Vaginal Endoscopic Port Unit Module for Minimally Invasive Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laparoscopic surgery through natural orifices like the vagina for abdominal cavity access poses risks of intestinal or urinary content exposure and leaves scars and pain due to wound size, even with minimally invasive techniques.
Innovation Solution
A vaginal endoscopic port unit module with an outer unit outside the vagina and an inner unit inside, connected by a runner unit, allowing surgical instruments to enter and exit the abdominal cavity through the vaginal canal, minimizing incision site size and avoiding surface scars.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If surgery is performed through natural orifices like the vagina to minimize external scars, then aesthetic outcome is improved, but risk of intestinal or urinary content exposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
A port unit module is introduced as an intermediary device that creates a controlled access pathway through the vaginal wall. The module includes an outer unit positioned in the vaginal canal and an inner unit that communicates with the abdominal cavity, with a runner unit connecting them. This intermediary structure allows surgical instruments to pass through while maintaining separation between the vaginal canal and abdominal cavity, preventing exposure of intestinal or urinary contents.
Solution Approach 2:
The access system is divided into multiple segmented components: an outer unit with outer ports for instrument insertion, a runner unit that connects the outer and inner units, and an inner unit with an inner port that communicates with the abdominal cavity. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while collectively providing safe access through the vaginal wall without direct communication between the vaginal canal and abdominal cavity.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single-port laparoscopic surgery is performed through the umbilicus to minimize number of incisions, then number of scars is reduced, but wound size increases causing more pain
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from traditional transabdominal access (through the abdominal wall and umbilicus) to transvaginal access (through the vaginal wall). This dimensional change in the access pathway allows for a different anatomical route that can accommodate the port unit module, enabling minimally invasive surgery without compromising on the number of external scars while potentially reducing pain through smaller effective wound size at the vaginal opening.
3Reliability
If conventional laparotomy is performed to ensure safe access to abdominal cavity, then reliability of access is improved, but pain and scarring increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the traditional mechanical approach of creating large incisions through the abdominal wall with a minimally invasive port-based system. The port unit module provides a controlled, localized access pathway that maintains reliability of abdominal cavity access while substituting the large-scale mechanical incision with a small, targeted vaginal opening and internal port structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a laparoscopic port unit module in which one end thereof and the other end are placed inside and outside the human body, respectively, through the vaginal inlet, and provides a vaginal endoscopic port unit module comprising: an outer unit of which the end is exposed to the outside of the vaginal inlet and which comprises one or more outer ports allowing the entry of a surgical instrument including an endoscope; an inner unit formed at the inner wall of the vaginal canal so as to be placed at an incision region connected to the abdominal cavity and allowing the surgical instrument entering through the outer port to come in and out of the abdominal cavity; and a runner unit for connecting the outer unit and the inner unit.