Intact Lesion Separation and Capture Tool: A Dual-Model Motion Mechanism for Simplifying Minimally Invasive Surgery

Abstract

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a widely adopted surgical approach in contemporary medicine, significantly reducing patient trauma. However, it imposes demands on the surgeon’s operation. To reduce the surgical complexity, this study developed a highly dexterous operative tool for MIS procedures. The tool utilizes the widely adopted radiofrequency ablation (RFA) technology in surgical to separate tissues by generating heat through high-frequency currents. It consists of three sets of grippers and radiofrequency (RF) transmitters at their tips. The tool enables intact capture and separation the lesion, thereby eliminating the need for an additional abdominal incision compared to traditional methods and reducing the complexity of liver tumor resection in confined spaces. To minimize the impact on healthy tissue, this paper proposed a calculation method that determines the tool’s key structural parameters and singularity position based on the lesion size, resulting in a lesion volume that constitutes approximately 48.4% of the excised area. Given the high-resistance lever mechanisms in the usage scenario, auxiliary tensiles utilizing RF transmitters are introduced. Simulation analysis confirms that this method reduces the tool’s maximum hinge forces and torques to one-quarter of its original value. Finally, comprehensive experiments validate the feasibility of the gripping tool in MIS.