This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/730,588 filed Nov. 28, 2012. This application is also a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/798,990 filed Mar. 13, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,986,201. Application No. 61/730,588; Ser. Nos. 13/760,971; 13/789,990; and 12/943,779 are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Endoscopic surgery within the head is a common procedure in neurological surgery and otolaryngology. It avoids large cranial incisions and can reduce the need brain retraction and prolonged wound healing. Endoscopic surgery within the head also provides improved illumination and visualization of the target tissues because the camera of the endoscope is brought directly to the surgical site.

During this type of surgery, there may be local trauma to the tissues in the surgical pathway, resulting from pressure or abrasion caused by the surgical instruments. Generally these tissues are the nasal mucosa, turbinates, nasal septum, and sphenoid/frontal/maxillary sinus. When transorbital approaches are used, orbital and periorbital tissue are subject to local trauma. Surgical pathway trauma can add to the trauma of the procedure and prolong the patient's recovery time. Liquids in the surgical pathway, such as mucous, blood, and soiled irrigation fluid, tend to obscure the view of the endoscope. This leads to the constant need for irrigation and suction of the obstructing liquids. In some cases the endoscope may also have to be removed, cleaned and replaced multiple times during a single procedure. This disadvantage tends to increase the complexity and time requirements of the operation. In addition, with each movement of a surgical tool into or out of the surgical pathway, the surrounding tissues are put at risk of additional trauma. Improved devices and methods are therefore needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A surgical sheath for use in endoscopic trans-nasal or intra-ocular surgery has first and second attachment fittings on opposite side of a conical section used for attaching individual sheaths to form a sheath pair. The sheaths of the pair can mutually support each other during surgery, to better resist inadvertent displacement of the sheaths. After the sheaths are positioned, the conical sections of the sheaths may be attached together using clips, pins, belts or other techniques. The sheaths reduce collateral trauma to the tissues in the surgical pathway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, the same reference number indicates the same element in each of the views.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a tissue protection sheath.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the sheath shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section view of the sheath shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is left end view of the sheath of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a right end view of the sheath of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view of detail A shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheath shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is rear, bottom and right side perspective view of the sheath shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a second embodiment of a tissue protection sheath.

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the sheath of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a centerline section view of the sheath of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is left end view of the sheath of FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is a right end view of the sheath of FIG. 9.

FIG. 14 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheath shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 15 is rear, bottom and right side perspective view of the sheath shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a third embodiment of a tissue protection sheath.

FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the sheath shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 18 is a section view of the sheath of FIG. 16 taken along a centerline.

FIG. 19 is left end view of the sheath of FIG. 15.

FIG. 20 is a right end view of the sheath of FIG. 15.

FIG. 21 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheath shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 22 rear, bottom and right side perspective view of the sheath shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 23 is rear, top and right side perspective view of another sheath design.

FIG. 24 rear, top and right side perspective view of a sheath similar to the sheath of FIG. 1 and further including side pockets.

FIG. 25 is a side view of a sheath delivery tool.

FIG. 26 is a rear, top and right side perspective view of the sheath of FIG. 1 with surgical instruments schematically illustrated in use.

FIG. 27 is a front, top and right side perspective view of the sheath and surgical instruments as shown in FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a front, top and left side perspective view of a pair of sheaths attached together via a U-pin;

FIG. 29 is a front and bottom perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 28.

FIG. 31 is a front, top and left side perspective view of a pair of sheaths attached together via an arrow hook;

FIG. 32 is a front and bottom perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 31.

FIG. 34 is a front, top and left side perspective view of a pair of sheaths attached together via a push-through pin;

FIG. 35 is a front and bottom perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 34.

FIG. 36 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 34.

FIG. 37 is a front, top and left side perspective view of a pair of sheaths attached together via a loop strap;

FIG. 38 is a front and bottom perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 37.

FIG. 39 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 37.

FIG. 40 is a front, top and left side perspective view of a pair of sheaths attached together via a V-pin;

FIG. 41 is a front and bottom perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 40.

FIG. 42 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 40.

FIG. 43 is a front, top and left side perspective view of a pair of sheaths attached together via a straight pin;

FIG. 44 is a front and bottom perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 43.

FIG. 45 is front, top and right side perspective view of the sheaths of FIG. 43.

FIG. 46 is sectional view of a human head and a sheath deployed in a nostril of the human head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-8 show a first design for a sheath 50 having a body section 52, and angle section 54 and a flare or conical section 56. The sheath 50 may be molded of rubber or plastic as a one piece unit with the body section 52, the angle section 54 and the flare section integrally joined together. As shown in FIG. 6, the sheath 50 may have a thin flexible wall 58 having a thickness TT typically ranging from about 0.1 to 1 mm, or 0.2 to 0.8 mm. The flare section 56 may be provided as a conical ring forming an angle DD of 120-160 or 130-150 degrees with the top wall of the angle section. The sheath 50 may have a single through passageway 60 extending from a distal opening 62 to a proximal opening 65. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 8, the openings 62 and 65, and the cross section of the body 52, may be generally in the shape of an oval or an ellipse.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the distal opening 62 may lie in a plane forming an angle forming an angle BB with the bottom of the sheath, with BB ranging from 95 to 125 or 100 to 115 degrees. As best shown in FIG. 3, the angled section 54 may be described as joined to the body section 52 at a vertical line 51. The upper and lower walls of the sheath extend distally away from the vertical line 51 towards the distal opening 62 at acute angles to the line 51, which may the same or different angles. As shown in FIG. 1, the included angle CC between the top surface of the angled section 54 and the lower wall of the body section may range from 25 to 40 or 30 to 35 degrees. The angle PP in FIG. 1 relating to the diverging angle of the top and bottom surfaces of the body section is typically 10-20 or 12-16 degrees. Dimension KK may be 8-16 or 10-14 mm, with dimensions MM and SS both generally about 65-85 or 70-80 mm.

For some procedures the sheath 50 may be provided as a cut-to-length unit. For example, the sheath may be provided in a sterile package, and have a length up to about 100 mm, with the surgeon cutting off a section of the front or distal end 62, to obtain a desired length. Scale markings (inches or millimeters) may optionally be printed or molded on an outside surface of the sheath for this purpose.

Turning to FIGS. 1-2 and 7-8, one or more ridges 64 may be provided on an outer surface of the body section 52. The ridges 64 may project up by 0.5 to 3 mm above the nominal outer surface of the sheath 50. A cluster of 2-5 ridges 64 may be provided near the distal opening 52, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. These ridges 64 may be parallel to each other, and optionally also parallel to the plane of the distal opening 52. Additional ridges 64, oriented at an angle of e.g., 10-20 or 13-17 degrees, may be provided more centrally on the body section 52 of the sheath 50. The ridges may optionally be provided as rings extending continuously around the outside surface of the body section.

Optionally, one or more spring or elastic elements 66, such as a spring wire 66, may be attached to or embedded in the sheath 50, to help expand the sheath from a folded or collapsed position into and expanded deployed position, after the sheath is positioned in the surgical pathway. The elastic element 66 may be a Nitinol wire. The dimensions and angles shown in the drawings of all embodiments may typically be varied by 10, 20 or 30% depending on various design parameters.

The angle section 54 may allow the proximal end of the sheath 50 to be more easily stretched and/or deflected. This allows for more versatile movement of surgical instruments extending through the sheath during surgery. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the angle section 54 forms an irregular quadrilateral shape in cross section. In FIG. 3, the angle section 54 may be defined by line F4 along with segments or lines F1, F2 and F3, with F4 and F2 forming a first acute angle and with F1 and F3 forming a second acute angle. Each of the sides or segments F4, F1, F2 and F3 forming the angle section 54 may also have different lengths. F3 may be substantially perpendicular to F2. The angle section 54 may alternatively be described via a centerline AN perpendicular to and bisecting segment or line F4 and intersecting a centerline AF of the conical section 54 at an angle AB of 5-30 or 10-20 degrees.

The wall thickness of the sheath 50 may be thinner at the proximal end adjacent to the flare 56, to allow the proximal end to more easily stretch. For example, the sheath 50 shown in FIGS. 1-8 may be 6 to 10 cm long with the proximal 10 to 30% of the length having a reduced wall thickness in comparison to the rest of the sheath. The wall thickness of this section may be 20 to 80 or 30 to 70% of the regular wall thickness of the rest of the sheath. The wall thickness may optionally be largely uniform with all sections of the sheath having a similar thickness TT.

FIGS. 9-15 show a second design 70 similar to the sheath 50 but without the angle section 54. As with the sheath 50, the sheath 70 may have distal and proximal openings oriented in non-parallel planes. The sheath 70 may have a flare end 74 that is flatter than the flare end 56 on the sheath 50, with the flare end 74 at an angle EE to the centerline of 50 to 70 or 55 to 65 degrees, and with angle FF typically ranging from 8 to 15 degrees. The outer diameter GG of the flare end 74 may be 22-30 or 24-28 mm, with the outer diameter of the front end generally about 16-22 mm. The sheath 70 may also have a longer and narrower through passageway, as shown in FIG. 12. Comparing FIG. 13 to FIG. 3 shows that the body section of the sheath 70 may be symmetrical about the centerline 71 while the body section of the sheath 50 is not similarly symmetrical.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 13, the body section of the sheath 70 and/or the distal opening 62 may have upper and lower creases 73 and 75 having a radius of 2 mm or less, with curved sidewalls 77 leading from the creases to a substantially flat center sidewall 79. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 15, the proximal opening 65 may be an oval.

FIGS. 16-22 show a third design 80 that is similar to the sheath 70 but having a distal opening 62 in a plane forming an acute angle with a longitudinal centerline of the body section, similar to FIG. 1, as opposed to the perpendicular distal opening orientation in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 19 the proximal opening 62 may have non-parallel sidewalls upwardly converging sidewalls W1 and W2 joined by a smaller radius of curvature at the top and a larger radius of curvature at the bottom, in the form of a teardrop or an uneven oval. In each of the sheaths described, the body section may be at least 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 times longer than the conical section, or the combined length of the conical section and the angle section, if used.

FIG. 23 shows a similar design further including pleats or folds 92 at the proximal end. The flare end may also be split into an upper section 94 and a lower section 96, with no flare section overlying the pleats 92. This allows the proximal end of the sheath 90 to more easily stretch open to better accommodate manipulation of surgical tools. The pleats 92 may be molded into the proximal end of the sheath 90, with the pleats reducing and blending into the body section of the sheath towards the distal end of the sheath 90. The wall thickness at the pleats may be reduced to e.g., 0.2-0.7 mm, to allow the pleats to stretch with nominal force.

FIG. 24 shows a sheath which may be similar or the same as the sheaths 50, 70 or 80, and further including pockets 110 on opposite sides configured to accept the jaws of a bayonet forceps. The pockets may help the forceps to grasp and hold the sheath, and also allow the sheath to be pushed forward using the forceps, but without excessively clamping or squeezing the sheath.

FIG. 25 shows a sheath deployment tool 130 that may be used to deploy a sheath. The tool 130 has a plunger 134 slidable into a handle 132. A hook 136 or other grasping feature on the plunger 134 engages a hook slot 138 on the sheath, with the hook slot 138 shown in FIG. 1. Funnel guides 140 may be provided on the handle 132 to collapse down and guide the sheath into the handle. The tool 130 may then be used to place the sheath into a surgical pathway.

FIGS. 26 and 27 show two surgical tools 150 and 152 in use with the sheath. As the sheath tapers outwardly from the proximal opening 65 to the distal opening 62, clashing of the instruments may be reduced as the sheath provides more room for the instruments to move at a distance from the leverage point of the nostril.

FIGS. 28-45 show sheath pairs which may formed in different ways. In general, the conical section of each sheath in these designs has a first attachment fitting on a first side of the conical section and a second attachment fitting on a second side of the conical section, with the first and second attachment fittings used to attach the sheaths to form a sheath pair.

FIGS. 28 to 30 show two sheaths attached together to form a pair of sheaths 160. Each sheath of the pair 160 may be the same as the sheath 50, with side tabs 162 added onto opposite sides of the conical section 56. Each tab 162 may have a flat rectangular section having an inner end joined to the conical section 56, and cylindrical end 164 on the outer end of the tab. The sheaths 50 may be attached together by overlapping the tabs 162, and clamping them via a U-pin or clip 166, as shown in FIG. 29.

Generally, the side tabs 162 may be integrally molded components of the conical section 56. The conical section 56 may be provided with a greater wall thickness than the body section 52, to better resist pulling forces that may be exerted on the side tabs 162. For example, with a rubber sheath, the body section 52 may have a wall thickness of 0.5 mm with the conical section having a wall thickness of 0.7 to 1.0 mm. The side tabs 162 may be centered vertically on the conical section 56, i.e., with dimension LL in FIG. 29 equal to one half of the total height of the conical section.

In use, the sheaths 50 of the pair 160 as shown in FIGS. 28-30 are placed for surgery as described above. The sheaths 50 may then be attached together via sliding the clip 166 over the overlapping side tabs 162. The clip 166 may be provided as a spring clamp, with the legs momentarily pulled apart when installing the clip 166 onto the side tabs 162, and with the legs thereafter exerting a spring clamping force on the side tabs 162. When attached together as shown in FIGS. 28-30, the conical sections of each sheath mutually support each other, helping to keep the sheaths in position.

FIGS. 31-33 show a sheath pair 170 similar to the sheath pair 160 in FIGS. 28-30, but with a side tab 174 having an arrowhead 176 which may be pushed through a slot or hole 172 in the conical section.

FIGS. 34-36 show a sheath pair 180 similar to the sheath pair 160 in FIGS. 28-30, but with a side tab 174 having a plug pin 184 having a head 186 which may be pushed through a slot or hole 180 in the conical section. The head 186 is nominally larger in diameter than the hole 180, with the resilient material of the plug pin and/or the conical section allowing the head 186 to be pushed through the hole, and then retained.

FIGS. 37-39 show a sheath pair 190 similar to the sheath pair 160 in FIGS. 28-30, but with slots or holes 192 on both sides of the conical section 56, and with a belt 194 looped through the slots 192. The belt 194 may be a length of cord, suture, tape, zip-tie, Velcro hook and loop tape, or fabric looped through the slots and then knotted. The belt 194 may optionally be provided as a metal or plastic spring clip or snap ring.

FIGS. 40-42 show a sheath pair 200 similar to the sheath pair 160 in FIGS. 28-30, but with pin collars 210 on opposite sides of the conical section 56, with each pin collar having a through hole. A V-clip or a U-clip 212 has a leg inserted through adjacent pin collars 210 to attach the sheaths together.

FIGS. 43-45 show a sheath pair 220 similar to the sheath pair 160 in FIGS. 28-30, but with a right collar 222 and a left collar 224 on opposite sides of each conical section 56. The right collar 222 may have one or more hinge knuckles vertically offset from hinge knuckles of the left collar 224, allowing through holes in the collars to align. A straight pin having a head may then be inserted through the interlaced adjacent collars 222 and 224 to attach the sheaths together.

FIG. 46 illustrates a sheath 40 within a human head 14. The sheath 40 has a flared proximal portion 42 and a flared distal portion 44. A reduced dimension section 46 joins the portions 42 and 44 and serves to hold the device 40 in place during the surgery.

The features of the pair 160 as described above also apply to the pairs 170, 180, 190, 200 and 210. Although generally the sheaths 50 are provided separately and then attached after positioned within the nose, in some applications the sheath pairs described above may be provided via two sheaths that are permanently attached together, with no pins or belts needed. Of course the other sheaths 70, 80 and 90 described above may similarly be used in a pair as shown in FIGS. 28-45. Other forms of attachment may also be used to attach the conical sections, such as suturing, clamping, snaps, buttons or adhesives. The sheaths may be symmetrical to allow them to be used interchangeably in either the right nostril or the left nostril, while still attachable to each other.

The sheaths described above are useful in transnasal and transorbital surgery of the head. The sheaths may also be used in other surgical procedures for protection of tissue around a surgical pathway. The sheaths above are discussed in terms of having different sections only for purposes of description. The sheaths may be manufactured from rubber or plastic as an integral one-piece unit, without specific or visible separation lines or features between the sections described. As used here, vertically or vertical means in the up/down direction in the drawings.

Thus, novel surgical sheaths and sheath pairs have been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited except by the following claims and their equivalents.