Flexible Ablation Needle Angle Control Without CT Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radio frequency ablation (RFA) techniques require CT imaging for guidance, exposing patients to radiation and risking complications like pneumothorax, and lack flexibility in needle penetration angles.
Innovation Solution
An ablation device with a flexible penetrating needle and an angle adjusting assembly, including a clamping component that supports and adjusts the needle's angle, allowing CT-free ablation and reduced risk of complications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rigid needle is used for penetration, then the needle can maintain a fixed penetrating angle, but the device lacks flexibility in adjusting the penetrating angle
Solution Approach 1:
The penetrating needle is designed with a flexible portion that allows dynamic angle adjustment. The needle can bend at the flexible portion to achieve different penetrating angles relative to the sheath axis, transforming from a static rigid structure to a dynamic adjustable one. This resolves the contradiction by enabling angle adaptability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The penetrating needle incorporates a flexible portion made of elastic material that can bend and deform. This flexible section allows the needle to adjust its angle by flexing, providing adaptability in penetrating angles without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction between flexibility and structural complexity.
2Measurement precision
If CT imaging is used for guidance, then the ablation procedure can be accurately guided, but the patient is exposed to radiation and risks complications like pneumothorax
Solution Approach 1:
The device replaces the need for continuous CT imaging guidance with a mechanically guided system. The sheath provides a stable reference frame, and the penetrating needle's flexibility allows it to conform to anatomical structures while maintaining accurate positioning through mechanical constraints rather than repeated radiological imaging, reducing radiation exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheath acts as an intermediary structure that provides a stable reference frame and protective pathway. By using the sheath as a mechanical guide and reference, the system reduces dependence on CT imaging for real-time guidance, thereby reducing radiation exposure while maintaining procedural accuracy through the sheath's structural guidance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the penetrating needle is completely flexible, then the needle can adapt to various angles, but the needle cannot maintain stable penetration along the axial direction
Solution Approach 1:
The penetrating needle is segmented into different portions with different properties: a proximal portion that is relatively rigid for stable insertion and positioning, and a distal flexible portion that can bend to adjust the penetrating angle. This segmentation allows the needle to maintain stability during insertion while achieving angle adaptability at the target site, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and stability.
Data Source
AI summary
An ablation device and system, where the ablation device includes a penetrating needle and an angle adjusting assembly. The penetrating needle is movably disposed through the sheath. A part of the penetrating needle is flexible. The angle adjusting assembly includes a clamping component disposed between the sheath and the penetrating needle. The clamping component has a clamping state and a releasing state. When the clamping component is in the clamping state, the clamping component is configured to support the penetrating needle to allow the penetrating needle to be configured to penetrate into the affected part along an axial direction of the sheath, and the clamping component is configured to adjust a penetrating angle of the penetrating needle. When the clamping component is in the releasing state, the clamping component releases the penetrating needle.