Surgical instrument with ultrasound pulse generator

Claim 1

A surgical instrument which comprises: (a) a rigid probe adapted for insertion into the body of a host and including integral means for manipulating the tissue of said host, wherein said probe comprises (i) a shaft portion containing a plurality of passageways segregated from one another, (ii) a first series of passageways defining an inlet channel for a refrigerant fluid through the shaft, (iii) a second series of passageways defining an outlet channel for the refrigerant fluid through the shaft, (iv) a sealed chamber formed at the tip of the shaft which communicates with both inlet and outlet channels, (v) a handle portion connecting the passageways in the shaft to coupling means, (vi) first coupling means for connecting the inlet channel to a source of refrigerating fluid, (vii) second coupling means for connecting the outlet channel to a means for exhausting the refrigerating fluid, (viii) third coupling means for connecting wires from the ultrasound transducer element to external electronics; and (b) a non-imaging ultrasonic transducer comprising means for operative connection to external imaging means, said transducer composed of a single ultrasound element adapted solely for transmitting or receiving a nondiscrete omnidirectional ultrasound signal, said transducer element operatively incorporated into said probe so as to provide means for locating and positioning said manipulation means within a space within the body of the host and to provide means for enhancing the visualization and identification of soft tissue manipulated by said manipulation means.

Claim 12

A method for manipulating tissue of a host, said method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting said host with a scanner of an ultrasound imaging system to create an image of a target zone within the host for placement of a surgical instrument, said surgical instrument comprising (i) a rigid probe adapted for insertion into the body of a host and including integral means for manipulating the tissue of said host, wherein said probe comprises a shaft portion containing a plurality of passageways segregated from one another, a first series of passageways defining an inlet channel for a refrigerant fluid through the shaft, a second series of passageways defining an outlet channel for the refrigerant fluid through the shaft, a sealed chamber formed at the tip of the shaft which communicates with both inlet and outlet channels, a handle portion connecting the passageways in the shaft to coupling means, first coupling means for connecting the inlet channel to a source of refrigerating fluid, second coupling means for connecting the outlet channel to a means for exhausting the refrigerating fluid, third coupling means for connecting wires from the ultrasound transducer element to external electronics, and ii) a non-imaging ultrasonic transducer comprising means for operative connection to external imaging means, said transducer composed of a single ultrasound element adapted solely for transmitting or receiving a nondiscrete omnidirectional ultrasound signal, said transducer element operatively incorporated into said probe so as to provide means for locating and positioning said manipulation means within a space within the body of the host and to provide means for enhancing the visualization and identification of soft tissue manipulated by said manipulation means; (b) guiding the placement of said manipulation means into said target zone with the aid of the image from step (a), said image further comprising signal input from the ultrasound transducing element; and (c) manipulating the tissue in said target zone, wherein the step of manipulating further includes visualizing the effects of manipulation on tissue in said target zone during the step of manipulation, said visualizing being enhanced by pulses generated by the transducer element.

Claim 13

A method for manipulating tissue of a host, said method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting said host with a scanner of an ultrasound imaging system to create an image of a target zone within the host for placement of a surgical instrument, said surgical instrument comprising (i) a rigid probe adapted for insertion into the body of a host and including integral means for manipulating the tissue of said host, wherein said probe comprises a shaft portion containing a plurality of passageways segregated from one another, a first series of passageways defining an inlet channel for a refrigerant fluid through the shaft, a second series of passageways defining an outlet channel for the refrigerant fluid through the shaft, a sealed chamber formed at the tip of the shaft which communicates with both inlet and outlet channels, a handle portion connecting the passageways in the shaft to coupling means, first coupling means for connecting the inlet channel to a source of refrigerating fluid, second coupling means for connecting the outlet channel to a means for exhausting the refrigerating fluid, third coupling means for connecting wires from the ultrasound transducer element to external electronics, and ii) a non-imaging ultrasonic transducer comprising means for operative connection to external imaging means, said transducer composed of a single ultrasound element adapted solely for transmitting or receiving a nondiscrete omnidirectional ultrasound signal, said transducer element operatively incorporated into said probe so as to provide means for locating and positioning said manipulation means within a space within the body of the host and to provide means for enhancing the visualization and identification of soft tissue manipulated by said manipulation means; (b) guiding the placement of said manipulation means into said target zone with the aid of the image from step (a), said image further comprising signal input from the ultrasound transducing element; and (c) manipulating the tissue in said target zone, wherein the step of manipulating further includes visualizing the effects of manipulation on tissue in said target zone during the step of manipulation, said visualizing being enhanced by pulses generated by the transducer element.