Tract measuring device

摘要

A measuring device and method for determining the length of an incised tract or passage into which gastrostomy appliance is about to be installed. A trocar needle is used to incise a tract or passage extending from the outside surface of a patient's skin into the stomach through the abdominal and stomach walls. The measuring device is positioned in the patient's stomach via a previously endoscopically installed guidewire extending through the patient's mouth, down the esophagus and through the incision. The device is pushed along the guidewire outwardly through the incision until a distal end of the device containing scale indicia is visible. A stop on the device engages the inner wall of the patient's stomach to limit outward movement of the device through the incision, so as to establish an inner stomach wall reference point for the scale indicia. With the device fully inserted into the incision, the distance between the inner wall of t, he patient's stomach and the outer surface of the skin is measured by observation of the scale indicia. The measuring device is removed from the tract or passage, and then a gastrostomy appliance of proper length dimension determined by the foregoing measurement is installed.