Endoscopic Tool Indicators for Duct Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
During endoscopic procedures for cholangiopancreatography, it is challenging to visually confirm the position and orientation of the endoscopic treatment tool within the biliary and pancreatic ducts, as the distal portion inserted into these ducts is not within the field of view of the endoscope, requiring reliance on X-ray imaging for confirmation.
Innovation Solution
The endoscopic treatment tool incorporates a distal indicator and a proximal indicator on its elongated member, which are designed to be visible within the endoscope's field of view, allowing for better visualization of the tool's position and orientation, with the indicators positioned between specific distances from the distal and proximal ends and having widths less than half of the outer circumference, facilitating accurate rotation and insertion into bile ducts and pancreatic ducts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the endoscopic treatment tool is inserted into the biliary and pancreatic ducts, then the tool can perform treatment procedures, but the position and orientation of the tool cannot be visually confirmed by the endoscope
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coded indicators (red and blue bands) on the elongated member to provide visual orientation information. These colored indicators allow the operator to determine the rotational position and orientation of the tool tip relative to the duct anatomy, resolving the detection difficulty without compromising treatment reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate visual indicators (colored bands and patterns) that serve as mediators between the tool's internal orientation and the operator's external observation. These indicators translate the tool's spatial configuration into visible signals that can be interpreted through the endoscope, enabling indirect visualization of the tool position
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If X-ray imaging is used to confirm tool position, then visualization is achieved, but the complexity of the procedure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the visualization function from the complex X-ray imaging system and integrates it directly into the tool itself through simple optical indicators. By taking out the detection requirement from the external imaging system and embedding visual cues on the tool, the procedure complexity is reduced while maintaining detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy of the tool's orientation information through colored indicators that represent the tool's spatial configuration. This optical copy allows direct visualization of tool position and orientation without requiring the complex imaging and image processing of X-ray systems
3Illumination intensity
If the indicator width is made larger, then visibility is improved, but the ability to determine rotational position is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the indicator into multiple distinct colored bands (red and blue) arranged in specific patterns around the circumference. This segmentation allows each band to provide visibility while the relative positions and combinations of bands provide precise rotational information, resolving the contradiction between visibility and measurement precision
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscopic treatment tool, includes an elongated member having a distal end and a proximal end; a braid disposed between the distal end and the proximal end of the elongated member; a distal indicator disposed on the elongated member between a distal end and a proximal end of the braid, the distal indicator extending along a longitudinal axis of the elongated member; a proximal indicator disposed between the distal end and the proximal end of the braid on the elongated member at a more proximal side of the elongated member than the distal indicator, the proximal indicator extending along the longitudinal axis; and a pre-curved shape portion formed in a curved shape, wherein each of the distal indicator and the proximal indicator has a width less than half of an outer circumferential surface of the elongated member in a circumferential direction of the elongated member, respectively.