Bladder Tissue Ablation for Overactive Bladder Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for overactive bladder, such as anticholinergics and surgical procedures, often come with significant side effects and complications, and existing ablation techniques are not effectively applied to non-cardiac tissues like the urinary bladder.
Innovation Solution
Applying controlled tissue ablation in the urinary bladder to create predetermined patterns of tissue regions with reduced electrical propagation, which modify the electrical and mechanical properties of the bladder to treat overactive bladder by reducing muscle spasms and aberrant electrical activity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If anticholinergics are used to treat overactive bladder, then bladder muscle contraction is blocked and bladder capacity increases, but side effects such as dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, and increased heart rate occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful side effects by using a different treatment mechanism altogether. Instead of using anticholinergics that block nerve signals systemically, the invention applies localized radiofrequency energy to ablate specific overactive bladder tissue, eliminating the therapeutic effect while avoiding the systemic side effects of pharmacological intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the pharmacological chemical system with a physical energy-based system. Radiofrequency energy is used to heat and ablate bladder tissue directly, substituting the chemical mechanism of anticholinergics with a physical thermal mechanism that achieves muscle relaxation without systemic drug side effects
2Reliability
If surgical procedures such as bladder augmentation or sacral nerve root stimulator implantation are performed, then overactive bladder symptoms are treated, but the procedures are highly invasive and can lead to permanent device implantation complications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the therapeutic benefit from complex surgical procedures while removing their invasive nature. By using percutaneous or endoscopic radiofrequency ablation, the invention achieves effective bladder tissue modification without requiring open surgery, permanent device implantation, or complex surgical reconstruction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a minimally invasive, single-session ablation approach that does not require permanent device implantation. The radiofrequency energy is delivered through a temporary catheter or probe that is removed after treatment, avoiding the long-term complications associated with permanent surgical implants
3Reliability
If traditional ablation techniques are applied to cardiac tissue, then electrical conductivity is modified to relieve arrhythmia, but the procedures are lengthy, require visualization and imaging, and are performed in specialized labs at significant costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the universal principle by adapting the radiofrequency ablation technology from cardiac applications to urological applications. The same basic energy delivery mechanism used for cardiac arrhythmia treatment is utilized to treat overactive bladder, demonstrating the versatility of the technology across different organ systems while simplifying the procedural requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables self-contained ablation where the radiofrequency energy is delivered directly to the bladder tissue through a simple catheter system that does not require complex external imaging guidance or specialized laboratory infrastructure. The treatment can be performed in standard urology offices, making the complex technology accessible and simple to deploy
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 reduces symptoms of overactive bladder by creating regions that attenuate or block electrical activity and mechanical forces within the bladder, providing a less invasive and side-effect-free treatment option.
Implementation Method 1
the tissue modification element is a radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) element
Implementation Method 2
the expandable element is expandable to press the tissue modification element against the inner wall of the bladder
Data Source
AI summary
Regions of tissue having reduced electrical propagation are created in a bladder to affect its electrical or mechanical properties. To create these tissue regions, a tubular device is advanced through the urethra leading to the interior of the bladder, a distal expandable structure of the device is expanded to contact the inner wall of the bladder, and electrodes or other active energy delivery elements of the device are activated to deliver ablation energy. The electrodes or other active energy delivery elements are disposed over the expandable structure which is shaped to conform to the interior of the bladder. The inner wall of the organ is ablated in a predetermined pattern. The same or other electrodes disposed over the expandable structure can used to electrically map the bladder. This map of electrical activity can be used to create the predetermined pattern.