Sacral Nerve Detection via Sphincter Mechanomyography
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Solution Overview
Problem
During pelvic floor surgery, there is a high risk of damaging sacral nerves, such as the pudendal nerve, which can lead to temporary or permanent nerve signal transmission loss and potential urinary and fecal incontinence due to the lack of effective methods to detect and avoid these nerves.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the provision of an electrical stimulus within an intracorporeal treatment area to detect physical responses from the external sphincter of the bladder or anus using a mechanomyography output signal, with a sphincter contraction sensor to determine if the response corresponds to the stimulus, thereby indicating proximity to the sacral nerve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical stimulus and mechanomyography detection are applied to detect sacral nerve presence, then nerve damage risk is reduced, but device complexity and procedural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies electrical stimulus to the tissue and detects the mechanomyography response from the sphincter muscle as feedback to determine nerve proximity. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows real-time detection of sacral nerves during surgery, enabling the surgeon to adjust the treatment area to avoid nerve damage while managing the complexity through automated response analysis.
2Measurement precision
If mechanomyography output signal is used to detect sphincter contraction, then nerve proximity detection accuracy is improved, but measurement and detection difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the sphincter muscle contraction as an intermediary response to detect nerve proximity. Instead of directly detecting the nerve or its electrical signals, the system stimulates the nerve and measures the mechanical response of the sphincter muscle through mechanomyography. This intermediary approach translates invisible neural activity into measurable mechanical signals, improving detection accuracy while managing measurement complexity through standardized signal processing.
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 method allows for the detection of sacral nerve presence, reducing the risk of nerve damage during surgery by providing real-time feedback on nerve proximity, thus minimizing the risk of urinary and fecal incontinence complications.
Implementation Method 1
providing an electrical stimulus within an intracorporeal treatment area of the human subject; detecting a physical response of at least one of an external sphincter of the bladder and an external sphincter of the anus
Implementation Method 2
generating a mechanomyography output signal in response to a contact force of the at least one external sphincter of the bladder and the external sphincter of the anus against an elongate sphincter contraction sensor disposed within the at least one external sphincter of the bladder and the external sphincter of the anus
Data Source
AI summary
A method of detecting the presence of a sacral nerve in a human subject includes providing an electrical stimulus within an intracorporeal treatment area of the human subject; detecting a physical response of at least one of an external sphincter of the bladder and an external sphincter of the anus; and providing an indication to a user if the detected physical response corresponds to the provided electrical stimulus.