Stiff Imaging-Probe Sheath for Tissue Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging probes, such as trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) probes, experience movement-related tissue displacement and bubble formation, which degrades image quality during surgical procedures, particularly in prostate surgery.
Innovation Solution
A stiff sheath is used to immobilize tissue while the imaging probe moves, featuring structures to collect and remove bubbles, and an internal outlet channel to direct fluid away from the imaging area, with optional synchronous movement with a treatment probe for enhanced accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a soft sheath is used to cover the TRUS probe, then the probe can move freely, but tissue movement occurs and image quality degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the sheath from soft to stiff, fundamentally altering its mechanical properties. This stiffness parameter change allows the sheath to maintain tissue position while accommodating probe movement, resolving the contradiction between free probe movement and tissue stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheath is divided into functionally distinct segments: a stiff distal portion for tissue immobilization and a compliant proximal portion for probe movement accommodation. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function optimally without compromising the other.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the TRUS probe moves along the elongate axis, then imaging coverage is improved, but bubbles form and degrade image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes bubbles from the imaging system by incorporating an outlet channel that actively drains bubbles away from the imaging area. This extraction mechanism eliminates the harmful factor (bubbles) while preserving the useful function (probe movement for imaging coverage).
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet channel acts as an intermediary structure between the imaging chamber and the external environment, providing a dedicated pathway for bubble removal. This intermediary mechanism allows bubbles to be systematically removed without interfering with normal imaging operations.
3Measurement precision
If a stiff sheath is used to maintain tissue stability, then image quality improves, but bubble formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of probe movement (which causes bubble formation) into a beneficial outcome by using the movement itself to drive bubbles toward the outlet channel. The same mechanical action that creates bubbles also utilizes to remove them, transforming the harmful factor into a useful mechanism for bubble evacuation.
Data Source
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AI summary
An imaging probe is covered with a stiff sheath, which allows the imaging probe to move while the stiff sheath remains in a substantially fixed location for at least a portion of the surgical procedure while the probe moves within the stiff sheath. The stiff sheath may comprise sufficient stiffness to resist deformation as the imaging probe moves along an internal channel of the sheath. The sheath can be sized and shaped in many ways and may comprise one or more openings to allow fluid to move within the channel in which the probe is located.