Cryogenic Biopsy Probe Tip for Sedation-Free Tissue Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopic biopsy procedures require sedation due to discomfort from large endoscopes, are expensive, and are ill-suited for certain subjects, limiting sample size and causing bleeding.
Innovation Solution
A cryogenic biopsy system using a small diameter probe with a thermally conductive tip cooled by a dual lumen tube, allowing tissue adherence and extraction without sedation, reducing bleeding risk and enabling imaging-free sampling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional endoscopic biopsy procedures are performed, then tissue sampling can be achieved, but the procedure requires sedation due to discomfort from large endoscopes and causes bleeding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cutting action of conventional forceps with a cryogenic freezing mechanism. The cryoprobe tip is cooled to extremely low temperatures using a refrigeration system, causing tissue to freeze and adhere to the tip through ice formation, eliminating the need for mechanical cutting and reducing bleeding risk
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the probe tip to extremely low values (cryogenic temperatures). This parameter change enables tissue adhesion through freezing rather than mechanical cutting, allowing for effective biopsy without the harmful effects of conventional forceps
Solution Approach 3:
The patent introduces ice formation as an intermediary mechanism between the probe and tissue. The cryogenic tip creates ice that acts as an adhesive medium, bonding the tissue to the probe tip for extraction without requiring direct mechanical force or cutting
2Quantity of substance
If conventional endoscopic biopsy is performed, then tissue samples can be collected, but the sample size is limited by the forceps size and working channel dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the size-constrained forceps mechanism with a cryogenic adhesion system. The freezing mechanism allows tissue to be captured and extracted based on thermal bonding rather than mechanical grasping, enabling larger sample collection independent of forceps dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
By changing from mechanical grasping to cryogenic adhesion, the system overcomes the dimensional constraints of forceps and working channels. The tissue sample size is now determined by the freezing area and adhesion strength rather than forceps opening size
3Ease of operation
If a small diameter probe is used for cryogenic biopsy, then sedation can be avoided and the procedure can be performed on various subjects, but the probe must achieve effective tissue adhesion at cryogenic temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thermal conductivity parameter of the probe tip material to ensure rapid and effective heat transfer at cryogenic temperatures. This parameter optimization enables reliable tissue adhesion even with a small diameter probe, maintaining effectiveness while improving accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction for the probe, combining materials with different thermal and mechanical properties. This composite structure enhances both the thermal conductivity for effective freezing and the mechanical strength for tissue adhesion, achieving both goals with a small diameter design
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
Enables conscious biopsy sampling with reduced bleeding and cost, suitable for various subjects, including infants, using a small diameter probe for efficient tissue collection.
Implementation Method 1
a tip (104) and a dual lumen tube (106). The tip (104) is made from a material with advantageous thermal conductivity properties... which can be coupled to a dual lumen tube (106) that can be used to introduce coolant through the tip, causing the tip to drop in temperature
Implementation Method 2
When a material at low temperatures (e.g., less than 0 degrees Celsius (°C)) comes into contact with moist tissue, the material adheres to the tissue by transferring heat away from the tissue, which can cause the moisture in the tissue to freeze into ice
Data Source
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AI summary
In some embodiments, devices, systems, and methods for cryogenic biopsy sampling are provided. In some embodiments, a device for cryogenic biopsy sampling is provided, the device including: a dual lumen tube; an elongated probe tip coupled to the distal end of the dual lumen tube, with a first lumen extending into a hollow portion in the tip and a second lumen in fluid communication with the hollow portion; a first port in fluid communication with the first lumen; a second port in fluid communication with the second lumen, wherein the first lumen, the elongated probe element, and the second lumen provide a closed pathway through which a substance introduced through the first port can flow through the first lumen into the elongated probe element, and out of the elongated probe element through the second lumen to the second port.