Method of treating pelvic organ prolapse in a female patient by accessing a prolapsed organ trans-vaginally through a vagina
A method of treating pelvic organ prolapse in a female patient by accessing a prolapsed organ trans-vaginally through a vagina is disclosed. The method includes making an incision through a wall of a vagina of the female patient, and providing an implant with a mesh having a mass density of 50 g/m 2 or less. The method additionally includes radially confining the implant with a tool, and inserting a portion of the tool and the implant through the incision formed in the wall of the vagina. The method includes releasing the implant from the tool in an area of the prolapsed organ in supporting the vagina of the female patient.
1. A method of treating pelvic organ prolapse in a female patient by accessing a prolapsed organ trans-vaginally through a vagina, the method comprising:
making an incision through a wall of a vagina of the female patient;
providing an implant comprising a mesh with strands with pores formed in the strands, where the pores are between about 50 micrometers and about 200 micrometers in diameter, and the mesh having a mass density of 50 g/m 2 or less;
radially confining the implant with a tool;
inserting a portion of the tool and the implant through the incision formed in the wall of the vagina;
releasing the implant from the tool in an area of the prolapsed organ in supporting the vagina of the female patient.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
securing the implant to strong lateral tissue in a pelvis of the female patient.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein radially confining the implant with the tool comprises rolling the implant around the tool.
4. The method of claim 1 , comprising radially confining the implant with a tool having two parts including a first part with an inner channel having an external diameter sized to fit inside a channel of a second part.
5. The method of claim 4 , comprising moving the first part of the tool relative to the second part of the tool and releasing the implant from the tool.
6. The method of claim 1 , comprising radially confining the implant with a tool having two arms including a first arm secured to a first edge of the implant and a second arm secured to a second edge of the implant opposite from the first edge.
7. The method of claim 6 , comprising manipulating the first arm relative to the second arm and moving the first arm and the second arm from a first position in which the implant is radially confined by the tool to a second position in which the implant is released from the tool.
8. The method of claim 1 , comprising radially confining the implant to arms of a tool, with the arms coupled to a housing, and radially extending the arms from the housing and releasing the implant from the tool.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein releasing the implant from the tool comprises unfurling the implant in situ.
10. The method of claim 1 , comprising releasing the implant from the tool in the area of the prolapsed organ without significant lateral movement of the tool in the incision.
11. The method of claim 1 , comprising implanting the implant in a minimally invasive surgical procedure.
12. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising a mesh with major spaces formed in the mesh that are configured to allow blood to pass through the implant.
13. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising a mesh with pore spaces formed in the mesh that are configured to allow fibroblast growth through the mesh.
14. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising a mesh with strands that are spaced apart to form major spaces of about 1 mm to about 10 mm.
15. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising a mesh with strands that less than about 600 micrometers in diameter.
16. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising a mesh with strands that are formed by monofilaments having diameters between about 0.02 mm to 0.15 mm.
17. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising a mesh having a mass density in a range from 20 g/m 2 to 30 g/m 2 .
18. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant that does not include an absorbable portion.
19. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant where no portion of the implant is configured to be absorbed by a body of the female patient at a time of implantation of the implant into the body of the female patient.
20. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant where no portion of the implant is configured to be absorbed by a body of the female patient at the time the implant is inserted into the body of the female patient for placement at a desired location to treat a vaginal prolapse.
21. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant where the implant has no absorbable coating or encasement.
22. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising knitted mesh, where the knitted mesh is knitted in a diamond net pattern.
23. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising knitted mesh having the strands, where the strands are arranged in a pattern that forms a regular network of the major spaces in which each adjacent one of the major spaces has a substantially similar size and shape.
24. The method of claim 1 , comprising providing an implant comprising major spaces having a length and a width, and the length of the major spaces is substantially the same as the width of the major spaces.
25. A method of treating pelvic organ prolapse in a female patient by accessing a prolapsed organ trans-vaginally through a vagina, the method comprising:
making an incision through a wall of a vagina of the female patient;
providing an implant comprising a mesh having a mass density of 50 g/m 2 or less, with the mesh comprising strands arranged in a pattern of major spaces and with pores formed in the strands, where the pores are between about 50 micrometers and about 200 micrometers in a diameter;
confining the implant with a tool to provide a confined implant;
inserting a portion of the tool and the confined implant through the incision formed in the wall of the vagina;
releasing the confined implant from the tool in situ and supporting the vagina of the female patient.
26. A method of treating pelvic organ prolapse in a female patient by accessing a prolapsed organ trans-vaginally through a vagina, the method comprising:
making an incision through a wall of a vagina of the female patient;
providing an implant comprising a mesh having a mass density of 50 g/m 2 or less, with the mesh comprising strands formed of at least one polypropylene monofilament and having a diameter of from about 150 μm to 600 μm, with the strands formed from interconnected loops of the at least one polypropylene monofilament, with the strands spaced apart to form a regular network of major spaces characterized by a regular spacing that is measured between a first location where one strand of the strands intersects a first strand to a second location where the one strand intersects a next nearest second strand, and the strands include pores formed in the strands;
radially confining the implant with a tool;
inserting a portion of the tool and the implant through the incision formed in the wall of the vagina; and
releasing the implant from the tool in an area of the prolapsed organ in supporting the vagina of the female patient, wherein the pores formed in the strands are between about 50 micrometers and about 200 micrometers in diameter.