Surgical instrument including insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a surgical instrument including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, the surgical instrument including: a body part (110) including a handle (111) and an insertion rod (112) fastened to a part of the handle (111); and an electrical stimulation part (120) including a conductive fiber (121) fastened to a part of the handle (111) and a position marker (122) connected to the conductive fiber (121) and detachably attached to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112). The present invention is applicable to other embodiments.

Description

Surgical instruments including implantable position markers capable of electrical stimulation

[0001] The present invention relates to a surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation.

[0002] The present invention is derived from research conducted as part of the development of a brain image super-resolution automatic segmentation system for virtual reality surgical simulation as part of the individual basic research project of the National Research Foundation of Korea (Ministry of Science and ICT) and the SUPER*Senior ABC (Ajou-Biotech-CTO) platform for the research-oriented hospital development of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.

[0003] [Project ID]1711197911

[0004] [Assignment Number] 00253964

[0005] [Ministry Name] Ministry of Science and ICT

[0006] [Name of Project Management (Specialist) Institution] National Research Foundation of Korea

[0007] [Research Project Name] Individual Basic Research (Ministry of Science and ICT)

[0008] [Research Project Title] Development of a Brain Image Super-Resolution Automatic Segmentation System for Virtual Reality Surgical Simulation

[0009] [Name of the project performing organization] Ajou University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation

[0010] Research Period: June 1, 2023 - February 28, 2026

[0011] [Project ID]1465039256

[0012] [Assignment Number]HR22C1734030023

[0013] [Ministry Name] Ministry of Health and Welfare

[0014] [Name of Project Management (Specialist) Institution] Korea Health Industry Development Institute

[0015] [Research Project Name] Research-Oriented Hospital Development

[0016] [Research Project Name] Super-Gap SUPER*Senior ABC (Ajou-Biotech-CTO) Platform

[0017] [Name of the project performing organization] Ajou University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation

[0018] Research Period: July 1, 2022 - December 31, 2030

[0019] In the field of neurosurgery, neuronavigation is used to accurately identify the location of important structures during brain surgery, and intraoperative neuromonitoring is used to determine which function is performed when stimulation is actually applied to a certain area.

[0020] By using neuronavigation and neuromonitoring together in this way, we can use neuronavigation to identify specific areas of the brain, and neuromonitoring to determine the function of those areas.

[0021] However, because neuronavigation devices rely on preoperative MRI and other data, they cannot fully reflect the ever-changing conditions during surgery. Therefore, to preserve motor function in the surgical area, surgery must be interrupted and continuous nerve stimulation must be administered to ensure the area responds normally.

[0022] Therefore, there is a need for equipment that can continuously provide information on the function of neural circuits while located in the surgical area.

[0023] Embodiments of the present invention for solving these conventional problems provide a surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation that can be inserted and fixed at an accurate position during brain surgery and provide nerve stimulation to the surgical site without interfering with the surgery.

[0024] A surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including a body part (110) including a handle (111) and an insertion rod (112) fastened to a part of the handle (111), an electrical stimulation part (120) including a conductive fiber (121) fastened to a part of the handle (111), and a position marker (122) connected to the conductive fiber (121) and detachably attached to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112).

[0025] In addition, the position marker (122) is characterized by being formed of a conductor that responds to an electric stimulus provided through the conductive fiber (121).

[0026] In addition, the position marker (122) is characterized by having a streamlined end in the direction of insertion into the body of the subject.

[0027] In addition, the position marker (122) is characterized by having a groove (123) formed to be fastened to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112).

[0028] In addition, the position marker (122) is characterized in that the end where the groove (123) is formed is formed flat.

[0029] Additionally, the conductor fiber (121) is characterized by being connected to an external electrical stimulation device.

[0030] In addition, the body part (110) is characterized by further including a fastening part (130) for fastening the insertion rod (112) to a part of the handle (111).

[0031] In addition, the fastening part (130) is characterized by including a fastener (114) that can adjust the tension applied to the conductive fiber (121) when the position marker (122) is inserted into one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112).

[0032] In addition, the inner circumference of the groove (123) formed in the position marker (122) is characterized by being formed longer than the outer circumference of one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112).

[0033] As described above, the surgical tool including the insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation according to the present invention has the effect of being inserted and fixed in an accurate position during brain surgery, so as not to interfere with the surgery, and continuously checking whether the area being operated on responds normally to nerve stimulation through nerve stimulation.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a cross-section of an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a fastening state for inserting and fixing an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation according to an embodiment of the present invention at an accurate position during brain surgery.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a method of inserting and removing an insertable position marker into a surgical site according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description set forth below, together with the accompanying drawings, is intended to explain exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. In the drawings, portions irrelevant to the description may be omitted for clarity in describing the present invention, and the same reference numerals may be used throughout the specification for identical or similar components.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a cross-section of an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a fastening state for inserting and fixing an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation according to an embodiment of the present invention at an accurate position during brain surgery.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a surgical tool (100) according to the present invention may largely include a body part (110) and an electric stimulation part (120).

[0041] The body part (110) may be configured to include a handle (111) and an insertion rod (112) fastened to a portion of the handle (111). The handle (111) is implemented in an “ㅅ” shape so that the operator can easily insert and remove the body part (110) into the surgical site of the subject, and may include a plurality of grip parts (111a) on the front of the handle (111). Through this, the operator can insert the body part (110) into the surgical site of the subject by holding at least one grip part (111a) among the plurality of grip parts (111a) and applying force, and can remove the body part (110) from the surgical site.

[0042] In addition, a fastening portion (113) to which an insertion rod (112) can be fastened may be formed on the back of the handle (111). The fastening portion (113) may be screw-fastened to the handle (111) through the fastening portion (113), and the insertion rod (112) may be fastened to a portion of the fastening portion (113). In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, a fastener (114) may be formed on the fastening portion (113).

[0043] The electrical stimulation unit (120) can be formed by including a conductive fiber (121) and a position marker (122), and the conductive fiber (121) can be inserted into the position marker (122) to provide an electrical stimulation signal provided from an external electrical stimulation device (not shown) to the position marker (122). For this purpose, the position marker (122) can be formed of a conductor.

[0044] In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, a groove (123) may be formed through the interior of the position marker (122) so that the position marker (122) can be fastened to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112).

[0045] A part of the conductive fiber (121) may be inserted into the interior of the position marker (122) so as to provide an electrical stimulation signal to the position marker (122). At this time, the conductive fiber (121) may be inserted into the periphery of the groove (123) formed in the interior of the position marker (122) as shown in FIG. 2. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the conductive fiber (121) may be formed to be a certain length or longer, and another part of the conductive fiber (121) may be fastened to a fastener (114) formed in the fastening portion (113) so that tension may be maintained by the fastener (114).

[0046] In addition, the opposite direction of the groove (123) formed in the position marker (122) can be formed in a streamlined shape so that it can be inserted into the surgical site of the patient without any particular obstruction. In addition, the position marker (122) in which the groove (123) is formed can be formed flat as shown in FIG. 2 to form a step. After the position marker (122) is fastened to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112) and inserted into the surgical site, when the surgeon wants to remove the body part (110) from the surgical site, the position marker (122) is inserted and fixed into the surgical site by the step, and only the body part (110) can be removed from the surgical site. In addition, after the position marker (122) is inserted and fixed into the surgical site, the inner circumferential length of the groove (123) may be formed longer than the outer circumferential length of one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112) so that the insertion rod (112) can be more easily removed from the groove (123) when the insertion rod (112) is removed.

[0047] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a method of inserting and removing an insertable position marker into a surgical site according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Referring to Fig. 4, as shown in (a) of Fig. 4, the operator inserts a surgical tool (100) in which a body part (110) and an electrical stimulation part (120) are combined into the surgical site (400) of the subject. At this time, the operator can adjust a fastener (114) formed on the body part (110) so that a certain level of tension of the conductive fiber (121) can be maintained in a state in which the position marker (122) is attached to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112).

[0049] As shown in (b) of Fig. 4, when the position marker (122) is inserted into the surgical site (400), the operator adjusts the clamp (114) to loosen the tension applied to the conductive fiber (121) and removes the body part (110) from the surgical site (400). In this case, since the surface of the position marker (122) in which the groove (123) is created is formed flat to form a step, only the body part (110) can be removed from the surgical site while the position marker (122) is inserted and fixed into the surgical site (400) by the step.

[0050] Next, as shown in (c) of FIG. 4, the surgeon can perform surgery on the subject after removing the conductive fiber (121) from the body (110) by adjusting the clamp (114). In this way, when the conductive fiber (121) is removed from the body (110), the conductive fiber (121) remains along the path along which the surgical tool (100) was inserted into the surgical site (400), and the surgeon can connect an external electrical stimulation device to the conductive fiber (121). Through this, the conductive fiber (121) provides an electrical stimulation signal provided from the external electrical stimulation device to the position marker (122), and the position marker (122) formed of the conductor responds to the electrical stimulation signal. In addition, the operator can provide monopolar stimulation or bipolar stimulation to the surgical site (400) as needed, thereby continuously checking motor-evoked potentials, somatosensory-evoked potentials, and brain waves.

[0051] Therefore, the operator can insert and fix a position marker (122) at the exact location where the operation is to be performed during the operation of the subject, thereby continuously checking whether the area being operated on responds normally to nerve stimulation through nerve stimulation of the area being operated on without interfering with the operation.

[0052] The embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification and drawings are merely specific examples intended to facilitate understanding and easily explain the technical content of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be interpreted to include all modifications or variations derived based on the technical concept of the present invention, in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A body part (110) including a handle (111) and an insertion rod (112) fastened to a part of the handle (111); and An electrical stimulation unit (120) including a conductive fiber (121) attached to a part of the handle (111) and a position marker (122) connected to the conductive fiber (121) and detachably attached to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112); A surgical tool comprising an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized by including:

2. In paragraph 1, The above location marker (122) is, A surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized in that it is formed of a conductor that responds to electrical stimulation provided through the above conductive fiber (121).

3. In paragraph 2, The above location marker (122) is, A surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized by a streamlined end formed in the direction of insertion into the body of the subject.

4. In paragraph 2, The above location marker (122) is, A surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized in that a groove (123) is formed to be fastened to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112).

5. In paragraph 4, The above location marker (122) is, A surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized in that the end where the above groove (123) is formed is formed flat.

6. In paragraph 1, The above conductive fiber (121) is A surgical tool comprising an implantable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized in that it is connected to an external electrical stimulation device.

7. In paragraph 6, The above body part (110) is A fastening part (130) for fastening the insertion rod (112) to a part of the above handle (111); A surgical tool comprising an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized by further including:

8. In paragraph 7, The above fastening part (130) is A surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized in that it includes a clamp (114) capable of adjusting the tension applied to the conductive fiber (121) while the position marker (122) is attached to one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112).

9. In paragraph 5, The circumference of the inner surface of the groove (123) formed in the above position marker (122) is A surgical tool including an insertable position marker capable of electrical stimulation, characterized in that the outer circumferential length of one end (112a) of the insertion rod (112) is formed longer than the circumference of the outer circumferential surface.

Images