Tunable Magnetically Actuated Retraction Device for Improved Control During Endoscopic Tissue Manipulation

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a minimally-invasive method for removing gastrointestinal lesions. Adoption has been slow due to the procedure's technical difficulty, length of surgery, and lack of appropriate tools. Tissue traction is required to reduce the technical difficulty of ESD and ensure safe lesion removal. This paper presents the first ESD retraction device that is wireless, endoscope-independent, and provides adjustable traction force control.

The magnetic retraction device is 3.25 mm wide and 45 mm long. It is actuated wirelessly by a rotating permanent magnet held outside the abdomen. The device design is informed by a presented model of actuation, and we show characterization of the device actuation, validation of mechanical retraction, and clinical feasibility through an ex-vivo experiment.

Experiments show that the device retracts 20 mm at 0.2 millimeters per second and generates a peak retraction force of 7.98 N and a four-peak average of 5.62 N at an external magnet-to-device distance of 55 mm. Ex-vivo testing with a gastric porcine model was performed with a dissection speed of 11.3 square centimeters per hour, 1.25 times faster than the reported international benchmark.

This enhanced tissue control would greatly improve patient clinical outcomes by expanding the use of ESD, shortening procedure times, minimizing complications, and potentially further expand its future medical applications.

This work grants surgeons improved tissue control throughout an ESD procedure, providing adequate visualization of the dissection plane, control independent of the flexible endoscope, and deployment anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract.