Endoscope Balloon Positioning via Inner Shaft Markers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscope treatment tools with balloons face challenges in accurately positioning the balloon without radioscopy, as markings on the balloon are concealed by the stenosis site in two-dimensional endoscope images, making it difficult to determine if the balloon is properly aligned or if it has slipped during inflation.
Innovation Solution
A treatment tool with a transparent balloon and an inner shaft featuring visible positioning markers, where the balloon has distinct regions with varying unfolding rates and diameters, allowing for easy alignment and inflation monitoring via the endoscope's imager without the need for radioscopy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a radiopaque marker is provided on a guide member to specify balloon position, then the balloon position can be monitored, but radioscopy is required which increases procedure complexity and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the radioscopy-based monitoring system with an optical imaging system. The endoscope's imager captures images of the balloon and markers directly, substituting the mechanical/radiological monitoring approach with an optical one. This eliminates the need for radioscopy while maintaining position monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual markers as intermediaries between the balloon and the imaging system. These markers serve as mediators that translate the balloon's position into visible signals for the operator, enabling indirect observation of balloon position through the endoscope imager without requiring direct radiological imaging.
2Ease of operation
If markings are provided on the balloon to indicate position, then positioning can be facilitated, but the markings are concealed by the stenosis site in two-dimensional endoscope images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional markings on the balloon to three-dimensional spatial arrangement of multiple markers. By distributing markers at different positions (distal, intermediate, proximal) along the balloon's length, the system creates a spatial configuration that can be interpreted in 3D space, overcoming the limitations of 2D image projection and allowing operators to determine balloon position and orientation accurately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the balloon into multiple segments with distinct markers at different locations (distal marker, intermediate marker, proximal marker). This segmentation allows each marker to provide independent positional information, enabling the operator to determine the balloon's orientation and position along the stenosis site even when viewed in two dimensions.
3Manufacturing precision
If the entire balloon is inflated to dilate the stenosis site, then effective dilation is achieved, but the balloon may slip and be displaced from the target site
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by partially inflating the balloon before full dilation. The operator first inflates the balloon to a first volume to achieve initial dilation and secure positioning, then gradually increases to the second volume for complete dilation. This staged approach prevents sudden slippage that could occur with immediate full inflation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamics by enabling gradual, staged inflation of the balloon. The balloon can be inflated to different volumes at different stages of the procedure, allowing the operator to adjust the inflation level dynamically based on the balloon's positioning stability and the patient's response, rather than applying fixed full inflation from the start.
Data Source
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AI summary
A treatment tool for an endoscope includes: a sheath; a balloon provided at a distal end of the sheath, formed of a film of a transparent material, and configured to be expandable from a folded initial shape to an unfolded inflated shape; an inner shaft configured to protrude from a distal end of the balloon through an inside of the balloon; a middle marker configured to indicate a middle position of the balloon in a direction of a length of the balloon; and at least one or more positioning markers provided on the inner shaft independently of the middle marker and configured to be visible through the film of the balloon. The balloon has a proximal end-side region, a distal end-side region, and a middle part that is provided between the proximal end-side region and the distal end-side region. The positioning marker positioned at a most distal end is provided at a position corresponding to a predetermined range close to a proximal end from a boundary between the middle part and the proximal end-side region at a side closer to the proximal end than the middle part in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the inner shaft.