ROBOTIC MEDICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM
A method of performing a medical procedure on a patient comprises introducing a medical instrument into the patient via a natural body orifice, conveying control signals from a remote controller to a drive unit, and operating the drive unit in accordance with the control signals to advance the medical instrument to a target region via the natural body orifice, and to actuate a tool on the medical instrument to perform the medical procedure at the target region. In one method, the control signals are conveyed from the remote controller to the drive unit in response to user commands. The user commands may be movements made at a user interface that correspond to movements of the medical instrument.
1 . A method of performing a medical procedure on a patient, comprising:
introducing a medical instrument into the patient via a natural body orifice;
conveying control signals from a remote controller to a drive unit; and
operating the drive unit in accordance with the control signals to advance the medical instrument to a target region via the natural body orifice, and to actuate a tool on the medical instrument to perform the medical procedure at the target region.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the control signals are conveyed from the remote controller to the drive unit in response to user commands.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user commands are movements made at a user interface that correspond to movements of the medical instrument.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the tool is a surgical tool, and the medical procedure is a surgical procedure.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the medical instrument is introduced into the patient via the natural body orifice by operating the drive unit in accordance with the control signals.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the natural body orifice is an anus, and the target region is located in a bowel.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the medical procedure comprises repairing a bowel wall defect.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the natural body orifice is a mouth, and the target region is located in a stomach.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the medical procedure comprises treating a gastric ulcer.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the natural body orifice is a urethra, and the target region is a urinary bladder.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the target region is a sphincter.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the sphincter is located at the base of a ureter.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the sphincter is located at a gastroesophageal junction.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the medical procedure comprises constricting the sphincter.
15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating the drive unit in accordance with the control signals to advance the medical instrument along an anatomical vessel between the natural body orifice and the target region, wherein the target region is located in an open cavity at the end of the anatomical vessel.
16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating the drive unit in accordance with the control signals to advance another medical instrument to the target region, and to actuate the tool on the medical instrument and another tool on the other medical instrument in unison to perform a medical procedure at the target region.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the other medical instrument is introduced into the patient percutaneously, laparoscopically, or through a surgical opening.