Breast Shaping Device Using Negative Pressure and Telescoping Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current breast imaging techniques, such as mammography and ultrasound tomography, face challenges including discomfort, deformation of breast tissue, and inability to accommodate varying breast sizes, leading to suboptimal imaging and low patient compliance.
Innovation Solution
A breast shaping device and tissue restrictor ring system that uses a toroidal pad with a low-pressure source and telescoping support column to immobilize and elongate the breast, allowing for comfortable and repeatable positioning within an ultrasonic imaging system, accommodating different breast sizes and shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If magnetic or other devices are used to capture the nipple region to extend and stabilize the breast, then the breast is stabilized during imaging, but the breast is deformed into a conical shape which is not optimum for imaging and patient comfort is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible membrane that can conform to the breast tissue and apply distributed support forces. The membrane is tensioned within a frame and configured to deflect into a frustoconical portion, creating a gentle, uniform shaping force that stabilizes the breast without deforming it into a conical shape. This flexible membrane approach replaces the rigid magnetic capture devices while maintaining stabilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a movable membrane that can dynamically adjust its position and shape in response to patient weight and breast morphology. The membrane deflects into the frustoconical portion of the base, creating an adaptive support structure that accommodates varying breast sizes and shapes while maintaining optimal imaging geometry without conical deformation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If magnetic or other devices are used to capture the nipple region to extend and stabilize the breast, then the breast is stabilized during imaging, but patient comfort is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible membrane provides gentle, distributed support across the breast tissue rather than concentrated forces from magnetic devices. The membrane's ability to conform to the breast surface and deflect smoothly into the frustoconical portion creates a comfortable interface that stabilizes the breast without causing patient discomfort or pain.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical magnetic capture devices with a passive membrane system that uses elastic deflection and geometric constraints to achieve stabilization. This substitution eliminates the need for active magnetic fields and complex mechanical actuators, reducing patient discomfort while maintaining stabilization effectiveness.
3Length of moving object
If prior breast extending apparatus are used, then the breast is extended during imaging, but the apparatus cannot accommodate breast of differing sizes and repeatable shaping is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane system is designed to universally accommodate breast tissue of varying sizes and shapes. The flexible membrane can deflect to different degrees into the frustoconical portion, adapting to individual patient anatomy. The telescoping support column further enables adjustment to accommodate different breast dimensions, providing a one-size-fits-all solution that maintains repeatable shaping across diverse patient populations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic elements including the deflectable membrane and telescoping support column that can adjust their configuration based on patient weight and breast morphology. This dynamic adaptability allows the same apparatus to provide consistent, repeatable breast extension and shaping across patients with different breast sizes, eliminating the need for patient-specific customization.
4Manufacturing precision
If mammography compression is applied to increase X-ray image quality, then tissue thickness uniformity is improved, but patient comfort is reduced due to discomfort or pain
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible membrane provides gentle, distributed support that naturally contours the breast tissue into a uniform thickness profile without requiring painful compression. The membrane's elastic properties allow it to conform to the breast surface and maintain consistent tissue positioning throughout the imaging procedure, achieving image quality comparable to compression-based methods while eliminating patient discomfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the high-force compression mechanism of mammography with a passive membrane support system. The membrane uses elastic deflection and geometric constraints to achieve tissue thickness uniformity without applying painful compressive forces. This substitution maintains the imaging quality benefit while eliminating the harmful discomfort associated with traditional mammography compression.
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
Enhances patient comfort, improves imaging quality by reducing glancing angles and increasing detection of lesions closer to the chest wall, and allows for repeatable scans to monitor changes over time, while accommodating various breast morphologies.
Implementation Method 1
A low-pressure source is coupled to the interior of the support column to create negative pressure
Implementation Method 2
A coil spring is disposed within the support column and bears upwardly on the nipple region of the breast
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A tissue positioning system for contouring a patient tissue volume includes an axially displaceable interface having a surface configured to engage a breast or other tissue volume. A low pressure source applies a partial low pressure to the surface of the displaceable interface to secure the tissue volume to the surface, and the axially displaceable interface is biased to pull and contour the tissue volume when the tissue volume is secured to the surface. The axially displaceable interface is typically mounted on a telescoping support and the biasing is provided by the same low pressure used to secure the tissue volume.