Lung decortication is a surgical procedure to remove fibrous tissue abnormally found on the pleural surface, chest wall or diaphragm to allow the underlying lung parenchyma to expand. Patients with hemothorax or pleural empyema, thickening or tumors, are often candidates for decortication. While this procedure is simple, it is time consuming and risky as the surgeon must rely on visual assessment only to manually remove the fibrinous tissue while avoiding damage to the healthy lung tissue. Currently there is no surgical instrument capable of providing real time imaging of tissue differentiation for use during lung decortication procedures.
Students at Arizona State University have developed a novel surgical instrument to aid in lung decortication. This instrument makes the procedure easier, more efficient and less risky for the surgeon to perform. This instrument is flexible and incorporates the individual aspects of several tools currently used by surgeons during the procedure. It provides in vivo, real-time differentiation of the lung tissue types using an integrated sensor. The device has a 360-degree range of motion and provides real-time imaging capabilities as well as the ability to detect the full range of oxygen saturation of any tissue type. Further, it can separate the fibrotic tissue from underlying healthy lung tissue. This instrument was tested on porcine lungs and demonstrated successful separation of tissue in only the immediate surrounding area.
This minimally invasive device facilitates a more efficient and effective removal of restrictive fibrinous tissue encapsulating the lungs which protecting the underlying healthy tissue during video assisted thoracoscopic surgery procedures.
Potential Applications
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Surgical aid for lung decortication
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Plural empyema
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Hemothorax
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Pleural thickening
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Pleural tumors
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Benefits and Advantages
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Allows the surgeon to laparoscopically detect and remove the subject scar tissue so an open thoracotomy procedure is not required
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Can detect the full range of oxygen saturation (0-100%) of any tissue type
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Has a 360-degree range of motion and provides real-time imaging
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Provides in vivo, real-time visual differentiation of the lung tissue types using a sensor
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Can separate fibrotic tissue from underlying healthy lung tissue
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May reduce surgical procedure time and lower the risk of infection