Interferometric Force Sensor for Microsurgical Instruments

C11162: Interferometric Force Sensor for Microsurgical Instruments

Value Proposition:

Many clinical procedures involve intervention and manipulation of extremely small, delicate tissue structures where the interaction forces are usually below the threshold of human perception. Retinal microsurgery is an example of the requirement for micron-level maneuvers. The manipulation of vitreoretinal structures inside the eye poses enormous challenges, due to tissue delicacy, surgical inaccessibility, suboptimal visualization, and the potential for irreversible tissue damage resulting from unintentional movement. These factors collectively not only make vitreoretinal surgery the most technically demanding ophthalmologic surgery, but also apply similarly to other microsurgical disciplines such as other microsurgical disciplines such as otolaryngology, vascular surgery, and neurosurgery.

Technical Details:

Johns Hopkins University inventors report a solution that is applicable for microsurgery and minimally-invasive surgery. During eye surgery, these tools must exhibit basic functionality such as grasping or hooking, but must also direct measurement of forces exerted at the tool tip inside the eye to avoid interactions between the tool shaft and sclera. Such force sensing is expected to be particularly useful for monitoring the forces during retinal surgery that requires delicate manipulation of retinal tissue, but may also be applicable to other biological tissue as well. It is expected that interaction force measurement will be a better predictor of tissue damage either in conjunction with visual monitoring or as a replacement sensing modality. Accurate intra-operative tissue damage monitoring can prevent complications and preserve retina functions. Surgeries such as membrane peeling that pose enormous challenges could be done more safely, saving a great deal of money for the hospital and reducing the risk to the patient.

Looking for Partners:

Our solution provides extremely compact, sensitive, noise free, readily sterilizable, MRI-compatible, and low cost means of measuring multiple degree-of-freedom tool-tissue interaction forces with a device that can be incorporated into sub-millimetric microsurgical instruments that may be inserted inside the eye. The force sensing tools could be used in manual procedures (for training purposes or for preventing the tissue damages during the surgical procedures) and/or in robotic assisted interventions.