Self-Contained Cryosurgery Tool for Precise Tissue Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cryosurgery tools lack the ability to provide rapid and accurately targeted cooling of tissue, particularly in ophthalmic procedures, and often result in cryogenic fluid escape, posing risks to patients.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained cryosurgery tool with a tubular body, a container for cryogenic fluid, a treatment tip, and a capillary system where the treatment tip has a closed-off end and a thermally insulating shaft, allowing for localized cooling without fluid escape, enhanced by a bore for rapid thermal transfer and optional heating for defrosting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a capillary is used to deliver cryogenic fluid to the treatment tip, then the cooling fluid can be transported to the tip, but the cryogenic fluid may escape from the treatment tip into the treatment site
Solution Approach 1:
The capillary is disposed inside the shaft, creating a nested structure where the capillary is contained within the thermally insulating shaft. This nesting arrangement provides a closed-off return path for cooling fluid while maintaining a simple overall structure that prevents fluid escape without significantly increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft acts as an intermediary component between the capillary and the external environment. It provides thermal insulation and a closed-off return path, mediating the interaction between the cryogenic fluid delivery system and the treatment site to prevent fluid escape while maintaining cooling effectiveness
2Temperature
If the shaft is made of thermally insulating material, then the cooling effect is localized to the tip, but the shaft does not cool quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is made of thermally insulating material with low thermal conductivity, creating a local quality difference between the shaft and the tip. This insulation property allows the cooling effect to be localized to the tip region where the cryogenic fluid直接接触s the tissue, while the shaft remains relatively warm and does not cool quickly
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal conductivity parameter of the shaft material is specifically selected to be low (thermally insulating), which changes the thermal behavior of the shaft compared to the tip. This parameter change ensures that cooling energy is concentrated at the tip rather than being distributed along the shaft, achieving localized cooling
3Reliability
If the inner lumen diameter of the shaft is made larger than the outer diameter of the capillary, then the shaft provides a closed off return path for cooling fluid, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The capillary is nested within the shaft, with the inner lumen diameter of the shaft deliberately made larger than the outer diameter of the capillary. This nesting arrangement creates a closed-off return path for cooling fluid while maintaining a simple concentric structure that does not significantly increase device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment tip is segmented into distinct functional components: the capillary for fluid delivery, the shaft for thermal insulation and fluid return, and the closed-off end tip for tissue contact. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall structural simplicity
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 rapid, precise tissue cooling with minimized patient exposure to cryogenic fluid, facilitating safer and more effective cryotherapy procedures.
Implementation Method 1
A capillary is provided for transporting cryogenic fluid from the container to the treatment tip
Implementation Method 2
The shaft is formed of a thermally insulating material, the shaft does not cool quickly (relative to the closed off tip portion)
Implementation Method 3
most of the cooling energy from expanding and/or evaporating cryogenic fluid (at the end of the capillary) is transferred to the tip
Implementation Method 4
cooling energy from expanding and/or evaporating cryogenic fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A tool for cryosurgery for handling tissue is disclosed, which is particularly suited for ophthalmic applications. The tool for cryosurgery (1) comprises a tubular body (2), a container (3) positioned within the tubular body (2) for holding cryogenic fluid and a treatment tip (4) connected to a distal end (2a) of the tubular body (2). A capillary (5) for transporting cryogenic fluid from the container (3) to the treatment tip (4) is also provided. The treatment tip (4) comprises a closed off end tip (6) and a shaft (7) of thermally insulating material having an inner lumen (8) with a diameter (dl) which is larger than an outer diameter (do) of the capillary (5), the shaft (7) being sealingly coupled to the closed off end tip (6).