Expandable Microwave Antenna for Uniform Tissue Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microwave antennas used in tissue ablation procedures face challenges in providing uniform heating and are prone to damaging healthy tissue, with limited control over energy distribution and risk of cell displacement during insertion and removal.
Innovation Solution
A microwave ablation device featuring an expandable antenna design with a movable distal tip that allows the inner conductor to arc away from the longitudinal axis, creating a larger ablation region and reducing the risk of tissue damage, while maintaining precise energy delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional antenna probes are inserted directly into tissue to deliver microwave energy, then the microwave energy can be delivered directly to the target tissue, but the heating is not uniform axially and/or radially about the effective length of the probe
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna is divided into multiple segments or sections along its effective length, with each section capable of independent or differential energy delivery. This segmentation allows different portions of the antenna to be controlled independently to achieve more uniform heating patterns throughout the treated tissue volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna incorporates movable or adjustable elements that can change position or configuration during operation. This dynamic capability allows the antenna to adapt its radiation pattern and energy distribution to achieve uniform heating, contrasting with the static nature of conventional probes.
2Reliability
If conventional microwave antennas are inserted directly into cancerous tissue, then the treatment can be applied directly to the target, but there is a danger of dragging or pulling cancerous cells along the antenna body into other parts of the body
Solution Approach 1:
A protective sheath or introducer device serves as an intermediary between the antenna and the tissue during insertion and removal. This intermediary allows the antenna to be advanced and withdrawn without direct contact with the tissue, preventing the dragging of cancerous cells along the antenna body while still enabling effective treatment delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna is nested within a protective introducer or delivery catheter that remains in place during the procedure. This nested configuration allows the antenna to be inserted through the introducer to the target site and then withdrawn back through the introducer, containing any potential cell displacement within the introducer rather than along the antenna surface.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If non-invasive microwave energy is used to treat tissue underlying the skin, then the procedure is less invasive, but there is unwanted heating of healthy tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system delivers microwave energy in a highly localized manner directly to the target tissue, with the energy deposition concentrated at the antenna tip and along the antenna body where it contacts or approaches the tissue. This local quality of energy delivery spares surrounding healthy tissue from unwanted heating, contrasting with the more diffuse heating pattern of non-invasive 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 expandable antenna design enhances uniform tissue heating and reduces the risk of healthy tissue damage, allowing for more controlled and effective microwave energy distribution, thereby improving the precision and safety of ablation procedures.
Implementation Method 1
The inner conductor is configured to deliver energy... microwave ablation procedures... utilize electromagnetic radiation to heat diseased cells to temperatures above 41° C.
Implementation Method 2
A microwave ablation device for treating tissue includes an inner conductor... configured to deliver energy... microwave energy is able to non-invasively penetrate the skin to reach the underlying tissue.
Data Source
AI summary
A microwave ablation device for treating tissue includes an inner conductor having a length and a distal end and configured to deliver energy, a wire extending adjacent the inner conductor and axially translatable relative thereto, the wire including a length and a distal end, a distal tip disposed in mechanical cooperation with the distal end of the inner conductor and the distal end of the wire; and an outer conductor including a distal end and defining a longitudinal axis, the outer conductor at least partially surrounding the inner conductor and the wire at least partially along their lengths. The distal tip is movable substantially along the longitudinal axis with respect to the outer conductor and relative movement of the distal tip towards the distal end of the outer conductor causes at least a portion of the inner conductor to move away from the longitudinal axis.