Medical instrument for containment and removal of calculi

摘要

Several versions of instruments are disclosed which are useful for the containment of calculi to minimize injury to surrounding tissue during removal and/or destruction of such calculi. In each embodiment a suitable grasping device is utilized to locate and grasp a stone (calculus) in a body passage or organ, such grasping device being used in combination with a catheter having an expandable and contractable distal end portion capable of receiving and substantially enclosing the stone to protect the surrounding tissue from injury that might otherwise be produced by the rough edges of the stone as it is extracted, or to shield such tissue as the stone is fragmented in situ and then contain the fragments as they are removed.