Articulating Biopsy Forceps

Description:

Inventor:
Samuel Giordano, MD – Gastroenterologist, Cooper Digestive Health Institute, Cooper University Health Care

Overview

An articulating biopsy forceps system incorporating a 360-degree swivel mechanism and flexible hinge to improve tissue access, maneuverability, and sampling accuracy during endoscopic procedures.

Clinical Need

Biopsy forceps are widely used during endoscopic and colonoscopic procedures to obtain tissue samples for diagnosis. Conventional forceps often struggle to access lesions located in anatomically challenging locations, resulting in inadequate tissue samples, repeat procedures, increased costs, and delayed diagnoses. Improved maneuverability is needed to enhance diagnostic accuracy and reduce procedural burden.

Solution

In response, the Inventor has proposed articulating biopsy forceps with a 360-degree swivel and flexible hinge (Fig- 1) that automatically adjust to align perpendicularly with the tissue plane, ensuring optimal positioning for precise grasping and sampling of tissue.

Technology

Dr. Giordano’s technology improves precision during tissue sampling by incorporating a flexible tube with a rotating jaw assembly at the tip, which can open and close to grab tissue. The instrument also consists of handles that allow the jaw to bend and rotate to more effectively reach different areas. The biopsy forceps allow a physician and an assistant to control different functions separately, but the handles can be combined for a single physician to control both jaw movement and deflection.

Fig 1. A biopsy forceps surgical instrument 10 with a rotatable and deflective jaw assembly. The instrument includes a flexible tubular member (16) and a biopsy forceps jaw assembly (22) at the distal end of a second tubular member (18). The actuation handle (12) allows for the opening and closing of the jaw assembly (22) relative to the endoscopic lumen through which the instrument extends while the control handle (14) directs rotation of the distal end of the tubular member (18) and jaw assembly (22) about its longitudinal axis.