Expandable Catheter Chamber for Endoscopic Triangulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive endoscopic procedures face challenges in expanding the working space within body lumens to enhance maneuverability and visualization of instruments, particularly in gastrointestinal treatments, where existing technologies fail to provide sufficient space and flexibility for effective tissue manipulation.
Innovation Solution
A reversibly-expandable catheter system with an asymmetric expandable region and tool channels that can be maneuvered from outside the body, allowing for increased distance between instruments and target tissue, and enabling triangulation and visualization, using a flexible catheter with an inflatable balloon or mechanical expander to create an expanded chamber for endoscopic tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional endoscopic procedures are used, then the procedure is minimally invasive, but the working space is insufficient for effective instrument manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into distinct functional segments: a collapsible shaft for insertion, an expandable distal region for creating working space, and a window for instrument access. This segmentation allows the catheter to transition from a simple insertion tool to a complex working platform with independent functional zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The endoscope and instruments are nested within the catheter structure. The endoscope travels through the catheter lumen, and instruments are inserted through the window into the expanded chamber. This nested arrangement allows multiple components to occupy the same spatial pathway without interfering with each other during insertion and operation.
2Ease of operation
If the working space is expanded, then instrument maneuverability improves, but the distance between instruments and target tissue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter creates a three-dimensional expanded chamber at its distal end, transforming the one-dimensional insertion pathway into a multi-dimensional working space. This allows instruments to be positioned at various angles and distances from the target tissue while maintaining control from the proximal end.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable region is designed to expand asymmetrically, creating a chamber with non-uniform dimensions. This asymmetric expansion optimizes the working space for specific instrument trajectories and tissue access angles, allowing instruments to approach the target tissue from multiple directions.
3Ease of operation
If a stable working space is created, then visualization and manipulation improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs dynamic structures that can change configuration: the expandable region transitions from collapsed to expanded state, and the window can be opened or closed. This dynamic capability allows the same device to adapt to different operational phases (insertion vs. work) without requiring multiple separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter acts as an intermediary device between the operator and the target tissue. It provides a stable platform with a window that mediates the interaction between instruments and tissue, allowing precise control while maintaining a simplified overall structure compared to open surgery approaches.
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
The system provides improved maneuverability and visualization by increasing the working space, allowing for more effective treatment of gastrointestinal tissues with enhanced triangulation and access, while maintaining the minimally invasive nature of the procedure.
Implementation Method 1
The expandable region is expandable from a collapsed insertion configuration to an expanded configuration to provide an expanded chamber
Implementation Method 2
The catheter includes an elongated actuation member for expanding the expandable region and an actuator at the proximal portion of the catheter to move the elongated actuation member
Data Source
AI summary
A system for endoscopic surgery within a body lumen of a patient including a flexible catheter having an expandable region at a distal portion and an access opening. The expandable region is expandable from a collapsed insertion configuration to an expanded configuration to provide an expanded chamber on a first side of the catheter. The access opening is positioned on a second side opposite the first side to provide a window to access target tissue. The catheter includes a lumen dimensioned to receive an endoscopic instrument therethrough such that a distal end of the endoscopic instrument is positionable within the expanded chamber and angled laterally within the expanded chamber to access the target tissue through the window.