Apparatus for the percutaneous marking of a lesion

Abstract

A method for safely operating a marking apparatus includes: providing a handle, a cannula that extends from the handle, a stylet slidably received within a lumen of the cannula for movement between a ready position and an extended position, and a plunger coupled to the stylet; providing a safety that comprises a channel provided on one of the handle and the plunger and a catch provided on the other of the handle and the plunger; defining a safety-on position wherein the catch and the channel are rotationally misaligned; defining a safety-off position wherein the catch and the channel are rotationally aligned; and rotating the catch with respect to the channel to move the safety from the safety-on position to the safety-off position to permit movement of the plunger and the stylet from the ready position to the extended position to expel the imaging marker from the cannula.

1 - 99 . (canceled) 
     
     
         100 . A method for safely operating a marking apparatus in a percutaneous imaging marker placement procedure, comprising:
 providing a handle, a cannula that extends from the handle, a stylet slidably received within a lumen of the cannula for movement between a ready position and an extended position, an imaging marker disposed completely within a marker recess formed by the cannula and the stylet, and an actuator having a plunger connected to the stylet to move the stylet from the ready position to the extended position to expel the imaging marker from the cannula;   providing a safety that comprises a channel provided on one of the handle and the plunger and a catch provided on the other of the handle and the plunger, the catch being rotatable relative to the channel;   defining a safety-on position wherein the catch and the channel are rotationally misaligned so as to prevent movement of the plunger and stylet from the ready position to the extended position;   defining a safety-off position wherein the catch and the channel are rotationally aligned so as to permit movement of the plunger and stylet from the ready position to the extended position; and   rotating the catch with respect to the channel to move the safety from the safety-on position to the safety-off position to permit movement of the plunger and stylet from the ready position to the extended position to expel the imaging marker from the cannula.   
     
     
         101 . The method of  claim 100 , wherein with the safety in the safety-off position, the method further comprising manually moving the plunger in a distal direction to move the stylet from the ready position to the extended position so as to eject the imaging marker from the cannula. 
     
     
         102 . The method of  claim 101 , comprising manually controlling a rate at which the plunger is moved so as to control a rate at which the imaging marker is ejected from the cannula. 
     
     
         103 . The method of  claim 101 , comprising manually positioning a tip of the cannula as the imaging marker is being ejected. 
     
     
         104 . The method of  claim 101 , comprising locking the stylet in the extended position. 
     
     
         105 . The method of  claim 104 , wherein the catch is part of the plunger, and the act of locking is effected by engaging the catch of the plunger with a detent of the handle. 
     
     
         106 . The method of  claim 100 , comprising providing the handle with a grip portion having an enlarged diameter portion against which a user's fingers can bear during an insertion of the cannula into a patient. 
     
     
         107 . The method of  claim 100 , wherein the safety is positioned in the safety-on position, such that the catch and the channel are rotationally misaligned, before packaging or use, such that the plunger cannot be depressed or advanced within the handle. 
     
     
         108 . A method of operating a marking apparatus for the percutaneous placement of an imaging marker at a location in a patient, comprising:
 providing a handle defining a hollow interior;   providing a cannula mounted to the handle and configured to extend from the handle, the cannula being configured to define a lumen open to the hollow interior of the handle, a distal end of the cannula forming an insertion tip with an axial opening at the insertion tip;   providing a stylet having a proximal end with a proximal tip and a distal end, slidably received within the lumen for movement between a ready position and an extended position, where, in the ready position, the distal end of the stylet is spaced inwardly from the insertion tip to define a marker recess between the distal end of the stylet and the axial opening, and in the extended position the distal end of the stylet extends at least into the marker recess;   providing an imaging marker disposed completely within the marker recess to be expelled through the axial opening by movement of the stylet from the ready position to the extended position, wherein the imaging marker has no lead long enough to extend from the interior of the tissue mass to the exterior of the tissue mass when the imaging marker has been placed in the tissue mass;   providing an actuator having a plunger connected to the proximal end of the stylet, and configured to effect the relative movement of the cannula and the stylet to move the stylet from the ready position to the extended position; and   operating a safety to selectively prohibit the sliding of the stylet, wherein the safety comprises a channel provided on one of the handle and the plunger and a catch provided on the other of the handle and the plunger such that when the catch and channel are aligned, the stylet can slide from the ready position to the extended position, and when the catch and the channel are misaligned, the stylet cannot slide from the ready position to the extended position.   
     
     
         109 . The method of  claim 108 , wherein with the safety positioned such that the catch is aligned with the channel, the method further comprising manually moving the stylet from the ready position to the extended position so as to eject the imaging marker from the cannula. 
     
     
         110 . The method of  claim 109 , comprising manually controlling a rate at which the plunger is moved so as to control a rate at which the imaging marker is ejected from the cannula. 
     
     
         111 . The method of  claim 109 , comprising manually positioning a tip of the cannula as the imaging marker is being ejected. 
     
     
         112 . The method of  claim 109 , comprising locking the stylet in the extended position. 
     
     
         113 . The method of  claim 108 , wherein the catch is part of the plunger, and the act of locking is effected by engaging the catch of the plunger with a detent of the handle. 
     
     
         114 . The method of  claim 108 , comprising providing the handle with a grip portion having an enlarged diameter portion against which a user's fingers can bear during an insertion of the cannula into the patient. 
     
     
         115 . The method of  claim 108 , wherein before packaging or use of the marking apparatus, the safety is operated such that the catch and the channel are misaligned so that the plunger cannot be depressed or advanced within the handle. 
     
     
         116 . The method of  claim 108 , wherein at least a portion of the stylet remains within the hollow interior of the handle as the stylet is slid between the ready position to the extended position. 
     
     
         117 . The method of  claim 108 , further comprising fixing the stylet in the extended position to prevent a retraction of the stylet from the extended position. 
     
     
         118 . The method of  claim 117 , wherein the act of fixing is achieved by providing a detent on one of the plunger and the handle and the catch on the other of the plunger and the handle, the catch being receivable within the detent as the stylet is moved from the ready position to the extended position. 
     
     
         119 . A method for safely operating a marking apparatus, comprising:
 providing a handle, a cannula that extends from the handle, a stylet slidably received within a lumen of the cannula for movement between a ready position and an extended position, and a plunger coupled to the stylet;   providing a safety that comprises a channel provided on one of the handle and the plunger and a catch provided on the other of the handle and the plunger;   defining a safety-on position wherein the catch and the channel are rotationally misaligned;   defining a safety-off position wherein the catch and the channel are rotationally aligned; and   rotating the catch with respect to the channel to move the safety from the safety-on position to the safety-off position to permit movement of the plunger and the stylet from the ready position to the extended position to expel the imaging marker from the cannula.