Importance

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Abstract

An electrosurgical cutting device for excising a tissue specimen from a uterine cervix having a substantially constant section. The electrosurgical cutting device including a conducting member operably disposed in relation to a non-conductive support assembly. The support assembly is formed comprising an operative tip having a size sufficient for insertion into a uterine cervical canal and an extension member disposed substantially outward from the axis of an intermediate body portion of the support assembly. Extending arcuately away in a radial direction from a point of substantial tangency to the intermediate body portion of the support assembly, the extension member includes a surface facing facilitating a structural stop for limiting the insertion depth of the operative tip through the cervical canal. The conducting member is formed of a material suitable for conducting high frequency electrical energy for cutting body tissue. Accordingly, the conducting member is in electrical communication with an electrosurgical generator suitable for transmitting sufficient high frequency electrical energy to the conducting member, thereby enabling the conducting member to excise a tissue specimen from the cervical canal. The conducting member is disposed between a distal end of the extension member and a portion of the intermediate body portion of the support assembly. Preferably, the conducting member is a wire electrode having an anatomically-favorable shape adapted to limit excess removal of healthy tissue at a midsection of an excision site. Specifically, the conducting member is effective to be anatomically conformable to the cervical canal so as to provide a tissue specimen having a substantially constant section upon circumferential rotation of the support assembly.

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First Claim