Deflectable Ureteroscope with Independent Bending Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical systems for procedures like endoscopy and ureteroscopy face challenges in navigating complex anatomical structures due to limited flexibility and control of medical instruments, particularly in reaching specific targets within organs like the kidney, where precise articulation and stability are required.
Innovation Solution
A robotically-enabled medical system with a flexible endoscope that includes a deflectable ureteroscope with a proximal and distal articulation section, capable of bending in multiple planes, allowing for precise navigation and control through narrow lumens and varying anatomical shapes, utilizing a combination of pull wires and robotic arms for articulation and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single bending section is used in the endoscope, then the structure is simple, but the ability to navigate complex anatomical paths and reach specific targets is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope shaft is divided into multiple bending sections (first bending section and second bending section) that can be independently controlled. Each section has its own actuation mechanism allowing separate articulation, enabling complex navigation paths while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
2Ease of operation
If the endoscope is made more flexible to navigate narrow lumens, then navigation capability improves, but control precision and stability at the distal tip deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the flexible shaft into multiple sections with independent control, the system achieves both flexibility for navigation and precision for control. The proximal section provides flexibility for navigating narrow lumens while the distal section maintains control precision through dedicated actuation mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The endoscope employs dynamic control where each bending section can be independently articulated to adjust its configuration. This allows the shaft to adapt its flexibility and rigidity dynamically - flexible during navigation and precise during manipulation at the distal tip
3Measurement precision
If multiple bending sections are added to improve articulation capability, then navigation precision improves, but the device complexity and number of control mechanisms increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each bending section is equipped with multi-functional control mechanisms that can perform multiple articulation functions. The control mechanisms are designed to handle both navigation and manipulation tasks, reducing the total number of separate controls needed while maintaining high articulation precision
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for an endoscopic system to access, visualize, and treat pathologies in various organs via natural orifices and lumens of various organs. In one aspect, the system includes an elongate shaft configured for insertion into a urinary tract of a patient. The elongate shaft can include a proximal section, a distal section, a tip portion, and a plurality of pull wires extending along the elongate shaft and terminating at the tip portion of the elongate shaft. The plurality of pull wires may include a first and second pull wire. The first pull wire may be configured to articulate each of the proximal section and the distal section in a first direction. The second pull wire may be configured to articulate the distal section in a second direction independently of the proximal section, the second direction being transverse to the first direction.