Balloon Catheter Flexible Neck for Luminal Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical imaging methods for luminal organs, such as OCT and OFDI, face limitations in imaging depth and require sedation for accurate centration, leading to suboptimal imaging and high costs due to complex organ structures and the need for specialized procedures.
Innovation Solution
A balloon catheter with a flexible neck or tethered capsule design that minimizes tissue compression and allows for unsedated imaging by centering the optics within the lumen, using a balloon or capsule that can be inserted transnasally or swallowed, with a structured balloon design to maintain tissue topology and improve image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a balloon catheter is used to center the imaging probe within the lumen, then imaging coverage of the entire organ is improved, but the complex structure of luminal organs causes catheter bending and decentering, leading to suboptimal imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible membrane with optical windows that can conform to the curved surfaces of luminal organs while maintaining optical access. This flexible shell approach allows the imaging probe to adapt to organ geometry without rigid structural constraints, resolving the contradiction between achieving comprehensive coverage and maintaining stable centering.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities where the flexible membrane and optical probe can move and adapt in real-time to maintain optimal imaging positions. This dynamic response to organ movement and catheter deformation ensures continuous stable imaging despite the flexible nature of the system.
2Measurement precision
If sedation is used during endoscopy to ensure patient comfort and procedural accuracy, then diagnostic quality is improved, but procedure cost and patient recovery time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical constraint of sedation (a physiological state modification) with an optimized mechanical imaging system that achieves diagnostic quality through improved probe design, flexible membranes, and enhanced optical access. This substitution eliminates the need for sedation while maintaining or improving diagnostic precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system is designed to be self-contained and self-adjusting, with the flexible membrane automatically conforming to tissue surfaces and the optical probe adapting to maintain optimal imaging conditions without requiring external sedation or complex procedural support.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid catheter structure is used to maintain probe positioning, then imaging stability is improved, but the catheter cannot adapt to complex luminal organ structures, causing decentering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible membrane structure that can conform to the complex three-dimensional geometry of luminal organs while maintaining stable optical probe positioning. The flexible shell adapts to organ contours, ensuring the imaging probe remains centered and stable throughout the imaging procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter system employs composite construction combining flexible membrane materials with structurally supportive elements, creating a hybrid structure that exhibits both adaptability to organ shapes and sufficient rigidity to maintain probe positioning stability during imaging.
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
Enables comprehensive microscopic imaging of luminal organs with reduced tissue compression, minimizing the need for sedation and lowering costs by allowing for unsedated procedures and reusable capsule designs, while maintaining diagnostic accuracy and image quality.
Implementation Method 1
OCT and OFDI procedures can acquire back-scattered light that comes from the refractive index mismatch of cellular and sub-cellular components, thereby facilitating the generation of images of at least one tissue microstructure in vivo
Implementation Method 2
After the placement of the catheter, the balloon can be inflated, thus resulting in the centration of the imaging optics
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, device and method can be provided which can facilitate imaging of biological tissues, e.g., luminal organs in vivo, using optical techniques. The exemplary device can include different designs an features of one or more catheters, which can illuminate the tissues, and collect signals from the inside of the lumen. In another exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure, a balloon-catheter can be provided with the flexible neck, which can absorb most of the bending. According to still another exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a balloon-catheter tethered capsule can be provided, and according a yet further exemplary embodiment, a structured balloon design can be provided with one or more protuberances, thus enabling imaging of the structures in close contact, e.g., without compressing of the tissue.