Planar Inflatable Bladder for Precise Tissue Dissection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical and therapeutic procedures for separating tissues, such as the prostate from the rectum, face challenges in minimizing damage to healthy tissues due to the lack of precise control over dissection, especially in minimally invasive techniques like laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, where tactile sense is limited, and radiation or chemical therapies risk injury to adjacent tissues.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable bladder device is introduced in a collapsed state, expanded to a planar form to dissect tissues, with controlled thickness and direction, using a restrictor to limit motion and guided by TRUS, allowing precise dissection between tissues without undue pressure on neighboring organs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional surgical instruments are used in small, tight spaces for tissue dissection, then dissection can be performed, but the risk of inadvertent injury to adjacent healthy tissues increases due to limited tactile sense and lack of precise control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a fluid-filled balloon as an intermediary tool between the surgeon and the tissue. The balloon is inflated within the target space to provide controlled expansion and separation of tissue layers, allowing precise dissection while minimizing direct mechanical contact and reducing the risk of inadvertent injury to adjacent structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes hydraulic principles by filling the balloon with fluid (saline or contrast medium) to achieve controlled expansion. The fluid pressure allows the balloon to expand uniformly and exert controlled force on tissue layers, enabling precise dissection with minimal risk of uncontrolled tissue damage
2Reliability
If radiation or chemical therapy is applied to treat target tissue, then treatment effectiveness increases, but adjacent healthy tissues may suffer from radiation or chemical injury due to intensity gradient and limited dose control
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon serves as a physical intermediary or barrier between the treatment field and adjacent healthy tissues. By inflating the balloon within the target space, it creates a defined boundary that confines radiation or chemical therapy to the intended area, preventing excessive exposure of surrounding healthy structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a spatially differentiated treatment zone. The balloon defines a specific region where treatment is concentrated, while adjacent areas remain protected. This allows high-intensity treatment of the target tissue while maintaining low or zero exposure in surrounding healthy tissues
3Ease of operation
If minimally invasive techniques like laparoscopic surgery are used, then patient recovery and surgical trauma are reduced, but tactile sense is limited making precise tissue dissection more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct mechanical tactile manipulation with a fluid-filled balloon system that can be precisely controlled through fluid pressure. This substitution allows minimally invasive access while maintaining precise control over tissue separation, as the balloon's expansion can be accurately regulated without requiring direct tactile feedback
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 device enables safe and precise dissection with minimal manual dexterity, reducing the risk of injury to healthy tissues and ensuring accurate placement and expansion, suitable for minimally invasive procedures.
Implementation Method 1
An inflatable bladder device is introduced in a collapsed state, expanded to a planar form to dissect tissues
Data Source
AI summary
A tissue dissecting device, including an inflatable bladder configured to be inserted into a body via an introducer tube in a compact deflated state, and to be inflated to a substantially planar form in a manner which dissects tissue. A method for dissecting tissue, including inserting an inflatable bladder, in a deflated state, via an introducer tube, into a space in a body, and inflating the bladder to a substantially planar form, thereby dissecting tissue. A method for dissecting tissue, including inserting an introducer tube via an incision into a body, inserting an inflatable bladder, in a deflated state, via the introducer tube, into a space in the body, pulling the introducer tube back at least a length of the deflated bladder, inflating the bladder, via a filling tube, to a substantially planar form, thereby dissecting tissue, disconnecting the filling tube from the bladder, retracting the filling tube and the introducer tube from the body. Related apparatus and methods are also described.