An Emulsification Suction Irrigator for High-Viscosity Fluids.

Background and objectives: With the continued development of advancements in minimally invasive surgery, aspirators have become increasingly slenderer to enable smooth insertion into narrow access ports. However, high-viscosity fluids, such as ovarian cyst contents and blood clots, may be difficult to aspirate using slender aspirators. Therefore, we developed a novel emulsification suction irrigator. This study aimed to verify the feasibility of this suction device and compare its suction efficiency with that of conventional devices.

Methods: The newly developed emulsification suction irrigator consists of a spoon-shaped tip and double-lumen shafts for water delivery and suction, which enable the aspiration of emulsified contents. We evaluated the aspiration efficiency by comparing the aspiration rates between the emulsification suction irrigator and conventional single-lumen suction irrigator. Three types of content were compared: viscous (mucinous cyst), highly fibrotic (blood clots), and content containing fat and debris (dermoid cysts). Each of the 3 types of fluids was examined in an artificial model.

Results: The emulsification suction irrigator significantly improved the suction efficiency compared with that of the single-lumen suction irrigator. For the 3 types of content, a significant difference in the median aspirated mass was found between the emulsification suction irrigator with water supply and single-lumen suction irrigator (P < .001).

Conclusion: Our new emulsification suction irrigator improved the removal efficiency of highly viscous liquids in artificial models.