Beveled Brain Probe Steering Without Guide Tubes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical probes for soft tissue insertion, particularly in the brain, face challenges due to their small size, which makes them susceptible to buckling and breaking during insertion, and require larger guide tubes or shuttles, negating the benefits of minimized trauma and scarring.
Innovation Solution
Development of flexible medical probes with a beveled tip and outer diameter of 80 μm or less, allowing independent steering without a guide tube, utilizing a defined relationship between bevel angle and trajectory curvature for precise insertion into soft tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the probe size is minimized to reduce trauma, then the trauma and scarring are reduced, but the probe becomes susceptible to buckling and breaking during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible insertion shaft that can bend and conform to tissue contours, allowing the probe to navigate curved pathways without requiring rigid support structures. This flexibility enables minimally invasive insertion while maintaining probe integrity through controlled deformation rather than rigid resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The insertion shaft is designed with a curved or flexible configuration rather than a straight rigid structure. This curvature allows the probe to follow natural tissue pathways and reach deep brain targets through minimally invasive routes, reducing trauma while maintaining structural integrity through elastic deformation
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the probe size is minimized to reduce trauma, then the trauma and scarring are reduced, but larger guide tubes or shuttles are required for insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the need for separate guide tubes or shuttle mechanisms by integrating the steering capability directly into the insertion shaft itself. The flexible shaft with controlled curvature can navigate independently without requiring external guiding structures, simplifying the overall insertion system while maintaining minimally invasive benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The insertion shaft is designed to be self-steering through its inherent flexible properties and controlled curvature, eliminating the need for complex external guide systems. The probe serves its own guidance function through its structural design, reducing system complexity while achieving precise targeting
3Ease of operation
If the probe is made flexible to enable steering, then the probe can be independently steered to target sites, but the insertion precision and control become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The insertion shaft is pre-configured with a specific curvature or bent shape before insertion. This preliminary configuration allows the flexible probe to naturally follow a predetermined trajectory into the target site, providing both steering capability and insertion precision without requiring complex real-time control mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A medical probe for guided insertion into soft tissue, such as the brain, is disclosed. The medical probe may include a flexible, elongated body having a proximal end portion and an opposed distal end portion. The elongated body has a length of at least 1 cm and an outer diameter of 80 μm or less. The distal end portion may comprise a beveled tip such that the distal end portion of the medical probe can be steered independently to a target site in the soft tissue.