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Abstract

A guide instrument for cannulating a biliary duct with a flexible catheter, and a method of using the same as part of a laparoscopic cholangiographic surgical procedure. The guide instrument is provided as having a grasping forceps component formed of an elongate shaft extending along a longitudinal axis between a first and a second end. A pair of jaws are positioned at the first end of the shaft and are mutually pivotally coupled thereat for movement between an opened and a closed orientation for selectively grasping the duct. An actuator positioned at the second end of the shaft is coupled in a drive relationship with the jaws for moving the jaws between the opened and closed orientations. An elongate, generally cylindrical guide tube is slidably supported along the longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft and is formed as having an internal catheter channel therethrough. The catheter channel has a central axis which is spaced radially from the longitudinal axis, and is provided to extend between an input end for receiving the catheter and an output end for expressing the catheter from the guide tube. The guide tube is rotatable about the longitudinal axis to define with the central axis of the catheter channel a first confrontation radius for presenting the catheter expressed from the output end of the catheter channel to the biliary duct at a confrontation angle effective for cannulating the duct as it is grasped between the jaws of the grasping forceps component.

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