Guidance Pad for Percutaneous Access Needle Trajectory Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical procedures face challenges in accurately and efficiently inserting access needles due to reliance on interventional radiologists and the impracticality of real-time imaging, which prolongs procedures and complicates navigation through patient movement and anatomy interpretation.
Innovation Solution
The use of instrument guidance pads that provide real-time feedback on the location and orientation of access needles, eliminating the need for separate imaging systems by displaying indicia such as depth and trajectory through light emitters or display screens, and incorporating sensors for anatomical information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If real-time imaging equipment is used to guide access needle placement, then navigation accuracy is improved, but patient and surgeon exposure to radiation increases and procedure complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the imaging function from separate external equipment and integrates it directly into the access needle itself. The needle incorporates imaging capabilities (such as ultrasound transducers or other sensors) that allow real-time visualization of needle position and tissue interaction without requiring external imaging systems, thereby eliminating radiation exposure while maintaining navigation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary guidance system that uses non-ionizing imaging modalities (such as ultrasound, optical coherence tomography, or other safe imaging techniques) as a mediator between the surgeon and the target tissue. This intermediary system provides real-time feedback without the harmful effects of radiation, allowing accurate needle placement through safe imaging methods.
2Measurement precision
If interventional radiologists perform access needle insertion, then placement accuracy is improved, but procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time feedback mechanisms through integrated sensors and imaging systems in the access needle. This provides the surgeon with immediate visual and tactile feedback during needle insertion, enabling them to achieve radiologist-level placement accuracy without requiring specialized radiologist intervention. The feedback loop allows continuous adjustment and verification of needle position during the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables surgeons to perform access needle insertion themselves by equipping the needle with integrated guidance and imaging capabilities. The needle essentially guides itself through real-time feedback, allowing the surgeon to independently achieve accurate placement without needing to consult or wait for interventional radiologist assistance, thereby significantly reducing procedure time.
3Loss of information
If still images and real-time imaging are used for navigation, then anatomical visualization is improved, but interpretation difficulty increases due to patient movement and breathing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic, real-time imaging and feedback systems that continuously update anatomical visualization during patient breathing and movement. Rather than relying on static pre-procedure images, the system provides live feedback that adapts to changing anatomical positions, making interpretation straightforward despite patient motion. The real-time dynamic imaging compensates for breathing and movement artifacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical interpretation of still images with automated digital image processing and analysis systems. These systems automatically track anatomical structures, compensate for motion, and provide clear visual guidance overlays that are easy to interpret even during patient movement. The mechanical challenge of manual image interpretation is substituted with automated computational methods.
Data Source
AI summary
A guidance system for performing a percutaneous access incision comprises an access needle comprising a shaft and a tip located at a distal end of the shaft, and a guidance pad comprising a dermal side, an outward side, an opening to receive the access needle, the opening extending between the dermal side and the outward side, and a feedback device viewable from the outward side to provide an indication of a depth of the tip beneath the guidance pad and a trajectory of the shaft from the opening. A method for planning guidance of an access needle into a patient in preparation for a minimally invasive surgical procedure comprises determining a location for an access point on the patient, positioning a guidance pad over the access point, inserting a tip of the access needle through the pad, and displaying guidance information on the guidance pad.