Specimen removal pouch

1. A pouch for capturing tissue resected during a surgical procedure, comprising:

a) a flexible barrier pouch, the barrier pouch having first and second ends with a continuous barrier surface extending between the first and second ends, the barrier pouch being configured to define an internal lumen extending between the first and second ends, the first end of the barrier pouch being adapted for securement about the outside of a structural pathway for defining a repeatable surgical pathway to an internal portion of the body in a position that permits communication between the internal lumen of the barrier pouch and an interior passage of a structural pathway; and

b) a movable support structure secured to the outside of the structural pathway, the second end of the barrier pouch being connected to the movable support structure, the movable support structure being operative to form an interior lumen in the barrier pouch that is in fluid communication with the pathway structure by longitudinally separating the first and second ends of the barrier pouch as the movable support structure is moved from a first retracted position to a second deployed position, and being further operative to move the second end of the barrier pouch from a first open position creating an opening to the environment external to the barrier pouch to a second closed and sealed position in which the internal lumen of the barrier pouch is sealed and isolated from the environment external to the pouch;

further including a retainer for selectively and releasably securing the first end of the barrier pouch about the external end surface of a pathway structure.

2. A pouch as recited in claim 1 wherein the structural pathway is an endoscope.

3. A pouch as recited in claim 1 wherein the structural pathway is a trocar.

4. A pouch as recited in claim 1 wherein the internal lumen of the barrier pouch is in fluid communication with a vacuum source.

5. A pouch for capturing tissue resected during a surgical procedure, comprising:

a) a flexible barrier pouch, the barrier pouch having first and second ends with a continuous barrier surface extending between the first and second ends, the barrier pouch being configured to define an internal lumen extending between the first and second ends, the first end of the barrier pouch being adapted for securement about the outside of a structural pathway for defining a repeatable surgical pathway to an internal portion of the body in a position that permits communication between the internal lumen of the barrier pouch and an interior passage of a structural pathway; and

b) a movable support structure secured to the outside of the structural pathway, the second end of the barrier pouch being connected to the movable support structure, the movable support structure being operative to form an interior lumen in the barrier pouch that is in fluid communication with the pathway structure by longitudinally separating the first and second ends of the barrier pouch as the movable support structure is moved from a first retracted position to a second deployed position, and being further operative to move the second end of the barrier pouch from a first open position creating an opening to the environment external to the barrier pouch to a second closed and sealed position in which the internal lumen of the barrier pouch is sealed and isolated from the environment external to the pouch;

further including a clip adapted for circumferential disposition on the end of the structural pathway, wherein the first end of the barrier pouch is secured to the clip.

6. A pouch as recited in claim 5 wherein the structural pathway is an endoscope.

7. A pouch as recited in claim 5 wherein the structural pathway is a trocar.

8. A pouch as recited in claim 5 wherein the internal lumen of the barrier pouch is in fluid communication with a vacuum source.

9. In combination with a structural pathway for defining a repeatable surgical pathway to an internal portion of a body, the structural pathway having a proximal end for location externally of a patient and a distal end for insertion into a lumen of a patient, a flexible barrier mechanism for isolating and removing surgically resected tissue, the flexible barrier mechanism comprising:

a) a pouch formed of a longitudinally expandable continuous barrier membrane with first and second ends and an internal lumen defined by the membrane extending between the first and second ends, the first end of the pouch being secured in sealed relationship about the external peripheral surface of the distal end of the structural pathway;

b) a movable support structure located outside of the structural pathway for longitudinally separating the first and second ends of the pouch relative to each other to selectively form an interior lumen in the barrier pouch and move the second end of the membrane between an open position in which the internal lumen is open to the ambient environment for receiving a surgically resected specimen at a surgical site and a second closed position in which the internal lumen is sealed from the ambient environment; and

c) an actuator located outside of the structural pathway for selectively moving the second end of the membrane between the open and sealed positions;

wherein the first end of the pouch is connected to a clip disposed on the outer periphery of the distal end of the structural pathway.

10. A structure as recited in claim 9 wherein the movable support structure moves the second end of the pouch longitudinally from a first retracted position to a second deployed position.

11. A structure as recited in claim 9 wherein the internal lumen of the pouch is in fluid communication with a vacuum source.

12. A structure as recited in claim 9 further including a removable retainer for selectively and releasably securing the first end of the pouch about the external surface of the structural pathway.