Intraluminal Imaging Support Member With Flexible Joint for Tortuous Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intravascular imaging devices face challenges in navigating tortuous vasculature due to areas of high rigidity, which can lead to kinking and limit maneuverability through complex vessel structures.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a flexible support member with a flexible joint portion between the transducer and controller portions of the imaging device, enhancing flexibility and enabling navigation through tortuous regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid support member is used to provide structural stability, then device stability is improved, but device flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support member is divided into multiple segments including a proximal portion, a distal portion, and a flex joint portion connecting them. This segmentation allows different regions to have different mechanical properties - the proximal and distal portions provide structural stability while the flex joint portion provides flexibility and articulation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the support member are designed with different mechanical properties. The proximal and distal portions are designed with higher rigidity for stability, while the flex joint portion is designed with lower rigidity and higher flexibility to enable articulation and navigation through tortuous vasculature.
2Strength
If the support member is made rigid to maintain device structure, then structural integrity is improved, but maneuverability through tortuous vasculature deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support member is segmented into rigid proximal and distal portions connected by a flexible flex joint portion. This allows the device to maintain structural integrity in the rigid portions while gaining maneuverability through the flexible joint that can articulate to navigate tortuous vasculature.
Solution Approach 2:
The flex joint portion is designed to be dynamically flexible, allowing the support member to articulate and bend as needed to navigate through tortuous vasculature, while the proximal and distal portions maintain their structural integrity.
3Device complexity
If the distal portion components are kept together as a single rigid unit, then device simplicity is improved, but risk of kinking increases
Solution Approach 1:
The distal portion is segmented into separate components (transducer array, control circuits, flex joint portion) rather than being a single rigid unit. This segmentation prevents kinking by allowing each component to move and articulate independently, particularly through the flexible flex joint portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The flex joint portion is designed as a flexible element that can bend and articulate, preventing kinking of the device as it navigates through tortuous vasculature. This flexible portion acts as a hinge or joint that accommodates bending without creating rigid kinks.
Data Source
AI summary
Intraluminal ultrasound imaging devices, methods, and systems are provided. Some embodiments of the present disclosure include intraluminal devices configured to navigate and maneuver tortuous vasculature of a patient. For example, an intravascular imaging device can include a flexible support member at a distal portion of the imaging device. The flexible support member may support a plurality of ultrasound transducers and a plurality of control circuits. The flexible support member includes a flexible joint portion between a transducer portion and a controller portion. Introducing a flexible joint portion between the transducer portion and the controller portion can provide for greater flexibility of the imaging device and enable the device to navigate tortuous regions of a patient's anatomy.