Background: Curved surgical instruments are being developed to expand the workspace of straight surgical instruments. They are required to have a small diameter and high stiffness.
Methods: We developed a double-spring pre-curved cannula (DSPC) for electrocauterization, which has curved movements controlled solely by translational motion, and high stiffness via wire tension. It comprises a straight extension spring, pre-curved flat spring and braided high-modulus polyethylene line. A handheld device was designed for intuitive DSPC manipulation. The cannula has a 3.9 mm diameter and serves as a protective tube such that the electrode can safely reach the lesion.
Results: Experimental results demonstrate that the DSPC has ideal curvature and maximum stiffness of 1.38 N/mm. In a cadaveric study, the DSPC reached the inferior glenohumeral ligament, which conventional surgical instruments cannot access, and surgeons successfully performed electrocauterization.
Conclusions: The designed DSPC is effective for future use in forceps, curettes and surgical robots.
Keywords: cadaveric study; high stiffness; minimally invasive surgery; pre-curved mechanism; spring-wire mechanism; variable stiffness.
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