INSTRUMENT AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING SURGERY AROUND A VIEWING SPACE IN THE INTERIOR OF THE BODY

摘要

A surgical dissector (5) and method for facilitating fiberoptic viewing when developing a minimally invasive access way to a surgical objective in the interior of the body. The dissector (5) or guide is used to dissect tissues along an anatomic plane under direct fiberoptic vision. A balloon (120) is provided to further dissect and retract tissue along the dissected access way to provide an adequate depth of field for fiberoptic viewing through transparent walls of the balloon (120). The dissection allows a surgeon safely to make additional incisions into the region of the fiberoptic viewing space and to perform surgical procedures under fiberoptic vision by manipulating an accessory instrument on the exterior surface of the inflated balloon that is disposed within the dissected space.