Evertable Balloon Catheter for Fallopian Tube Tissue Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing ovarian cancer are invasive and risky, as they often require surgical procedures to obtain Fallopian tube samples, which can spread cancer cells and are not effective for early detection due to anatomical challenges and the fragility of the Fallopian tube.
Innovation Solution
A device with a balloon having surface features like wrinkles and a push wire for evertable deployment into the Fallopian tube, allowing for minimally invasive tissue sample collection without the need for a skin incision, using a catheter that can evert and retract to collect cells from the tube's inner surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surgical procedures (laparoscopic or open surgery) are performed to access the ovaries and obtain tissue samples, then diagnostic capability is improved, but patient risk increases due to potential spreading of cancer cells and adverse reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the diagnostic function from invasive surgical procedures and relocates it to a minimally invasive catheter-based system. The catheter delivers a balloon to the Fallopian tube where tissue samples are collected locally, eliminating the need for open surgery or laparoscopic access to the ovaries while maintaining diagnostic capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces the Fallopian tube as an intermediary site for diagnosis. Instead of directly accessing the ovaries through surgery, the catheter system uses the Fallopian tube as a accessible pathway to obtain tissue samples that can reveal ovarian cancer, thereby reducing patient risk while preserving diagnostic accuracy
2Quantity of substance
If surgical procedures are used to obtain Fallopian tube samples, then tissue sample collection is achieved, but the Fallopian tube may be damaged due to its fragility
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a flexible balloon that can be navigated through the fragile Fallopian tube without causing mechanical damage. The balloon's compliance allows it to adapt to the tube's anatomy and retrieve tissue samples through gentle manipulation rather than forceful surgical intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical force of surgical instruments with a softer, more compliant balloon system. The balloon uses pressure and friction rather than cutting or grasping forces to collect tissue samples, thereby preserving the integrity of the fragile Fallopian tube
3Ease of operation
If traditional catheter approaches are used, then minimally invasive access is achieved, but effective navigation of the Fallopian tube is difficult due to anatomical challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the traditional approach by accessing the Fallopian tube through its proximal end (near the uterus) rather than attempting to reach it from the distal end. This reverse navigation approach simplifies catheter insertion and positioning, overcoming the anatomical challenges of accessing the tube's narrow and tortuous structure
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure generally relates to devices, systems, and methods for Fallopian tube diagnostics. In some embodiments, a tube may have a distal end, and a balloon may be coupled to the distal end of the tube. The balloon may be disposed in the tube in a first, inverted position and movable to a second, everted position. The balloon may be extendable a distance distal of the tube distal end such that a surface of the balloon is contactable with an inner surface of the Fallopian tube. A push wire may have a distal end coupled to a second end of the balloon. The balloon may be movable from the first inverted position to the second everted position by actuation of the push wire. The surface of the balloon may include a plurality of surface features for collection of a tissue sample of the inner surface of the Fallopian tube.