Appeal No. 97-2552 Page 10
Application No. 08/541,658
Sinofsky '677 discloses endoscopic systems for 3
photoreactive suturing of biological materials for joining living
tissues and promoting the healing of small biological structures.
Figure 3 shows an endoscopic apparatus 81 for remote application
of sutures. The apparatus 81 can be a catheter, arthroscope or
other form of endoscope and disposed adjacent to a remote
anastomotic site. The apparatus 81 includes a suture material
delivery port 85 and a laser port 83. In Figure 4, an
alternative embodiment is shown, simply consisting of a suture
material delivery port 85 and a laser port 83 housed within a
tubular casement 81. This instrument can be constructed small
enough (e.g., less than about 2.0 micrometers) so that it can
pass through a conventional endoscope instrument delivery
channel. The suture port 85 delivers a photoreactive suture
material 36 to the anastomotic site 30 where it can be draped
across a fissure 32 or similar region requiring closure. The
suture port can be equipped with a valve or wiper 69 to terminate
or periodically stop the flow of suture material. The suture
3Sinofsky '677 uses the terms "endoscope" and "endoscopic"
to broadly encompass instruments such as laproscopes, cytoscopes,
colonoscopes, sigmoidoscopes, arthroscopes, esophagoscopes,
bronchoscopes, gastroscopes, thoracoscopes, peritoneoscopes,
culdoscopes, catheters and the like (column 2, lines 62-66).
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