Intraocular Docking System with Segmented Ports for OCT Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intraocular surgery faces challenges with noise and data distortion due to patient movement and tool manipulation, affecting imaging accuracy, and existing systems struggle with sterilization and simultaneous instrument manipulation during imaging.
Innovation Solution
A docking system with a rigid support structure, separation layer, flexible ports, and suction attachment to stabilize the eyeball, maintain hydration, and allow tool access, while preserving an unobstructed path for optical instruments and maintaining intraocular pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the eyeball is stabilized using a rigid docking system, then imaging quality and measurement precision improve, but the ability to manipulate surgical tools inside the eyeball is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The docking system is segmented into multiple access ports that allow surgical tools to enter the eyeball while the main body remains stabilized. The support structure is divided into compartments that can independently accommodate both imaging probes and surgical instruments, enabling simultaneous stabilization and manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
Flexible membranes or windows are introduced as intermediary elements that allow surgical tools to pass through the docking system while maintaining the sealed, stabilized environment. These intermediaries enable tool manipulation without compromising the stabilization of the eyeball relative to the imaging probe.
2Measurement precision
If a fluid medium is introduced to maintain eye hydration and improve OCT scan quality, then imaging quality improves, but the risk of infection increases due to sterilization constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The docking system is divided into sterile and non-sterile zones separated by barriers or membranes. The fluid medium is contained within the sterile zone, maintaining hydration and OCT scan quality, while the separation prevents contamination from non-sterile areas. This segmentation allows the imaging system to remain non-sterile while the surgical field remains sterile.
Solution Approach 2:
Sterile barriers or membranes act as intermediaries between the fluid medium and the external environment. These intermediaries allow the fluid to maintain eye hydration and improve imaging while preventing bacterial contamination, thus resolving the contradiction between hydration needs and infection risk.
3Measurement precision
If the imaging probe is positioned close to the eyeball for high-resolution imaging, then measurement precision improves, but the path for optical instruments becomes obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The docking system utilizes three-dimensional spatial arrangement to position the imaging probe in one dimension (close to the eyeball for high resolution) while creating separate access pathways in other dimensions for optical instruments. Multiple access ports are positioned at different angles and locations, allowing instruments to approach the eyeball from directions that do not obstruct the imaging probe's line of sight.
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
The docking system stabilizes the eyeball, improves imaging quality, and enables real-time image acquisition during surgery while allowing for tool manipulation, maintaining hydration and controlling intraocular pressure.
Implementation Method 1
A retaining mechanism is provided at the end of the support structure that receives the eyeball, such as a suction attachment, to secure the eyeball relative to the support structure.
Implementation Method 2
OCT scan quality in particular can be dependent on the presence of a fluid medium between an imaging probe and anatomy to be scanned; therefore, presence of a fluid medium can maintain eye hydration in addition to improving visualization quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A docking system for intraocular surgery that is configured to simultaneously: (1) physically stabilize a position and an orientation of an eye during intraocular surgical procedures; (2) preserve an unobstructed path for optical instruments; (3) provide access to the eye that allows for tool movement; (4) maintain eyeball hydration and improve the scan quality of an imaging system, such as an OCT system or a surgical microscope and may maintain or control an intraocular pressure of the eye to a stable, desired level during surgical procedures.