Urethral Catheter Impedance Bridge for Prostate Tissue Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting prostate cancer, such as digital rectal examinations and PSA testing, are often inaccurate, leading to false positives and negatives, which can result in unnecessary procedures and delayed treatment, and are prone to inconclusive results causing patient anxiety.
Innovation Solution
A medical device featuring a urethral catheter with electrodes and an impedance bridge, coupled to a processor, which records impedance measurements at multiple frequencies to determine tissue types, accurately distinguishing between cancerous and non-cancerous tissues, thereby reducing false positives and negatives and improving test confidence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If digital rectal examination is used to detect prostate cancer, then the examination can be performed with simple equipment, but the measurement accuracy is low due to subjective assessment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual firmness assessment in digital rectal examination with an electrical impedance measurement system. The medical device uses electrodes to measure tissue impedance, which provides an objective, quantifiable metric for detecting prostate abnormalities, thereby eliminating the subjectivity inherent in manual firmness assessment while maintaining examination simplicity.
2Ease of manufacture
If PSA testing is used to detect prostate cancer, then the test can be performed with simple blood sampling, but the measurement accuracy is low due to false positives from noncancerous conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary impedance measurement system that measures electrical properties of prostate tissue directly. This intermediary method provides additional information about tissue characteristics that complements PSA testing, helping to distinguish between cancerous and noncancerous conditions that may both elevate PSA levels, thereby reducing false positives.
3Measurement precision
If impedance measurements are performed with multiple electrodes and frequencies, then the tissue type determination accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the measurement system into multiple electrodes positioned at different locations along the catheter, with each electrode or electrode pair capable of independent impedance measurements at different frequencies. This segmentation allows the system to gather comprehensive tissue characterization data while maintaining a modular architecture that manages complexity through distributed, independent measurement channels.
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 device enables accurate tissue type determination, reducing unnecessary medical procedures and enabling early-stage cancer treatment with better prognoses by providing reliable and confident test results.
Implementation Method 1
measuring one or more impedance measurements associated with two or more electrodes disposed on the distal portion of the urethral catheter
Data Source
AI summary
In various embodiments, a medical device comprises a urethral catheter including a distal portion two or more electrodes disposed on the distal portion; an impedance bridge coupled to the two or more electrodes; and a processor coupled to the impedance bridge. In various embodiments, a computer-implemented method for determining one or more tissue types at a location associated with a distal portion of a urethral catheter comprises recording, at one or more frequencies, one or more impedance measurements, wherein each impedance measurement is associated with two or more electrodes disposed on the distal portion of the urethral catheter; comparing the one or more impedance measurements to one or more characteristic impedances associated with one or more tissue types; and determining, based on the one or more impedance measurements and the one or more characteristic impedances, one or more tissue types at a location associated with the distal portion.