Apparatus and method for treating female urinary incontinence

A surgical instrument for introducing a support strand into a female patient's body to treat female urinary incontinence, comprising:

• an elongated curved shaft having a distal end insertable into the body and a lumen therein extending at least a portion of the length of the shaft and terminating at the distal end and through which the support strand may pass in an axial direction, the shaft having a slot extending at least along a length of the lumen through which the strand may pass, the slot allowing the support strand to be passed between the lumen and a position outside the shaft thereby disassociating the support strand from the shaft;
• and
• a pointed element removably positioned on the distal end of the shaft and connectable at one end to the support strand, wherein when so positioned the pointed element facilitates insertion of the shaft through the body, the pointed element being dimensioned to prevent passage through the lumen when the shaft is inserted through the body;
• wherein, when the pointed element is removably positioned on the distal end of the shaft and the shaft and pointed element are inserted into the body, the shaft and needle combination is dimensioned to extend from the patient's vaginal wall, around the patient's pubic bone and through the patient's abdominal wall, and wherein said pointed element is a flexible needle slidably receivable in the lumen of the shaft, and having a pointed tip at a first end.

A surgical instrument for introducing a support strand into a female patient's body to treat female urinary incontinence, comprising:

• an elongated curved shaft having a distal end insertable into the body and a lumen therein extending at least a portion of the length of the shaft and terminating at the distal end and through which the support strand may pass in an axial direction, the shaft having a slot extending at least along a length of the lumen through which the strand may pass, the slot allowing the support strand to be passed between the lumen and a position outside the shaft thereby disassociating the support strand from the shaft;
• and
• a pointed element removably positioned on the distal end of the shaft and connectable at one end to the support strand, wherein when so positioned the pointed element facilitates insertion of the shaft through the body, the pointed element being dimensioned to prevent passage through the lumen when the shaft is inserted through the body;
• wherein, when the pointed element is removably positioned on the distal end of the shaft and the shaft and pointed element are inserted into the body, the shaft and needle combination is dimensioned to extend from the patient's vaginal wall, around the patient's pubic bone and through the patient's abdominal wall, and wherein the shaft has a first portion with a solid cross-section and a second portion extending therefrom having the lumen therein.