CONFORMAL SURGICAL BALLOON

• Main Authors: NOHILLY, MARTIN, KAMMERER, GENE, W, DION, DOROTHY
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 21.06.2006
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF,TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, E.G. STENTS; FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; FIRST-AID KITS; FOMENTATION; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; PROSTHESES; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS

A surgical balloon for insertion into a body cavity with a major chamber having a first volume and an annexed minor chamber communicating therewith and having a second volume less than the first volume has a continuous outer wall which defines the exterior surface of the balloon on a first side and the interior hollow of the balloon on a second side. The wall is formed from a stretchable elastic material permitting the interior hollow of the balloon to accommodate a variable volume of fluid ranging from a minimum deflated volume associated with a relaxed state of the wall to a maximum inflated volume associated with a stretched state of the wall. The wall provides the balloon with an inflated shape within the cavity approximating the interior shape of the body cavity, including a first portion approximating the major chamber and a second portion approximating the minor chamber. As applied to balloons for insertion into the uterus for endometrial ablation therapy, the balloon has or forms a pair of projections for inserting into the uterine cornua. The balloon may be preformed to mimic the uterine shape in the deflated state, may be formed from polyurethane and can have a varying wall expansibility and/or thickness promoting conformance of the inflated balloon to the uterine cavity.