Method and surgical glove for performing laparoscopic-assisted mini laparotomy

Abstract

A method of performing surgery incorporating the advantages of manual palpation manipulation and dissection with the advantages of laparoscopy. The method comprises making a first opening in a body cavity wall to permit entry of a surgeon's gloved hand. Next, the surgeon's gloved hand is placed into the body cavity through the opening and a gas infused into the body cavity through the first opening or through a second opening. The surgical procedure is performed and the surgeon's hand is removed from the body cavity. The surgeon's gloved hand can be provided with a sealant for engaging the sides or surrounding tissue of the first opening, thereby creating a substantially gas-tight seal. The sealant can comprise an inflatable member circumferentially disposed around the forearm portion of the surgeon's glove or can comprise a disk having an adhesive on the distal surface for sealingly engaging the surrounding tissue of an opening in a body cavity wall. Both the inflatable member and the disk can have a central flange disposed within the central opening of the inflatable member or disk. The flange has a central opening for permitting entry of the surgeon's gloved forearm. The flange can be affixed to the forearm portion of the surgeon's glove through its central opening or can be detachable.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.