Urethral Dilation and Implant Deployment for BPH
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) often have limited effectiveness or require invasive procedures, and there is a need for a method to reliably dilate and maintain the urethra to alleviate obstruction caused by an enlarged prostate.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a planning device with an anchoring unit and reference markers for identifying treatment areas, and an execution device with a dilation unit, cutter, and implant carrier to expand the urethra, form a cut in the tissue, and deploy an implant to maintain dilation, using expandable elements and a cutter with a rotatable blade for precise tissue engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional surgical procedures (TURP, TUIP, laser removal) are used to treat BPH, then effective relief of urethral obstruction is achieved, but the treatment becomes highly invasive with significant recovery time and surgical risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical surgical resection systems with a minimally invasive system that uses controlled thermal energy (radiofrequency or microwave) to ablate prostate tissue. This substitution reduces invasiveness by avoiding large incisions and complex surgical procedures while maintaining effective obstruction relief through targeted tissue destruction
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes only the problematic enlarged prostate tissue that is causing urethral obstruction, rather than performing complete surgical resection. The ablation system selectively destroys excess tissue through energy delivery, achieving relief of obstruction with minimal intervention and faster recovery
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive mechanical treatments (TUMT, TUNA, water-induced thermotherapy) are used, then invasiveness is reduced, but treatment effectiveness and reliability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-functional ablation system that can deliver both radiofrequency and microwave energy through the same catheter platform, allowing selection of the most appropriate energy type for each patient's specific anatomy and condition. This universality maintains treatment effectiveness while preserving minimally invasive benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the energy delivery parameters by using high-power, focused electromagnetic energy (radiofrequency or microwave) that can rapidly heat and ablate tissue at controlled rates. This parameter change enables effective tissue destruction with shorter treatment times compared to conventional thermal therapies, thereby improving reliability while maintaining minimally invasive status
3Object-affected harmful factors
If drug therapy (Finasteride, Dutasteride, alpha-blockers) is used to treat BPH, then treatment is non-invasive and well-tolerated, but effectiveness is limited and symptoms often persist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces pharmacological treatment with a physical energy-based ablation system that directly destroys obstructive tissue rather than relying on drug-mediated muscle relaxation or tissue shrinkage. This substitution provides more reliable and immediate symptom relief while maintaining a minimally invasive approach through catheter-based delivery
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods are described for treatment of a urethra that is constricted due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A positioning device is used to determine a location of the area of the urethra that is constricted and is to be treated. An execution device includes a dilation balloon, a cutter, an implant carrier, and an implant, the implant and the implant carrier both being disposed outside the outer surface of the dilation balloon. The urethra is dilated by expanding the dilation balloon, and a cut is formed in the inner surface of the urethra using the cutter. The implant is released into the cut within the inner surface of the urethra subsequent to the cutter forming the cut in the inner surface of the urethra, to thereby maintain the urethra in a dilated state. Other embodiments are also described.