Biopsy capsules

Claim 1

MEANS FOR TAKING ONE OR A PLURALITY OF MUCOSA SPECIMENS FROM THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT OF A PATIENT SUBSEQUENT TO SWALLOWING OF A BIOPSY CAPSULE WITH A SINGLE INTUBATION OF THE PATIENT CONSISTING OF A BIOPSY CAPSULE COMPRISING A HOUSING INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL SHELL, AND A NOSE ELEMENT AND A CAP THREADED IN OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, SAID CAP HAVING A CENTRAL AXIALLY DISPOSED RECESS FORMED IN THE INNER THREADED END THEREOF, A CYLINDRICAL PISTON-CUTTER ELEMENT RECIPROCALLY MOUNTED IN SAID CYLINDRICAL SHELL HYDRAULICALLY MOVABLE TO AND FROM A RETRACTED, END-OF-CUT AND FLUSH POSITION FORMED WITH AN ANNULAR CUTTING EDGE AT THE FORWARD END THEREOF DISPOSED ADJACENT THE INNER WALL OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SHELL, SAID PISTON-CUTTER ELEMENT DIVIDING SAID SHELL INTO A PRESSURE CHAMER AT THE REARWARD END OF SAID PISTON-CUTTER ELEMENT AND A FLUSH CHAMBER AT THE FORWARD END THEREOF, SAID CYLINDRICAL SHELL HAVING A MUCOSA RECEIVING APERTURE IN THE WALL THEREOF FORMED AND LOCATED TO PERMIT A SPARE OF MUCOSA TO BE DRAWN BY VACUUM INTO SAID SHELL WHEN SAID PISTON-CUTTER ELEMENT IS IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION TO BE CUT OFF UPON THE ADVANCING OF SAID PISTON-CUTTER ELEMENT BY HYDRAULIC PRESSURE APPLIED THERETO TO MOVE IT TO ITS END-OF-CUT POSITION, A CENTRAL HOLLOW BY-PASS VALVE STEM AND MEANS PIVOTALLY AND FLOATINGLY MOUNTING THE SAME AT ITS INNER END IN SAID RECESS FORMED IN SAID CAP, SAID HOLLOW BY-PASS VALVE STEM HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN OPENING INTO SAID RECESS IN SAID CAP PROVIDING A FLUID PASSAGE COMMUNICATING FROM SAID HOLLOW BYPASS VALVE STEM TO THE REARWARD END OF SAID PISTONCUTTER ELEMENT, SAID PISTTON-CUTTER ELEMENT BEING CENTRALLY BORED AND COUNTERBORED FROM THE FORWARD CUTTER END THEREOF AND RECIPROCALLY MOUNTED AT SAID BORE OVER SAID CENTRAL HOLLOW BY-PASS VALVE STEM, A RESILIENT ANNULAR WASHER ELEMENT RECIPROCALLY DISPOSED IN FRICTIONAL CONTACT AROUND SAID CENTRAL HOLLOW BYPASS VALVE STEM, AND MEANS FIXING SAID ANNULAR WASHER ELEMENT IN SAID PISTON-CUTTER ELEMENT COUNTERBORE ADJACENT THE BASE AND OUTER WALL THEREOF, SAID CENTRAL HOLLOW BY-PASS VALVE STEM HAVING AN OUTWARDLY FLARED FREE END AND LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED FLUID CHANNELS FORMED IN THE OUTER WALL AT THE FREE END PORTION THEREOF PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE PRESSURE CHAMBER AND THE FLUSH CHAMBER OF THE BIOPSY CAPSULE WHEN SAID PISTON-CUTTER ELEMENT IS ADVANCED UNDER HYDRAULIC PRESSURE TO ITS FLUSH POSITION THEREIN, SAID RESILIENT WASHER MEANS BEING COMPRESSED DURING SAID ADVANCED UNDER HYDRAULIC PRESSURE OF THE PISTONCUTTER ELEMENT FROM ITS END-OF-CUT TO ITS FLUSH POSITION, RESILIENTLY RETURNING SAID PISTON-CUTTER ELEMENT TO ITS END-OF-CUT POSITION AFTER SAID HYDRAULIC PRESSURE IS RELEASED, AN EXTENSIION TUBE EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM SAID HOLLOW BY-PASS VALVE STEM, A DOUBLE LUMEN TUBE INCLUDING A CENTRAL PRESSURE-VACUM LUMEN AND AN OUTER VACUUM-FLUSH LUMEN CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID HOLLOW BY-PASS VALVE STEM EXTENSION TUBE AND THE INTERIOR OF THE OUTER END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SHELL, SAID PRESSURE-VACUUM LUMEN BEING CONNECTABLE SELECTIVELY TO A VARIABLE PRESSURE OR TO A VACUUM SOURCE, AND SAID VACUUM-FLUSH LUMEN BEING CONNECTABLE SELECTIVELY TO A VARIABLE VACUUM SOURCE OR TO A SPECIMEN RETRIEVE ELEMENT AND DRAIN.