Direct-Vision Cryosurgical Probe for Precise Tissue Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Accessing and treating regions within a body lumen, such as nasal cavities, is challenging due to limited space and lack of visual contact, making proper positioning of cooling probes difficult.
Innovation Solution
A surgical device with an optically transparent needle tip and integrated imaging device is used to guide the probe through a body lumen, allowing for precise advancement and treatment of tissue regions via cryo-ablation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a cooling probe is used to treat tissue regions in body lumens, then cryo-therapy can be delivered, but proper positioning is difficult due to limited space and lack of visual contact
Solution Approach 1:
The needle tip is made optically transparent to allow visual observation of tissue structures through it, enabling direct visualization of the treatment site and improving positioning accuracy without adding complex imaging systems
Solution Approach 2:
An imaging device is introduced as an intermediary between the surgeon and the tissue, allowing indirect visual contact with the treatment site through the needle tip, thereby overcoming the limitation of direct visual contact in confined body lumens
2Length of moving object
If the needle tip is advanced through facial boundaries to reach surgical targets, then access to deep tissue regions is achieved, but trauma to anatomical structures may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device provides advance visualization of the facial boundaries and anatomical structures before needle advancement, allowing the surgeon to plan the trajectory and avoid traumatic injury to critical structures
Solution Approach 2:
Real-time imaging feedback during needle advancement allows continuous monitoring of needle position relative to anatomical structures, enabling immediate adjustment to prevent tissue trauma while maintaining deep penetration capability
3Loss of information
If an optically transparent needle tip with imaging device is used, then direct visualization is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device is integrated within the needle structure itself, merging the functions of tissue access and visual observation into a single unified device, thereby providing direct visualization without requiring separate external imaging equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The optically transparent needle tip serves multiple functions: it acts as both the tissue-penetrating instrument and the optical window for visualization, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing overall system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A direct vision cryosurgical and methods of use are described herein where the device may generally comprise an elongated rigid structure with a distal end, a proximal end, and a central lumen. The distal end may comprise a non-coring optically transparent needle tip with at least one lateral fenestration in communication with the central lumen. The distal end may also house at least one imaging device configured for distal imaging. A proximal end of the device may comprise a handle with a means for connecting the imaging device(s) to an imaging display(s), and a means for accessing bodily tissue in the vicinity of the distal end with a cryo-ablation probe through the central lumen and the lateral fenestration(s) for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.