Endoscopic Snare Hook Retraction for Channel Travel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopic high-frequency snares require multiple tools for marking, dissection, and excision procedures, leading to complexity and contamination risks during surgical operations, and the hook portion can protrude excessively, causing issues with channel travel and damage.
Innovation Solution
An endoscopic high-frequency snare with a flexible sheath, a control wire, and a snare loop that includes a hook portion and a biasing portion, allowing for sequential marking, dissection, and excision without additional tools, and designed to retract smoothly within the endoscope channel by pressing the hook against the sheath's inner surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hook portion is formed by bending the resilient wire laterally to enable marking and dissection functions, then the versatility of the snare is improved, but the hook portion may protrude excessively and get caught by the endoscope channel, causing travel difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The hook portion is designed to be dynamically controllable through the control wire mechanism. When the control wire is advanced, the hook portion retracts into the flexible sheath to enable smooth channel travel. When the control wire is retracted, the hook portion protrudes to enable marking and dissection functions. This dynamic transformation allows the same structure to serve multiple functions without compromising channel travel smoothness.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient wire is segmented into functional portions: a hook portion for marking and dissection, a biasing portion for maintaining the hook's position, and a snare loop portion for excision. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function independently while the control wire coordinates their movements to ensure smooth channel travel when needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate tools are used for marking, dissection, and excision procedures, then the functional capability is comprehensive, but the device complexity and operation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscopic high-frequency snare is designed as a universal tool that can perform marking, dissection, and excision procedures. The hook portion enables marking and dissection functions, while the snare loop enables excision functions. All these functions are integrated into a single tool that can be operated sequentially without removing the tool from the endoscope channel, thereby reducing device complexity and operation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking function, dissection function, and excision function are merged into a single endoscopic high-frequency snare tool. The hook portion and snare loop are combined in one resilient wire structure that can be controlled by a single control wire, allowing all procedures to be performed with one tool rather than requiring multiple separate tools.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hook portion protrudes significantly to enable effective marking and dissection, then the functional effectiveness is improved, but the risk of contamination during tool interchange increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hook portion's protrusion is made dynamic rather than static. When the control wire is advanced, the hook portion retracts into the flexible sheath, creating a clean profile that reduces contamination risk during channel travel and tool interchange. When the control wire is retracted, the hook portion protrudes to enable effective marking and dissection. This dynamic control allows the system to switch between functional effectiveness and contamination prevention as needed.
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 seamless performance of marking, dissection, and excision procedures with a single tool, reducing contamination risks and preventing hook protrusion issues, allowing smooth passage through the endoscope channel.
Implementation Method 1
a snare loop made of a resilient wire which is fixed to the distal end of the control wire. The snare loop moves in and out of the distal end of the flexible sheath when the control wire is operated to retract and advance in the flexible sheath, respectively. The snare loop expands by its resiliency when positioned outside the flexible sheath, and becomes narrow when retracted into the flexible sheath.
Implementation Method 2
a biasing portion which biases the distal end of the resilient wire in a direction from a tip end to a base end of the hook portion to press the distal end of the resilient wire against an inner peripheral surface of the flexible sheath
Data Source
AI summary
A snare for an endoscope includes a flexible sheath, a control wire movable within the flexible sheath, and a snare loop connected to an end of the control wire, wherein when the control wire is axially advanced, the snare loop projects from the flexible sheath and expands into a loop shape, whereas when the control wire is axially retracted, the snare loop retracts into the flexible sheath and is folded into a closed shape. A resilient wire which forms the snare loop includes a hook portion protruding in a lateral direction of the snare loop. The resilient wire includes a biasing portion which biases the distal end of the resilient wire from a tip end to a base end of the hook portion to press the distal end of the resilient wire against an inner surface of the flexible sheath when the resilient wire is retracted.