A flexible structure based neuroendoscopy surgery assisting device

Abstract

This invention discloses a neuroendoscopic surgical aid device based on a flexible structure, relating to the field of medical devices. The device includes a flexible main body and a support frame. The flexible main body is integrally molded from high-toughness resin using 3D printing, with multiple segments evenly spaced along the axial direction of the base. The base and segments, as well as adjacent segments, are connected by thin connecting joints to achieve controllable bending. An internal channel is provided through the flexible main body, allowing the endoscope and surgical instruments to directly access the head cavity of the flexible main body. The head cavity provides operating space for surgery and avoids contamination of the endoscopic view. Two sets of support frames are offset on the non-moving side of the flexible main body, forming a gradually changing bending shape with a large curvature at the distal end and a small curvature at the proximal end, while simultaneously improving compressive and torsional stiffness. This invention features a simple structure, convenient assembly, and economical cost, combining high precision and high stability, making it suitable for minimally invasive neurosurgery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical devices, specifically to a neuroendoscopic surgical aid device based on a flexible structure, suitable for auxiliary operations in minimally invasive neurosurgery. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional neuroendoscopic surgical instruments mostly employ straight metal rod structures, which are highly rigid and have limited bending radii. This makes multi-degree-of-freedom exploration difficult within the confined space of the cranial cavity, and can easily cause traction damage to surrounding brain tissue. To improve flexibility, flexible endoscope solutions have been extensively researched in recent years. Existing flexible mechanisms generally employ integral elastomers or serpentine tandem structures. While these improve the bending capacity and adaptability of the instruments to some extent, they still have significant drawbacks: integral elastomers are prone to uncontrollable rebound when bearing the weight of surgical instruments and irrigation fluid, leading to decreased positioning accuracy; serpentine tandem structures require multi-joint segmented actuation, resulting in complex assembly, numerous parts, high manufacturing costs, and large cumulative errors in joint gaps, making it difficult to achieve sub-millimeter-level precise positioning. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a flexible auxiliary device that combines controllable bending, high positioning rigidity, and low-cost manufacturing to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the problems in the background art, this invention provides a neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure. Through a one-piece molded high-toughness material and a support frame design, the device achieves both flexible bending and stability. The technical solution is as follows:

[0004] This invention provides a neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure, comprising a flexible body, a support frame, and a drive line;

[0005] The flexible body is cylindrical in shape and includes a base, multiple segments, multiple connecting joints, and a head cavity. The base is located at the bottom of the flexible body and supports the entire device. Multiple segments are arranged at equal intervals along the axial direction of the base. Each segment has a connecting joint on one side of its bottom, and the other side of each segment is connected to the segment above it through the connecting joint of the segment above it. The base is connected to the nearest segment through a connecting joint, so that adjacent connecting joints are arranged alternately on both sides of the flexible body. The head cavity is a hemispherical space with an inward indentation in the segment farthest from the base, providing space for surgical instruments. The flexible body has an internal channel that runs through the entire flexible body axially to accommodate endoscopes and surgical instruments simultaneously.

[0006] The support frame is axially fixed to both sides of the flexible body. The distribution plane of the support frame on both sides is perpendicular to the distribution plane of the connecting joints on both sides. The support frame has high bending stiffness within its distribution plane and low bending stiffness in the direction perpendicular to the distribution plane. The support frame limits the flexible body to only undergo unilateral deflection movement within the distribution plane of the connecting joints, while improving the overall stiffness of the device in the non-movement direction. The device uses one side of the distribution plane of the connecting joints as the force-bearing side. The drive line passes through the connecting joints and segments on the force-bearing side. One end is glued and fixed to the segment farthest from the base, and the other end is led out through the base. The deflection of the device is achieved by pulling or releasing the drive line.

[0007] Preferably, the connecting joint is a sheet-like structure, forming a weak area of ​​the flexible body, so that the flexible body preferentially produces controllable bending at the connecting joint when subjected to force.

[0008] Preferably, the flexible body adopts a 3D printed one-piece molding design; a through hole is opened in the center of the side of the connecting joint to prevent blind holes from being formed during molding, which would affect the insertion of the drive line.

[0009] Preferably, the support frame consists of four shape memory alloy wires, arranged symmetrically in pairs on both sides of the flexible body. Each pair includes a central metal wire and an offset metal wire. The central metal wire is arranged on the symmetrical plane of the connecting joints on both sides, and is bonded to the base and to the even-numbered segment from the base. The offset metal wire is offset a certain distance away from the central metal wire on the side away from the force-bearing side, and is bonded to the odd-numbered segment from the base. The beneficial effects of this invention include:

[0010] 1. The flexible body of the present invention adopts a 3D printing integrated molding design, which reduces assembly errors and improves manufacturing efficiency. Its dual-cavity integrated design supports the collaborative work of multiple medical devices, meets diverse surgical needs, and can simultaneously deliver multiple medical devices to the target point.

[0011] 2. The present invention adds a support frame on the non-moving side of the flexible body, which enhances the structural stability of the device and can adapt to complex surgical environments. Moreover, the support frame adopts a design of central metal wire and offset metal wire, forming a gradual bending shape with "large curvature at the distal end and small curvature at the proximal end", which ensures that while achieving a wide range of exploration, the end only moves within a narrow space, effectively reducing mechanical traction on brain tissue.

[0012] 3. The present invention also applies a low-friction coating to the internal channels to reduce channel resistance and improve operational accuracy.

[0013] This invention features a simple structure, convenient assembly, and economical cost. It combines high precision and high stability, and can perform surgical operations such as exploration and aspiration within a wide angle range. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a neuroendoscopic surgery auxiliary device based on a flexible structure according to the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a flexible neuroendoscopic surgery auxiliary device according to the present invention from different angles.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible main structure of a neuroendoscopic surgery auxiliary device based on a flexible structure according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the head cavity of a neuroendoscopic surgical aid device based on a flexible structure according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a top view schematic diagram of the flexible main body of a neuroendoscopic surgery auxiliary device based on a flexible structure according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a bending schematic diagram of the overall structure of a neuroendoscopic surgery auxiliary device based on a flexible structure according to the present invention.

[0020] In the diagram, 1. Flexible main body; 2. Support frame; 3. Drive line; 11. Base; 12. Segment; 13. Connecting joint; 14. Internal channel; 15. Head cavity. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further described and illustrated below with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments are merely illustrative of the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the invention. The technical features of each embodiment in the present invention can be combined accordingly, provided that there is no conflict between them.

[0022] To address the current limitations of flexible endoscopes in achieving controllable bending, high positioning stiffness, and low-cost manufacturing, this invention provides a neuroendoscopic surgical aid device and method based on a flexible structure. Through an integrated flexible body and an offset support frame design, the device achieves flexible and controllable bending, balancing high stability and high precision. It features a simple structure, economical cost, and meets the operational requirements of minimally invasive neurosurgery.

[0023] Figure 1 and Figure 2 This invention demonstrates the overall structure of a flexible neuroendoscopic surgery aid device. The device includes a flexible main body 1 and two sets of supporting frames 2. The flexible main body is cylindrical and integrally formed from high-toughness resin using 3D printing. It includes a base 11, N segments 12, N connecting joints 13, an internal channel 14, and a head cavity 15. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, where N≥2. The base 11 is located at the bottom of the flexible body 1 and supports the entire device; N segments 12 are arranged at equal intervals along the axial direction of the base 11. The base 11 is connected to the nearest segment and to every two adjacent segments through connecting joints 13. Every two adjacent connecting joints are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the flexible body 1; the connecting joints 13 are relatively thin, forming a weak area, so that the flexible body 1 preferentially produces controllable bending at the joint when subjected to lateral force.

[0024] In this embodiment, the flexible body 1 has a bendable portion with a length of 45mm and a diameter of 10mm to suit the needs of specific surgical scenarios.

[0025] In this embodiment, the cross-section of the connecting joint 13 is elliptical, with a major axis of 4mm and a minor axis of 1.2mm, which has a wide range of bending and high fracture resistance. The material of the connecting joint 13 is a biocompatible and high-toughness resin to ensure its long-term bending and stability.

[0026] An internal channel 14 is provided axially throughout the entire flexible body 1. The cross-section of the channel is two overlapping circles of different sizes, such as... Figure 5 As shown, it can simultaneously accommodate endoscopes and surgical instruments for surgical procedures, and the inner wall of the channel is coated with a low-friction coating to enhance lubrication.

[0027] like Figure 4 As shown, the segment 12 furthest from the bottom is slightly thicker than the other segments. Inside this segment is an inwardly recessed hemispherical space, which is the head cavity 15. Its radius matches the surgical instrument channel, which provides space for surgical instruments to operate when surrounded by brain tissue. It also allows surgical instruments such as endoscopes to maintain a certain distance from brain tissue or hematoma, avoiding visual contamination caused by direct contact.

[0028] In this embodiment, the device is designed with two surgical channels, one for suctioning hematoma (radius 2.25 mm) and the other for endoscopic visualization (radius 1.88 mm). To match the radius of these channels, the radius of the head cavity 15 is 4.5 mm.

[0029] In this embodiment, the flexible body 1 also includes a drive wire 3, which is made of shape memory alloy metal wire with a diameter of 0.5mm. It has high tensile strength and corrosion resistance, and can transmit pushing and pulling forces to the end of the device, ensuring high stability of the device's deflection. A through hole is provided in the connecting joint on the force-bearing side, and a through hole is also provided on the force-bearing side of the segment 12. The drive wire 3 connects the joint 13 and the through hole of the segment 12. One end is glued and fixed to the segment farthest from the base 11, and the other end is led out through the base 11 and connected to an external manipulator. By pulling or releasing the drive wire 3, the device can achieve high-stability deflection. Since the flexible body is 3D printed in one piece, material accumulation may occur during the printing of the connecting joint 13 due to the presence of the through hole, thus forming a blind hole, which affects the insertion of the drive wire 3. Therefore, a through hole is also provided on the side of the connecting joint 13 to avoid the formation of blind holes.

[0030] The two sets of support frames 2 are axially fixed to both sides of the flexible body 1, and the distribution plane of the two sets of support frames 2 is perpendicular to the distribution plane of the connecting joints 13 on both sides. The support frames 2 have low bending stiffness in their distribution plane and high bending stiffness in the direction perpendicular to the distribution plane, thereby greatly increasing the bending stiffness of the whole device in the direction of the support frame distribution plane, limiting the flexible body 1 to only undergo a single deflection movement in the distribution plane of the connecting joints 13, and significantly improving the overall stiffness in the non-movement direction.

[0031] The metal wires are generally made of nickel-titanium alloy shape memory alloy material, which does not have requirements for anisotropy or other properties and parameters. This is mainly because the metal wires arranged on both sides give the whole structure the ability to bend in the direction of the distribution plane of the supporting frame.

[0032] The support frame 2 consists of four shape memory alloy wires (such as nickel-titanium alloy wires), with two wires per group. Each group includes a central metal wire and an offset metal wire, which are bonded to the base 11 and segment 12 with strong adhesive. The central metal wire is arranged on the symmetrical plane of the connecting joints on both sides. The offset metal wire is offset a certain distance away from the central metal wire from the side subjected to force. Because the metal wires are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the distribution plane of the support frame and span a large distance, the overall bending stiffness in the distribution plane of the support frame is greatly increased. However, in the distribution plane of the connecting joints, the distance between the central metal wire and the offset metal wire is very close, so the bending stiffness in this direction will not be increased too much. Furthermore, the biased metal wire generates a tensile force that resists bending when the device is bent, causing the curvature of the distal end of the flexible body 1 to be greater than that of the proximal end when bending. This results in the device as a whole forming a gradually curved shape with "larger curvature at the distal end and smaller curvature at the proximal end." Since the periphery of the hematoma cavity is fragile brain tissue, the flexible body needs to achieve a wide range of exploration within the hematoma cavity without damaging the brain tissue. A design with equal curvature would result in an excessive range of movement at the end when bending, which could damage the brain tissue. The "larger curvature at the distal end and smaller curvature at the proximal end" design of this invention ensures that while achieving a wide range of exploration, the end only moves within a narrow space, effectively reducing mechanical traction on the brain tissue in a narrow surgical space.

[0033] In this embodiment, the support frame 2 uses a metal wire with a diameter of 0.5mm to ensure stable deflection characteristics and shape recovery capability, and the bias metal wire is biased 2mm away from the center metal wire on the side away from the force.

[0034] The working principle of the device is explained below:

[0035] First, the endoscope and surgical instruments are inserted into the device through the base 11 until they enter the head cavity 15.

[0036] Next, the device, endoscope, and surgical instruments are placed together in the area to be operated on. The brain is then observed through the endoscope, and the position is adjusted accordingly.

[0037] Finally, the base 11 is mounted on an external manipulator. The manipulator applies a lateral force along the axial direction to the device, driving the farthest segment N to bend through the Nth connecting joint, and then causing the (N-1)th segment to bend through the (N-1)th connecting joint, and so on until the first segment. The entire flexible body undergoes bending movements of varying degrees under the drive of the lateral force, such as... Figure 6 As shown. The curvature of the flexible main body is adjusted by adjusting the magnitude of the lateral force according to the surgical situation; at the same time, the entire body can be rotated 360° by the rotational motion control device of the manipulator, and the surgical instruments can be changed according to the surgical situation to explore the surgical site, perform fragmentation and suction, and other operations.

Claims

1. A neuroendoscopic surgical aid device based on a flexible structure, characterized in that: It includes a flexible main body (1), a support frame (2), and a drive line (3); The flexible body (1) is cylindrical in shape and includes a base (11), multiple segments (12), multiple connecting joints (13), and a head cavity (15). The base (11) is located at the bottom of the flexible body (1) and supports the entire device. Multiple segments (12) are arranged at equal intervals along the axial direction of the base (11). Each segment has a connecting joint on one side of its bottom, and the other side of each segment is connected to the segment above it through the connecting joint of the segment above it. The base (11) is connected to the nearest segment through the connecting joint, so that the adjacent connecting joints are arranged alternately on both sides of the flexible body (1). The head cavity (15) is a hemispherical space that is recessed inward in the segment farthest from the base (11) to provide space for the operation of surgical instruments. The flexible body (1) has an internal channel (14) that runs through the entire flexible body axially to accommodate endoscopes and surgical instruments at the same time. The support frame (2) is axially fixed to both sides of the flexible body (1). The distribution plane of the support frame (2) on both sides is perpendicular to the distribution plane of the connecting joints (13) on both sides. The support frame (2) is composed of four shape memory alloy wires, which are arranged symmetrically on both sides of the flexible body (1) in groups of two. Each group includes a central metal wire and an offset metal wire. The central metal wire is arranged on the symmetrical plane of the connecting joints (13) on both sides. The central metal wire is bonded to the base (11) and to the even-numbered segment from the base. The offset metal wire is offset a certain distance away from the central metal wire on the side away from the force. The offset metal wire is bonded to the odd-numbered segment (12) from the base. All are glued together; the support frame (2) has high bending stiffness in its distribution plane and low bending stiffness in the direction perpendicular to the distribution plane. The support frame (2) limits the flexible body (1) to only undergo unilateral deflection movement in the distribution plane of the connecting joint (13), while improving the overall stiffness of the device in the non-movement direction. The device takes one side of the distribution plane of the connecting joint (13) as the force side. The drive line passes through the connecting joint (13) and segment (12) on the force side. One end is glued and fixed to the segment farthest from the base (11), and the other end is led out through the base (11). The deflection of the device is realized by pulling or releasing the drive line (3).

2. The neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting joint (13) is a sheet-like structure, forming a weak area of ​​the flexible body, so that the flexible body (1) will preferentially produce controllable bending at the connecting joint (13) when subjected to force.

3. The neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible body adopts a 3D printing one-piece molding design.

4. The neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting joint (13) has a through hole at the center of its side to prevent blind holes from forming during molding, which would affect the insertion of the drive line (3).

5. The neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The internal channel (14) has a gourd-shaped cross section, and the inner wall of the channel is sprayed with a friction coating to enhance lubrication.

6. The neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The segment at the farthest end from the base (11) is thicker than the other segments, so that the head cavity (15) can provide sufficient operating space.

7. The neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape memory alloy wire is a nickel-titanium alloy wire.

8. The neuroendoscopic surgery aid device based on a flexible structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible body (1) has a greater curvature at the distal end than at the proximal end when it bends, ensuring that the distal end only moves within a small range while achieving a large-scale exploration.

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