Articulating Microwave Ablation Catheter with Curved Dipole Antenna
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current microwave ablation catheters face challenges in achieving precise placement and creating an effective therapy margin around lesions due to anatomical constraints and the tortuous nature of airways in the lungs.
Innovation Solution
An articulating microwave ablation catheter with a radiating section and a drive mechanism that allows for manual or robotic operation to alter the shape and position of the ablation zone by adjusting the pull wires, enabling precise curvature and navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fixed non-articulating microwave ablation catheter is used, then the device structure is simple, but the ability to navigate tortuous airways and achieve precise placement is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter incorporates a drive mechanism with pull wires that enable dynamic articulation of the distal portion, allowing the catheter to adapt its shape and position during navigation through tortuous airways. This transforms a static structure into a dynamic one that can change configuration based on anatomical constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is divided into articulating and non-articulating portions, with the drive mechanism allowing independent movement of the distal articulating portion. This segmentation enables precise local adjustment of the ablation zone while maintaining stability in the proximal portion.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the catheter is made rigid for stability, then the ablation zone position is stable, but the ability to navigate through tortuous airways is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs a drive mechanism with pull wires that can dynamically adjust the shape and position of the distal articulating portion during navigation, enabling adaptation to tortuous airways while maintaining controlled stability of the ablation zone through deliberate positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter allows change in geometric parameters (shape, curvature, orientation) of the distal portion through the drive mechanism, enabling the same physical structure to adapt to different anatomical configurations while maintaining functional stability during ablation.
3Manufacturing precision
If the catheter cannot articulate, then the device is simpler to operate, but the therapy margin precision is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The drive mechanism with pull wires provides dynamic control over the distal portion articulation, allowing precise adjustment of the ablation zone to achieve optimal therapy margins while maintaining a relatively simple operational interface through manual or robotic actuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates imaging feedback to guide and verify the position of the ablation zone, enabling precise therapy margin control while keeping the operation simple through image-guided adjustment rather than complex blind manipulation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the catheter uses a fixed ablation zone configuration, then the device structure is simpler, but the ability to create asymmetric ablation zones for optimal treatment is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The distal portion of the catheter is made articulatable through the drive mechanism, enabling dynamic reconfiguration of the ablation zone shape and orientation to create asymmetric zones tailored to specific lesion geometries while maintaining a manageable level of mechanical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter separates the articulating distal portion from the non-articulating proximal portion, allowing independent control of the ablation zone configuration without complicating the entire catheter structure. This enables asymmetric ablation zone creation through localized articulation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The articulating catheter enhances the ability to achieve a successful treatment by allowing for a measurable shift in the ablation zone, improving navigation accuracy, and reducing the required precision for placement.
Implementation Method 1
operation of the drive mechanism alters: an effective length of the pull wire, a shape of a distal portion of the catheter sheathing
Implementation Method 2
a catheter sheathing housing therein a radiating section defining an ablation zone; wherein the radiating section is a dipole antenna
Data Source
AI summary
An articulating microwave ablation catheter and methods of use the catheter including a catheter sheathing housing therein a radiating section defining an ablation zone, a first pull wire traversing the catheter sheathing, a pull ring secured in a distal portion of the catheter sheathing and configured to receive the pull wire, and a drive mechanism operably connected to the catheter sheathing and the pull wire, wherein operation of the drive mechanism alters the length of the pull wire and a shape of a distal portion of the catheter sheathing and the location of the ablation zone defined by the radiating section.