Expandable Electrode Control for Uniform Electroporation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expandable electrode handpieces for electro-poration struggle to maintain parallelism between electrodes and adjust the electric field effectively, leading to incomplete electro-poration of tumor nodules, especially in hard-to-reach locations like hollow or visceral organs, where uniform exposure to the electric field is challenging.
Innovation Solution
A handling and control system for expandable electrodes that includes a support assembly with variable divergence angles and an electronic control device to adjust the voltage applied to the electrodes based on their spacing, ensuring a consistent electric field across the treatment area by mapping voltage to spacing using a table or sensor data, allowing for incremental adjustments during the electro-poration process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If expandable electrodes are used to treat tumor nodules in hard-to-reach locations, then accessibility to difficult areas is improved, but maintaining parallelism between electrodes and uniform electric field distribution becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode assembly is designed to be expandable rather than fixed, allowing the electrodes to dynamically adjust their configuration. The catheter can be advanced to difficult-to-reach locations and then expanded in situ, enabling the electrodes to adapt to the treatment site geometry while maintaining proper parallelism through controlled expansion mechanics
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of the electrodes from a compressed delivery configuration to an expanded treatment configuration. This parameter change allows the electrodes to transition from a compact form suitable for navigation to an expanded form that ensures parallelism and uniform electric field distribution at the treatment site
2Manufacturing precision
If fixed geometry electrodes are used to ensure parallelism, then electrode parallelism is maintained, but the ability to adjust electric field value as a function of positioning is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates adjustable voltage delivery that dynamically adapts to the expanded electrode positioning. The control system monitors electrode expansion state and adjusts the applied voltage accordingly, maintaining the relationship V = k·d between voltage and electrode spacing to ensure uniform electric field throughout the treatment volume
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback control to monitor electrode positioning and expansion state, then adjusts the applied voltage in response. This closed-loop control ensures that the electric field remains uniform across the treatment volume by compensating for any variations in electrode spacing or positioning
3Ease of operation
If electrodes are expanded in tissue without voltage adjustment, then electrode deployment is simplified, but incomplete electro-poration occurs due to non-uniform electric field distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The system couples electrode expansion with voltage adjustment, changing both the physical configuration and electrical parameters simultaneously. As electrodes expand to different positions, the voltage is adjusted according to the relationship V = k·d, ensuring that the electric field intensity remains above the electro-poration threshold throughout the entire treatment volume
Solution Approach 2:
The control system monitors electrode expansion state and provides feedback to adjust the applied voltage accordingly. This ensures that as electrodes deploy to their expanded configuration, the voltage is optimized to maintain uniform electric field distribution and achieve complete electro-poration of the target tissue
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
This system ensures complete electro-poration of tumor nodules by maintaining a consistent electric field above the threshold value across the entire volume, enabling effective permeabilization of cell membranes through controlled electrode positioning and voltage adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
the objective of the electro-poration technique of a tissue is to homogeneously expose all the cells contained in the tissue to an electric field having an intensity exceeding a local threshold value
Implementation Method 2
obtain a permeabilizing effect on the cell membranes
Data Source
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AI summary
A handling and control system for expandable electrodes (2) of a handpiece wherein a plurality of flexible electrodes (11) made of elastic cables carried by a support assembly are provided with needle-shaped front portions (14-f) that protrude from the support assembly and move in a three-dimensional space under the push of actuators. An electronic control device (27) performs the following functions: a) providing a command to the actuators (17) to perform an initial handling of each cable (14) according to an initial step Δh performing an axial advancement of the front portion (14-f) with respect to the second proximal end (4-b) and a distancing of the front portion (14-f) from the axis H; b) determining for each pair of electrodes (11) the spacing or distance li, measured along a direction perpendicular to the axis (H), between the tips of the front portions (14-f) of the pair of electrodes 11; c) determining a voltage V as a function of the spacing li, V = f(li) and applying to each electrode a pulsed signal having maximum voltage equal to the calculated value V; e) repeating the steps a), b) and c) for a plurality n of steps k successive to the initial one so that the active portions (14-f) of the electrodes move in space in a three-dimensional application area becoming distanced from each other; the voltage applied to the electrodes increases linearly with the increasing of the spacing and is such as to generate an electric field which ensures in said application area the complete electro-poration of the tissue.