Non-invasive Biopsy Brush with Deployable Bristles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring eosinophilic esophagitis, such as endoscopy, are invasive, costly, and not very accurate, requiring multiple procedures and potentially missing patchy inflammation due to degranulation issues.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive biopsy brush that deploys through the nose and nasal cavity to the esophagus, featuring a flexible sheath and expandable bristles that can be operated from outside the body to collect tissue samples, reducing tissue damage and improving accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If endoscopy with multiple biopsies is performed to accurately diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis, then diagnostic accuracy improves, but patient invasiveness and procedural burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the biopsy function from traditional endoscopy by using a brush that can be deployed through the nose and operated from outside the body. The brush collects tissue samples through the nasal cavity and esophagus without requiring full endoscopic visualization, separating the sampling function from the invasive endoscopic procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The brush acts as an intermediary device between the external operator and the internal tissue. It can be inserted through the nose, deployed into the esophagus, and operated from outside the body to collect tissue samples, mediating the diagnostic process without requiring direct endoscopic visualization or multiple invasive procedures.
2Measurement precision
If multiple endoscopies are performed under general anesthesia to identify dietary triggers, then diagnostic completeness improves, but loss of time and procedural cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The brush is designed to be self-contained and self-operable. It can be inserted through the nose, deployed into the esophagus, and operated from outside the body without requiring general anesthesia or complex endoscopic equipment. The device performs the biopsy function independently, eliminating the need for multiple repeated procedures.
3Ease of operation
If small biopsies are taken for light microscopy evaluation, then procedural simplicity improves, but measurement precision of eosinophil involvement deteriorates due to degranulation
Solution Approach 1:
The brush features dynamic bristles that can be deployed and retracted. The bristles are contained within a distal tip cavity during insertion, then deployed into an expanded configuration for tissue contact and sampling. This dynamic deployment ensures adequate tissue collection while maintaining procedural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The brush is segmented into distinct functional components: a shaft for insertion, a distal tip cavity for bristle containment, and deployable bristles for tissue contact. This segmentation allows the device to maintain simplicity during insertion while providing enhanced sampling capability when deployed.
Data Source
AI summary
A brush for non-invasive biopsy may include a distal tip forming a cavity, where an opening of the cavity faces proximally. A shaft may be included, where the shaft is movable relative to the distal tip, where a distal end of the shaft is located within the cavity when the brush is in a first state, and where at least a portion of the distal end of the shaft is located outside the cavity when the brush is in a second state. A set of bristles may be located at the distal end of the shaft, where the bristles at least partially move from within the cavity of the distal tip to outside the cavity of the distal tip when the brush moves from the first state to the second state.