Cryoablation Balloon With Suction For Gallbladder Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for gallbladder disease, such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy, pose high complication rates in elderly patients due to general anesthesia and abdominal insufflation, and are hindered by intra-abdominal adhesions and visualization challenges, necessitating an improved method for gallbladder disease treatment.
Innovation Solution
The development of cryoablation devices featuring an elongate body with an expandable balloon and suction openings, which are positioned within the gallbladder to maximize cryogen contact and minimize tissue damage, allowing for minimally invasive procedures under moderate sedation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If laparoscopic cholecystectomy is performed, then gallbladder disease can be treated effectively, but complication rate increases in elderly patients due to general anesthesia and abdominal insufflation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical surgical system (laparoscope, surgical instruments, abdominal insufflation) with a cryoablation system that uses cryogenic temperatures to destroy gallbladder tissue. The cryoablation catheter delivers freezing temperatures directly to the target tissue, eliminating the need for general anesthesia and abdominal insufflation while maintaining treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of tissue destruction from mechanical cutting and thermal coagulation to cryogenic freezing. By using temperatures below -40°C, the system achieves tissue necrosis through ice crystal formation and cellular dehydration, providing an alternative mechanism that avoids the harmful effects of general anesthesia and abdominal insufflation
2Reliability
If laparoscopic cholecystectomy is performed, then gallbladder disease can be treated, but visualization becomes difficult due to intra-abdominal adhesions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the treatment function from the complex laparoscopic surgical system and isolates it to a percutaneous cryoablation catheter. By accessing the gallbladder through a small puncture site rather than requiring full laparoscopic visualization, the system eliminates the problem of adhesion-related visualization difficulties while maintaining treatment capability
3Reliability
If expandable balloon is used in cryoablation device, then cryogen contact with gallbladder is maximized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic expandable balloon that can transition between compressed and expanded states. The balloon is delivered in a compressed state through a catheter, then expanded at the target site to maximize surface area contact with the gallbladder wall. This dynamic configuration allows the system to achieve high ablation effectiveness while maintaining relatively simple device structure through controlled morphological change
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 cryoablation devices effectively ablate the gallbladder with reduced risk to surrounding tissues, enabling minimally invasive procedures that can be performed without general anesthesia, thus reducing complications and improving treatment efficacy for gallbladder disease.
Implementation Method 1
the ablation fluid is a cryogen
Implementation Method 2
at least one first suction opening defined in the elongate body
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are cryoablation devices and methods of using the same, including to ablate gallbladders. In certain implementations, the device is a catheter that has an expandable cryogen balloon for expansion within a gallbladder and at least one suction opening for applying suction within the gallbladder. According to other implementations, the device has a cryogen probe and a suction catheter slidably positioned on the probe.