Collapsible Curved Catheters for Minimally Invasive Bladder Brachytherapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current brachytherapy methods for muscle-invasive bladder cancer are invasive and inefficient, leading to complications such as urinary tract infections, wound dehiscence, and difficulty in accurately targeting tumor cells within the bladder.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible and curved radiation therapy system with expandable catheters that transition from a uncoiled delivery state to a coiled deployed state within the bladder, allowing for precise radiation delivery to target tumor cells without direct positioning at the treatment site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If interstitial brachytherapy catheters are implanted through open retropubic or endoscopic surgical approaches, then radiation can be delivered to the bladder, but invasive procedures cause complications such as urinary tract infections, wound dehiscence, and other surgical risks
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment approach is segmented into two distinct phases: first, non-invasive placement of the applicator through the urethra using natural body passages; second, deployment of the catheter within the bladder to deliver radiation. This segmentation eliminates the need for invasive surgical incisions while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a specialized applicator-catheter system as an intermediary device that can be introduced through the urethra and deployed within the bladder. This intermediary enables radiation delivery without requiring direct surgical access to the bladder through incisions, thereby avoiding surgical complications.
2Measurement precision
If traditional rigid applicators are used for brachytherapy, then radiation sources can be positioned, but the applicators cannot adapt to different bladder shapes and sizes, limiting treatment coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is designed with dynamic properties that allow it to transition from a compressed delivery state to an expanded treatment state. Once deployed within the bladder, the catheter can dynamically adapt its shape and size to conform to the specific geometry of the patient's bladder, ensuring optimal radiation coverage while maintaining precise source positioning capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes in the catheter's physical state - transitioning from a low-profile configuration during delivery to an expanded configuration during treatment. This parameter change enables the same device to achieve both precise positioning during insertion and adaptability to various bladder geometries during therapy delivery.
3Reliability
If invasive surgical approaches are used to implant brachytherapy catheters, then treatment can be delivered, but patient recovery time increases and hospitalization is required
Solution Approach 1:
The procedure is segmented into a non-invasive delivery phase and an in-situ deployment phase, both of which can be performed in an outpatient setting. This eliminates the need for prolonged hospitalization and surgical recovery time while ensuring reliable treatment delivery through the deployed catheter system.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter system is designed to be self-deploying once introduced through the urethra, eliminating the need for ongoing surgical intervention or hospitalization. The device autonomously transitions to its treatment configuration within the bladder, enabling outpatient treatment and immediate patient discharge.
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 less invasive treatment with improved accuracy and coverage of a larger bladder area, reducing complications and enhancing the effectiveness of radiation therapy.
Implementation Method 1
The distal portion of the one or more catheters is flexible and/or made of a shape memory material. Accordingly, the distal portion of the one or more catheters is transitionable from the uncoiled delivery state to the coiled deployed state when exposed beyond the distal end of the sheath.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for minimally invasively delivering radiation therapy to a patient, e.g., with bladder cancer, is provided. The radiotherapy system includes one or more catheters that may be introduced to a patient's anatomical structure via a sheath using an intracavitary approach. The proximal end of the one or more catheters may be coupled to an afterloader for selectively delivering the radiation therapy, and the distal portion of the one or more catheters is transitionable between an uncoiled delivery state within the sheath and a coiled deployed state having a spherical configuration within the anatomical structure of the patient, such that the one or more catheters contacts at least a portion of the anatomical structure in the deployed state.