EP2844150A1

EP2844150A1 - A biopsy valve connector

Info

Publication number: EP2844150A1
Application number: EP13727390.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Orhan Eren
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-05-02
Filing date: 2013-04-30
Publication date: 2015-03-11
Also published as: WO2013164764A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a biopsy valve connector (1) which allows the liquid to get into the housing but enables the cells to gather in front of the filter and prevents the undesired dispersion of the tissue containing cells into the housing due to a sudden vacuum in the housing, due to including a check-valve that allows one-way flow from inside the human body towards the outside thereof and does not allow flow towards the human body and at least one filter that includes much smaller pores than the diameters of the cells in the aspired biopsy material.

Description

A BIOPSY VALVE CONNECTOR

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a biopsy valve connector being attached between a plastic syringe and proximal end of needle allowing one-way flow from body to syringe only.

Background of the Invention

The process of excreting a specific tissue part from a living subject in order to examine under microscope is called biopsy. Biopsy is applied in diseases which cannot be diagnosed through physical examination or other analysis. Biopsy has an important role especially in cancer diagnosis. The most frequently used method is needle biopsy. A fine needle is inserted into the desired tissue area and a small piece is taken by suction or shearing. Sometimes, a small lump is removed during surgery.

Today, standard syringes and needles that are fitted to their ends are used for aspiration biopsy process. In this aspiration biopsy process, when vacuum is created in the syringe, the tissue piece is sucked into the needle. The vacuuming process is enabled by pulling the plunger backwards after the needle penetrates into the target tissue. Vacuum is created in the biopsy connector when the plunger is pulled in the direction opposite to the direction where the body is. However, in this kind of aspiration biopsy processes, tissue parts sucked into the syringe might again get back into the tissue from which biopsy is taken, due to the negative pressure and the loss of vacuum when the plunger is put off by mistake after the tissue is sucked into the syringe. This may cause problems such as inadequate sampling. Moreover, in this kind of aspiration biopsies, there is no filter and check valve that allows only one-way flow. Inexistence of filter cannot enable tissue parts to gather in one specific field, hence at unintentional sudden high vacuum plunger pulls back, especially at the moment when the needle is pulled out of the body, an undesired dispersion of these tissue cells happens at the biopsy connector space. Summary of the Invention

The objective of this invention is to develop a biopsy valve connector which allows a one-way flow from the inside of the body to the outside thereof. Another objective of this invention is to develop a biopsy valve connector which enables to collect aspirated cells taken from the tissue at a specific area by means of the filter.

Yet another objective of the invention is to develop a biopsy valve connector which prevents the aspirated cells gathering in the needle from getting back into the tissue by the vacuum, which is created with negative pressure formed by pulling the plunger backwards, being decreased or lost.

Still another objective of the invention is to provide a biopsy connector which prevents the aspirated cells' unwanted dispersion into the syringe body space while the vacuum piston is suddenly pulled back or while the needle is being pulled out of the body in biopsy processes.

Detailed Description of the Invention

A biopsy connector developed to fulfill the objective of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures wherein,

Figure 1 is the perspective view of a biopsy connector.

Figure 2 is the perspective view of a biopsy connector when it is cut from the middle. Figure 3 is the perspective view of the check valve.

Figure 4 is the front view of the filter.

The components shown in the figures are each given reference numbers follows:

1. A biopsy valve connector

2. Valve housing

3. First hole

4. Second hole

5. Connector space

6. Check valve

7. Protrusion

8. Surface

9. Filter

A biopsy connector which allows one-way flow from inside the human body towards the outside of the human body and does not allow flow in the direction towards the human body essentially comprises;

- at least one valve housing (2),

at least one first hole (3) which is at the center of the valve housing (2) and into which the standard syringes fits,

at least one second hole (4) which is at the other side of the valve housing (2), at least one connector space (5) which is between the first hole (3) and the second hole (4) and through which the liquid or the tissue containing cells passes,

at least one check valve (6) which is mounted to the connector space (5) and prevents the tissue from going back towards the human body after the tissue is sucked from the body and is proceeded towards the first hole (3), at least one protrusion (7) which prevents the valve (6) from moving towards the housing (2) while the liquid or the tissue is pulled towards the first hole (3),

at least one surface (8) which contacts with the connector space (5) surface to surface and enables the check-valve (6) to stay steady in the connector space

(5),

at least one filter (9) which enables the cells in the tissue to gather in one area during the biopsy process and prevents the undesired dispersion of the aspired cells in the case that a sudden vacuum occurs in the housing (2).

In an embodiment of the invention, the check-valve (6) is placed in the valve housing (2) such that its surface (8) will contact with the connector space (5). The protrusion (7) contacts the surface at the place where the second hole (4) intersects the connector space (5) and thus the check-valve (6) is prevented from moving.

After the biopsy valve connector (1) is placed between the standard syringe and the needle chosen by the physician, the needle is inserted into the patient's body and then vacuum is created in the housing (2) by pulling the piston plunger of the syringe backwards. The aspiration biopsy consisting of the mixture of liquid, cell and blood which are aspired into the housing (2) from the human body due to the formation of the vacuum starts tissue material flow. This flow reaches into the housing (2) passing through the filter (9) and the check-valve (6). During this flow, cells gather at the space in front of the filter whose pore diameter is much smaller than the cells and the liquid part that does not contain cells gathers in the housing (2). This liquid or tissue is prevented from going back into the human body by means of the check-valve (6) in the case that the vacuum in the housing (2) is somehow lost during this movement of the liquid or the tissue towards the outside of the human body. Check- valve (6) allows the flow only in the direction of the fist hole (3) and does not allow in the direction of the human body. Moreover, the liquid or the tissue is passed through the filter (9) before coming to the check- valve (6). The purpose of passing through the filter (9) is to enable the cells, which are the target to be analyzed in the aspired biopsy material in the housing (2), to gather in a wider area. Another purpose is to prevent the undesired dispersion of the liquid or the tissue in the housing (2) space in the case that there is a sudden vacuum loss when the needle is pulled out of the human body.

It is possible to develop various embodiments of the inventive biopsy connector (1). The invention cannot be limited to the examples described herein and it is essentially as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A biopsy connector which allows one-way flow from the inside towards the outside of the body and does not allow flow in the direction towards the body essentially comprising;

at least one valve housing (2),

at least one second hole (4) which is at the other side of the valve housing (2) and to which the needle hubs fit,

at least one connector space (5) which is between the first hole (3) and the second hole (4) and through which the liquid or the tissue passes,

at least one check valve (6) which is mounted to the connector space (5) and prevents the tissue from going back towards the human body after the tissue is sucked from the body and is proceeded towards the first hole (3),

at least one protrusion (7) which prevents the check-valve (6) from moving towards the housing (2) while the liquid or the tissue is pulled towards the first hole (3), and characterized by

at least one filter (9) which enables to gather the aspired liquid and the cells in the biopsy aspirate material containing cells on the filter in the case that sudden vacuum is created in the housing (2); prevents the undesired dispersion of the tissue into the syringe cavity; and has much smaller pores compared to the diameter of the cells taken in the biopsy.

2. A biopsy valve connector (1) according to Claim 1, characterized by the check-valve (6) which is placed in the valve housing (2) into the connector space (5) and may be duck-bill or top- valve or membrane valve or another valve.

3. A biopsy valve connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the protrusion (7) which contacts with the surface at the place where the second hole (4) intersects the connector space (5) and thus prevents the movement of the check- valve (6).

A biopsy valve connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the check-valve (6) which in the case that a pressure occurs in the housing (2) prevents the liquid or tissue from going back into the human body, while the liquid or tissue is in the housing (2).

A biopsy valve connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the check-valve (6) which allows the liquid or tissue taken from the human body to flow only in the direction from inside the human body towards the outside of the human body.

A biopsy valve connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the filter (9) which enables the cells in the biopsy material containing aspired liquid and cells to gather at a certain area by preventing their entry into the housing (2) and enables the liquid to come into the housing (2) properly; prevents the liquid or the tissue in the housing (2) from being drawn into the housing (2) due to a sunned vacuum in the housing (2), in the case that pressure is suddenly lost and vacuum occurs in the housing (2) while the biopsy process over and the needle is being pulled out.