Color-Coded Biopsy Needles with Echogenic Coatings for Ultrasound
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Grayscale ultrasound imaging during medical procedures makes it difficult for both laypersons and professionals to accurately position instruments, leading to potential patient safety issues, prolonged procedures, and increased risk of missing suspicious lesions or yielding false negative biopsies.
Innovation Solution
Color-coding medical instruments using echogenic materials and coatings with distinct echogenic properties to enhance visibility under ultrasound, allowing for improved identification and positioning of instruments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If grayscale ultrasound imaging is used, then the procedure can be performed with standard imaging equipment, but the visibility and identification of instruments becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coding to medical instruments by incorporating materials with distinct echogenic properties that render different colors on ultrasound imaging. This allows instruments to be visually differentiated and easily identified during procedures while maintaining compatibility with standard grayscale ultrasound equipment through color mapping algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary color-coding system that translates physical instrument characteristics into visual color information on the ultrasound display. This intermediary layer enhances instrument visibility without requiring changes to the fundamental ultrasound imaging equipment.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If color-coding materials with distinct echogenic properties are used, then instrument visibility and identification improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different echogenic materials to specific portions of instruments based on their function and location. Each instrument component receives a tailored color-coding treatment that enhances its specific visibility characteristics, allowing complex instruments to be systematically color-coded without overwhelming complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite materials combining traditional medical instrument materials with echogenic substances. These composite materials maintain the mechanical properties of the original instruments while adding color-coding capabilities through embedded or coated echogenic materials.
3Device complexity
If grayscale imaging is used, then the imaging system remains simple, but procedural accuracy and safety decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the color-coded ultrasound images provide real-time visual information about instrument positioning and tissue interaction. This feedback enables operators to immediately adjust their actions based on color information, enhancing procedural safety without requiring complex automated control systems.
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
Enhances procedural safety and accuracy by facilitating better instrument localization, reducing the risk of injuries and improving the detection of suspicious lesions through clearer ultrasound imaging.
Implementation Method 1
Color-coding medical instruments using echogenic materials and coatings with distinct echogenic properties to enhance visibility under ultrasound
Data Source
AI summary
A system comprising a biopsy needle device comprising a cannula comprising a distal end configured to sever a tissue sample, and a trocar disposed within the cannula comprising a notch configured to retain a tissue sample, wherein at least one of the cannula and the trocar is divided into at least two segments including different echogenic coatings, an ultrasound probe, and a processor configured and arranged to collect images from the ultrasound probe and color code the at least two segments based on at least one characteristic relating to different echogenic coatings, surface textures, surface contours and dimensions of the biopsy device.