Capacitive Discharge Stimulation for Ureter Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In minimally invasive surgery, identifying and protecting the ureter is challenging due to its location behind the peritoneum and obscuration by surrounding structures, leading to potential injury and increased procedure time, with existing methods being either invasive or economically unfavorable.
Innovation Solution
A system using brief electrical impulses applied directly to smooth muscle tissues to induce contractile wave propagation, allowing for visual identification of the ureter through capacitive discharge stimulation, enabling safer dissection and reduced morbidity by providing a direct and specific response to the target anatomy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional visual identification methods are used to locate the ureter during minimally invasive surgery, then the surgical procedure can be performed with standard equipment, but the ureter remains obscured by surrounding structures leading to potential injury and increased procedure time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical visual identification methods with electrical stimulation. A stimulator delivers electrical impulses to the ureter, causing characteristic contractile waves that are visually detectable on the monitor. This substitution of mechanical visualization with electrical stimulation allows for reliable ureter identification without requiring extensive dissection or changing the minimally invasive approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces electrical stimulation as an intermediary method to make the obscured ureter visible. The stimulator acts as a mediator between the surgeon and the target tissue, producing contractile responses that serve as visual indicators of ureter location. This intermediary approach allows indirect visualization of the ureter through its functional response rather than direct visual inspection.
2Reliability
If deep tissue dissection is performed to expose the ureter for identification and protection, then the ureter can be directly visualized, but the invasiveness of the procedure increases and morbidity rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical dissection with electrical stimulation. Instead of physically exposing the ureter through cutting and retraction, the stimulator delivers electrical impulses that cause the ureter to contract, producing visible waves on the monitor. This substitution eliminates the need for deep tissue dissection while maintaining reliable ureter identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The ureter identifies itself through its natural response to electrical stimulation. When the stimulator applies electrical impulses, the ureter generates characteristic contractile waves that are visually detectable. This self-identification mechanism allows the target tissue to reveal its own location and identity without requiring external exposure or dissection by the surgeon.
3Reliability
If existing smooth muscle stimulation methods are used, then some tissue response can be obtained, but the stimulation is not specific enough to reliably differentiate the ureter from surrounding structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies electrical stimulation with specific parameters (voltage, pulse duration, frequency) that are optimized for smooth muscle tissue. The stimulator delivers localized electrical impulses to the target area, and the ureter's specific contractile response pattern distinguishes it from surrounding structures. This localized application with tailored parameters enhances identification specificity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses visual feedback from the monitor to confirm ureter identification. When the stimulator applies electrical impulses, the surgeon observes the resulting contractile waves on the monitor in real-time. This feedback mechanism allows the surgeon to verify that the stimulated tissue is indeed the ureter based on the characteristic wave pattern, ensuring reliable identification.
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 system enables reliable and reproducible bi-directional contractile wave propagation in the ureter, facilitating its visualization during surgery, reducing the risk of injury and procedure time, and allowing for precise localization without deep tissue dissection.
Implementation Method 1
stimulation energy comprises a capacitive discharge of an initial voltage
Implementation Method 2
brief electrical impulses applied directly to smooth muscle tissues to induce contractile wave propagation
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical stimulation system includes a stimulator having at least one electrode and a power supply. The electrode is connectable to the power supply, and the power supply delivers electrical stimulation energy in the form of a capacitive discharge voltage through the stimulator and electrode to tissue proximate a target anatomy to induce an observable response in the target anatomy during a medical procedure.