now with more particular reference to the drawings , fig4 - 8 illustrate sequentially the deposit of a marker into a desired tissue location , utilizing a preferred embodiment of the invention . specifically , the marking instrument 10 comprises a marker element 12 which includes an umbrella end comprising a pair of attachment members or wings 14 and 16 , and a center wire 18 . all three wires 14 , 16 and 18 are joined at the distal end 20 of the center wire 18 , preferably by welding . at the proximal end 22 of the center wire is a deployment actuator or pull ring 24 , which is preferably attached by welding or brazing . to place the marker element 12 at a desired location , a biopsy needle or gun is preferably used , though other known delivery means could be used as well . for example , the stand - mounted biopsy instrument described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 217 , 246 , previously incorporated by reference into this application , is a preferred instrument for introducing the marker element into the body of a patient . one embodiment of such an instrument 26 is partially illustrated in fig1 - 3 . the biopsy instrument 26 includes a housing 28 . a hollow outer piercing needle 38 is attached to the housing 28 at location 34 . a distal end of the hollow outer piercing needle 38 includes a point 40 . hollow outer piercing needle 38 also includes a tissue receiving port or bowl 42 ( fig2 and 3 ). a cannular inner cutter 44 is movably positioned coaxially within the hollow outer piercing needle 38 and housing 28 . a vacuum line 46 supplies vacuum to ports 50 in the bottom of the receiving bowl 42 . operation of the biopsy instrument to facilitate the placement of a tissue marker is illustrated sequentially in fig1 - 3 . fig1 illustrates the distal end point 40 of the hollow outer piercing needle 38 in position to pierce a target tissue 51 . the initial position of the point 40 with respect to the tissue area being marked is determined by the overall position of the biopsy instrument with respect to the patient . for example , the entire biopsy instrument may be mounted on a commercially available stereotactic guidance system ( not shown ) commonly used in the medical field for accurate positioning of a variety of medical devices with respect to a patient . a detailed description of such a motorized biopsy needle positioner , i . e . stereotactic guidance system , is given in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 240 , 011 , issued on aug . 31 , 1993 to michael assa , which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . the suspect lesion within tissue 51 is to be targeted and marked according to the instructions provided with the stereotactic guidance system . as shown in fig1 , the stereotactic guidance system has positioned the biopsy instrument 26 such that the distal end point 40 is immediately adjacent to the surface of the tissue 51 . once the point 40 is adjacent the specific lesion to be marked , the needle 38 is fired into the lesion such that the point 40 traverses through the lesion , thereby placing the tissue receiving bowl 42 in the center of the lesion . as shown in fig2 , after the hollow outer piercing needle 38 has been positioned at the precise location within the tissue 51 at which it is desired to mark tissue , the cutter 44 is moved proximally of the housing 28 to provide an entry access for the tissue marker delivery system . as shown in fig3 , a vacuum source attached to vacuum line 46 is actuated , thereby generating a region of low pressure at the vacuum ports 50 to facilitate the prolapse of tissue 51 a immediately adjacent to the tissue receiving port 42 into the hollow interior of hollow outer piercing needle 38 . now again referring to fig4 - 8 , the marking instrument 10 includes a tube 54 . the center wire 18 runs axially through a lumen 56 of the tube 54 , with the pull ring 24 being attached to the proximal end of the center wire 18 , proximally of the tube 54 . the distal end 20 of the center wire extends distally of the tube 54 and is joined to attachment members 14 and 16 , as described above . in operation , the tube 54 of the marking instrument is inserted into the patient &# 39 ; s body in the direction of the arrow 58 , as shown in fig4 , until the distal end 20 of the center wire 18 approaches the desired location , adjacent to or in the abnormal tissue or lesion . because direct visual access to the targeted tissue is impossible , an aided visualization device , such as the stereotactic guidance system described above , is used to guide the distal portion of the marking instrument to the targeted tissue . then , if the biopsy instrument shown in fig1 - 3 is utilized to deploy the markers , the targeted tissue 51 a ( fig5 ) is vacuumed into the tissue receiving port 42 . referring particularly to fig5 , once the distal end 20 of the center wire reaches the targeted , vacuumed tissue , the ring 24 is pulled away from the tissue in the direction of the arrow 60 . this action deploys the marker attachment members 14 and 16 as they are forced into a die formed in the tip 62 of the tube . this die may take any desired form , depending upon the desired deployed configuration of the attachment members 14 , 16 . with reference to fig6 , tension continues to be applied to the ring 24 , in the direction shown by the arrow 64 , until the distal end of the marker is fully deployed . forcing the attachment members into the die 62 causes them to extend outwardly , as illustrated , into the tissue . their outward energy anchors the marker element 12 in the tissue for permanent implantation . the tips 66 and 68 of the attachment members may be configured to be less traumatic as an implant , or may alternatively be sharpened to provide a more secure grip . at full deployment , the width of the umbrella end of the marker element is preferably about 0 . 035 to 0 . 045 inches , though other sizes may be utilized within the scope of the invention . now referring to fig7 , even after the attachment members 14 and 16 have been fully deployed , the pull ring 24 is pulled to further increase tension in the direction of the arrow 70 , until the center wire 18 is sheared at a point of weakness or detent 72 ( see fig4 - 6 ) which is established in the center wire 18 proximally of the tip 20 . once failure has occurred , the pull ring 24 and the proximal portion 18 ′ of the center wire may be discarded as they are severed from the marker element 12 and remaining distal portion 18 ″ of the center wire . finally , with reference to fig8 , to finish placing the marker element 12 , the tube 54 is withdrawn in the direction of the arrow 74 , as illustrated . the marker element is thereby permanently secured to locate the lesion site for future examination by known imaging methods . in the preferred embodiment , the marker element 12 is fabricated of stainless steel . however , many other biocompatible , radiopaque , implantable materials may be used for the marker element 12 as well , including , for example , titanium , tantalum , or nickel - titanium alloys . additionally , while a 3 - pronged umbrella end is shown and described , any number of prongs may be used , if desired . while it is preferred that the marker element 12 be deployed using the biopsy instrument described and shown in fig1 - 3 , any instrument capable of delivering the element percutaneously may be utilized . such instruments , for example , may include the hand - held biopsy gun described in u . s . pat . no . re . 34 , 056 , entitled “ tissue sampling device ” and issued to lindgren et al . all of these types of instruments include a tube ( typically a cannula or needle ) which is adapted to enter the body , and would be capable of delivering the marker element . it is also within the scope of the invention to deliver the marker element through any tube which has access to the body or using optical medical instruments , such as endoscopes , arthroscopes , or laparoscopes , in which case the marker element is delivered to the desired tissue site from outside the body of the patient , through the body of the instrument . now with reference to fig9 - 11 , an alternative embodiment of a marking instrument 10 a is shown , which is identical to the instrument 10 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 a corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter a . the fig9 embodiment is substantially similar to the fig4 embodiment , in that the marking instrument includes a tube 54 a which has a lumen 56 a , and may utilize a cannula , needle , or imaging instrument ( i . e . endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ) for access to a delivery site within the body and to aid in delivery . again , as is the case for all succeeding embodiments , it is preferred that the tube 54 a utilize the hollow outer piercing needle 38 of the biopsy instrument shown in fig1 - 8 , though any other instrument which is capable of delivering a marker percutaneously or through a body orifice from a location outside the patient &# 39 ; s body may be utilized . a center wire 18 a runs longitudinally through the lumen 56 a . at the proximal end of the center wire 18 a is a deployment actuator or pull ring 24 a . at the distal end of the center wire is the marker element 12 a . a primary difference between the fig4 and fig9 embodiments is that the fig9 marker element 12 a is preferably a generally “ u ” shaped element resembling a surgical ligating clip , having tips 66 a and 68 a , which is captured by the distal looped end 20 a of the twisted center wire . in operation , once the tips 66 a and 68 a of the marking element 12 a reach the targeted tissue , the ring 24 a is pulled rightwardly in the direction of the arrow 76 ( fig1 ). this action retracts the base portion 78 of the marker element 12 a into a forming recess 80 ( fig9 ), wherein the recessed tube wall 82 forces prongs 86 and 88 together until tips 66 a and 68 a of the prongs 86 and 88 , respectively , contact or nearly contact one another ( fig1 ). at this point , increasing tension applied to the pull ring 24 a causes the wire 18 a to fail at a point of weakness or detent ( not shown ) provided in the center wire at or near its tip end 20 a , thereby releasing the marker into the target tissue , as illustrated in fig1 . referring now to fig1 , a second alternative embodiment of a marking instrument 10 b is shown , which is identical to the instrument 10 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 b corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter b . the fig1 embodiment is substantially similar to the fig4 embodiment , in that the marking instrument includes a tube 54 b which has a lumen 56 b , and may utilize a cannula , needle , or imaging instrument ( i . e . endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ) for access to delivery site within the body and to aid in delivery . there are two primary differences between the embodiments of fig4 & amp ; 9 and that of fig1 . first , in the fig1 embodiment , a plurality of marker elements 12 b ( two are shown , though any number may be employed ) may be preloaded into the tube 54 b , each comprising a pre - formed spring which is deployed through the tube &# 39 ; s distal region 90 in an axial direction . second , the nature of the deployment mechanism utilizes a compressive rather than tensile force . it may further be noted that , though end deployment of the marker elements in the fig1 embodiment is illustrated , they may be similarly deployed radially through a side port ( not shown ) in tube 54 b , or at any other angle , to accommodate delivery through an existing instrument ( i . e . cannula , needle , endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ). in being deployed radially , the distal region 90 is not used for passage of the marker element and could be utilized to house a piercing element ( not shown ) similar to that shown in fig1 - 3 . armed with the piercing element , this marker delivery system would not be dependent on a positioning system as described in fig1 - 3 for placement at the tissue site and could be used alone in conjunction with a commercially available stereotactic or other guidance system . this concept may be applied to all subsequent embodiments except that illustrated in fig1 . still with reference to fig1 , each marker element or spring 12 b preferably includes a center coil 92 from which a pair of attachment members 94 and 96 extend , and is adapted to automatically attach itself to the target tissue by utilizing its own stored energy . thus , in operation , each spring 12 b is held in a compressed position within the tube 54 b . when it is desired to deploy the marker , a mandrel 98 is preferably utilized to push the spring 12 b through the center lumen 56 b and out through the distal open end 90 of the tube . once the spring exits the tube , stored energy causes the attachment members 94 and 96 to expand outwardly , as shown . as this expansion occurs , the tips 102 and 104 of the attachment members 94 and 96 , respectively , anchor themselves into the tissue to permanently secure the marker element in the desired location . as with the fig4 embodiment , the tips 102 and 104 may be blunt to be less traumatic as an implant , or may alternatively be sharpened or barbed to provide a more secure grip . once a spring has been deployed , the instrument may be repositioned to the next desired location for the immediate deployment of another marker until the supply in the tube 54 b is exhausted , eliminating the need to remove and re - load the marking instrument 10 b between each deployment . again in this embodiment , the spring 12 b may be fabricated of any known biocompatible , implantable , radiopaque material , though stainless steel is preferred . additionally , the forces required to deploy the attachment members on the spring may be customize by varying the spring filar , dimensions , material , and / or the number of coils in the torsional part of the spring . fig1 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the marking instrument 10 , which is identical to the instrument 10 b of fig1 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 c corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 b of fig1 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter c . in actuality , the fig1 embodiment is substantially identical to that of fig1 , except for the shape of each spring 12 c , and is employed in precisely the same manner . thus , to deploy a marker element 12 c , the mandrel 98 c is utilized to push the spring 12 c through the center lumen 56 c and out through the distal open end 90 c of the tube . as in the fig1 embodiment , the marker element travels in the direction of the arrow 100 c , until the attachment members 94 c and 96 c extend outwardly sufficiently to anchor themselves to the target tissue . also , the fig1 embodiment is similar to the fig1 embodiment in that the instrument may be repositioned to immediately deploy another marker element without re - loading , and marker elements may be deployed radially through a side port in tube 54 c ( not shown ), or any other angle , to accommodate delivery through an existing instrument ( i . e . cannula , needle , endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ). fig1 shows still another alternative embodiment of the marking instrument 10 , which is also substantially identical to the instrument 10 b of fig1 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 d corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 b of fig1 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter d . again , the fig1 embodiment is substantially identical to those of fig1 and 13 , except for the shape of the marker element or spring 12 d . a marker element 12 d is deployed preferably using a mandrel 98 d or the like to push the spring 12 d through the center lumen 56 d until it exits through the open end 90 d of the tube . as in the fig1 and 13 embodiments , the marker element travels in the direction of the arrow 100 d , until the tips 102 d and 104 d extend outwardly sufficiently to anchor themselves to the target tissue . in practice , a radiologist or other operator of the equipment can use a marker shaped like marker 12 b , as shown in fig1 , during one biopsy , then use a differently shaped marker , such as the marker 12 c in the fig1 embodiment , or the marker 12 d in the fig1 embodiment , during a subsequent biopsy procedure . the differently shaped markers permit the distinction between different biopsy procedures during future imaging procedures , as well as between biopsy sites which may be close in proximity , thereby improving the information available to the radiologist and thus the ability to monitor or diagnose the patient &# 39 ; s future condition more precisely . fig1 illustrates yet another alternative embodiment of the marking instrument 10 , which is also substantially identical to the instrument 10 b of fig1 in all respects not shown or described herein . portions of the instrument 10 e corresponding to portions of the instrument 10 b of fig1 are designated by corresponding reference numerals followed by the letter e . in this embodiment each marker element 12 e is deployed distally through the open distal region 90 e of the tube 54 e by a mandrel 98 e , much as in the previous embodiments shown in fig1 , 13 , and 14 . the primary difference , however , between this embodiment and the previous embodiments is that , while the marker elements in the previous embodiments rely largely on the barbed nature of the spring to secure themselves in the tissue , in this embodiment , the springs are secured simply because of their significant expansion upon exit from the tube . this embodiment particularly lends itself to marking the boundaries of a biopsy or other desired site by defining the perimeter of the site . the expansion of the spring 12 e causes the blunt edges 102 e and 104 e to press outwardly against the selected tissue , thereby wedging the spring securely into position . an advantage of this embodiment is that , because of the tight compression of the springs 12 e within the tube 54 e , a larger number of markers can be inserted therein simultaneously , thereby permitting the deployment of more markers without having to pause and disengage to re - load . another advantage the fig1 embodiment provides is the ability to deploy springs adapted to expand to a number of different sizes all from the same lumen . larger sized springs would require more coils within a given lumen than smaller sized springs ( not shown ). it should be noted that the springs need not be limited to the configuration illustrated , but could include any spring of any configuration which expands to secure its position . while stainless steel is presently preferred , any other biocompatible , implantable , and radiopaque material could be used alternatively . also as in the previous embodiments , marker elements may be similarly deployed radially through a side port in tube 54 e ( not shown ), or any other angle , to accommodate delivery through an existing instrument ( i . e . cannula , needle , endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ). still another alternative embodiment of the marking instrument 10 is shown in fig1 . in this embodiment , the marking instrument 10 f comprises a tube 54 f . wire segments 106 of any desired length are preloaded into the lumen 56 f , which runs along substantially the entire length of the tube 54 f . once the needle is properly positioned , the marker elements 12 f are deployed by pushing them out of the tip of the needle , through the side exit port 108 . a curved portion 110 of the lumen 56 f comprises a die portion , and is adapted to form the wire segments 106 into helical marker elements 12 f as they pass therethrough , pushed by a mandrel ( not shown ) or other known means from the tip of the needle through the exit port 108 . the nature of the curve or curves in the die portion 110 and preformed curves imparted into the wire segments determine the final shape ( which resembles a partial or whole helix ) and dimensions of the marker element . this embodiment is versatile in that it is capable of continuously deploying any number of marker elements without the necessity of re - loading , since all that is required is a continuous feed of wire segments into the proximal region of the tube 54 f . furthermore , differently sized and shaped helixes may be delivered in the same procedure by utilizing marker wires of different diameters and / or preformed curves , which approximate different helical shapes as they pass through the die portion . thus , loading a plurality of different sized wires into the needle yields a plurality of different shaped markers . of course , as with the previous embodiments , although stainless steel is presently preferred , many different types of biocompatible , implantable , and radiopaque materials could be utilized within the scope of the invention . also as in the previous embodiments , marker elements may be similarly deployed at different angles to accommodate delivery through an existing instrument ( i . e . cannula , needle , endoscope , laparoscope , or the like ). unlike previous embodiments , fig1 preferably incorporates a piercing element 112 enabling this marker to be delivered without the aid of the positioning system described in fig1 - 3 for placement at the tissue site . this embodiment could be used alone in conjunction with a commercially available stereotactic or other ( i . e . ultrasonic ) guidance system . though a number of different embodiments of the conceptual invention have been described and shown , it is considered to be within the scope of the invention for the marking elements and delivery instruments to take on many other forms . for example , embolization coils like that illustrated in fig1 and designated with reference numeral 12 g are well known in the medical field for placement into vessels such as veins and arteries in order to block off fluid flow abnormalities ( such as fistulas and arteriovenous malformations ). these coils have been made of various materials , including stainless steel , platinum , and gold , and are wound into configuration similar to that of a light bulb filament . they are generally placed into the body using a catheter or trocar system . the inventors in the present application have discovered that such coils may indeed also be used as marker elements , for permanent implantation in target tissue , in a manner similar to that described previously with respect to fig1 - 16 . marker elements of many other materials and configurations may be used as well . for example , one such multi - appendaged jack - shaped marker 12 h is illustrated in fig1 . additionally , small beads 12 i ( fig1 ) of calcium carbonate or other radiodense materials , which are highly visible by mammographic imaging , could be deployed as marker elements . one such application would be to place a plurality of such beads or pellets ( each having a diameter of about 500μ ) around the entirety of a breast lesion prior to the extraction procedure , which would then serve as guides to ensure that all of the margins had been removed . during subsequent imaging procedures , they would function to denote the location of the previous biopsy for reference purposes . referring now to fig2 , yet another alternative marker element 12 j , which is of a woven construction , is illustrated . other such marker materials may include adhesives and epoxies which would be injected at the biopsy site . biodegradable polymers and other plastics could also be used , as long as they are biocompatible , implantable , and visible using an imaging system . while this invention has been described with respect to various specific examples and embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that it can be variously practiced within the scope of the following claims .
in order to later identify the location of a biopsy or surgery , various means and methods for permanently and non - surgically marking selected tissue in the human body are used . later visualization of the markers is readily accomplished using state - of - the - art imaging systems .