Tissue Resection Instrument With Real-Time Optical Margin Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical instruments struggle to accurately remove cancerous tissue during surgery, often leaving behind healthy tissue or removing too much tissue, and existing systems destroy tissue during analysis, preventing post-surgical molecular examination.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument with a tissue removal device and an analysis sensor that allows for ex-vivo analysis of removed tissue, providing real-time feedback to ensure precise resection and preserve tissue integrity for further examination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If electro-surgical device with optical guide is used to analyze tissue in front of the electrode portion, then tissue type and condition can be identified, but the tissue will be destructed during removal by electric current and cannot be used for molecular analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the analysis function from the removal process by using a separate optical guide and spectrometer that can characterize tissue before it is removed. The optical guide allows inspection of tissue a few millimeters ahead of the electrode portion, enabling identification of tissue type and condition without the tissue being destroyed by the electro-surgical current.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an optical guide as an intermediary between the tissue and the analysis system. The optical guide transmits light through the tissue to the spectrometer, allowing non-contact, non-destructive analysis. This intermediary enables the tissue to be examined without direct contact with the destructive electro-surgical electrode.
2Reliability
If complete breast amputation is performed to ensure complete tumor removal, then all cancerous tissue can be removed, but cosmetic outcome becomes disappointing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time feedback through the optical analysis system that continuously monitors tissue characteristics during surgery. The spectrometer provides immediate information about tissue type and condition, allowing the surgeon to adjust the resection boundaries dynamically. This feedback loop enables precise differentiation between tumor tissue and healthy tissue, ensuring complete tumor removal while preserving as much healthy breast tissue as possible for better cosmetic outcomes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality analysis by examining tissue properties at specific locations using the optical guide. Instead of treating all tissue uniformly, the system identifies local variations in tissue characteristics (tumor vs. healthy tissue) and enables selective removal only where needed. This localized approach allows precise resection margins that preserve healthy tissue while ensuring complete tumor removal.
3Productivity
If surgeon relies on mental 3-D visualization to determine resection plane, then surgical decision can be made quickly, but accuracy is clearly limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the surgeon's mental 3-D visualization capability with an optical-based measurement system. The optical guide and spectrometer provide objective, quantitative data about tissue characteristics, substituting the limited human cognitive ability with a more precise instrumental measurement system that can accurately differentiate tissue types in real-time.
Data Source
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AI summary
A surgical instrument is disclosed to remove tissue, in particular unhealthy tissue or tissue containing cancer cells, from a body and to analyse the removed tissue. A tissue removal device is arranged at a distal end of the surgical instrument, wherein the distal part of the surgical instrument comprises a movable part, for example a bendable part, to adjust a position and/or orientation of the tissue removal device with respect to a proximal end of the surgical instrument, wherein movement of the movable part can be controlled by an operator. A discharge channel is connected to the tissue removal device for discharge of removed tissue. A tissue analysis device comprises an analysis sensor to analyse non-removed tissue in front of the tissue removal device, wherein the tissue analysis device is configured to provide a sensor signal representative for an analysed characteristic of the tissue.