Prosthetic sphincter having a diametric occlusion geometry

Claim 1

A prosthetic sphincter for surgical implantation to achieve coaptive continence, said sphincter including an occlusion cuff to surround at least some of a patient's lumen for applying variable occlusive pressures for occluding and relaxing the lumen and thereby controlling the movement of material therethrough, said occlusion cuff having first and second expandable chambers positioned opposite one another for engaging the patient's lumen and being adapted to receive a fluid medium to apply diametric occlusive pressures to the lumen for achieving coaptive continence when such chambers are expanded by the receipt therein of such fluid, there being no fluid communication between said first and second chambers, and said sphincter comprising first and second occlusive pressure adjustment means to be operated independently of one another and respectively interconnected with said first and second expandable chambers for supplying a selected one or the other of said chambers with fluid medium for expanding said chambers to vary the occlusive pressures being applied to the patient's lumen, said first occlusive presure adjustment means including a compressible reservoir containing a supply of said fluid medium, a first delivery tube extending between said reservoir and said first expandable chamber for delivering fluid medium to said chamber, a normally closed flow control valve to permit the movement of said fluid medium between said reservoir and said first chamber to expand said first chamber when said reservoir is compressed and said flow control valve is thereby temporarily opened, and pressure relief means location at the periphery of said flow control valve and surgically implanted so as to be manually activated to temporarily open said flow control valve to permit the movement of said fluid medium from said first chamber to said reservoir to shrink said fluid chamber, said second occlusive pressure adjustment means including a subcantaneously disposed entry port for receiving the tip of a fluid medium supplying syringe and a second delivery tube extending between said entry port and said second expandable chamber for delivering fluid medium to said second chamber to expand said second chamber when said fluid medium is injected into said entry port.