Brachytherapy Guiding Unit With Transverse Needle Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current brachytherapy assemblies for treating tumor tissue are cumbersome and risky, requiring significant time and skill to couple interstitial needles, posing a risk of injury and unintended uncoupling, which can disrupt treatment parameters.
Innovation Solution
An improved assembly with a guiding unit featuring a longitudinal axis and coupling means that allows transverse displacement of interstitial needle-assemblies, preventing parallel displacement, and a guidance channel with a secure distal end to facilitate easier and safer insertion and reduce preparation time, along with a pre-assembled design for the guiding unit with recesses for interstitial needle-assemblies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If interstitial needles are coupled to the guiding unit using traditional methods, then the assembly can be used for brachytherapy treatment, but significant skill and time are required for preparation and there is a risk of injury to the patient's body cavity wall
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding unit is pre-assembled with multiple interstitial needle-assemblies before insertion into the patient's body cavity. The coupling means are pre-configured in the guiding unit to receive and secure the needles, eliminating the need for complex coupling operations during the procedure and reducing preparation time while improving safety.
2Reliability
If interstitial needles are coupled to the guiding unit, then treatment can be delivered to the tumour tissue, but there is a risk of unintended uncoupling which could relocate the catheter channel relative to the tumour tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling means are extracted as a separate functional element from the guiding unit structure. These coupling means are designed to engage with the interstitial needle-assemblies and prevent unintended uncoupling, thereby maintaining stable positioning of the catheter channel relative to the tumour tissue throughout the treatment procedure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple interstitial needles are inserted through guiding holes in the guiding unit, then an optimized isodose curve can be created for tumour treatment, but there is a risk of causing unwanted damage or injury to the wall of the patient's body cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling means act as an intermediary element between the guiding unit and the interstitial needle-assemblies. This intermediary structure provides a safe and controlled interface that allows multiple needles to be securely attached without risking damage to the patient's body cavity wall, while still enabling optimized tumour treatment through proper needle positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly for performing brachytherapy treatment of tumor tissue in a human or animal body comprising an intracavitary component and at least one guiding unit, said at least one guiding unit exhibiting a longitudinal axis and being connectable to said intracavitary component, and wherein said at least one guiding unit is provided with coupling means for coupling at least one interstitial needle-assembly for delivering treatment to said tumor tissue. The assembly has coupling/uncoupling means arranged to allow a displacement of said at least one interstitial needle-assembly in a direction transverse to said longitudinal axis and to prevent a displacement of said at least one interstitial needle-assembly in a direction parallel to or a pre-defined angle to said longitudinal axis. This coupling principle allows for the preparation of the guiding unit before the patient is being hospitalized and positioned in the treatment room and will prevent the unwanted uncoupling of the interstitial needle-assembly during the actual treatment being performed, further reducing the risk of adversely affected treatment parameters (location and duration of the radiation being administered to the patient).