Electrosurgical System with Penetrating Instrument for Tumor Ablation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional radiofrequency electrode systems struggle to ablate impenetrable tumors without damaging surrounding healthy tissue, as they often require ablating healthy tissue to reach the tumor, leading to undesirable delocalized damage.
Innovation Solution
An electrosurgical system and method that involves creating an orifice within the tumor using a tissue-penetrating instrument with a removably encapsulated active electrode, allowing precise insertion and energy application to induce coherent heating and ablation within the tumor, minimizing trauma to surrounding tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional radiofrequency electrodes are used to ablate impenetrable tumors, then the tumors can be ablated, but surrounding healthy tissue is damaged due to the inability to penetrate the tumor directly
Solution Approach 1:
The ablation process is segmented into two distinct phases: first, creating an orifice through the impenetrable tumor capsule using a penetrating instrument, and second, inserting the radiofrequency electrode through the created orifice to ablate the tumor from within. This segmentation allows the procedure to bypass the barrier of the impenetrable capsule without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
A tissue-penetrating instrument serves as an intermediary tool to create an orifice through the tumor capsule. This intermediary device enables the subsequent insertion of the radiofrequency electrode without requiring direct penetration by the electrode itself, thus protecting surrounding healthy tissue while achieving tumor access.
2Reliability
If healthy tissue surrounding the tumor is ablated to reach the tumor, then the impenetrable tumor can be destroyed, but delocalized damage to surrounding healthy tissue occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The procedure segments the access path from the tumor target, creating a precise orifice through the capsule rather than ablating through healthy tissue. This allows the radiofrequency electrode to be inserted directly into the tumor through the orifice, enabling localized ablation of only the tumor tissue without delocalized damage to surrounding healthy structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The orifice creation is performed as a preliminary action before electrode insertion and tumor ablation. By pre-establishing the access pathway through the impenetrable capsule, the procedure eliminates the need for healthy tissue ablation, preserving surrounding healthy structures while enabling effective tumor treatment.
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
Enables targeted and controlled ablation of tumors that cannot be penetrated directly, reducing damage to healthy tissue and achieving effective heat ablation volumes with minimal hemorrhaging and trauma.
Implementation Method 1
The electrodes are configured to be inserted into the tissue of the patient's body and into the hardened tissue volume through the orifices to subsequently apply energy from the high frequency generator to the exposed, conductive tip to induce a coherent heating effect in the hardened tissue volume from power deposition therein
Implementation Method 2
The instruments are configured to penetrate the hardened tissue volume to create at one or more orifices defined therein
Data Source
AI summary
An electrosurgical system and method for performing an electrosurgical procedure are disclosed. The electrosurgical system includes a high frequency generator to supply energy, the generator including one or more electrical connections. The system also includes one or more instruments configured to be inserted into tissue of the patient's body having a hardened tissue volume. The instruments are configured to penetrate the hardened tissue volume to create at one or more orifices defined therein. The instruments are also configured to selectively encapsulate one or more active electrodes that are coupled to the electrical connections. Each of the electrodes has an elongated shaft terminating in an exposed, conductive tip. The electrodes are configured to be inserted into the tissue of the patient's body and into the hardened tissue volume through the orifices to subsequently apply energy from the high frequency generator to the exposed, conductive tip to induce a coherent heating effect in the hardened tissue volume from power deposition therein, thereby producing a heat ablation volume in the hardened tissue volume.