A dilation introducer for orthopedic surgery is provided for minimally invasive access for insertion of an intervertebral implant. The dilation introducer may be used to provide an access position through Kambin's triangle from a posterolateral approach. A first dilator tube with a first longitudinal axis is provided. A second dilator tube may be introduced over the first, advanced along a second longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from the first. A third dilator tube may be introduced over the second, advanced along a third longitudinal axis parallel to but offset from both the first and the second. An access cannula may be introduced over the third dilator tube. With the first, second, and third dilator tubes removed, surgical instruments may pass through the access cannula to operate on an intervertebral disc and/or insert an intervertebral implant.

A tympanostomy tube placement device has a needle with a tip, and a retainer at the needle tip. The retainer is within and retains by pulling radially inwardly a tympanostomy tube distal flange in a folded configuration extending distally. Movement of the needle tip in the proximal direction causes the adhesive bond to break and the distal flange releases to an unconstrained deployed position. Due to the axial folding of the distal flange its radial dimension does not affect deployment through the membrane.

In some embodiments, disclosed herein are systems and methods of treating a patient that can include the steps of accessing the sphenopalatine fossa, and cannulating the inferior orbital fissure from the sphenopalatine fossa to access the retro-orbital space. The sphenopalatine fossa can be accessed via various routes, including percutaneously. Accessing the sphenopalatine fossa can include the step of inserting a needle-catheter system into the sphenopalatine fossa. Integrated needle-catheter systems as described herein can also be configured to access the trigeminal ganglion, epidural space, intrathecal space, and other desired anatomical locations.

A tympanostomy tube placement device has a stem with a needle having a tip configured to pierce a tympanic membrane. A retainer is on the needle and includes four fingers extending axially at a distance from said axis and at 90° circumferential separations in one example. The retainer is movable from a distal position at which it presses radially inwardly against the tube distal flange tabs to retain the distal flange in a folded position, to a proximal position at which the tube distal flange is free to spring out radially to a deployed position. The retainer fingers extend through tube proximal flange passageways and press the tube distal flange inwardly, while leaving a distally-facing face of the proximal flange exposed radially outwardly of the retainer. Hence, the proximal flange has its final deployed configuration throughout, and so can act as a physical stop member against the tympanic membrane and also provides visualisation for the surgeon because it extends radially outwardly of the stem.

An artificial chordae tendineae includes a chordae tendineae main body with at least one end connected to a fixing member. A side of the fixing member facing away from the chordae tendineae main body is provided with a puncturing connection member. An artificial chordae tendineae implantion system includes a clamping device, a puncturing device including a puncture needle, the artificial chordae tendineae, and a pushing device including a pushing shaft. The puncturing device and the clamping device are received in the pushing shaft. A proximal clamp of the clamping device is provided at a distal end of the pushing shaft. A distal clamp of the clamping device is provided at a distal end of the clamping push rod. A distal end of the puncture needle is provided with a tapped straight tip. The artificial chordae tendineae is received in the clamping device. The fixing member corresponds to the puncture needle.

Disclosed herein is a percutaneous catheter apparatus, comprising two nested needles; and an inner plunger; which is guided as a catheter to the tissue surrounding a hard implant to actuate and deploy a pair of sharp-tip needle-forceps that perform two concentric cuts, circularly spaced 90-degree apart from each other, to complete a 360 degree bore around the implant before squeezing to arrest and extract the implant, together with its surrounding tissue.

A cell transplanting kit includes a transplant including a cell group and a cell transplanting device. The cell transplanting device includes a needle-shaped portion that extends in a shape of a tube, and an aspiration portion configured to aspirate an interior of the needle-shaped portion. The needle-shaped portion is configured to attract the transplant by aspiration by the aspiration portion and take the transplant into the interior. The aspiration portion is configured to create an aspiration pressure in a range of −100 kPa to −0.1 kPa. The transplant includes a protection portion in a form of a gel covering at least a part of the cell group. The transplant has an outer diameter that is greater than or equal to a minimum value of the inner diameter of the needle-shaped portion. The protection portion has a jelly strength of greater than or equal to 100 g.

The present disclosure includes systems, methods, kits, and individual tools (e.g., trial sizers and delivery devices) for medical procedures involving a soft-tissue allograft for the correction of skeletal impairments (e.g., misalignments, arthritis, etc.).

The present invention includes a single molded strip of suture anchors frangibly connected to each other that can be preloaded with a suture and then deployed at the site of use inside the body. This configuration eliminates the need to reload an anchor when multiple anchors are required. Further, this molded strip of anchors can include different variations of a suture anchor or locking device all in the same single strip. The strip would typically be molded from plastic or metal and would offer the additional advantage of being injection molded in a one piece shot which would not only save on cost per anchor but would offer assembly advantages as well.

A catheter including one or more echogenic members facilitate guiding the catheter to a selected locations within a patient using ultrasound imaging. The echogenic members may include expandable members, such as balloons, be positioned near a distal end of the catheter. The echogenic members include an echogenic material, such as a coating or a fluid, that is configured to enhance the diffuse sound scattering of the echogenic member. An expanded echogenic member is detectable using ultrasound imaging.