Endometrial brush with slidable protective sleeve

Claim 1

An endometrial brush for obtaining endometrial samples, said endometrial brush comprising in combination: (a) a handle for manipulating said endometrial brush; (b) a shaft having first and second end portions, the first end portion being attached to said handle, said shaft being rigid and bendable so that when said shaft is bent to a particular configuration, said shaft rigidly retains that configuration; (c) a plurality of bristles attached to the second end portion of said shaft for collecting said endometrial sample, said bristles being oriented about the second end portion of said shaft to form a bristle section; (d) a flexible sleeve slidably disposed on said shaft for covering said bristles during insertion of said endometrial brush into a patient's endometrium and exposing said bristles within the endometrium to permit scraping of cells and tissue from the endometrium by said bristles, said flexible sleeve having an outside diameter sufficiently small to enable insertion of said endometrial brush into the endometrium of the patient without substantial discomfort to the patient; (e) first means connected to said sleeve for effecting sliding said sleeve along said shaft to cover said bristles during said insertion and sliding of said sleeve along said shaft to expose said bristles after said bristles are properly positioned in the endometrium; and (f) rounded means attached to the end of said shaft for minimizing discomfort to the patient during insertion of said endometrial brush, wherein said sleeve sealably engages said rounded means if said sleeve is slid along said shaft so that one end of said sleeve slides over said bristles and over said rounded means, whereby no moisture, tissue, or cells contact said bristles during insertion of said endometrial brush.