Flexible Lumen Surgical Tool for Tumor Resection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional surgical tools with rigid structures face challenges in accessing and completely removing tumors from bone tissue, leading to incomplete resection and potential recurrence due to angular restrictions and limited visibility during procedures like curettage.
Innovation Solution
A flexible lumen system with a rotating shaft and a flexible tubular sheath, supported by bearings and controlled by steering wires, allows for precise navigation and control of a cutting tool within a predetermined resection area, enabling complete removal of tissue while preventing engagement outside the intended zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rigid curette tool is used for manual resection, then the tool structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the tool cannot achieve complete removal of tumor tissue due to angular restrictions and limited visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transitioning from a rigid curette tool to a flexible catheter-based system that can dynamically adapt its shape and position within the bone cavity. The flexible catheter allows the tool to navigate complex angular restrictions and reach all areas of the tumor, enabling complete removal while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent directly applies the flexible shells principle by using a flexible catheter with integrated cabling that can bend and flex to conform to the irregular geometry of bone cavities. This flexible structure replaces the rigid curette, allowing the tool to access and remove tumor tissue from all angles while maintaining structural integrity, thereby achieving complete resection without excessive complexity
2Length of moving object
If a smaller diameter hole is used for access, then the surgical incision is minimized, but complete removal of tumor tissue becomes more difficult with rigid tools
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible catheter enables access through a smaller diameter hole by allowing the tool to bend and flex within the limited space. The catheter's flexible structure permits it to navigate the small access hole and extend into the bone cavity at various angles, maintaining the ability to completely remove tumor tissue while minimizing the surgical incision
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic flexibility of the catheter allows it to adapt its configuration within the constrained space of a small access hole. The tool can change its shape and position dynamically to reach all tumor areas, achieving complete resection through a minimally invasive small-diameter access point
3Adaptability or versatility
If flexible instruments with high degree of flexion are used, then the tool can navigate within vascular walls and reach desired locations, but the device complexity increases with radially integrated cabling and robotic control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible shells by using a catheter with radially integrated cabling that provides high degrees of flexion for navigating bone cavities. The flexible structure allows the tool to reach desired locations while the integrated cabling design consolidates control mechanisms, managing the inherent complexity through efficient structural integration
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible catheter system is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a protective sheath and as the primary navigation and delivery mechanism. The integrated cabling serves multiple purposes including structural support, actuation, and sensing, reducing overall device complexity by combining multiple functions into a single versatile platform
4Device complexity
If manual resection is performed with limited visibility, then the surgical procedure is simpler, but complete removal of tumor tissue cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by integrating sensors and tracking systems within the flexible catheter that provide real-time information about tool position and tissue removal status. This feedback mechanism enables the surgeon to visualize and monitor the resection process, ensuring complete removal of tumor tissue while maintaining manageable procedural complexity through informed decision-making
Data Source
AI summary
A tool for surgically removing tissue of a patient includes a body, a flexible rotating shaft that drives a distal cutting tool and is drivingly coupled to a motor supported by bearings in a flexible tubular sheath to allow the shaft to rotate and be shifted longitudinally. Steering cables in the sheath control the flexion of the sheath. A processor controls the operation to ensure that the cutting tool operates within a predetermined resection area, controlling a combination of motor speed, sheath flexion, and shaft retraction to assist surgery in the resection area.