Intraoral Tongue Base Sampling Instrument with Video Chip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods lack an effective tool for visualizing and sampling the base of tongue and oropharyngeal regions, particularly the vallecula, which are hard to reach and often the source of head and neck cancers, necessitating early detection in dysplastic stages.
Innovation Solution
A handheld intraoral device with a channel for a sampling brush, equipped with a video chip and light source at the distal end for real-time imaging and a brush head that can be deployed to sample tissues in hard-to-reach areas like the vallecula, allowing for visualization and sampling of these regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If conventional inspection methods are used, then the device structure remains simple, but the ability to visualize and sample hard-to-reach areas like the vallecula is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The sampling brush is nested within the flexible tube, with the brush handle passing through the tube's channel. The video chip and light source are integrated into the distal end of the tube, creating a compact nested structure that enables access to hard-to-reach areas while maintaining relative simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible tube is designed with a specific curvature and flexibility that allows it to navigate into the vallecula and other hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. This dimensional adaptation enables the distal end to reach locations that were previously inaccessible with conventional straight instruments.
2Loss of information
If a video chip and light source are integrated into the distal end of the tube, then real-time visualization capability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The video chip, light source, and sampling brush are merged into a single integrated distal end assembly. This combination allows simultaneous visualization and sampling functions to be performed with one instrument, reducing the need for multiple separate devices and their associated complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies that the flexible tube with integrated components is designed as a single-use disposable instrument. This approach eliminates the need for expensive reusable equipment with complex sterilization requirements, reducing overall system complexity and cost while maintaining real-time imaging capability.
3Productivity
If the sampling brush is made deployable with a circular brush head, then sampling effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sampling brush is designed with a deployable mechanism where the circular brush head can be extended from a retracted position. This dynamic configuration allows the brush to transition between a compact stored state and an extended sampling state, improving effectiveness without requiring a complex mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The brush handle is pre-configured within the tube channel in a retracted position, ready to be deployed. The circular brush head is positioned to engage with tissue upon activation, allowing immediate sampling functionality without requiring complex assembly or adjustment mechanisms during use.
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 real-time visualization and sampling of previously inaccessible areas, facilitating early detection of head and neck cancers by providing clear images and tissue samples from difficult-to-reach locations, thus aiding in the prevention of HNSCC.
Implementation Method 1
a light source to illuminate the desired area and provide real time video images
Implementation Method 2
a video chip and a light source to illuminate the desired area and provide real time video images
Data Source
AI summary
A handheld intra oral instrument having a channel through which a sampling brush is threaded. The distal end of the tube is bent at greater than 100 degrees allowing imaging of and contact with tissue areas such as the vallecula. The terminal end of the instrument is provided with a video chip and a light source to illuminate the desired area and provide real time video images.