Pivoting Sample Collection Mechanism for Bronchial Lesion Biopsy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for diagnosing and sampling peripheral respiratory lesions, such as those in the lung periphery, face challenges in reliable sample collection due to the difficulty in accessing small-diameter areas, often requiring repeated insertions and inadequate tissue collection.
Innovation Solution
A treatment instrument with a sample collection portion featuring a link portion and an advancing/retracting portion, connected by a push rod, allows for pivoting and scraping of lesional tissue, enabling a larger amount of tissue to be collected efficiently by adjusting its shape and position relative to the insertion portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a conventional biopsy forceps is used in a small-diameter lumen, then the instrument can be inserted, but the amount of tissue collected is insufficient requiring repeated insertions
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment instrument employs a dynamic structure where the treatment portion can change its shape from a linear configuration during insertion to an expanded configuration during tissue collection. The link portion and advancing/retracting portion pivot relative to each other, allowing the treatment portion to dynamically adjust its geometry to maximize tissue contact area and collection efficiency in a single insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions the treatment portion from a one-dimensional linear arrangement during insertion to a two-dimensional or three-dimensional expanded structure during operation. By pivoting the link portion and advancing/retracting portion, the treatment portion expands radially outward to engage more tissue simultaneously, effectively utilizing spatial dimensions to increase collection capacity without increasing insertion diameter.
2Quantity of substance
If the treatment instrument has a larger treatment portion to collect more tissue, then sample collection efficiency improves, but the instrument cannot be inserted into small-diameter lumens
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment portion is designed to be nested within the insertion portion during the insertion phase. The link portion and advancing/retracting portion are configured to collapse into a compact linear arrangement that fits within the small-diameter insertion portion, similar to nested dolls. Once positioned at the target site, the treatment portion can then be deployed outward to its full functional size for tissue collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument utilizes dynamic transformation where the treatment portion transitions from a constrained linear state during insertion to an expanded functional state during operation. The pivoting mechanism allows the treatment portion to dynamically change its effective diameter, being small during insertion and large during tissue collection, thereby resolving the contradiction between insertability and collection capacity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the treatment instrument structure is simplified for ease of manufacture, then production cost decreases, but the ability to pivot and adjust shape for effective tissue scraping is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment instrument is segmented into distinct functional portions: the insertion portion, link portion, advancing/retracting portion, and treatment portion. Each segment has a specific function and can be manufactured independently using standard components. The link portion acts as a hinge connecting the insertion portion to the advancing/retracting portion, allowing pivotal movement while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The link portion serves as an intermediary element that mediates between the insertion portion and the advancing/retracting portion. This intermediate hinge structure enables the pivotal motion necessary for tissue scraping while maintaining a relatively simple overall architecture. The link portion translates linear insertion motion into angular deployment motion, providing operational complexity without requiring complex manufacturing of individual components.
Data Source
Figure 1(A)~1(F)
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AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a treatment instrument for sample collection, the treatment instrument enabling reliable performance of a procedure to collect a sample of, e.g., a lesion existing around a small lumen such as a bronchial periphery, and therefore, the treatment instrument includes a rod-like insertion portion 10 that can be inserted into a subject, and at least one sample collection portion 11 arranged on a side face of the insertion portion, the sample collection portion includes a link portion 11a supported on the insertion portion in such a manner that an end of the link portion serves as a rotation axis and the other end is pivotable relative to the rotation axis, and an advancing/retracting portion 11b connected to the other end of the link portion, the advancing/retracting portion advancing/retracting in an axial direction of the insertion portion, whereby the other end of the link portion pivots relative to the rotation axis, and when the advancing/retracting portion is located on a most proximal end side, the advancing/retracting portion and the link portion are connected in the axial direction and thereby become parallel to the insertion portion, when the advancing/retracting portion is located on a most distal end side, a part of the advancing/retracting portion and the link portion overlap and thereby become parallel to the insertion portion, and when the advancing/retracting portion is located between a proximal end portion side and a distal end portion side, the link portion is pushed out in a direction crossing the axial direction of the insertion portion by the advancing/retracting portion and thereby projects from the insertion portion.