Design of the dullomatic: a mechanical follow-the-leader device

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has several advantages over conventional surgery, including reduced damage to the body, less pain, lower infection risk, and faster recovery. However, MIS reduces the amount of space in which clinicians can operate within the body. This often forces them to work around delicate anatomical structures. A new type...

Closing the Wound: an Eye-Opening Mechanism: Development of a Bi-planar Incision Mechanism Used in Vitrectomy

Background: Treatment of eye conditions, such as retinal detachment, macular pucker or macular holes, ask for an intervention named ”vitrectomy”. In a vitrectomy, multiple surgical instruments are brought into the eye, to facilitate removal of the vitreous humor. The instruments enter the eye through trocar ports that are placed in the sclera....

Design of a Non-Assembly Articulating Neuroendoscopic Forceps

Minimally invasive surgery has some major benefits over traditional open surgery for the patient, but makes surgery more complex for the surgeon. Articulating instruments can regain some of the manoeuvrability that is lost by using a small incision. However, in endoscopic neurosurgery such articulating devices do currently not exist, due to...

Creation of Tri-Planar Incisions in Vitrectomy: An Explorative Design-Study into Trocar Insertion Mechanisms

<b>Background:</b> In vitrectomy, a type of eye surgery, surgery instruments must pass through an incision in the sclera. The architecture of the incision is of great im-portance to the closure of the wound after the procedure and through that the risk for complications like hypotony and endophthalmitis. Current studies suggest that tri-planar...

LapaJoy: A 3D-printed ergonomic handle design for a steerable laparoscopic instrument with minimised part assembly

Introduction: This research aims to develop a 3D-printed ergonomic handle design for a steerable laparoscopic instrument with minimised part assembly. Steerable laparoscopic instruments are used in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). MIS is a technique where surgeons insert long slender surgical instruments through small incisions of five to ten...

Designing for Post-Processing: A Case Study of a 3D Printed Surgical Instrument

In this report a design is proposed for a laparoscopic gripper that can be manufactured with metal 3D printing and polished with mass finishing. The design is a continuation of the development of a laparoscopic gripper that can be 3D printed in plastic. Laparoscopic grippers 3D printed solely out of metal have not yet been presented....

Development of a non-assembly 3D printed driving mechanism for a vitreous cutter

During a vitrectomy procedure vitreous is removed from the eye with a vitreous cutter, called a vitrectome. This instrument is comprised of two needles that move to cut the vitreous into small pieces before aspirating them. Vitreous cutters are complex instruments that are light and small in size to increase their accuracy. Because of their...