Cryogenic Needle Treatment for Peyronie’s Plaque Remodeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Peyronie's disease causes penile curvature and pain, often leading to erectile dysfunction, and existing treatments are ineffective in reversing the condition.
Innovation Solution
A cryogenic device with tissue-penetrating needles is used to cool targeted plaque in the penis, inducing a cooling injury that is absorbed by the body, reducing plaque volume and curvature, aided by imaging and warming techniques to prevent adjacent tissue damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing treatments are used for Peyronie's disease, then the condition remains or worsens, but the complexity and cost of treatment increases without effective results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical or chemical treatment methods with a cryogenic system that uses extreme cold temperatures to treat Peyronie's disease. The cryogenic needle delivers controlled freezing temperatures directly to the plaque, substituting traditional ineffective treatments with a physically-based thermal approach that selectively targets and remodels the fibrous tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the thermal parameter (temperature) to extremely low values (cryogenic temperatures) to achieve a therapeutic effect. By controlling the temperature parameter and maintaining it for specific durations, the system induces controlled thermal injury to the plaque, triggering the body's natural healing response to absorb the damaged tissue and reduce curvature.
2Reliability
If cryogenic cooling is applied to the plaque, then therapeutic effect is achieved through plaque absorption, but adjacent tissue may suffer cooling injury
Solution Approach 1:
The cryogenic system applies cooling locally and selectively to the plaque tissue through a needle that targets the curved portion of the penis where the plaque is located. The cooling is confined to the specific region of interest, allowing differential treatment where the plaque receives therapeutic cooling while adjacent healthy tissue is protected from harmful freezing temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by applying cooling through a needle that acts as a controlled interface between the cryogenic medium and the tissue. This intermediary structure allows precise delivery of cold temperatures only to the targeted plaque area, preventing direct contact between extreme cold and surrounding healthy tissue, thus protecting adjacent structures from cooling injury.
3Manufacturing precision
If the cooling tip is advanced into the plaque, then precise treatment is achieved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring plaque location increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates real-time feedback through imaging technology that allows the operator to visualize the needle's position relative to the plaque during the procedure. The imaging system provides continuous feedback on needle depth and placement, enabling precise advancement of the cooling tip into the targeted plaque while avoiding surrounding healthy tissue, thus resolving the difficulty of detecting plaque location.
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 method effectively reduces penile curvature and pain by absorbing the plaque, achieving a therapeutic effect through controlled cryogenic treatment.
Implementation Method 1
cooling the plaque with the cooling tip thereby inducing a cooling injury to the plaque... maintaining the cooling tip at a targeted cooling temperature for at least 5 seconds. This targeted cooling temperature can be lower than −10 degrees Celsius
Implementation Method 2
a warming system with at least one warming needle with a warming tip and introducing a warming tip into tissue adjacent to the plaque... warming an adjacent tissue with the warming tip to thereby prevent a cooling injury to the adjacent tissue
Implementation Method 3
imaging the plaque to provide a 3-dimensional map of the plaque. For example, such imaging can include the use of an ultrasound device
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods, and for remodeling tissues to treat Peyronie's disease including devices and methods adapted for cryogenic cooling of targeted plaque in a male penis to selectively remodel targeted tissue.