Vaginal speculum with stabilizing support

Abstract

A guard and guide apparatus and method is used with a speculum having jaws in a vagina to define a passage toward a cervix at an end of the vagina. The guard and guide apparatus has a guard body movable into the passage, the guard body having sides, a top and a bottom defining a tunnel toward the cervix for preventing contact between a probe and walls of the vagina. Flexible cervix panels are at the inner end of the guard body and extend toward the fornix of the cervix for covering the fornix to protect it from contact by the probe. A support fulcrum is provided in the guard body tunnel at a location between inner and outer ends of the guard body for supporting the probe handle to help a practitioner hold the probe handle steady and aim the probe accurately to a selected location on the cervix.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus for use in a vagina and defining an access passage to a cervix at an end of the vagina, the apparatus comprising:
 a guard body movable into the vagina, the guard body having sides, a top and a bottom defining a tunnel in the vagina extending toward the cervix, the guard body having an outer end and an inner end;   wherein the guard apparatus has an operable state being positioned within a female patient with the inner end of the guard body positioned at the patient's cervix;   the guard body comprising flexible accordion-like sections running from the inner end towards the outer end which allow the guard body to expand and contract to increase and decrease the cross-section of the guard body;   the guard body further comprising a plurality of flexible cervix panels at a far inner end of the guard body for extending toward the cervix for covering at least portions of the cervix when in the operable state;   the guard body including the cervix panels being made of a single piece of flexible material, the cervix panels comprising a plurality of flexible panels that are separated by circumferentially spaced, axially extending slots in the inner end of the guard body, the slots being notches in said flexible material, the cervix panels and the slots both beginning at the far inner end of the guard body;   wherein the slots allow the flexible cervix panels to bend radially outwards and away from each other to conform to the shape of each cervix, the cervix panels being adapted to bend independently of the other portions of the guard body in response to being pressed against a cervix;   wherein when in said operable state at least some of the cervix panels are radially flexed with respect to other portions of the guard body to contour to the shape of the cervix.   
     
     
         2 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a support fulcrum connected to the guard body and extending across the tunnel at a location between the inner and outer ends of the guard body for supporting a medical tool during a medical procedure.   
     
     
         3 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at least one guard handle at the outer end of the guard body to be held by a practitioner.   
     
     
         4 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the guard body comprises four flexible cervix panels and four circumferentially spaced axially extending slots at the inner end of the guard body between the cervix panels. 
     
     
         5 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the guard body comprises an unbroken, substantially tubular, continuous radial cross-section of the single piece of flexible material located axially between the slots and cervix panels at the inner end to one side, and the outer end on an opposite side. 
     
     
         6 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible cervix panels automatically resiliently return from a flexed position in the operable state, to an unflexed resting position when they are removed from against the cervix and the guard apparatus is no longer in the operable state. 
     
     
         7 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the guard body and cervix panels comprise transparent plastic material. 
     
     
         8 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the guard body and cervix panels comprise transparent plastic material selected from the group consisting of: silicone rubber, poly(vinyl chloride); poly(styrene); poly(methyl methacrylate); poly(carbonate); poly(urethane); and copolymers and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         9 . A vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus for use in a vagina and defining an access passage to a cervix at an end of the vagina, the apparatus comprising:
 a guard body movable into the vagina, the guard body having sides, a top and a bottom defining a tunnel in the vagina extending toward the cervix, the guard body having an outer end and an inner end;   wherein the guard apparatus has an operable state being positioned within a female patient with the inner end of the guard body positioned at the patient's cervix;   the guard body further comprising a plurality of flexible cervix panels at a far inner end of the guard body for extending toward the cervix for covering at least portions of the cervix;   the guard body including the cervix panels comprising flexible material, the cervix panels comprising a plurality of flexible panels that are separated by circumferentially spaced, axially extending slots in the inner end of the guard body, the slots being notches in said flexible material, the cervix panels and the slots both beginning at the far inner end of the guard body;   wherein the slots allow the flexible cervix panels to bend radially outwards and away from each other to conform to the shape of each cervix, the cervix panels being adapted to bend independently of the other portions of the guard body in response to being pressed against a cervix;   wherein when in said operable state at least some of the cervix panels are flexed with respect to other portions of the guard body to contour to the shape of the cervix.   
     
     
         10 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the guard body including the cervix panels is made of a single piece of flexible material. 
     
     
         11 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the guard body further comprises flexible accordion-like sections which allow the guard body to expand and contract.   
     
     
         12 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a support fulcrum connected to the guard body and extending across the tunnel at a location between the inner and outer ends of the guard body for supporting a medical tool during a medical procedure.   
     
     
         13 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising at least one guard handle to be held by a practitioner. 
     
     
         14 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the guard body comprises four flexible cervix panels and four circumferentially spaced axially extending slots in the inner end of the guard body between the cervix panels. 
     
     
         15 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the guard body comprises an unbroken, substantially tubular, continuous radial cross-section of the single piece of flexible material located axially between the slots and cervix panels at the inner end to one side, and the outer end on an opposite side. 
     
     
         16 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the flexible cervix panels automatically resiliently return from a flexed position in the operable state, to an unflexed resting position when they are removed from against the cervix, and the guard apparatus therefore is no longer in the operable state. 
     
     
         17 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the guard body and cervix panels comprise transparent plastic material. 
     
     
         18 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the guard body and cervix panels comprise transparent plastic material selected from the group consisting of: silicone rubber, poly(vinyl chloride); poly(styrene); poly(methyl methacrylate); poly(carbonate); poly(urethane); and copolymers and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a support fulcrum connected to the guard body and extending across the tunnel at a location between the inner and outer ends of the guard body for supporting a medical tool during a medical procedure, the support fulcrum comprising a downwardly concave portion for receiving said medical tool.   
     
     
         20 . The vaginal wall and cervix guard apparatus of  claim 9 :
 wherein, when the guard apparatus is not in the operable state, the far inner end of the guard body is shaped as a cross-section of a tube, with the perimeter of said far inner end being defined by a plurality of cervix panels having slots there between.