Balloon Catheter with Segmented Electrodes for Asymmetric Stenosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for stenosis, such as balloon angioplasty, often lead to restenosis due to trauma-induced smooth muscle cell proliferation, and existing non-thermal irreversible electroporation (NTIRE) methods are not effective for asymmetric stenosis as they damage healthy vascular cells.
Innovation Solution
A balloon catheter with independently selectable electrodes is used to apply electrical pulses for NTIRE, allowing precise targeting of only the diseased portions of the vascular structure, thereby minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional balloon angioplasty is used to treat stenosis, then blood flow is restored, but restenosis occurs due to trauma-induced smooth muscle cell proliferation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical trauma of balloon angioplasty with electrical field-based irreversible electroporation. Instead of using mechanical force to compress plaque, the invention uses controlled electrical pulses to create permanent pores in cell membranes, selectively killing only the proliferating smooth muscle cells while preserving the extracellular matrix and healthy tissue structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different treatment approaches to different tissue types within the vessel wall. The electrical pulses are calibrated to affect only the pathological smooth muscle cells that have undergone proliferation, while leaving healthy endothelial cells and the structural extracellular matrix intact. This localized selective action prevents restenosis without compromising overall vessel integrity.
2Reliability
If non-thermal irreversible electroporation is applied to treat stenosis, then smooth muscle cell proliferation is prevented, but healthy vascular cells may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies electrical pulses at intensities and durations that are sufficient to cause irreversible electroporation in pathological smooth muscle cells but remain below the threshold for damaging healthy vascular cells. By carefully controlling the electrical parameters within this narrow window, the treatment achieves restenosis prevention while minimizing harm to healthy tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates monitoring mechanisms to detect the electrical properties of tissue in real-time during treatment. This feedback allows the system to adjust pulse intensity and duration dynamically, ensuring that only cells with the electrical characteristics of proliferating smooth muscle cells are affected, while healthy cells with different electrical properties are spared.
3Adaptability or versatility
If electroporation is applied to asymmetric stenosis, then targeted treatment is achieved, but precise electrode positioning and selection are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the electrode system into multiple independently controllable segments or electrodes arranged around the vessel. This segmentation allows selective activation of only those electrodes facing the asymmetric stenotic region, enabling precise spatial targeting while simplifying the control logic by treating each segment independently rather than requiring complex global positioning.
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
This approach effectively treats asymmetric stenosis by selectively killing vascular cells at the stenosis site without causing thermal or mechanical damage to surrounding healthy tissue, reducing the risk of restenosis.
Implementation Method 1
applying electrical pulses in an amount which is sufficient to induce irreversible electroporation of cells of the stenosis, but which is insufficient to induce thermal damage
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to medical devices and methods for treating a lesion such as a vascular stenosis using non-thermal irreversible electroporation (NTIRE). Embodiments of the present invention provide a balloon catheter type NTIRE device for treating a target lesion comprising a plurality of electrodes positioned along the balloon that are electrically independent from each other so as to be individually selectable in order to more precisely treat an asymmetrical lesion in which the lesion extends only partially around the vessel.