Endoscopic portal for use in endoscopic procedures and methods therefor

Abstract

An endoscopic portal includes a portal sleeve for insertion through a cavity wall and having an open distal end for positioning within the cavity and an open proximal end for positioning externally of the cavity and a valve assembly disposed adjacent the portal sleeve proximal end. The valve assembly includes a bladder having a passage therethrough permitting insertion of instruments of various sizes in the portal sleeve through the passage of the bladder. The bladder has means therein for compressing the passage to cause the bladder to contact the instruments inserted through the passage in sealing relation. The portal sleeve includes an expandable lumen allowing instruments and objects larger in size than the inner diameter of the portal sleeve to be passed therethrough. A method of inserting instruments through an endoscopic portal includes the steps of inserting an instrument through a passage of a bladder filled with compressible material adjacent an end of the endoscopic portal disposed externally of an anatomical cavity and compressing the passage with the compressible material to cause the bladder to contact the instrument in sealing relation to prevent undesired fluid flow through the endoscopic portal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.