Dispensing method and apparatus

Abstract

A fluid dispensing instrument and method for introducing a fluid, as drug materials, into the canals of the Fallopian tubes of a primate female. The dispensing instrument has a tubular probe carrying an expandable balloon assembly. A stop collar on the probe positions the balloon assembly in the uterine cavity. The balloon assembly has a sleeve member which is initially expanded to close the lower portion of the uterine cavity. The drug material is introduced through the probe into the upper portion of the uterine cavity above the expanded balloon assembly. The balloon assembly is then further expanded to force the drug material from the upper portion of the uterine cavity into the canals of the Fallopian tubes. The expanding balloon assembly divides the material and forces the drug material into both of the canals.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. A method of placing material in both canals of Fallopian tubes open to the uterine cavity of a uterus with an expandable balloon assembly comprising: introducing the balloon assembly into the uterine cavity, expanding the balloon assembly into engagement with the inside side walls of the uterus and spaced from the inside top wall of the uterus, discharging material into the uterine cavity between the expanded balloon assembly and the inside top wall of the uterus, further expanding the balloon assembly into engagement with the top inside wall of the uterus dividing the material into two portions and forcing one portion into one canal with one part of the balloon assembly and the other portion into the other canal with the other portion of the balloon assembly, contracting the balloon assembly, and removing the contracted balloon assembly from the uterine cavity. 
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 wherein: the balloon assembly is introduced into the uterine cavity to a selected position with the balloon assembly spaced from the inside top wall of the uterus. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 2 wherein: the balloon assembly is held in the selected position during the discharge of material in the uterine cavity. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1 wherein: the balloon assembly during the further expansion thereof initially engages the central section of the inside top wall of the uterus dividing the uterine cavity into two parts. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 1 including: discharging a second material into the uterine cavity before the balloon assembly is contracted. 
     
     
       6. A method of placing material in both canals of Fallopian tubes open to the uterine cavity with an expandable sleeve member comprising: introducing the sleeve member into the uterine cavity, expanding the sleeve member into engagement with the inside side walls and top wall of the uterus to displace the uterine cavity, contracting the expanded sleeve member to move the sleeve member out of engagement with the inside top wall of the uterus, discharging material into the uterine cavity between the contracted sleeve member and the inside top wall of the uterus, expanding the sleeve member to displace the uterine cavity by moving the sleeve member into engagement with the inside top wall of the uterus thereby dividing the material into two portions and forcing one portion into one canal with one part of the sleeve member and the other portion into the other canal with another part of the sleeve member, contracting the sleeve member, and removing the contracted sleeve member from the uterine cavity. 
     
     
       7. The method of claim 6 wherein: the sleeve member is introduced into the uterine cavity to a selected position spaced from the inside top wall of the uterus. 
     
     
       8. The method of claim 6 wherein: the sleeve member during the second expansion thereof to fully displace the uterine cavity initially engages the central section of the inside top wall of the uterus dividing the uterine cavity into two parts. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 6 including: discharging a second material into the uterine cavity after the first material has been moved into the canals and before the sleeve member is contracted for removal from the uterine cavity. 
     
     
       10. An appartus for placing material in both canals of Fallopian tubes comprising: a balloon assembly having an expandable sleeve member, elongated means supporting the balloon assembly, means on the elongated means to position the balloon assembly in the uterine cavity spaced from the inside top wall of the uterus, first means operable to expand the sleeve member into engagement with the inside side walls of the uterus, second means for discharging material into the uterine cavity between the expanded sleeve member and the inside top wall of the uterus, said first means being operable to further expand the sleeve member into engagement with the inside top wall of the uterus whereby the material is divided into two separate portions, said further expansion of the sleeve member forcing one portion into one canal of one Fallopian tube and the other portion into the other canal of the other Fallopian tube. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein: the sleeve member is made of expandable tubular sheet material having low surface tension properties. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein: the means on the elongated means is an annular collar. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein: the elongated means is a tubular member connected to the first means and second means. .Iadd. 14. Apparatus for non-surgically providing materials into the Fallopian tubes of a female body comprising: first means for dispensing material into a uterine cavity; and second means selectively operable within the uterine cavity for moving the dispensed material from the uterine cavity into both Fallopian tubes..Iaddend..Iadd. 15. The apparatus of claim 14 in which: the second means comprises pump means selectively operable to force the dispensed material into both Fallopian tubes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which: the pump means comprises low pressure pump means for confining the forced material completely within the Fallopian tubes..Iaddend..Iadd. 17. The apparatus of claim 14 in which: the second means includes further means operable to substantially divide dispensed material during the material moving process to provide sufficient material to each Fallopian tube. .Iaddend..Iadd. 18. The apparatus of claim 14 in which: the second means includes third means for selective expansion for substantially completely filling the uterine cavity. .Iaddend..Iadd. 19. The apparatus of claim 18 in which: the third means comprises means sufficiently flexible to generally conform to the shape of the uterine cavity when expanded to substantially completely fill the uterine cavity. .Iaddend..Iadd. 20. The apparatus of claim 18 including: control means connected to the first and third means for sequentially partially expanding the third means to displace the lower part of the uterine cavity, operating the first means to dispense material above the partially expanded third means, and fully expanding the third means to substantially completely fill the uterine cavity to force dispensed materials into both Fallopian tubes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 21. The apparatus of claim 20 in which: the control means includes low pressure means for expanding the third means to confine forced material within the Fallopian tubes..Iaddend..Iadd. 22. The apparatus of claim 18 in which: the third means comprises balloon means. .Iaddend..Iadd. 23. The apparatus of claim 22 in which: the balloon means comprises a relaxed flexible substance having low surface tension and uniform expansion characteristics. .Iaddend..Iadd. 24. The apparatus of claim 23 in which: the balloon means substance comprises latex rubber. .Iaddend..Iadd. 25. Apparatus for dispensing material into the Fallopian tubes of a female body comprising: expandable sleeve means adapted to be positioned in the uterine cavity; first means for partially expanding the sleeve means to block the lower portion of the uterine cavity; second means for providing material into the uterine cavity between the partially expanded sleeve means and the fundus of the uterus; and the first means including further means for further expanding the sleeve means to substantially completely fill the uterine cavity to force material into both Fallopian tubes..Iaddend. .Iadd. 26. The apparatus of claim 25 including: means connected to the sleeve means for spacing the sleeve means a predetermined distance from the fundus of the uterus. .Iaddend..Iadd. 27. The apparatus of claim 25 in which: the sleeve means includes means operable on expansion for dividing the material into two portions before the sleeve means fills the uterine cavity. .Iaddend..Iadd. 28. The apparatus of claim 25 in which: the sleeve means comprises expandable tubular sheet material having low surface tension properties. .Iaddend..Iadd. 29. The apparatus of claim 25 in which: the further means includes means for expanding the sleeve means under low pressure to confine forced material within the Fallopian tubes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 30. Apparatus for dispensing materials into the Fallopian tubes of a female body comprising: catheter means having first and second isolated passages; pump means connected to the first passage; material dispensing means connected to the second passage for dispensing selected materials into a uterine cavity; and control means connected to the pump means and the dispensing means for automatically dispensing materials into the uterine cavity and forcing dispensed materials into both Fallopian tubes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 31. The apparatus of claim 30 in which: the pump means includes means for dividing dispensed materials into two portions prior to being forced into the Fallopian tubes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 32. The apparatus of claim 31 in which: the pump means is a low pressure pump means for inhibiting forcing materials completely through the Fallopian tubes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 33. The apparatus of claim 30 in which: the pump means comprises selectively expandable sleeve means. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 34. The apparatus of claim 33 in which: the control means includes means for starting expansion of the sleeve means prior to the dispensing of materials into the uterine cavity, and for completing expansion of the sleeve means after the dispensing of materials. .Iaddend..Iadd. 35. The apparatus of claim 33 in which: the sleeve means comprises means sufficiently flexible to substantially completely fill the uterine cavity when expanded under generally low pressure. .Iaddend..Iadd. 36. The apparatus of claim 35 in which the sleeve means comprises a tubular sheet having low surface tension properties. .Iaddend..Iadd. 37. The apparatus of claim 33 in which: the control means includes means for providing fluid to the expandable sleeve means. .Iaddend..Iadd. 38. The apparatus of claim 30 in which: the control means extends out of the body when the pump means and the material dispensing means are in the uterine cavity. .Iaddend..Iadd. 39. The apparatus of claim 30 including: means connected to the control means for automatically sequentially dispensing materials and forcing the materials into the Fallopian tubes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 40. The apparatus of claim 33 including: means connected to the control means for automatically sequentially partially expanding the sleeve means, dispensing materials into the uterine cavity between the fundus and the partially expanded sleeve means and completing expansion of the sleeve means to force dispensed material into the Fallopian tubes. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 41. Apparatus for non-surgically providing materials to both canals of the Fallopian tubes of a female comprising: means for containing material for movement into the canals of the Fallopian tubes; dispensing means having a first portion for moving the material from the means for containing material into the uterine cavity and a second portion for moving the material from the uterine cavity into the canals of the Fallopian tubes; and control means connected to the first and second portions for automatically operating the first portion to move material into the uterine cavity before operation of the second portion is completed. .Iaddend..Iadd. 42. Apparatus for non-surgically placing material in both canals of the Fallopian tubes of a female comprising: means for containing material for movement into the canals of the Fallopian tubes; dispensing means having expandable means positionable in the uterine cavity of the female and means for moving the material from the means for containing material into the uterine cavity; means for expanding the expandable means to substantially completely fill the uterine cavity for moving the materials from the uterine cavity into the canals of the Fallopian tubes; and control means connected to the means for moving the material and the means for expanding, for automatically moving the material into the uterine cavity before the expandable means substantially completely fills the uterine cavity.