Fluorescence-Guided Biopsy System for Targeted Tissue Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imaging techniques like CT and ultrasound struggle to differentiate between benign and malignant tissue, leading to inadequate sampling and treatment of residual or new tumors, and fail to visualize early or small malignant changes, resulting in inefficient and costly multiple biopsies with high patient burden.
Innovation Solution
A biopsy system using fluorescence endoscopy to pre-select tissue in situ for cytological examination, utilizing a fluorescence endoscopy element to localize pathological tissue with excitation light, allowing precise biopsy of relevant areas without random sampling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional imaging techniques (CT, ultrasound) are used to visualize suspicious tissue, then the abnormality can be detected and localized, but the degree of tissue differentiation is limited and specificity is restricted, making it impossible to distinguish benign from malignant tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines conventional imaging techniques with fluorescence endoscopy to create a hybrid diagnostic system. The fluorescence endoscopy element is integrated into the biopsy needle assembly, allowing simultaneous structural imaging (CT/ultrasound) and functional imaging (fluorescence) to achieve both localization and tissue characterization
Solution Approach 2:
Fluorescent markers serve as intermediaries that bind to specific tissue components (e.g., amino acids, nucleic acids) and emit fluorescence signals when excited by light. This intermediary mechanism enables indirect detection of tissue characteristics that cannot be directly visualized by conventional imaging
2Reliability
If multiple biopsies are taken from different locations to ensure complete sampling, then the risk of missing residual or new tumors is reduced, but the patient burden and procedural complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The fluorescence endoscopy element performs preliminary identification and characterization of tissue regions before the biopsy is taken. By pre-mapping the fluorescent signal distribution, the system identifies which areas contain malignant tissue, allowing the operator to target only those regions with a single biopsy
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time fluorescence feedback during the biopsy procedure. The fluorescent signal intensity and distribution are monitored and displayed, allowing the operator to adjust the needle position and sampling strategy based on the observed signal patterns, ensuring complete sampling while minimizing the number of biopsy sites
3Productivity
If a single biopsy is taken from the center of the abnormality, then the procedure is simple and quick, but residual or new tumors located at the periphery or outside the visible abnormality may be missed
Solution Approach 1:
The fluorescence endoscopy element adds a functional dimension to the traditional anatomical imaging. While CT and ultrasound provide structural information in three spatial dimensions, fluorescence imaging adds a molecular/biochemical dimension by detecting specific tissue characteristics, enabling identification of malignant areas that extend beyond the visible anatomical boundaries
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
Enhances specificity and sensitivity of tissue sampling, reducing the number of biopsies, minimizing patient strain, and lowering costs by ensuring relevant tissue is targeted directly, thus improving diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic precision.
Implementation Method 1
A biopsy system uses fluorescence endoscopy to pre-select tissue in situ for cytological examination, utilizing a fluorescence endoscopy element to localize pathological tissue with excitation light
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a biopsy system (1), comprising - a biopsy element (3) for removing a sample (33) of tissue (41) to be examined from an organic body, - a fluorescence endoscopy element (5), the fluorescence endoscopy element (5) having a distal portion (7) where excitation light is coupled out and fluorescence light is coupled in, the distal portion (7) of the fluorescence endoscopy element (5) in the biopsy element (3) being axially positionable in a distal position and in a proximal position, and the biopsy element (3) having a receiving space (31) for receiving the sample (33) of the tissue (41) to be examined, which receiving space is closed at the distal end in the distal position of the distal portion (7) of the fluorescence endoscopy element (5) and is open at the distal end in the proximal position of the distal portion (7) of the fluorescence endoscopy element (5).