Catheter Light Source for Uniform Bladder Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current photodynamic treatment (PDT) methods for bladder cancer are cumbersome and require complex equipment, specialist training, and often general anesthesia due to challenges in achieving uniform light distribution across the bladder's non-smooth surface, necessitating saline distension and complex light delivery systems.
Innovation Solution
A catheter device with a light source integrated within the body, featuring a plurality of light emitting elements arranged to project light in multiple directions, including forward, outward, and around the catheter's entry point, eliminating the need for external light sources and allowing for local anesthesia, with an expansion and positioning balloon for uniform light distribution and tissue protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If external light sources with complex delivery systems are used, then light can be delivered to the bladder, but uniform light distribution across the non-smooth bladder surface is difficult to achieve and requires saline distension
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of delivering light from outside the body through complex optical fibers and delivery systems, the patent inverts the approach by placing light sources (LEDs) inside the bladder. This internal light source configuration eliminates the need for complex external delivery systems and saline distension, while achieving uniform light distribution across the bladder surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The bladder itself serves as the light delivery medium by containing the light sources internally. The bladder's natural geometry and the arrangement of multiple LEDs work together to provide self-contained light distribution without requiring external equipment or saline filling to achieve uniform illumination.
2Reliability
If external light sources and complex equipment are used, then photodynamic treatment can be performed, but specialist training and general anesthesia are required
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated device with internal light sources performs the photodynamic treatment function self-containedly. The device includes its own illumination system, positioning mechanism (balloon), and control capabilities, eliminating the need for complex external equipment and specialist intervention, thereby enabling use by conventionally trained medical personnel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated device: the catheter, light sources, positioning balloon, and control system are merged into one unit. This consolidation simplifies the overall treatment system, reducing equipment complexity and making the procedure easier to perform while maintaining treatment reliability.
3Illumination intensity
If saline distension is used to achieve smooth bladder surface, then light distribution is improved, but patient inconvenience increases and outpatient treatment becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using saline distension to create a smooth surface for external light delivery, the patent inverts the approach by placing light sources inside the bladder. This eliminates the need for saline filling and the associated patient inconvenience, while still achieving uniform light distribution through the internal LED arrangement.
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 device provides improved light distribution and ease of use, reducing patient inconvenience and allowing for PDT in an outpatient setting with conventional medical training, without the need for saline distension, thus simplifying the treatment process and reducing the complexity of equipment required.
Implementation Method 1
a light source located on the distal end portion and comprising a plurality of light emitting elements arranged to: project light forward in a distal direction along the direction of the longitudinal axis from a first region of the distal end, project light outwardly of the longitudinal axis from a second region of the distal end, and project light around the point of entry of the catheter device into the body cavity or hollow organ from a third region of the distal end
Implementation Method 2
an expansion and positioning balloon for expanding within the body cavity or hollow organ and thereby distending an outer wall of the body cavity or hollow organ
Implementation Method 3
Upon exposure of the area of interest to light, the photosensitiser is excited, usually from a ground singlet state to an excited singlet state. It then undergoes intersystem crossing to a longer-lived excited triplet state. One of the few chemical species present in tissue with a ground triplet state is molecular oxygen. When the photosensitiser and an oxygen molecule are in proximity, an energy transfer can take place that allows the photosensitiser to relax to its ground singlet state, and create an excited singlet state oxygen molecule.
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter device for use in the photodynamic treatment of a body cavity or hollow organ of the body, such as the bladder, the device being used in the photodynamic treatment of abnormalities, disorders or diseases of the internal surfaces of said body cavity or hollow organ.