Single-Handed Biopsy System

Abstract

An automatic tissue sampling apparatus for use with a biopsy needle set includes a housing defining a cavity and a forward end opening for passage of an inner needle and outer cannula. Two carriers are slidably disposed within the cavity and are configured to support one of the inner needle and the outer cannula. Springs operably engage each carrier and have a cocked position to store potential energy and a firing position to releases the potential energy and drive the corresponding carrier toward the forward end of the housing. A single-handed cocking mechanism, operable to sequentially move the each driving mechanism to its respective cocked position, includes a manually operated cocking lever positioned outside the housing. A force transmission mechanism operably coupled between the cocking lever and the carriers is configured so that the force required to manually depress the cocking lever does not increase as the springs are compressed.

1 . An automatic tissue sampling apparatus for use with a biopsy needle set having an inner needle and an outer cannula, comprising:
 an elongated housing having a forward end defining an opening for passage of the inner needle and outer cannula, said housing defining an interior cavity and configured to be held by an operator's hand along the length thereof, a first carrier slidably disposed within said interior cavity and having a portion configured to support one of the inner needle and the outer cannula;   a second carrier slidably disposed within said interior cavity and having a portion configured to support the other of the inner needle and the outer cannula;   a first driving mechanism disposed within said interior cavity in operable engagement with said first carrier, said first driving mechanism having a cocked position in which said mechanism stores potential energy and a firing position in which said mechanism releases the potential energy to drive said first carrier toward said forward end of said housing;   a second driving mechanism disposed within said interior cavity in operable engagement with said second carrier, said second driving mechanism having a cocked position in which said mechanism stores potential energy and a firing position in which said mechanism releases the potential energy to drive said second carrier toward said forward end of said housing; and   a cocking mechanism operable to sequentially move said first driving mechanism to its cocked position and said second driving mechanism to its cocked position, said cocking mechanism including a manually operated cocking lever positioned outside said housing for single handed manipulation by the same operator's hand holding said housing while holding said housing.   
   
   
       2 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said cocking lever is pivotally supported on said housing, and includes:
 a cocking slider having an engagement portion, said cocking slider slidably disposed within said housing so that when said cocking slider slides in a rearward direction away from said forward end of said housing said engagement portion applies a force against at least one of said first and second carriers to move the carrier to its cocked position; and   a force transmission mechanism engaged between said cocking lever and said cocking slider and configured to translate pivoting movement of said cocking lever to sliding movement of said cocking slider in said rearward direction against said at least one of said first and second carriers.   
   
   
       3 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein:
 said cocking slider includes an elongated bar; and   said engagement portion includes a forward engagement member defined at a forward end of said bar arranged to engage said first carrier and a rearward engagement member arranged to engage said second carrier.   
   
   
       4 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said force transmission mechanism includes a first elongated beam slidably supported at one end by said cocking lever and pivotally connected at an opposite end to said elongated bar. 
   
   
       5 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said first elongated beam is pivotally connected at a position along the length of said bar of said cocking slider closer to the forward end of said bar than to the rearward end of said bar. 
   
   
       6 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said force transmission mechanism includes:
 a second elongated beam pivotally connected at one end to said housing; and   a beam bearing pivotally connecting an opposite end of said second elongated beam to said one end of said first elongated beam, said beam bearing slidably supported by said cocking lever.   
   
   
       7 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said force transmission mechanism includes a biasing element at said one end of said second elongated beam operable to bias said second elongated beam away from said housing, whereby said second elongated beam pivots said cocking lever away from said housing as said beam pivots away from said housing. 
   
   
       8 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said forward engagement member defines a hook for engaging said first carrier to pull said first carrier as said cocking slider slides rearward. 
   
   
       9 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said rearward engagement member defines a notch for engaging said second carrier to push said second carrier as said cocking slider slides rearward. 
   
   
       10 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said rearward engagement member defines a notch for engaging said second carrier to push said second carrier as said cocking slider slides rearward. 
   
   
       11 . An automatic tissue sampling apparatus for use with a biopsy needle set having an inner needle and an outer cannula, comprising:
 a housing having a forward end defining an opening for passage of the inner needle and outer cannula, said housing defining an interior cavity;   a first carrier slidably disposed within said interior cavity of said housing and having a portion configured to support one of the inner needle and the outer cannula;   a second carrier slidably disposed within said interior cavity and having a portion configured to support the other of the inner needle and the outer cannula;   a first driving mechanism disposed within said interior cavity in operable engagement with said first carrier, said first driving mechanism including a first spring compressible to a cocked position to store potential energy and releasable from said cocked position to release the potential energy to drive said first carrier toward said forward end of said housing;   a second driving mechanism disposed within said interior cavity in operable engagement with said second carrier, said second driving mechanism including a second spring compressible to a cocked position to store potential energy and releasable from said cocked position to release the potential energy to drive said second carrier toward said forward end of said housing; and   a cocking mechanism operable to compress said first spring, said cocking mechanism including;
 a cocking lever positioned outside said housing and pivotally mounted to said housing to be manually depressed against the housing; and 
 a force transmission mechanism operably coupled between said cocking lever and said first carrier and configured so that the force required to manually depress said cocking lever to compress said first spring does not increase as said first spring is compressed. 
   
   
   
       12 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein:
 said cocking mechanism includes a cocking slider having an engagement portion, said cocking slider slidably disposed within said housing so that when said cocking slider slides in a rearward direction away from said forward end of said housing said engagement portion applies a force against said first carrier to move the carrier rearward; and   said force transmission mechanism includes a first elongated beam slidably supported at one end by said cocking lever and pivotally connected at an opposite end to said elongated bar.   
   
   
       13 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said first elongated beam is pivotally connected at a position along the length of said bar of said cocking slider closer to the forward end of said bar than to the rearward end of said bar. 
   
   
       14 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said force transmission mechanism further includes:
 a second elongated beam pivotally connected at one end to said housing; and   a beam bearing pivotally connecting an opposite end of said second elongated beam to said one end of said first elongated beam, said beam bearing slidably supported by said cocking lever.   
   
   
       15 . An automatic tissue sampling apparatus for use with a biopsy needle set having an inner needle and an outer cannula, comprising:
 an elongated housing having a forward end defining an opening for passage of the inner needle and outer cannula, said housing defining an interior cavity and configured to be held by an operator's hand along the length thereof,   a first carrier disposed within said interior cavity and having a portion configured to support the inner needle;   a second carrier disposed within said interior cavity and having a portion configured to support the outer cannula;   at least one driving mechanism disposed within said interior cavity in operable engagement with one of said first carrier and said second carrier, said driving mechanism having a cocked position in which said mechanism stores potential energy and a firing position in which said mechanism releases the potential energy to propel said one carrier relative to said housing; and   a cocking mechanism supported by said housing and operable to move said driving mechanism to its cocked position, said cocking mechanism including a manually operated cocking lever positioned outside said housing for single handed manipulation by the operator's hand while holding said housing.   
   
   
       16 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said cocking mechanism includes a cocking slider having an engagement portion, said cocking slider slidably disposed within said housing so that when said cocking slider slides relative to said one end of said housing said engagement portion applies a force against said first carrier to move the carrier in the same direction as said cocking slider. 
   
   
       17 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein:
 said cocking slider includes an elongated bar; and   said engagement portion includes a forward engagement member defined at a forward end of said bar arranged to engage said first carrier and a rearward engagement member arranged to engage said second carrier.   
   
   
       18 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein said cocking mechanism includes a force transmission mechanism engaged between said cocking lever and said cocking slider and configured to translate pivoting movement of said cocking lever to sliding movement of said cocking slider against at least one of said first and second carriers. 
   
   
       19 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein said force transmission mechanism includes a first elongated beam slidably supported at one end by said cocking lever and pivotally connected at an opposite end to said elongated bar. 
   
   
       20 . The automatic tissue sampling apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said first elongated beam is pivotally connected at a position along the length of said bar of said cocking slider closer to the forward end of said bar than to the rearward end of said bar.