Catheter Biomarker Sensor Navigating via VOC Gradients
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical systems are ineffective for early diagnosis of life-threatening diseases like cancer due to reliance on invasive procedures and high false-positive rates, and they fail to detect biomarkers in the early stages of cancer when clinical symptoms are silent.
Innovation Solution
A teleoperated medical system that uses a catheter with a biomarker sensor to detect and analyze volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in anatomical passageways, navigating based on VOC gradients to precisely locate tumors and enable early diagnosis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional electromagnetic sensing tracking systems are used to navigate medical instruments, then the location and movement of instruments can be correlated with pre-operative or intra-operative images, but the clinical environment or workflow is disturbed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electromagnetic sensing tracking systems with a visual navigation system that uses cameras and image processing to track anatomical landmarks and navigate medical instruments. This substitution eliminates the harmful electromagnetic interference while maintaining the ability to correlate instrument position with anatomical images throughout the surgical procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual intermediaries (cameras capturing images of anatomical landmarks) as a mediator between the surgical instrument and the navigation system. This visual intermediary approach allows instrument tracking without direct electromagnetic coupling to the patient or surgical field, thereby avoiding clinical environment disturbance.
2Measurement precision
If invasive procedures are used to detect biomarkers, then the location of masses can be detected, but tissue damage occurs and recovery time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical invasive biopsy procedures with optical detection methods. Cameras and image processing algorithms detect visual characteristics and biomarkers associated with masses through minimally invasive or non-invasive imaging, eliminating the need for tissue removal and associated trauma while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical intermediaries (visual imaging systems) as mediators between the detection system and the target tissue. These intermediaries capture and process visual information to identify biomarkers and mass locations without direct mechanical contact or tissue invasion, thereby avoiding harm while preserving measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If pre-operative or intra-operative images are used for instrument navigation, then accurate targeting is achieved, but the system becomes complex and requires additional equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and utilizes only the essential visual information (anatomical landmarks and their spatial relationships) from pre-operative or intra-operative images for navigation purposes. By focusing on key visual features rather than processing complete image datasets, the system achieves accurate targeting while reducing computational and hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the navigation task into discrete visual recognition steps: identifying anatomical landmarks, tracking their positions across images, and correlating them with instrument locations. This segmentation approach simplifies the overall system architecture by breaking down complex image processing into manageable, independent modules.
4Reliability
If VOC sensors are used to detect biomarkers in early stages of cancer, then early diagnosis is enabled, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates VOC sensing capability into an existing multi-functional medical instrument or catheter system. The same instrument that performs diagnostic or therapeutic functions also houses the VOC sensor, allowing early cancer detection without adding a completely separate complex sensor system. This multi-functionality approach reduces overall system complexity while enabling reliable early diagnosis.
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
Enables safe, non-invasive early detection of cancer by identifying VOC signatures, allowing for timely treatment and reducing the need for invasive procedures and radiation exposure.
Implementation Method 1
uses a catheter with a biomarker sensor to detect and analyze volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in anatomical passageways
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4A
AI summary
The systems and methods of the present disclosure are used for guiding a medical instrument towards a target, the method positioning a medical instrument at a first location within a patient anatomy, wherein the medical instrument comprises at least one sensor, determining a first biomarker measurement using the at least one sensor, determining a second biomarker measurement using the at least one sensor, comparing the first biomarker measurement with the second biomarker measurement to determine a proximity to the target to provide a first comparison, and providing guidance for moving the medical instrument based on results of the first comparison.