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A variable stiffness manipulator with multifunctional channels for endoscopic submucosal dissection

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International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become the main treatment for early esophageal and gastric cancers, but the insufficient stiffness and large diameter of current devices increase the difficulty in operation. To address the above problems, this study proposes a variable stiffness manipulator with multifunctional channels for ESD.

Methods

The proposed manipulator has a diameter of just 10 mm and highly integrates a CCD camera, two optical fibers, two channels for instruments, and one channel for water and gas. Additionally, a compact wire-driven variable stiffness mechanism is also integrated. The drive system of the manipulator is designed, and the kinematics and workspace are analyzed. The variable stiffness and practical application performance of the robotic system are tested.

Results

The motion tests verify that the manipulator has sufficient workspace and motion accuracy. The variable stiffness tests show that the manipulator achieves 3.55 times of stiffness variation instantly. Further insertion tests and operation test demonstrates that the robotic system is safe and can satisfy the needs in motion, stiffness, channels, image, illumination, and injection.

Conclusion

The manipulator proposed in this study highly integrates six functional channels and a variable stiffness mechanism in a 10 mm diameter. After kinematic analysis and testing, the performance and application prospect of the manipulator are verified. The proposed manipulator can promote the stability and accuracy of ESD operation.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China under Grant No. 2019YFB1311502.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, 135 Yaguan Road, Tianjin, 300350, China

    Tao Liang, Kang Kong & Shuxin Wang

  2. School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University, 135 Yaguan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin, 300350, China

    Tao Liang, Kang Kong & Shuxin Wang

Authors
  1. Tao Liang
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  2. Kang Kong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kang Kong.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Human or animal rights

The test protocol in this article is reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Teda International Cardiovascular Hospital (Approval #: TICH-JY-202205027-4).

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Liang, T., Kong, K. & Wang, S. A variable stiffness manipulator with multifunctional channels for endoscopic submucosal dissection. Int J CARS 18, 1795–1810 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-023-02875-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-023-02875-5

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