Bladder Endoscope Narrow Band Imaging Ulcer Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for diagnosing interstitial cystitis have low sensitivity, requiring bladder hydrodistention under anesthesia and often missing subtle bladder abnormalities, leading to inadequate diagnosis and significant physical, mental, and economic burdens for patients and healthcare providers.
Innovation Solution
A bladder endoscope system equipped with specific light technologies like narrow band imaging (NBI), auto fluorescence imaging (AFI), or infra-red imaging (IRI) is used to visualize and differentiate newly formed blood vessels on the bladder mucous membrane, enhancing sensitivity in detecting angiogenesis associated with interstitial cystitis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional endoscopic findings using visible light are used, then the examination can be performed with simple equipment, but the sensitivity for detecting bladder ulcers is low (only 10-50% detection rate)
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the illumination wavelength parameter from visible light to blue light (450-495nm) to enhance the detection sensitivity of bladder ulcers. This parameter change allows conventional endoscopes to achieve high sensitivity without requiring complex new equipment, as the blue light wavelength specifically enhances visualization of ulcerated tissue and vascular changes associated with interstitial cystitis.
2Measurement precision
If bladder hydrodistention under anesthesia is performed, then diagnostic accuracy can be improved, but physical, mental, and economic burdens on patients increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential diagnostic function from the complex hydrodistention procedure by using blue light illumination to directly visualize ulcerated tissue and vascular changes during routine cystoscopy. This extraction eliminates the need for anesthesia and hydrodistention while maintaining diagnostic accuracy, thereby removing the harmful physical and psychological burdens associated with the traditional method.
3Loss of information
If conventional cystoscopy is used, then the procedure is simple to perform, but it cannot differentiate between blood vessels in surface and deep portions of the bladder
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality enhancement by using blue light (450-495nm) that selectively highlights vascular structures at different depths. The blue wavelength penetrates to specific depths in bladder tissue, allowing differentiation between surface and deep blood vessels through variations in vascular pattern visualization, while maintaining operational simplicity of routine cystoscopy.
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 allows for clear and sensitive visualization of bladder ulcers and angiogenic lesions without the need for anesthesia, improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing patient and healthcare burdens, enabling earlier detection of interstitial cystitis and differentiation from other conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a bladder endoscope system using specific light, which is limitedly used for detection of cancer at present, is useful as a sensitive method of detecting angiogenesis in bladder mucous membrane surfaces
Implementation Method 2
specific light observation device... auto fluorescence imaging (AFI) system
Implementation Method 3
specific light observation device... infra-red imaging (IRI) system
Data Source
AI summary
A method for sensitively diagnosing lower urinary tract disorders, particularly interstitial cystitis, is provided. The method can visually, simply, and clearly diagnose bladder ulcer without requirement of bladder hydrodistention under anesthesia. In the method, lower urinary tract disorders are diagnosed by observing an abnormality of a blood vessel and/or a newly formed blood vessel in a surface of bladder mucous membrane among abnormalities in blood vessels and/or newly formed blood vessels by visually comparing an image of the surface of the bladder mucous membrane and an image of a deep portion of the bladder mucous membrane obtained using a bladder endoscope system having a narrow band imaging device.