Distal Tip Sensor Tracking for Flexible ENT Instruments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image-guided surgery systems for ENT procedures, such as sinus surgery, are limited by the need for sensors to be mounted on proximal portions of instruments, which are not suitable for flexible and malleable catheters, leading to inadequate tracking of distal tip positions during procedures.
Innovation Solution
Development of sensor-equipped working devices with sensors positioned at the distal tips or along the shafts of instruments, allowing for real-time image guidance during flexible and malleable instrument use within the body, integrated with image guidance systems for precise positioning and movement tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are mounted on proximal portions of instruments, then the instrument structure remains simple, but the tracking precision of distal tip positions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is divided into multiple segments with sensors distributed at different locations (distal tip, intermediate positions, and proximal portions). Each sensor tracks a specific segment, and the system integrates these measurements to determine the overall instrument position and orientation, achieving high tracking precision without requiring a single complex sensor assembly
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensors are nested along the instrument shaft at different hierarchical levels, with distal sensors tracking tip position and proximal sensors tracking overall instrument orientation. This nested arrangement allows each sensor to focus on a specific tracking function, improving overall measurement precision while maintaining modular instrument design
2Adaptability or versatility
If rigid instruments are used, then sensor mounting is straightforward, but the ability to navigate tortuous anatomical passages deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument incorporates a dynamic structure with flexible shaft sections that can bend and adapt to tortuous anatomical passages. Sensors are mounted on both rigid proximal sections (for stable reference) and flexible distal sections (for tracking tip position in curved paths), allowing the instrument to navigate complex anatomy while maintaining trackable position through dynamic configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument shaft incorporates flexible membrane or thin-walled structures that allow bending and conforming to anatomical passages. Sensors are embedded within or attached to these flexible layers, enabling the instrument to navigate tortuous paths while the sensors maintain their relative positions for accurate tracking
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are positioned along the instrument shaft, then the position tracking precision improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each sensor along the instrument shaft is designed to perform multiple functions: tracking position, determining orientation, and providing redundancy for error correction. This multi-functional sensor design allows a single sensor to contribute to multiple measurement objectives, improving overall position tracking precision without proportionally increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where sensor data from multiple positions along the shaft is continuously processed and used to correct and refine position estimates. The feedback loop integrates measurements from distal and proximal sensors, using the relative positions and orientations to compensate for individual sensor errors, thereby improving overall tracking precision through coordinated sensor operation
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems and methods for performing image guided interventional and surgical procedures, including various procedures to treat sinusitis and other disorders of the paranasal sinuses, ears, nose or throat.