Expandable Member for Minimally Invasive Pelvic Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for pelvic conditions such as incontinence and prolapse, particularly urinary incontinence and vaginal vault prolapse, are often invasive and require lengthy surgical procedures, with complications like mesh infection and bowel obstruction, and there is a need for a minimally invasive yet effective solution.
Innovation Solution
Development of devices and methods involving elastic implants, multi-functional surgical tools, and expansion members that allow for minimally invasive procedures by providing port access, guiding instruments to the surgical site, and securing mesh implants to the sacrum, with features like elastic materials mimicking natural anatomical structures for tension adjustment and visualization tools for precise placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional surgical procedures for pelvic conditions are used, then effective treatment is achieved, but patient trauma and procedural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical procedure is divided into separate functional components: the expandable member creates access, the mesh implant provides reinforcement, and the anchoring system secures the implant. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall patient trauma while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable member is inserted in a compressed state before expansion, allowing minimal initial trauma. The mesh implant is pre-formed with optimal geometry before insertion. These preliminary preparations enable the main therapeutic action to occur with reduced procedural complexity and patient trauma.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive procedures are used, then patient trauma is reduced, but visualization and instrument guidance become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable member serves multiple functions: it creates surgical access, provides a stable platform for instrument placement, and enables visualization of the surgical site. This multi-functionality compensates for the reduced visualization capabilities inherent in minimally invasive approaches while maintaining low patient trauma.
3Reliability
If traditional invasive procedures are used, then effective treatment is achieved, but procedural time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh implant is pre-formed with the optimal geometry and configuration before insertion. The expandable member is prepared in a compressed state for rapid deployment. These preliminary actions eliminate time-consuming intraoperative shaping and positioning steps, reducing procedural time while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The procedure is segmented into distinct, optimized steps: deployment of the expandable member, insertion of the pre-formed mesh, and anchoring. This segmentation allows each step to be performed efficiently with specialized tools, reducing overall procedural time compared to traditional monolithic approaches.
4Device complexity
If simple implant designs are used, then procedural complexity is reduced, but anchoring security and tension adjustment become insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh implant incorporates dynamic elements such as adjustable anchoring mechanisms and tensioning systems that allow intraoperative optimization of fixation security. The expandable member provides dynamic support that adapts to anatomical variations. These dynamic features enhance anchoring security without requiring overly complex implant designs.
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 solution enables minimally invasive treatment of pelvic conditions with reduced procedural complexity, decreased patient trauma, and improved visualization, facilitating faster and safer surgical procedures with fewer complications.
Implementation Method 1
an expandable member inserted into the surgical incision and expanded within the incision to create a working space
Implementation Method 2
elastic materials mimicking natural anatomical structures for tension adjustment
Data Source
AI summary
Described are various embodiments of surgical procedure systems, devices, tools, and methods, useful for treating pelvic conditions in a male or female, the pelvic conditions including incontinence (various forms such as fecal incontinence, stress urinary incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed incontinence, etc.), vaginal prolapse (including various forms such as enterocele, cystocele, rectocele, apical or vault prolapse, uterine descent, etc.), and other conditions caused by muscle and ligament weakness, the devices and tools including devices and tools for anchoring an implant to tissue, devices and tools for transvaginally accessing a posterior region of pelvic anatomy, devices (including certain types of implants, anchors, and tools) for connecting (e.g., adjustably) a vaginal apex to a region of sacral anatomy to provide support to the vaginal apex, and related methods.