Spine View, Inc.

Afx Inc.

Other

Maquet Cardiovascular LLC

Expanding Innovations, Inc.

Hiep Nguyen

John T To

Dany Berube

David Batten

Robert Chris May

Singfatt Chin

Gary Daniel Zaretzka

Robert E Woodard

Jules Gauthier

Pierre-Antoine Chapelon

Faouzi Kallel

Kenneth L Evenstad

Systems and methods for treating disc herniation include surgical and endoscopic access and removal of disc tissue. The tissue removal devices that may be used include flexible elongate members, such as a cable, that may be inserted into a vertebral disc and rotated to pulverize the disc material and facilitate its removal.

Systems and methods for cable-based tissue removal

Disclosed herein are tissue-removal devices and methods for treating spinal diseases using such devices. The tissue-removal devices may comprise a cable and/or extendable elements with a retracted and a deployed configuration. The cable and/or extendable elements may be distally supported and restrained by a support element such that the support element may be pushed transversely away when the extendable element is distally extended into its deployed configuration. An annular cutting element may be provided about the distal end of the extendable element or the support element. Various configurations of the extendable and support elements are described herein, as well as methods of using tissue-removal devices with extendable and support elements coupled by an annular cutting element for treating spinal diseases.

Devices and methods for arched roof cutters

Systems and methods for treating disc herniation or degeneration, disc degeneration, and vertebral body fracture include surgical and endoscopic access and removal of disc tissue. The tissue removal devices that may be used include rotatable blade devices having flow control surfaces that may be inserted into a vertebral disc and rotated to pulverize the disc material and facilitate its removal.

Blade debrider

An instrument assesses the transmurality of an ablation lesion from a first surface of a targeted biological tissue to an opposed second surface thereof. The instrument includes at least a first electrode operably attached to an ablation instrument adapted to engage a tissue first surface, and at least a second electrode adapted to engage a tissue second surface, the at least second electrode positioned generally opposed to the at least first electrode. Alternatively, the at least second electrode may be adapted to be placed within a chamber of an organ. These electrodes facilitate measuring at least one of conduction time, conduction velocity, phase angle, and impedance through at least a portion of the targeted tissue to determine the transmurality of the ablation lesion.

Apparatus and method for assessing transmurality of a tissue ablation

A flexible microwave antenna assembly for a surgical ablation instrument capable of conforming to a tissue surface for ablation thereof. The ablation instrument includes a transmission line having a proximal portion suitable for connection to an electromagnetic energy source. The antenna assembly includes a flexible antenna coupled to the transmission line for radially generating an electric field sufficiently strong to cause tissue ablation. A flexible shield device is coupled to the antenna to substantially shield a surrounding area of the antenna from the electric field radially generated therefrom while permitting a majority of the field to be directed generally in a predetermined direction. A flexible insulator is disposed between the shield device and the antenna which defines a window portion enabling the transmission of the directed electric field in the predetermined direction. The antenna, the shield device and the insulator are formed for selective manipulative bending thereof, as a unit, to one of a plurality of contact positions to generally conform the window portion to the biological tissue surface to be ablated.

Microwave ablation instrument with flexible antenna assembly and method

An instrument is provided to assess the transmurality of an ablation lesion from a first surface of a targeted biological tissue to an opposed second surface thereof. The instrument includes at least a first electrode operably attached to an ablation instrument adapted to engage a tissue first surface, and at least a second electrode adapted to engage a tissue second surface, the at least second electrode positioned generally opposed to the at least first electrode. Alternatively, the at least second electrode may be adapted to be placed within a chamber of an organ. These electrodes each measure at least one of conduction time, conduction velocity, phase angle, and impedance through at least a portion of the targeted tissue to determine the transmurality of the ablation lesion.

A catheter system with an enhanced steering system, allowing for positioning the distal portion of the catheter proximate to a desired biological target tissue site, is provided. The system includes an elongated tubular member having a steerable distal end configured to deflect, or otherwise direct, and properly position at least a portion of the distal end comprising an ablation device during a surgical procedure allowing for the placement of the deflected portion adjacent or proximate to the target tissue surface. The steering system may alternatively be incorporated into a separate guiding catheter as part of the catheter system.

Catheter having improved steering

Flexible ablation instrument

An ablation instrument having a flexible portion at or near the distal portion of the instrument, is provided. The instrument includes an elongated tubular member having a steerable distal end configured to deflect, or otherwise direct, and properly position at least a portion of the distal portion, comprising an ablation device, during an ablation procedure. The instrument further includes a deflectable member which cooperates with the steering system allowing for the proper placement of the ablation device adjacent or proximate to the target tissue surface. The steering system may alternatively be incorporated into a separate guiding catheter as part of the catheter system.

Ablation instrument having a flexible distal portion

The disclosed lubricating suppository is formulated to have properties advantageous for coital use, including extraordinary water washability. The ingredients and phase relationships of the suppository composition provide a high degree of compatibility with water and with naturally-occurring vaginal moisture. The suppository composition contains a glyceride lubricant and can be lubricious with or without the presence of moisture. The suppository, which is solid at room temperature but melts in a short time at body temperature, is made by dissolving, for example, 10-30 parts by weight of high-HLB (e.g. &gt;14) nonionic surfactant in 50-70 parts by weight of a molten, water-soluble polyoxyethylene glycol component and by dispersing or emulsifying 10-20 parts by weight of the glyceride (e.g. a triglyceride of C.sub.6 -C.sub.18 aliphatic carboxylic acids) included in the composition. In use, the suppository can be inserted prior to coitus and permitted to melt to a liquid, which is lubricious even in the absence of moisture, but still has the aforementioned extraordinary water washability.

Growing community of inventors

Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Hiep Nguyen