Surgical portal with rotating seal

1. A surgical portal apparatus, which comprises:

a portal housing having a housing channel;

a portal sleeve extending from the portal housing and defining proximal and distal ends, the portal sleeve dimensioned to pass through tissue to provide access to underlying tissue and having a longitudinal opening, the housing channel of the portal housing and the longitudinal opening of the portal sleeve defining a central longitudinal axis and a longitudinal passageway for reception and passage of a surgical object;

a seal having inner surfaces defining a seal passage for establishing a general sealed relation about the surgical object, the seal passage being radially offset with respect to the central longitudinal axis, the seal being adapted to rotate about the central longitudinal axis to vary positioning of the seal passage radially around the central housing axis to substantially maintain the substantial sealed relation upon manipulation of the surgical object within the portal housing;

a roller element mounted within the portal housing and operatively coupled to the seal, the roller element configured and adapted to rotate about the central longitudinal axis to facilitate rotational movement of the seal about the central longitudinal axis; and

a manually engageable actuator operatively fixed relative to the seal and extending external of the portal housing for direct engagement by a user, the actuator movable by the user to cause corresponding rotational movement of the seal about the central longitudinal axis.

2. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the roller element is rotatable relative to the portal housing.

3. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 2 including a plurality of roller elements mounted within the portal housing and operatively coupled to the seal, the roller elements each being rotatable about the central longitudinal axis to facilitate rotational movement of the seal about the central longitudinal axis.

4. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the seal is mounted to a first annular element, the first annular element adapted to rotate via the roller elements about the central longitudinal axis.

5. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 4 including a second annular element secured to the portal housing, the roller elements being disposed between the first and second annular elements.

6. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the first annular element is disposed radially inward of the second annular element.

7. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the first annular element is proximal of the second annular element.

8. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the roller elements are arranged to rotate about the central longitudinal axis upon corresponding movement of the first annular member.

9. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the roller elements are balls.

10. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the seal is substantially planar and defines an aperture, the aperture being the seal passage.

11. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the seal is substantially orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis.

12. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the seal is substantially obliquely arranged with respect to the central longitudinal axis.

13. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the seal defines a general funneled profile.

14. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the seal defines an aperture, the aperture being the seal passage.

15. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the seal defines an oblique conical section.

16. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 including a zero-closure valve adapted to substantially close in the absence of the surgical object.

17. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the actuator includes a lower segment operatively coupled to the seal and an upper segment depending outwardly from the portal housing for direct engagement by the user.

18. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the actuator is movable by the user independent of movement of the surgical object to cause corresponding rotational movement of the seal about the central longitudinal axis.

19. A surgical portal apparatus, which comprises:

a portal housing having a housing channel;

a portal sleeve extending from the portal housing and defining proximal and distal ends, the portal sleeve dimensioned to pass through tissue to provide access to underlying tissue and having a longitudinal opening, the housing channel of the portal housing and the longitudinal opening of the portal sleeve defining a central longitudinal axis and a longitudinal passageway for reception and passage of a surgical object;

a seal having inner surfaces defining a seal passage for establishing a general sealed relation about the surgical object, the seal passage being radially offset with respect to the central longitudinal axis;

an at least partial annular member to which the seal is coupled, the at least partial annular member being adapted to rotate about the central longitudinal axis to cause corresponding rotation of the seal to vary radial positioning of the seal passage relative to the central longitudinal axis, the at least partial annular member being fixed from longitudinal movement relative to the central longitudinal axis;

a plurality of roller elements mounted within the portal housing and operatively coupled to the at least partial annular member, the roller elements configured and adapted to rotate about the central longitudinal axis to facilitate rotational movement of the at least partial annular member and the seal about the central longitudinal axis; and

a manually engageable actuator operatively coupled to the at least partial annular member and having at least a segment extending external of the portal housing for direct engagement by a user, the actuator movable to cause corresponding rotational movement of the at least partial annular member and the seal.

20. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the actuator is movable by the user independent of movement of the surgical object to cause corresponding rotational movement of the seal about the central longitudinal axis.

21. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the roller elements are balls.

22. A surgical portal apparatus, which comprises:

a portal housing having a housing channel;

a portal sleeve extending from the portal housing and defining proximal and distal ends, the portal sleeve dimensioned to pass through tissue to provide access to underlying tissue and having a longitudinal opening, the housing channel of the portal housing and the longitudinal opening of the portal sleeve defining a central longitudinal axis and a longitudinal passageway for reception and passage of a surgical object;

a seal having inner surfaces defining a seal passage for establishing a general sealed relation about the surgical object, the seal being adapted to rotate about the central longitudinal axis upon manipulation of the surgical object within the portal housing; and

a roller element mounted within the portal housing and operatively coupled to the seal, the roller element configured and adapted to rotate about the central longitudinal axis to facilitate rotational movement of the seal about the central longitudinal axis.

23. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the seal passage of the seal is radially offset with respect to the central longitudinal axis such that rotation of the seal about the central longitudinal axis varies positioning of the seal passage radially with respect to the central longitudinal axis.

24. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 23 including a manually engageable actuator operatively fixed relative to the seal and extending external of the portal housing for direct engagement by a user, the actuator movable by the user to cause corresponding rotational movement of the seal about the central longitudinal axis.

25. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the roller element is a ball.

26. The surgical portal apparatus according to claim 25 including a plurality of balls.