SUTURE GUIDE AND METHOD OF PLACING SUTURES THROUGH A SEVERED DUCT

摘要

A suture guide and, in particular, a urethral sound having interchangeable tips for placing sutures in the severed end of a body duct. The urethral sound includes an attachment mechanism having interconnection parts longitudinally rotatable when interconnected. The sound further includes an elongated member having a distal end portion including one of the interconnection parts. A plurality of interchangeable tips are provided each having a rounded distal end and a proximal end including the second interconnection part. Interchangeable tips are positioned at the distal portion of the elongated member and are longitudinally rotated thereat. Various tips include one or more apertures for placing sutures through, for example, a severed urethral stump created during a radical prostatectomy. Channels are also placed in a number of the tips to provide placement of individual sutures about the distal end of the severed stump as desired by the physician. The method includes positioning the urethral sound tip out the distal end of the duct with an aperture in the tip partially protruding from the duct. A suture thread is passed through the aperture and cut to form two equal length suture pieces on the opposite sides of the duct. The urethral sound tip is rotated to further position additional suture pieces about the severed end of the duct. The pieces are formed by cutting the suture extending through the aperture at the mid-point thereof. 19