Stretchable Circuit Balloon Catheter for Arterial Plaque Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intraluminal devices with rigid circuitry fail to achieve direct contact with soft, pliable, or irregularly shaped tissues, compromising accuracy in sensing and therapeutic functions, particularly in detecting vulnerable arterial plaque deposits.
Innovation Solution
A balloon catheter with a stretchable electronic circuit embedded in or affixed to an inflatable body, utilizing CMOS technology and flexible interconnects that remain functional during inflation and stretching, enabling direct contact with arterial walls for precise temperature and pressure sensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If rigid circuitry is used in intraluminal devices, then manufacturing precision and structural stability are improved, but the ability to achieve direct contact with soft, pliable, and irregularly shaped tissue is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible circuitry fabricated on thin, pliable substrates such as polyimide or polyester films. These flexible circuits can conform to irregular tissue surfaces while maintaining electrical connectivity, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and tissue contact accuracy. The flexible nature allows the circuitry to adapt to soft, pliable, and curved tissue geometries that rigid circuits cannot accommodate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and mechanical properties of the circuitry substrate from rigid to flexible by selecting materials with appropriate elastic moduli and tensile properties. This parameter change enables the circuitry to deform and conform to tissue surfaces, improving measurement precision while maintaining manufacturability through standard flexible PCB fabrication techniques.
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid sensors are embedded in the catheter body, then structural stability is improved, but the accuracy of temperature and pressure sensing near plaque deposits is worsened due to distance separation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds sensors within flexible thin-film layers that can be positioned in direct contact with or extremely close to the tissue surface. The flexibility allows the sensor array to conform to irregular plaque geometries, eliminating the need for distance compensation algorithms required by rigid sensors. This achieves both structural stability through proper material selection and high measurement precision through direct contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces rigid mechanical sensor mounting structures with flexible film-based integration. This substitution allows sensors to be positioned optimally close to the tissue without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms, achieving accurate measurements while maintaining catheter stability through the flexibility and conformability of the film substrate.
3Adaptability or versatility
If active integrated circuits are used for sophisticated sensing and therapeutic functions, then functional capability is improved, but the rigidity of the device increases, preventing full contact with soft tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates active integrated circuits onto flexible thin-film substrates, enabling sophisticated sensing and therapeutic functions while maintaining the flexibility needed for tissue contact. The flexible nature of the substrate allows the device to conform to irregular tissue surfaces, combining high functional capability with ease of operation on soft, pliable tissues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material structures combining flexible substrates with integrated circuit elements, sensors, and therapeutic components. This composite approach enables the device to achieve both high functional capability through active circuits and ease of operation through the flexible, conformable nature of the composite structure.
Data Source
Figure 1~1A
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3E
AI summary
A system, device and method are presented for utilizing stretchable active integrated circuits with inflatable bodies. The invention allows for such operative features to come into direct contact with body structures, such as the inner wall of a lumen. Such direct contact increases accuracy of measurement and delivery of therapy.