Crosslinked Gel System for Capturing Urinary Calculus Fragments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing urinary calculus fragments, particularly kidney stone fragments, are inefficient, as they often leave behind small and medium-sized fragments that can lead to repeated health issues due to their inability to fully capture and extract these fragments during minimally invasive procedures.
Innovation Solution
A gel-forming system comprising cationically crosslinkable polymers and crosslinking agents is introduced into the urinary tract, forming a crosslinked gel that surrounds and captures urinary calculus fragments, which can then be removed in one piece, optionally incorporating magnetizable particles for enhanced extraction using magnetic retrieval methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive endoscopic methods are used to remove urinary calculi, then patient trauma is reduced and recovery is faster, but small and medium-sized calculus fragments are often left behind in the urinary tract
Solution Approach 1:
A gel-forming system acts as an intermediary substance that is introduced into the urinary tract, forms a gel matrix that captures calculus fragments, and facilitates their complete removal. The gel serves as a mediator between the endoscopic instruments and the fragments, enabling reliable extraction of even small and medium-sized pieces while maintaining minimally invasive benefits.
2Reliability
If traditional extraction methods are used to remove all calculus fragments, then complete removal is achieved, but the procedure becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The gel-forming system combines multiple functions into a single substance: it acts as a capturing agent for fragments, a transporting medium for extraction, and a protective barrier for tissues. This merging of functions simplifies the overall procedure while ensuring complete fragment removal, as the gel can be introduced through standard endoscopic catheters and removed in a single action.
3Reliability
If more aggressive extraction methods are employed to ensure complete fragment removal, then reliability of removal improves, but tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gel system changes the physical parameters of fragment extraction by transitioning from a liquid to a gel state within the urinary tract. This phase change allows the system to gently encapsulate fragments and facilitate their removal through low-force mechanisms, eliminating the need for aggressive extraction methods that could damage delicate urinary tract tissues.
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 effectively captures and removes urinary calculus fragments of various sizes, preventing recurrence by ensuring complete extraction and minimizing tissue damage, thus addressing the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
a crosslinked gel is formed that partly or fully surrounds the urinary calculi and/or fragments thereof
Implementation Method 2
the crosslinked gel contains the magnetizable particles
Data Source
AI summary
Primarily described are gel-forming systems, consisting of or comprising a composition (A), comprising one or several cationically crosslinkable polymer(s), and a composition (B), comprising one or several crosslinking agent(s) for crosslinking the cationically crosslinkable polymer(s) for use in a method for removing urinary calculi and/or fragments thereof, more particularly kidney stones and/or fragments thereof, from a region of the urinary tract, more particularly a kidney, that contains urinary calculi and/or fragments thereof, more particularly kidney stones and/or fragments thereof, that are to be removed, with the following steps: (i) providing the compositions (A) and (B), (ii) introducing the compositions (A) and (B) into a region of the urinary tract, more particularly the kidney, that contains urinary calculi and/or fragments thereof, more particularly kidney stones and/or fragments thereof, that are to be removed, under conditions enabling crosslinking of the cationically crosslinkable polymer(s) upon contact of composition (A) with composition (B) so that a crosslinked gel is formed that partly or fully surrounds the urinary calculi and/or fragments thereof, more particularly kidney stones and/or fragments thereof, that are to be removed, (iii) removing the crosslinked gel together with the urinary calculi and/or fragments thereof, more particularly kidney stones and/or fragments thereof, that are surrounded by it from the urinary tract, more particularly the kidney.