Integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps. The invention discloses an integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling clamp which comprises an outer catheter, an optical fiber, optical fiber tweezers and a capsule shell. The optical fiber is sleeved in the outer conduit; the first end of the optical fiber extends out of the first end of the outer catheter and is used for being connected with controllable laser. The capsule shell is arranged at the second end of the outer catheter; the second end of the optical fiber extends into the capsule shell from the second end of the outer catheter; the optical fiber tweezers are arranged at second ends of the optical fibers. The flexible micro gripper based on light driving is applied to pathological sampling and serves as sampling tweezers, the sampling action is adjusted through laser, and the flexible strength is provided to reduce destructive damage to the focus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly relates to: an integrated fiber-optic catheter type pathological sampling forceps. Background Art

[0002] Pathological sampling is a crucial step in medical diagnosis and treatment. By obtaining tissue or cell samples from specific parts of a patient's body for microscopic examination, molecular detection, etc., the nature, type, and development degree of the disease can be judged. With the assistance of an endoscope, pathological sampling technology has made remarkable progress, and its accuracy and safety have been greatly improved. However, it still faces technical and operational challenges in practical applications.

[0003] Currently, biopsy is commonly used for pathological sampling. It can be completed in a minimally invasive manner in the body cavity in combination with endoscope technology, relatively reducing the pain of patients. However, the existing clamping devices mostly use mechanical jaw designs, and it is difficult to control the clamping force, which easily causes damage to tissues or cells and affects subsequent pathological analysis. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the problem that the existing clamping device based on the mechanical jaw design is prone to cause damage to tissues or cells and affect subsequent pathological analysis, the present invention provides an integrated fiber-optic catheter type pathological sampling forceps.

[0005] The present invention is implemented by the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention discloses an integrated fiber-optic catheter type pathological sampling forceps, including: an outer catheter, an optical fiber, an optical fiber tweezer, and a capsule shell.

[0007] The optical fiber is sleeved in the outer catheter; the first end of the optical fiber extends out from the first end of the outer catheter for connecting a controllable laser; the capsule shell is arranged at the second end of the outer catheter; the second end of the optical fiber extends into the capsule shell from the second end of the outer catheter; the optical fiber tweezer is arranged at the second end of the optical fiber.

[0008] The implementation of this integrated fiber-optic catheter type pathological sampling forceps is based on the method or process of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0010] 1. The present invention applies a flexible micro-gripper based on light drive to pathological sampling, uses it as a sampling tweezer, and adjusts the sampling action through laser, providing a flexible force to reduce the destructive damage to the lesion site.

[0011] 2. The present invention designs an optical fiber forceps, which is in a self-clamping closed state without external force. Then, when it is necessary to clamp tissues or cells, first, the driving part is stimulated to contract by the photothermal effect generated by laser irradiation to open the clamping part. After that, the laser can be turned off to make the photothermal effect disappear, so that the clamping part returns to the closed state to achieve clamping. In this way, there is no need for long-term laser driving, thus protecting the clamped tissues or cells from the influence of high-energy-density laser to the greatest extent, improving the problems of thermal damage and reduced biological activity of tissues or cells, and enhancing the biocompatibility of the optical fiber forceps. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0013] Figure 1 Structural diagram of the integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 is Figure 1 Structural diagram of the optical fiber and the optical fiber forceps therein;

[0015] Figure 3 is Figure 2 Structural diagram of the optical fiber forceps therein;

[0016] Figure 4 is Figure 2 State diagram of the opening and closing of the optical fiber forceps;

[0017] Figure 5 is Figure 1 Structural diagram of the driving part therein;

[0018] Figure 6 is Figure 1 Structural diagram of the clamping part therein;

[0019] Figure 7 is Figure 1 Working state diagram of the integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps sampling cells at the lesion site.

[0020] In the drawings, the list of components represented by each reference numeral is as follows:

[0021] 1. Outer catheter;

[0022] 2. Optical fiber;

[0023] 3. Reducing tube;

[0024] 4. Fiber Optic Forceps, 401. Clamping Portion, 402. Driving Portion;

[0025] 4101. Connection Base, 4102. Support Column, 4103. Gripper Base, 4104. Gripper Column;

[0026] 41041. Outer End, 41042. Inner End, 41043. Triangular Groove;

[0027] 4201. Deformation Strip, 4202. Through Hole;

[0028] 5. Capsule Shell. Detailed Implementation Manner

[0029] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0030] Embodiment

[0031] Refer to Figure 1 , which shows the integrated fiber optic catheter type pathological sampling forceps proposed in this embodiment, including: outer catheter, optical fiber 2, fiber optic forceps 4, and capsule shell 5.

[0032] The optical fiber 2 is sleeved in the outer catheter 1. Generally, the outer catheter 1 is made of biocompatible materials such as silica gel, polyurethane, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), etc., and its characteristics are soft, smooth, and have a certain strength. Moreover, the outer catheter 1 separates the optical fiber 2 from the surrounding tissues, avoiding irritation to the surrounding tissues caused by the optical fiber 2.

[0033] The first end of the optical fiber 2 extends out from the first end of the outer catheter 1 for connecting a controllable laser (i.e., whether the laser is introduced and the intensity of the introduced laser are both controllable). Generally, an adjustable laser source is connected to the optical fiber 2 to provide a controllable laser.

[0034] The capsule shell 5 is arranged at the second end of the outer catheter 1. The capsule shell 5 can be processed from edible gelatin or starch, and can be a transparent shell or a colorful shell. Generally, the inner diameter of the capsule shell 5 is processed to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer catheter 1, so as to ensure that the capsule shell 5 can be firmly clamped at the second end of the outer catheter 1.

[0035] The second end of the optical fiber 2 extends into the capsule shell 5 from the second end of the outer catheter 1; the fiber optic forceps 4 are arranged at the second end of the optical fiber 2. It should be noted that the capsule shell 5 has good bioavailability and can be reliably and safely dissolved after entering the living body, thereby exposing the fiber optic forceps 4.

[0036] Of course, in order to prevent the optical fiber 2 from moving randomly in the outer catheter 1, a reduced-diameter tube 3 can be processed at the second end of the optical fiber 2. The reduced-diameter tube 3 is used for the optical fiber 2 to pass through and clamp the optical fiber 2 to fix the optical fiber 2. Refer to Figure 1 , which shows the reduced-diameter tube 3 covered by the capsule shell 5.

[0037] Before introducing the optical fiber forceps 4, it should be noted that, as described in the background art, when using a mechanical clamping device, tissues or cells will be damaged - it is physical damage caused by the excessive clamping force of such a micromechanical gripper, which causes the tissues or cells to be over-extruded. Therefore, the present invention selects a flexible micromechanical gripper based on light driving for pathological sampling:

[0038] I. The optical fiber forceps 4 can adopt an existing light-driven flexible micromechanical gripper. For example: the optical fiber end-face light-driven micromechanical gripper disclosed in the Chinese invention patent with the patent number CN202211164413.4. When used as the optical fiber forceps 4, it closes to achieve clamping when the laser is passed through the optical fiber 2, and resets to the open state after the laser is turned off.

[0039] The advantage of using this kind of optical fiber forceps 4 is that when the laser is passed through the optical fiber 2 during clamping, it can illuminate the periodic environment, so there is no need to configure an additional light source.

[0040] II. It should be noted that when using the optical fiber forceps 4 in I for pathological sampling, there are still some disadvantages: tissues or cells are prone to thermal damage and reduced biological activity. After analysis, it is found that because the laser is a coherent light source with a high energy density, it will irradiate the tissues or cells for a long time when driving the optical fiber forceps 4, thus causing thermal damage. Moreover, the laser has a high energy density, and after irradiating the tissues or cells for a long time, it will reduce their biological activity.

[0041] Therefore, the optical fiber forceps 4 can be designed to open when the laser is passed through the optical fiber 2 and reset to the closed state to achieve clamping after the laser is turned off. Using this kind of optical fiber forceps 4 requires cooperation with an endoscope, but since the laser does not need to be irradiated all the time, the disadvantages of the optical fiber forceps 4 in I can be avoided.

[0042] Among them, the optical fiber 2 includes: an inner core and an outer cladding. The cladding protects the core, and the core can conduct the laser: when the laser is passed through the core, the end face of the optical fiber 2 irradiates the optical fiber forceps 4 with the laser; once the laser is turned off, the end face of the optical fiber 2 no longer irradiates the optical fiber forceps 4 with the laser. Of course, considering the directivity of the laser, generally the optical fiber forceps 4 are processed at the position corresponding to the core on the end face to ensure the effect of laser irradiation.

[0043] Such as Figure 2 , Figure 3As shown in the figure, the optical fiber tweezer 4 includes a driving part 402 and a clamping part 401. The driving part 402 is in contact with or connected to the clamping part 401. It should be noted that the relationship between the driving part 402 and the clamping part 401 should satisfy that if the driving part 402 deforms, the clamping part 401 will also be driven and undergo corresponding changes. Of course, to ensure the reliability of the interaction between the two, it is recommended to design it such that the driving part 402 is sleeved on the clamping part 401.

[0044] It should be noted that the driving part 402 is made of hydrogel deposited with metal particles (such as silver ions, gold ions, copper ions, etc.); the clamping part 401 is made of photoresist (which can be commercial photoresists such as SU-8, IP-S, or other commercial types or self-prepared photoresists). The two have a certain adhesiveness, so even in contact, the above requirements can be met based on the adhesive effect. Both also have a certain light transmittance, allowing the laser to pass through: for the driving part 402, after the laser is passed through, the metal particles in the hydrogel absorb the light energy of the laser and convert it into heat energy, that is, a photothermal effect stimulation is formed; after the laser is turned off, the metal particles in the hydrogel no longer generate heat, and the photothermal effect stimulation disappears. That is to say, the optical fiber tweezer 4 is irradiated by the controllable laser from the optical fiber 2 to generate or lose the photothermal effect stimulation.

[0045] For the optical fiber tweezer 4, it satisfies:

[0046] First, when there is no external force acting on the clamping part 401, it is in a self-clamping closed state.

[0047] The "no external force acting" here means that when the driving part 402 does not undergo a volume change, at this time, the driving part 402 does not exert an external force on the clamping part 401.

[0048] Second, when the driving part 402 undergoes volume contraction under the stimulation of the photothermal effect and drives the clamping part 401 to open, and when the photothermal effect stimulation disappears, it undergoes volume recovery and drives the clamping part 401 to reset to the closed state to achieve clamping.

[0049] That is to say:

[0050] ①. When the laser is passed through, due to the temperature increase brought by the metal particles, deformation occurs, and the water molecules in the hydrogel escape from the hydrogel network structure under the condition of temperature increase, resulting in the volume reduction of the driving part 402. When the driving part 402 contracts in volume, it will pull the clamping part 401 outward in all directions, thereby causing the clamping part 401 to open.

[0051] ②. When the laser is turned off, since the metal particles no longer generate heat, the temperature of the driving part 402 recovers, and water molecules re-enter the hydrogel, causing the volume of the driving part 402 to recover. When the volume of the driving part 402 recovers, it will push the clamping part 401 inward from all around, so that the clamping part 401 is reset to the closed state.

[0052] The schematic diagrams of the above processes ① and ② are as Figure 4 shown. Then, when it is necessary to clamp tissues or cells, first generate a photothermal effect stimulation through laser irradiation to cause the driving part 402 to contract and the clamping part 401 to open, and then the laser can be turned off to make the photothermal effect stimulation disappear to make the clamping part 401 reset to the closed state to achieve clamping. In this way, there is no need for long-term laser driving.

[0053] Refer to Figure 5 , the clamping part 401 can be designed to include: a connecting seat 4101, a gripper mechanism, and a support column 4102. The connecting seat 4101 is connected to the end face of the optical fiber 2. Generally, the connecting seat 4101 is designed into a regular shape - such as a circle or a square, so that it has a sufficient contact area with the end face of the optical fiber 2 to achieve a firm attachment to the end face of the optical fiber 2.

[0054] As Figure 5 shown, the gripper mechanism includes: a gripper seat 4103 and N gripper columns 4104. The gripper seat 4103 includes N mounting plates; the N mounting plates are evenly distributed in a petal shape, with their inner ends connected together and serving as the center of the gripper seat 4103; the N gripper columns 4104 are correspondingly arranged on the side of the mounting plate facing away from the connecting seat 4101. The gripper seat 4103 adopts the above petal design instead of a complete circle or square similar to the connecting seat 4101: This can not only reduce the weight, but also there are intervals between the mounting plates, making the deformation more free when being affected by the driving part 402 later.

[0055] One end of the support column 4102 is connected to the connecting seat 4101, and the other end is connected to the center of the gripper seat 4103. Among them, the end of the support column 4102 connected to the connecting seat 4101 can also be located at the center of the connecting seat 4101 to ensure uniform force.

[0056] It should be noted that N is at least 3, so as to maintain clamping of tissues or cells from at least 3 directions. As Figure 5 shown, it shows the case where N is 3. Of course, considering the actual design, the value of N should not be too large, and generally 3 or 4 is sufficient.

[0057] As Figure 6As shown, the driving part 402 includes: N deformation strips 4201. The N deformation strips 4201 are evenly distributed in a petal shape, with their inner ends connected together and provided with through holes 4202; the N deformation strips 4201 are sleeved on the support column 4102 through the through holes 4202, one end is in contact with or connected to the connecting seat 4101, and the other end is in contact with or connected to the N mounting plates one by one.

[0058] In this way, the driving part 402 is sleeved on the support column 4102, which can effectively avoid the situation that the driving part 402 is separated from the clamping part 401. Moreover, similar to the gripper seat 4103, the driving part 402 adopts a petal design instead of a complete circle or square similar to the connecting seat 4101: this can not only reduce the weight, but also there are intervals between the deformation strips 4201, and the deformation is more free when stimulated by the photothermal effect.

[0059] And, one deformation strip 4201 is correspondingly arranged with one mounting plate and can be regarded as forming a set of driving and deforming components; there is no interference between different sets of driving and deforming components - its acting direction is: pulling outwards from the inside to the outside or squeezing inwards from the outside to the inside. That is to say: when the clamping part 401 opens, the ends of the N gripper columns 4104 away from the mounting plate move away from each other; when the clamping part 401 closes, the ends of the N gripper columns 4104 away from the mounting plate approach each other to generate a clamping effect.

[0060] In addition, considering the use scenario of the fiber optic tweezers 4, the gripper columns 4104 can be designed into an arc shape so that the N gripper columns 4104 enclose the internal space of an ellipsoid, so as to more stably clamp the cells in the closed state.

[0061] For the gripper column 4104, the end away from the gripper plate can be designed into an outer end head 41041 in a spherical crown shape. In this way, in the closed state, the area A surrounded by the outer end head 41041 can be used to pick up tissues or cells, so as to avoid physical damage to the tissues or cells as much as possible. In addition, a convex inner end head 41042 is processed near the inner circle of the gripper column 4104 close to the mounting plate. In this way, when the tissue is long, the inner end head 41042 can cooperate with the outer end head 41041 to clamp both ends of the tissue to avoid tissue shedding. In addition, a triangular groove 41043 can be processed between the inner end head 41042 and the end of the gripper column 4104 connected to the mounting plate. In this way, not only can the inner end head 41042 be in a protruding state, but also the weight of the gripper structure can be reduced, and a certain amount of deformation redundancy can be provided between the gripper column 4104 and the mounting plate to make the gripper mechanism more gentle when clamping.

[0062] Generally speaking, when performing pathological sampling, first use a guide wire in cooperation with an endoscope to locate the lesion, then pass the positioning catheter through the guide wire and slide along the trajectory of the guide wire to intervene at the specified position under the auxiliary guidance of the guide wire. Then, depending on the situation, the guide wire is removed or temporarily retained. Next, insert the integrated optical fiber 2 catheter-type sampling forceps into the positioning catheter and extend it to the specified position; after the capsule shell 5 comes into contact with the lesion, it will be dissolved by the action of tissue fluid to expose the optical fiber forceps 4. In this way, the optical fiber forceps 4 are controlled by laser to sample cells or tissues at the lesion; after sampling, take out the integrated optical fiber 2 catheter-type sampling forceps with the sampled material from the positioning catheter; finally, remove the positioning catheter and the guide wire (if it was retained before).

[0063] In addition, referring to Figure 7 , it shows the process of the optical fiber forceps 4 clamping cells: Figure 7 In the (a) area of Figure 7 , it shows that the optical fiber forceps 4 move near the cells; in the (b) area to (c) area of Figure 7 , it shows that the optical fiber forceps 4 open and approach the cells; in the (d) area of Figure 7 , it shows that the optical fiber forceps 4 close and clamp the cells; in the (e) to (f) area of

[0064] The above-described embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present invention. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the invention patent should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps, characterized in that, It includes: An outer catheter, an optical fiber, an optical fiber forceps, and a capsule shell; The optical fiber is sleeved in the outer catheter; the first end of the optical fiber extends out from the first end of the outer catheter and is used to connect to a controllable laser; The capsule shell is arranged at the second end of the outer catheter; the second end of the optical fiber extends into the capsule shell from the second end of the outer catheter; the optical fiber forceps is arranged at the second end of the optical fiber.

2. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 1, wherein: A constriction tube is arranged at the second end of the optical fiber for the optical fiber to pass through and clamp the optical fiber.

3. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber forceps closes when the laser is passed through the optical fiber to achieve clamping and resets to the open state after the laser is turned off.

4. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The optical fiber forceps opens when the laser is passed through the optical fiber and resets to the closed state after the laser is turned off to achieve clamping.

5. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 3, wherein: The optical fiber forceps includes: a driving part and a clamping part; the driving part is in contact with or connected to the clamping part; The driving part is made of a hydrogel deposited with metal particles; the clamping part is made of a photoresist; When there is no external force acting on the clamping part, it is in a self-clamping closed state; The optical fiber forceps is irradiated by a controllable laser from the optical fiber to generate or lose the stimulation of the photothermal effect; Among them, when the driving part is stimulated by the photothermal effect, its volume shrinks to drive the clamping part to open, and when the stimulation of the photothermal effect disappears, its volume recovers to drive the clamping part to reset to the closed state to achieve clamping.

6. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 5, characterized in that: The driving part is sleeved on the clamping part.

7. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 5, characterized in that: The clamping part includes: A connecting seat, a gripper mechanism, and a support column; Among them, the connecting seat is connected to the end face of the optical fiber; The gripper mechanism includes: a gripper seat and N gripper columns; the gripper seat includes N mounting plates; the N mounting plates are evenly distributed in a petal shape, and their inner ends are connected together and serve as the center of the gripper seat; the N gripper columns are correspondingly arranged on the side of the mounting plate facing away from the connecting seat; N≥3; one end of the support column is connected to the connecting seat and the other end is connected to the center of the gripper seat.

8. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 7, wherein: The driving part includes: N deformation strips; Among them, the N deformation strips are evenly distributed in a petal shape, and their inner ends are connected together and are provided with through holes; the N deformation strips are sleeved on the support column through the through holes, one end is in contact with or connected to the connecting seat, and the other end is in contact with or connected to the N mounting plates correspondingly.

9. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 7, wherein: When the clamping part opens, the ends of the N gripper columns away from the mounting plate move away from each other; When the clamping part closes, the ends of the N gripper columns away from the mounting plate move closer to each other to generate a clamping effect.

10. The integrated optical fiber catheter type pathological sampling forceps according to claim 8, characterized in that: The inner space surrounded by the N gripper columns is an ellipsoid; Or / and, the end of the gripper column away from the gripper plate is an outer end head in a spherical crown shape; Or / and, a protruding inner end head is arranged at the inner circle of the gripper column near the mounting plate; Or / and, a triangular groove is further arranged between the inner end head and the end of the gripper column connected to the mounting plate.

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