Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
199 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in the patient's skin, inserting a tubular member through the opening in the patient's skin, moving a leading end portion of the tubular member to a selected location in the patient's body, moving an expandable element outward from the leading end portion of the tubular member while the leading end portion of the tubular member is at the selected location in the patient's body, expanding the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is at the selected location in the patient's body, applying force against the patient's body tissue with the expandable element during expansion of the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is at the selected location in the patient's body, contracting the expandable element by reducing fluid pressure in the expandable element, moving the contracted expandable element from the patient's body through the tubular member, and, thereafter, moving a tool outward from the leading end portion of the tubular member to the selected location in the patient's body where the expandable element was expanded under the influence of fluid pressure.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
199 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in the patient's skin, inserting a tubular member through the opening in the patient's skin, moving a leading end portion of the tubular member to a selected location in the patient's body, moving an expandable element outward from the leading end portion of the tubular member while the leading end portion of the tubular member is at the selected location in the patient's body, expanding the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is at the selected location in the patient's body, applying force against the patient's body tissue with the expandable element during expansion of the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is at the selected location in the patient's body, contracting the expandable element by reducing fluid pressure in the expandable element, moving the contracted expandable element from the patient's body through the tubular member, and, thereafter, moving a tool outward from the leading end portion of the tubular member to the selected location in the patient's body where the expandable element was expanded under the influence of fluid pressure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
71 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of conducting fluid under pressure along the tubular member to the selected location where the expandable element was expanded under the influence of fluid pressure, said step of conducting fluid under pressure along the tubular member to the selected location being at least partially performed after performing said step of moving the contracted expandable element from the patient's body.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of conducting fluid along the tubular member while the tool is at the selected location in the patient's body.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of utilizing fiberoptics to view the selected location in the patient's body.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of positioning optical fiber in the tubular member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of moving a leading end portion of the tubular member to a selected location in the patient's body includes moving the leading end portion of the tubular member along a nonlinear path to the selected location in the patient's body.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in the patient's skin, moving a leading end portion of the tubular member into a selected bone in the patient's body, moving an expandable element through the leading end portion of the tubular member into the selected bone in the patient's body while the leading end portion of the tubular member is disposed in the selected bone in the patient's body, expanding the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is in the selected bone in the patient's body, applying force against cancellous bone contained within the selected bone in the patient's body with the expandable element during expansion of the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is in the selected bone in the patient's body, contracting the expandable element, and moving the contracted expandable element from the selected bone in the patient's body through the tubular member.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in the patient's skin, moving a leading end portion of the tubular member into a selected bone in the patient's body, moving an expandable element through the leading end portion of the tubular member into the selected bone in the patient's body while the leading end portion of the tubular member is disposed in the selected bone in the patient's body, expanding the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is in the selected bone in the patient's body, applying force against cancellous bone contained within the selected bone in the patient's body with the expandable element during expansion of the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is in the selected bone in the patient's body, contracting the expandable element, and moving the contracted expandable element from the selected bone in the patient's body through the tubular member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method as set forth in claim 7 further including the step of moving a tool through the leading end portion of the tubular member into the selected bone in the patient's body after moving the contracted expandable element from the selected bone in the patient's body.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
67 words
A method as set forth in claim 7 further including the step of conducting fluid under pressure along the tubular member into the selected bone, said step of conducting fluid under pressure along the tubular member into the selected bone being at least partially performed after performing said step of moving the contracted expandable element from the selected bone in the patient's body through the tubular member.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as set forth in claim 7 further including the steps of preparing bone graft material and inserting the bone graft material into a space formed in the selected bone in the patient's body.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as set forth in claim 7 further including the step of sealing an opening through which bone graft material is inserted into the space formed in the selected bone in the patient's body.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method as set forth in claim 7 further including the step of moving cancellous bone contained in the selected bone in the patient's body under the influence of force applied against the cancellous bone by the expandable element during expansion of the expandable element.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of percutaneously inserting a cannula into the patient, inflating an inflatable element at a location in the patient's body tissue adjacent to a distal end of the cannula under the influence of fluid conducted along the cannula to the inflatable element, moving tissue in the patient's body with the inflatable element while performing said step of inflating the inflatable element, deflating the inflatable element, removing the deflated inflatable element from the patient's body, and, thereafter, moving a tool along the cannula to a location in the patient's body where the patient's tissue was moved by the inflatable element.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of percutaneously inserting a cannula into the patient, inflating an inflatable element at a location in the patient's body tissue adjacent to a distal end of the cannula under the influence of fluid conducted along the cannula to the inflatable element, moving tissue in the patient's body with the inflatable element while performing said step of inflating the inflatable element, deflating the inflatable element, removing the deflated inflatable element from the patient's body, and, thereafter, moving a tool along the cannula to a location in the patient's body where the patient's tissue was moved by the inflatable element.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as set forth in claim 13 further including the step of conducting fluid pressure along the cannula to the location in the patient's body where the patient's tissue was moved by the inflatable element while the tool is at the location where the patient's tissue was moved by the inflatable element.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as set forth in claim 13 further including the step of conducting fluid along the cannula to the location where the patient's body tissue was moved after performing said step of removing the deflated inflatable element from the patient's body.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
76 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of inserting an inflatable element into the patient, inflating the inflatable element while the inflatable element is in the patient, deflating the inflatable element while the inflatable element is in the patient, removing the inflatable element from the patient after deflating the inflatable element, introducing fluid into space previously occupied by the inflatable element, and, conducting a procedure in the space containing the fluid.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
76 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of inserting an inflatable element into the patient, inflating the inflatable element while the inflatable element is in the patient, deflating the inflatable element while the inflatable element is in the patient, removing the inflatable element from the patient after deflating the inflatable element, introducing fluid into space previously occupied by the inflatable element, and, conducting a procedure in the space containing the fluid.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method as set forth in claim 16 further including the step of inserting at least a portion of a cannula through the patient's skin, said step of inserting an inflatable element into a patient includes moving at least a portion of the inflatable element relative to the cannula.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as set forth in claim 16 further including the step of applying force against the patient's body tissue with the inflatable element during performance of said step of inflating the inflatable element.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said step of conducting a procedure in the space containing the fluid includes moving a tool into the space containing the fluid.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said step of introducing fluid into space previously occupied by the inflatable element includes conducting fluid pressure into the space previously occupied by the inflatable element.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
64 words
A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said step of introducing fluid into space previously occupied by the inflatable element includes conducting a fluid pressure into the space previously occupied by the inflatable element, decreasing the fluid pressure in the space previously occupied by the inflatable element, and, thereafter, increasing the fluid pressure in the space previously occupied by the inflatable element.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said step of deflating the inflatable element while the inflatable element is in the patient includes connecting the inflatable element with a source of suction.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
208 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in the patient's skin, inserting an expandable element through the opening in the patient's skin, moving the expandable element to a selected location in the patient's body, and expanding the expandable element, said step of expanding the expandable element includes expanding the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is at the selected location in the patient's body, applying force against the patient's body tissue with the expandable element during expansion of the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is at the selected location in the patient's body, contracting the expandable element by reducing fluid pressure in the expandable element, moving the contracted expandable element from the patient's body, inserting a tubular member through the opening in the patient's skin, and, thereafter, conducting fluid under pressure along the tubular member and to the selected location where the expandable element was expanded under the influence of fluid pressure, said step of conducting fluid under pressure along the tubular member to the selected location being at least partially performed after performing said step of moving the contracted expandable element from the patient's body.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
208 words
A method of operating on a patient, said method comprising the steps of forming an opening in the patient's skin, inserting an expandable element through the opening in the patient's skin, moving the expandable element to a selected location in the patient's body, and expanding the expandable element, said step of expanding the expandable element includes expanding the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is at the selected location in the patient's body, applying force against the patient's body tissue with the expandable element during expansion of the expandable element under the influence of fluid pressure while the expandable element is at the selected location in the patient's body, contracting the expandable element by reducing fluid pressure in the expandable element, moving the contracted expandable element from the patient's body, inserting a tubular member through the opening in the patient's skin, and, thereafter, conducting fluid under pressure along the tubular member and to the selected location where the expandable element was expanded under the influence of fluid pressure, said step of conducting fluid under pressure along the tubular member to the selected location being at least partially performed after performing said step of moving the contracted expandable element from the patient's body.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as set forth in claim 23 further including the step of utilizing fiberoptics to view the selected location in the patient's body.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as set forth in claim 23 further including the step of moving a tool through the tubular member and to the selected location where the expandable element was expanded under the influence of fluid pressure.