Adjustable Aperture Template Grid for Prostate Needle Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for placing hydrogel spacers and fiducial markers in prostate cancer treatment lack a suitable template system for stabilizing and adjusting the trajectory of needles during interventional urologic procedures, leading to risks of misplacement and injury to critical tissues like the rectum and urethra.
Innovation Solution
A template grid system with adjustable and fixed apertures allows for real-time adjustment of needle trajectory, providing stabilization and precise placement of medical implants like needles and catheters through the perineum, utilizing an endorectal ultrasound and ultrasound stepper unit, while avoiding critical structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a fixed template grid system is used to stabilize needle placement, then the stability and safety of the procedure is improved, but the ability to adjust needle trajectory is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The template grid incorporates adjustable apertures that can be repositioned along tracks, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one. This allows the system to maintain stability through the rigid template framework while adapting needle trajectory by moving apertures to different positions, directly resolving the contradiction between stability and adjustability
Solution Approach 2:
The template grid is divided into multiple segments with independently adjustable apertures. Each aperture can be positioned separately along its track, allowing selective adjustment of specific needle trajectories while maintaining overall system stability. This segmentation enables both fixed stabilization and flexible trajectory adjustment simultaneously
2Measurement precision
If freehand needle placement is used to adjust trajectory, then the adaptability and precision of placement is improved, but the stability and risk of misplacement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable aperture acts as an intermediary between the fixed template grid and the needle. It provides a stable reference framework while allowing precise trajectory adjustment through controlled aperture movement, eliminating the need for freehand placement and reducing misplacement risks
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the position parameter of apertures along tracked paths while maintaining the overall structural stability of the template. This parameter adjustment enables precise needle trajectory control without sacrificing the stabilizing effect of the rigid template framework
3Ease of manufacture
If standard 5mm interval grid apertures are used, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the adaptability for variable trajectory adjustment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The template incorporates movable apertures on tracks rather than fixed holes in a rigid pattern. This dynamic design maintains manufacturing simplicity by using standardized components while dramatically increasing adaptability, as apertures can be positioned at variable intervals along the tracks to match specific anatomical requirements
Data Source
AI summary
A template grid which attaches to an ultrasound stepper of a transrectal ultrasound unit providing transperineal guidance and support through adjustable angle apertures allowing for accurate targeting of a medical implant such as a needle to its intended target such as for purposes of perirectal spacer placement. The rotational apertures allow for free adjustable changes in the trajectory of a medial implant such as a needle to its intended target while providing stability and support to the medical implant itself. The template grid, in addition, contains fixed apertures for placement of a medical implant such as a needle into the substance of the prostate gland positioned to avoid inadvertent passage through the urethra and rectum.