Minimally Invasive Cochlea Access Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices lack a minimally invasive method to deliver therapeutic substances directly to the inner ear, particularly the cochlea, with precision and efficiency, often relying on diffusion or invasive surgical techniques.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising an ear system endoscope configured to incise through tissue and deliver therapeutic substances to the inner ear, using a processor to identify the correct location for incision and a minimally invasive therapeutic substance delivery apparatus that can reach the inner ear through a passage no greater than 10 mm in diameter, equipped with a drill bit or conduit to pierce the promontory or round window.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional surgical techniques are used to access the cochlea, then therapeutic substances can be delivered to the inner ear, but the invasiveness increases and tissue damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the access pathway into segments: an endoscope for visualization, a micromanipulator for precise positioning, and a delivery apparatus for substance administration. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function minimally invasively, reducing overall tissue damage while maintaining delivery effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary delivery apparatus that can be positioned within the cochlea through a small incision. This intermediary device serves as a mediator between the external therapeutic substance source and the inner ear target, enabling delivery through minimal tissue disruption while maintaining effective substance transfer.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive access is achieved through small incisions, then tissue damage is reduced, but precision and efficiency of therapeutic substance delivery deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope provides real-time visual feedback during the procedure, allowing the surgeon to see the cochlear structures and adjust the micromanipulator positioning accordingly. This feedback mechanism enables precise delivery of therapeutic substances through small incisions by continuously monitoring and adjusting the approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical drilling and cutting methods with a micromanipulator system that uses fine, controlled mechanical movements guided by endoscopic visualization. This substitution of the mechanical approach enables precise delivery through minimal incisions without the tissue damage associated with traditional surgical techniques.
3Ease of operation
If a drill bit is used to pierce the promontory, then access to the cochlea is achieved, but invasiveness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the drilling function from the access apparatus, using a separate micromanipulator system that can position and deliver therapeutic substances without requiring a drill bit to pierce the promontory. This extraction of the invasive drilling step maintains ease of access while reducing invasiveness through alternative minimal-intrusion methods.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a drill bit to create an opening and then delivering substances, the patent inverts the approach by using a flexible delivery apparatus that can be guided into the cochlea through a small incision and then expand or deploy at the target location. This inversion eliminates the need for aggressive drilling while achieving the same access and delivery objectives.
4Reliability
If a conduit is used to pierce the round window, then therapeutic substance delivery is enabled, but the passage size must be no greater than 10 mm
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery apparatus is designed with a nested structure where the therapeutic substance delivery conduit is contained within a protective sheath or guide catheter. This nested configuration allows the system to pass through a small 10 mm incision while maintaining the necessary delivery lumen size for reliable substance administration to the cochlea.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a simple linear conduit approach to a three-dimensional delivery system that uses angular or curved pathways. The delivery apparatus can be positioned at angles that allow it to navigate around the round window or promontory, enabling substance delivery through smaller passages by utilizing spatial geometry rather than direct linear penetration.
Data Source
AI summary
A device, including a therapeutics substance delivery apparatus and an incisor, wherein the device is a minimally invasive inner ear therapeutic substance delivery device configured to reach the inner ear through a passage through the tympanic membrane to incise through tissue and deliver a therapeutic substance, and the incisor is at least one of a drill bit configured to drill through a promontory of a cochlea of a human, or a conduit configured to pierce a round window of the human with a fully intact round window niche.