Expandable Tissue Retractor Arms for Endoscopic Resection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Endoscopic full thickness resection procedures pose challenges due to anatomical difficulties and risks of post-operative leakage, particularly when removing tissue adjacent to critical internal organs and sensitive structures.

Innovation Solution

A device with an elongate body and expandable tissue retractor mechanism, featuring radially expandable arms for anchoring and a tissue resecting mechanism, allows for partial or full circumferential resection and closure of tissue within a body lumen, enabling safe removal and closure of diseased tissue.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If full thickness resection is performed to ensure complete removal of diseased tissue, then resection completeness is improved, but risk of post-operative leakage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresection completenessVSAvoidpost-operative leakage risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The device segments the resection process into distinct phases: tissue engagement by expandable arms, controlled resection by the cutting element, and closure by the closure element. This segmentation allows each function to be optimized independently, ensuring complete resection while managing leakage risk through systematic closure procedures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The device performs preliminary actions by first engaging and securing the tissue with expandable arms before resection occurs. The closure element is positioned in advance and activated after resection to seal the defect immediately, preventing leakage before it can occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If radial expansion of arms is used to engage tissue for resection, then tissue engagement reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetissue engagement reliabilityVSAvoidexpansion mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The expandable arms are nested within the elongate body in a collapsed state during delivery, then radially expand outward to engage tissue. This nesting principle allows the complex expansion mechanism to be delivered through standard endoscopic access while providing reliable tissue engagement when deployed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The device transitions from a static collapsed configuration during delivery to a dynamic expanded configuration during resection. The expandable arms can radially expand and contract, providing adaptive tissue engagement that improves reliability while the dynamic nature allows the complexity to be managed through controlled deployment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20220346823A1Devices, systems and methods for tissue resection

Publication Date: 2022.11.03 BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED INC

AI summary

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, systems, and methods for tissue resection in a body lumen of a patient, and may include an elongate body having a cavity at a distal end and a tissue retractor extendable distally from the distal end of the elongate body. The tissue retractor may include an expansion mechanism. The expansion mechanism may include a plurality of arms each having a first end coupled around a distal cap and expandable radially outward from the distal cap such that an anchoring mechanism on a second end of the arms is engageable with selected tissue for resection of the body lumen. The tissue resection device may further include a tissue resecting device.