SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED MANEUVERABILITY

• US 20110160536A1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: G.I. View Ltd.
• Original Assignee: G.I. View Ltd.
• Inventors: Blum, Yoram
• Granted Patent: US 10,226,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/116
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00148 using anchoring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/015 Control of fluid supply or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1064 Large intestine
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0122 with fluid drive by external fluid in an open fluid circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1011 Multiple balloon catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10181 Means for forcing inflation fluid into the balloon
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10184 Means for controlling or monitoring inflation or deflation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 29/02 Dilators made of swellable material balloon catheters for angioplasty A61M25/104

Abstract

The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus comprising an elongated carrier adapted to be inserted through a proximal opening of a gastrointestinal (GI) tract lumen; a piston head, coupled to a distal portion of the carrier, and configured to: be inflated so as to form and maintain a pressure seal with a wall of the GI tract lumen, and be advanced distally through the GI tract in response to pressure from a fluid pressure source; a distal balloon coupled to the carrier distal to the piston head and configured and operable to be inflated so as to dilate the lumen thereby creating a working space; and a control unit, configured and operable to control simultaneously a pressure level within the piston head and a pressure level within the distal balloon. The control comprises maintaining a constant level of pressure within the piston head thereby maintaining said pressure seal and cyclically modulating the level of pressure within the distal balloon facilitating the distal advancement of the piston head within the GI tract lumen.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

an elongated carrier adapted to be inserted through a proximal opening of a gastrointestinal (GI) tract lumen;

a piston head, coupled to a distal portion of the carrier, and configured to;

be inflated so as to form and maintain a pressure seal with a wall of the GI tract lumen, and be advanced distally through the GI tract in response to pressure from a fluid pressure source;

a distal balloon coupled to the carrier distal to the piston head and configured and operable to be inflated so as to dilate the lumen thereby creating a working space; and

a control unit, configured and operable to control simultaneously a pressure level within the piston head and a pressure level within the distal balloon, said control comprising maintaining a constant level of pressure within the piston head thereby maintaining said pressure seal and cyclically modulating the level of pressure within the distal balloon facilitating the distal advancement of the piston head within the GI tract lumen.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distal balloon and said piston head are arranged in a spaced apart configuration of a distance in the range of about 1 mm to 50 mm.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured and operable to identify impeded movement of the piston head and to cycle the level of pressure within the distal balloon responsively to the identified impeded movement.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to receive a user-generated input indicative of impeded movement of the piston head, and to cycle the level of pressure within the distal balloon responsively to the input.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a suction source configured to suck fluid from the distal balloon, the control unit being configured to cycle the level of pressure within the distal balloon by controlling the suction source.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to cycle the level of pressure within the distal balloon by passively allowing fluid to vent from the distal balloon.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to cycle the level of pressure within the distal balloon to selectively collapse or expand a proximal and/or distal ends of the balloon.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least a first and second fluid pressure sources;

a first passageway in fluid communication with said first pressure source and said piston head for inflating the piston head; and

a second passageway in fluid communication with the second pressure source and the distal balloon;

such that said control unit control simultaneously and independently the pressure level within the piston head and the pressure level within the distal balloon by driving the first pressure source to maintain the pressure seal between the piston head and the wall of the GI tract lumen and by driving the second pressure source to cyclically modulate the level of pressure within the distal balloon.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an image-capturing device configured and operable to image said GI track mounted on said carrier distally to said distal balloon.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said distal balloon is configured and operable to create a space between the GI track and said image-capturing device to facilitate the imaging of said GI track.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distal balloon has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the piston head in its inflated state.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distal balloon forms a pressure seal with the GI track to enable the distal advancement of the apparatus.

5-8. -8. (canceled)

17. A method comprising:

forming a pressure seal between a piston head and a wall of a gastrointestinal (GI) tract lumen, the piston head being disposed proximally to a distal balloon;

advancing the piston head and the distal balloon distally through the lumen by applying fluid pressure to an external surface of the piston head; and

cyclically modulating a level of pressure within the distal balloon, while maintaining the pressure seal between the piston head and the wall of the GI tract lumen to dilate the lumen thereby creating an imaging working space through which advancement of the piston head is facilitated.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising identifying impeded movement of the piston head, wherein cyclically modulating the level of pressure within the distal balloon comprises cyclically modulating the level of pressure within the distal balloon responsively to the identified impeded movement.

19. The method according to claim 17, comprising receiving a user-generated input indicative of impeded movement of the piston head, wherein cyclically modulating the level of pressure within the distal balloon comprises cyclically modulating the level of pressure responsively to the input.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein cyclically modulating the level of pressure within the distal balloon comprises actuating a suction source to suck fluid from the distal balloon.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein cyclically modulating the level of pressure within the distal balloon comprises passively allowing fluid to vent from the distal balloon.

20-22. -22. (canceled)