Convertible Penile Implant Proximal Tip Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing penile implant inventory is costly due to the variety of different length and diameter implants required, and conventional solutions like rear tip extenders cannot accommodate anatomical variations such as fibrotic tissue growth or narrower corpora cavernosa.
Innovation Solution
A penile implant with a proximal tip assembly featuring a removable tip sleeve that allows conversion between two diameters, enabling the implant to be scaled to fit different corporotomy sizes without altering its length significantly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different length and diameter penile implants are maintained in inventory to accommodate varying patient anatomies, then the fit and functionality for different patients is improved, but the inventory cost increases prohibitively
Solution Approach 1:
The penile implant is designed with a convertible proximal tip that can assume multiple diameter configurations (first and second diameters) using a single implant device. The tip converter mechanism allows the implant to adapt to different corpora cavernosa sizes, eliminating the need to stock multiple implant variants and reducing inventory costs while maintaining versatility across patient anatomies.
Solution Approach 2:
The proximal tip of the implant is segmented into a tip core and a tip converter assembly that can be selectively positioned. The tip converter is disposed over the tip core and can be moved between retracted and extended positions, creating different diameter configurations. This segmentation allows a single implant to provide multiple size options without requiring separate implants for each size.
2Device complexity
If a fixed diameter penile implant is used, then the inventory complexity is reduced, but the implant cannot accommodate anatomical variations such as fibrotic tissue growth or narrower corpora cavernosa
Solution Approach 1:
The penile implant incorporates a dynamic tip converter mechanism that can change the diameter of the proximal tip from a first diameter to a second diameter. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the implant to adapt to different anatomical conditions (such as fibrotic tissue or narrower corpora) without requiring multiple fixed-size implants in inventory, thus reducing inventory complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant allows change in the diameter parameter of the proximal tip through the tip converter mechanism. By selectively positioning the tip converter in retracted or extended positions, the effective diameter of the implant proximal tip changes, enabling accommodation of various anatomical variations while using a single standardized implant design.
3Ease of operation
If rear tip extenders are used to accommodate anatomical variations, then the length can be adjusted, but they cannot address diameter variations or fibrotic tissue growth
Solution Approach 1:
The tip converter mechanism provides local quality variation at the proximal tip of the implant by allowing selective change in diameter at that specific location. This localized adaptability addresses diameter variations and fibrotic tissue issues at the proximal end without affecting the rest of the implant, providing surgical flexibility for accommodating anatomical variations that extenders cannot address.
Data Source
AI summary
A penile implant includes an inflatable bladder providing a fluid chamber, a distal tip extending from a distal end of the inflatable bladder, and a proximal tip assembly extending from a proximal end of the inflatable bladder. The proximal tip assembly includes a tip core providing a first proximal tip diameter and a tip sleeve disposed over the tip core to provide a second proximal tip diameter that is larger than the first proximal tip diameter. The tip sleeve is removable from the tip core to provide the penile implant with a proximal tip that is convertible between the first and second proximal tip diameters.