparatus that is pulled relative to said specimen-receiving opening in order to reduce a diameter or length of said specimen-receiving opening;
• inserting said grasper into a second laparoscopic port of said plurality of laparoscopic ports and withdrawing a second channel of said plurality of channels through said second laparoscopic port, such that said each channel is withdrawn from said operative internal cavity through a respective spatially aligned laparoscopic port of said plurality of laparoscopic ports;
• inserting one or more laparoscopic tools into at least one of said plurality of channels, wherein each of said one or more laparoscopic tools has a distal end disposed within said substantially hollow interior of said retaining carrier and a proximal end disposed external to said body of said subject,
• said one or more laparoscopic tools selected from the group consisting of a trocar, a morcellator, a camera, a control instrument, and an insufflation source;
• positioning said tightened, cinched, closed, or sealed specimen-receiving opening against an anterior abdominal or pelvic wall within said subject;
• insufflating said retaining carrier to distend in order to form a protected environment;
• morcellating said excised, targeted specimen within said insufflated retaining carrier in order to remove at least a majority of said excised, targeted specimen from said operative internal cavity of said subject;
• desufflating said retaining carrier;
• withdrawing said morcellation system including said retaining carrier and said plurality of channels from said operative internal cavity through a laparoscopic port of said plurality of laparoscopic ports, said retaining carrier enclosing any remnants of said excised, targeted specimen in said substantially hollow interior,
• said step of withdrawing said morcellation system from said operative internal cavity performed by:
• inserting said each channel into said operative internal cavity except for one (1) of said plurality of channels, and
• applying a force to said one channel in order to extract said retaining carrier and said each channel from said operative internal cavity;
• and
• performing each of the foregoing steps of said method of performing minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery on said subject under direct visualization of a camera.