Pull Wire Displacement Assembly for Cochlear Implant Steering
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Solution Overview
Problem
The insertion of electrode leads into the cochlea during cochlear implantation procedures is challenging due to the risk of trauma, suboptimal placement, and the need for manual dexterity, especially when performed without robotic assistance.
Innovation Solution
A pull wire displacement assembly that includes a housing with wire stays and a slider pin, allowing for the manipulation of pull wires to steer and control electrode leads, enabling surgeons to perform insertion procedures manually with one hand, providing haptic feedback and optimizing precision and efficiency through track gradients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pull wires are used to control distal portions of electrode leads during insertion procedures, then steering and control capability is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
A pull wire displacement assembly serves as an intermediary device that simplifies the manipulation of pull wires. The assembly includes a housing with a track, a slider that moves along the track, and a pulley system that converts linear slider movement into pull wire tension. This intermediary mechanism allows surgeons to control electrode lead steering with simple linear motion rather than directly manipulating complex pull wire systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct manual manipulation of pull wires with a mechanical substitution system. The slider moving along a constrained track automatically translates into controlled pull wire tension through the pulley mechanism. This substitution transforms a complex multi-degree-of-freedom manual operation into a simple single-degree-of-freedom linear sliding motion
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual insertion procedures are performed without robotic assistance, then surgical flexibility and adaptability are improved, but precision and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pull wire displacement assembly incorporates haptic feedback mechanisms that provide tactile resistance and positional feedback to the surgeon during manual insertion. The track constraints and pulley tension create natural haptic cues that guide the surgeon's hand movements, enabling precise control without robotic assistance. The mechanical system translates small slider movements into controlled pull wire tension changes, providing proportional feedback
3Ease of operation
If pull wires are manipulated externally during insertion procedures, then control over distal portions is improved, but procedural time and operational efficiency worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The pull wire displacement assembly is pre-configured with the pull wire routed through its internal mechanism before the insertion procedure begins. The pull wire is threaded through the housing and attached to the pulley system in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming intra-procedural setup. The surgeon can immediately begin manipulating the electrode lead using the pre-assembled device
Data Source
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Figure 3
AI summary
An exemplary pull wire displacement assembly includes a housing, a proximal wire stay, a distal wire stay, a slider pin, and a track. The proximal wire stay is configured to statically affix to a pull wire. The distal wire stay is configured to slidably affix to the pull wire in a manner that allows the pull wire to pass through the distal wire stay while substantially constraining radial displacement of the pull wire. The slider pin is configured to slide along the track in response to a sliding force. The track is configured to direct the slider pin along a trajectory that crosses a straight line between the proximal and distal wire stays such that, when the slider pin slides along the trajectory, the slider pin progressively displaces the pull wire away from the straight line to thereby pull the pull wire toward the housing through the distal wire stay.