Off-axis imaging hood for cardiac visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical devices for visualizing and treating tissue regions within the body, particularly in the heart, face challenges such as displacement of surrounding tissue due to inflation, limited working area, susceptibility to pressure changes, and difficulty in obtaining real-time images through opaque media like blood, which hinders accurate diagnosis and therapy.
Innovation Solution
A tissue-imaging apparatus with a deployment catheter and expandable imaging hood that allows for real-time visualization and manipulation, using a transparent fluid to displace blood and accommodate various imaging elements in an off-axis position relative to the catheter, enabling clear imaging and therapeutic procedures within the heart.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an inflatable balloon is used for imaging, then a clear imaging field can be created, but the balloon displaces surrounding tissue and interferes with fine positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system is divided into separate functional components: a delivery catheter for navigation and an expandable imaging hood for visualization. The imaging hood can be expanded only when positioned correctly, separating the navigation function from the imaging function to avoid tissue displacement during positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging element is positioned off-axis relative to the longitudinal axis of the deployment catheter, creating a lateral imaging hood that expands perpendicular to the catheter axis. This dimensional change allows the imaging field to extend laterally without pushing against surrounding tissue along the catheter's longitudinal path.
2Reliability
If an inflatable balloon is used for imaging, then tissue can be visualized, but the working area becomes cramped and limited
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging hood expands laterally in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the deployment catheter, creating a wide working area that extends sideways rather than forward. This provides ample space for instrument manipulation and tissue access without confining the operator to a cramped forward-facing space.
3Reliability
If an inflatable balloon is used for imaging, then imaging can be performed, but the balloon is susceptible to pressure changes during systolic and diastolic cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging hood is designed with adjustable inflation pressure that can be dynamically modified to compensate for pressure changes during cardiac cycles. The system can increase inflation pressure during systole and decrease it during diastole, maintaining constant volume and stable imaging conditions despite external pressure variations.
4Reliability
If conventional imaging methods are used, then images can be obtained, but real-time imaging through opaque media like blood is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A clear fluid is introduced into the imaging hood to displace blood and other opaque media from the imaging field. This intermediary fluid creates a transparent pathway between the imaging element and the tissue, enabling real-time optical imaging that would otherwise be blocked by blood.
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
Enables real-time, undistorted visualization and effective therapeutic interventions within the heart by maintaining a clear imaging field and accommodating various instrument sizes, improving the accuracy and safety of procedures by minimizing tissue displacement and pressure-related issues.
Implementation Method 1
flushed with a clear fluid to provide a clear pathway through the blood
Data Source
AI summary
A system for visualizing a tissue region of interest includes an imaging element, a sheath, and a dilator. The imaging element is configured to visualize tissue. The sheath includes a channel configured to receive the imaging element. The imaging element is positionable along a central longitudinal axis of the sheath and positionable in an off-axis position relative to the central longitudinal axis. The sheath comprises a flexible section defining at least a portion of the channel. The dilator is configured to advance through the channel to force the imaging element into the off-axis position. The dilator is configured to cause the imaging element to bulge the flexible section as the dilator is advanced through the channel.