Deployable Ground Plane for Laparoscopic Microwave Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microwave ablation probes with radial ground planes are too large for laparoscopic procedures and can cause stress when inserted into dense tissue, leading to potential probe failure and complications.
Innovation Solution
A deployable ground plane electrode assembly in a microwave ablation probe that can be folded and deployed radially, allowing for precise energy delivery and reduced tissue damage, with support wires made from resilient materials like spring steel or shape memory alloys, enabling the ground plane to unfold and provide effective shielding without increasing probe diameter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a radial ground plane is used in a microwave ablation probe, then effective shielding and energy delivery is achieved, but the probe diameter increases making it unsuitable for laparoscopic procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The ground plane is designed to be deployable rather than fixed. During insertion, the ground plane remains folded within the probe body to maintain a small diameter. Once positioned, the ground plane deploys radially to provide effective shielding. This dynamic configuration allows the probe to achieve both small size during insertion and effective shielding during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground plane is nested within the probe body during insertion, similar to a nested doll structure. The ground plane can be folded or collapsed to fit within the limited space of the probe shaft, allowing the probe to maintain a small external diameter while still incorporating the necessary shielding structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid ground plane is used, then structural stability is maintained, but stress is concentrated during insertion into dense tissue leading to probe failure
Solution Approach 1:
The ground plane material properties are changed from rigid to flexible or resilient. This parameter change allows the ground plane to flex and deform during insertion into dense tissue without concentrating stress, thereby reducing the risk of probe failure while maintaining structural integrity through the resilience of the material.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground plane is constructed from flexible material that can deform during insertion. This flexibility allows the ground plane to conform to tissue boundaries and reduce stress concentration, preventing probe failure while maintaining the necessary shielding function once deployed.
3Reliability
If the ground plane is deployed radially, then effective energy delivery and shielding is achieved, but the probe complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ground plane is designed to deploy automatically using its own resilient properties or stored mechanical energy, without requiring complex external actuation mechanisms. This self-service deployment reduces the overall probe complexity while still achieving the necessary radial configuration for effective energy delivery and shielding.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical ablation system employing an ablation probe having a deployable ground plane is disclosed. The disclosed system includes a source of ablation energy and a source of electrosurgical energy, and a switching assembly configured to select between ablation and electrosurgical modes. The probe includes a cannula having a shaft slidably disposed therein. The shaft includes a deployable ground plane electrode assembly and a needle electrode disposed at distal end of the shaft. As the shaft is extended distally from the cannula, the ground plane electrode unfolds, and the needle electrode is exposed. Electrosurgical energy is applied to tissue via the needle electrode to facilitate the insertion thereof into tissue. Ablation energy is applied to tissue via the needle electrode to achieve the desired surgical outcome. The shaft, ground plane electrode and needle electrode are retracted into the cannula, and withdrawn from the surgical site.