Needle Insertion Guidance via Force Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated percutaneous insertion systems for medical tools lack tactile feedback, leading to increased radiation exposure for patients and medical staff due to frequent imaging requirements during needle insertion procedures.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of real-time measurement systems that monitor tool-tissue interaction parameters, such as insertion force and tissue compliance, to guide and monitor the insertion procedure, reducing the need for continuous imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If automated robotic systems are used for needle insertion, then insertion precision and control are improved, but tactile feedback is lost requiring frequent imaging which increases radiation exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates force sensors that provide real-time tactile feedback during needle insertion. The sensors measure interaction forces between the needle and tissue, allowing the automated system to detect tissue boundaries and insertion depth without relying on frequent imaging, thus reducing radiation exposure while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical tactile feedback mechanism (physician's sense of touch) with an electronic sensing system. Force sensors and imaging devices provide electronic signals that substitute for the natural tactile feedback, enabling automated systems to operate with reduced radiation exposure by using sensor data instead of continuous imaging
2Measurement precision
If frequent imaging is performed during needle insertion, then needle position verification is improved, but radiation exposure to patient and staff increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses imaging selectively rather than continuously. Force sensors provide partial measurement capability for routine monitoring, while imaging is activated only when sensor data indicates the need for verification (e.g., when approaching tissue boundaries or target zones), thus maintaining accuracy while minimizing radiation exposure
Solution Approach 2:
Force sensors act as intermediaries between the needle insertion process and the imaging system. The sensors provide continuous monitoring data that reduces the need for direct imaging verification, serving as a mediator that allows the system to maintain measurement precision while reducing the frequency of harmful imaging exposure
3Object-affected harmful factors
If tactile feedback is eliminated in automated systems, then operator safety is improved, but insertion monitoring capability deteriorates requiring more imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a digital copy of the tactile feedback experience through force sensors and imaging devices. These sensors replicate the information a physician would obtain through touch, providing real-time data about tissue interaction forces and needle position, thus maintaining monitoring capability while eliminating the need for operators to be physically present in high-radiation zones
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
This approach minimizes radiation exposure by limiting imaging to specific instances when sensor measurements indicate reaching a tissue boundary or target, while ensuring accurate insertion and maintaining patient safety.
Implementation Method 1
a force sensor configured to measure forces exerted on the medical tool during insertion into the body of the subject
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for controlling the insertion of a medical tool, such as a needle, into a subject's body based on measurements of an interaction parameter associated with the interaction between the tool and a bodily tissue, such as the forces exerted on the tool during insertion. The system comprises an insertion device, at least one sensor configured to measure the interaction parameter and at least one processor configured to receive sensor measurements, detect one or more predefined patterns in the sensor measurements and control an operation of at least one of the insertion device and an imaging device, upon detecting the predefined patterns. The processor may be configured to compare the actual correlation between the sensor measurements and an insertion parameter, such as insertion depth, with an expected correlation, and determine if the medical tool is following its pre-planned trajectory based on the result of that comparison.