US 11,786,296 B2
Instrument for endoscopic posterior nasal nerve ablation
Ehsan Shameli, Irvine, CA (US); Babak Ebrahimi, Irvine, CA (US); Fatemeh Akbarian, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (US); William J. Kane, Newport Coast, CA (US); and Athanasios Papadakis, Newport Beach, CA (US)
Assigned to Accularent, Inc., Irvine, CA (US)
Filed by ACCLARENT, INC., Irvine, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 6, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/783,626.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/806,009, filed on Feb. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0261149 A1, Aug. 20, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 18/14 (2006.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 18/1485 (2013.01) [A61B 1/000094 (2022.02); A61B 2018/00327 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00434 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00577 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00791 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00982 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A surgical instrument assembly comprising:
(a) an endoscope, the endoscope including an elongate shaft defining a longitudinal axis and having a distal end, the endoscope having a window with a field of view oriented transversely relative to the longitudinal axis such that the field of view includes a region proximal to the distal end; and
(b) a surgical instrument comprising:
(i) an elongate shaft having a proximal shaft portion and a malleable distal shaft portion, a proximal end of the malleable distal shaft portion being fixedly secured to a distal end of the proximal shaft portion, the elongate shaft being secured to the endoscope such that the proximal shaft portion is fixed against longitudinal movement relative to the endoscope; and
(ii) an ablation head coupled to the malleable distal shaft portion, the ablation head including at least one electrode operable to deliver RF energy to tissue for ablating the tissue, the ablation head being sized to fit within a nasal cavity of a patient with the distal end of the endoscope, at least a portion of the ablation head being configured to be within the field of view,
the proximal shaft portion being configured to operatively couple with an RF energy source operable to energize the at least one electrode with RF energy,
the malleable distal shaft portion being configured to bend relative to a longitudinal shaft axis defined by the proximal shaft portion for selectively orienting the ablation head relative to the longitudinal shaft axis.