JP2007330468A - Cover for endoscope and endoscope device furnished with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cover for an endoscope easy to operate and capable of corresponding to the endoscopes different in diameter and an insertion auxiliary tool and an endoscope device furnished with it. <P>SOLUTION: This cover 62 for the endoscope is formed cylindrical and fixed on the insertion part 12 in a state where the insertion part 12 of the endoscope is inserted through. The cover 62 for the endoscope is furnished with a tube part 61 through which the insertion part 12 is inserted and in a diametrically widened structure to be diametrically widened as fluid is supplied and a first balloon 60 to expand larger than the tube part 61 as the fluid is supplied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope cover and an endoscope apparatus including the same, and more particularly to an endoscope cover mounted on an endoscope that observes the small intestine and the large intestine.

  When inserting the insertion part of the endoscope into the deep digestive tract such as the small intestine, simply pushing the insertion part makes it difficult for force to be transmitted to the distal end of the insertion part due to the complicated bending of the intestinal tract. Have difficulty. For example, if excessive bending or bending occurs in the insertion portion, the insertion portion cannot be inserted further deeper. Therefore, a method has been proposed in which the insertion portion of the endoscope is covered with an insertion aid and inserted into the body, and the insertion portion is guided by the insertion aid to prevent excessive bending or bending of the insertion portion. .

  Patent Document 1 discloses an endoscope apparatus in which a first balloon is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an endoscope and a second balloon is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion assisting tool (also referred to as an overtube or a sliding tube). Are listed. The first balloon and the second balloon can be fixed in an intestinal tract such as a small intestine by inflating. Accordingly, by alternately inserting the insertion portion and the insertion assisting tool while repeatedly expanding and contracting the first balloon and the second balloon, the insertion portion can be inserted into a deep portion of the intestinal tract that is bent in a complicated manner, such as the small intestine. .

  The insertion aid of Patent Document 1 has a tapered shape with its tip squeezed. Such an insertion assisting tool can prevent the intestinal wall from being caught in the gap because the gap between the distal end and the insertion portion is small.

  However, when the insertion aid of Patent Document 1 is inserted through an insertion portion having a small outer diameter, the gap between the insertion aid and the insertion portion becomes large and the intestinal wall may be caught. In addition, when the insertion portion having a large outer diameter is inserted, there is a problem that the gap between the insertion assisting tool and the insertion portion is reduced, and the insertion / extraction operability of the insertion portion is deteriorated.

In order to solve such a problem, it is desired that the gap amount between the insertion assisting tool and the insertion portion can be adjusted. Patent Document 2 describes an insertion assisting tool provided with a donut-shaped balloon on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool. According to this insertion aid, it is possible to adjust the gap amount between the insertion aid and the insertion portion by inflating the balloon. Therefore, by using the insertion assisting tool of Patent Document 2, it is possible to reliably prevent the intestinal wall from being caught even when the insertion portion having a different diameter is used.
JP 2001-340462 A JP-A-2005-118115

  However, Patent Document 2 has a problem that the operation of the endoscope apparatus becomes complicated because an operation of expanding and contracting a balloon provided on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool is required. That is, the surgeon needs to expand and contract the balloon on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool in addition to the push-pull operation of the insertion portion and the insertion assisting tool and the expansion and contraction operation of the first balloon and the second balloon. Therefore, there is a problem that the number of operations increases and becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is an easy-to-operate endoscope cover that can accommodate endoscopes and insertion aids having different diameters, and an endoscope provided with the same. An object is to provide a mirror device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is an endoscope cover which is formed in a cylindrical shape and is fixed to the insertion portion in a state where the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted. A tube portion having a diameter-expanding structure that expands and expands when a fluid is supplied, and a balloon portion that expands when the fluid is supplied and expands larger than the tube portion. , Provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the diameter of the tube portion is increased by supplying fluid to the tube portion through which the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted, the insertion portion attached with the endoscope cover is inserted. When inserted through the auxiliary tool, the gap amount between the insertion portion and the insertion auxiliary tool can be controlled. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the intestinal wall or the like from being caught in the gap by reducing (or reducing the gap amount) between the insertion assisting tool and the insertion portion to zero. In addition, it is possible to improve the insertion / extraction operability of the insertion portion by securing a predetermined gap amount between the insertion assisting tool and the insertion portion.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the balloon portion that is inflated larger than the tube portion is provided, the insertion portion can be fixed in the body by inflating the balloon portion. Since the insertion part provided with the balloon part for fixation is repeatedly inserted / extracted with respect to the insertion assisting tool, the insertion / extraction operability becomes important and the intestinal wall may be caught in the insertion assisting tool. Then, since the tube portion having an enlarged diameter structure is provided to control the gap amount between the insertion assisting tool and the insertion portion, it is possible to achieve both improvement in insertion / extraction operability and prevention of entrainment of the intestinal wall.

  Furthermore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the endoscope cover is provided with the tube portion for controlling the gap amount and the balloon portion for fixing, and both of them are put together in the insertion portion of the endoscope. Can be attached.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the tube portion is formed in a double-structured cylindrical shape having a hollow portion, and the fluid is supplied to the hollow portion. According to invention of Claim 2, since a fluid is supplied to the hollow part of a tube part, an insertion part can be automatically deformed linearly by raising the supply pressure of a fluid. According to the invention described in claim 2, the flexibility of the insertion portion can be adjusted by adjusting the fluid supply pressure.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tube portion and the balloon portion are communicated with each other. According to the invention of claim 3, when the balloon part is inflated, the tube part is automatically inflated and expanded in diameter, so that it is necessary to separately perform the expansion / contraction operation of the balloon part and the diameter expansion operation of the tube part. There is no. Therefore, according to the invention of claim 3, the operation can be simplified.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the tube part and the balloon part are made of rubber, and the balloon part is formed thinner than the tube part. . According to the invention of claim 4, since the balloon portion is formed thinner than the tube portion, the balloon portion expands larger than the tube portion by supplying a fluid.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the tube portion and the balloon portion are made of rubber, and the balloon portion is made of rubber having a lower hardness than the tube portion. It is characterized by. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the balloon portion is made of rubber having a hardness lower than that of the tube portion, the balloon portion expands larger than the tube portion by supplying a fluid.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an endoscope in which the endoscope cover according to any one of the first to fifth aspects is attached to the insertion portion, and a tube-like shape that is inserted into the insertion portion. And a fluid supply device that supplies fluid to the tube portion and the balloon portion of the endoscope cover.

  According to the present invention, since the diameter of the tube part is increased by supplying fluid to the tube part through which the insertion part of the endoscope is inserted, the insertion part equipped with the endoscope cover is inserted through the insertion aid. In this case, the amount of the gap between the insertion portion and the insertion aid can be controlled, and the intestinal wall and the like can be prevented from being caught in the gap.

  Preferred embodiments of an endoscope cover and an endoscope apparatus having the same according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of an endoscope apparatus to which an endoscope cover according to the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope apparatus mainly includes an endoscope 10, an endoscope cover 62, an insertion aid 70, and a balloon control device 100.

  The endoscope 10 includes a hand operation unit 14 and an insertion unit 12 that is connected to the hand operation unit 14 and is inserted into the body. A universal cable 16 is connected to the hand operation unit 14, and an LG connector 18 is provided at the tip of the universal cable 16. The LG connector 18 is detachably connected to the light source device 20, thereby sending illumination light to an illumination optical system 54 (see FIG. 2) described later. In addition, an electrical connector 24 is connected to the LG connector 18 via a cable 22, and the electrical connector 24 is detachably coupled to the processor 26.

  The hand operating unit 14 is provided with an air / water supply button 28, a suction button 30, a shutter button 32, and a function switching button 34, and a pair of angle knobs 36 and 36. A balloon air supply port 38 is formed at the proximal end portion of the hand operation unit 14 by a tube bent in an L shape. By supplying or sucking fluid such as air to the balloon air supply port 38, the first balloon 60 described later can be inflated or deflated.

  The insertion portion 12 is composed of a flexible portion 40, a bending portion 42, and a distal end portion 44 in order from the hand operation portion 14 side. The bending portion 42 is remotely controlled by rotating the angle knobs 36, 36 of the hand operation portion 14. Bending operation. Thereby, the front-end | tip part 44 can be turned to a desired direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an observation optical system 52, illumination optical systems 54 and 54, an air / water supply nozzle 56, and a forceps port 58 are provided on the distal end surface 45 of the distal end portion 44. A CCD (not shown) is disposed behind the observation optical system 52, and a signal cable (not shown) is connected to a substrate that supports the CCD. The signal cable is inserted into the insertion portion 12, the hand operating portion 14, the universal cable 16, and the like of FIG. 1, extends to the electrical connector 24, and is connected to the processor 26. Therefore, the observation image captured by the observation optical system 52 is formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD and converted into an electric signal, and this electric signal is output to the processor 26 via the signal cable and converted into a video signal. Is done. Thereby, an observation image is displayed on the monitor 50 connected to the processor 26.

  An exit end of a light guide (not shown) is disposed behind the illumination optical systems 54 and 54 in FIG. The light guide is inserted through the insertion portion 12, the hand operating portion 14, and the universal cable 16 of FIG. 1, and an incident end is disposed in the LG connector 18. Therefore, by connecting the LG connector 18 to the light source device 20, the illumination light emitted from the light source device 20 is transmitted to the illumination optical systems 54 and 54 via the light guide, and irradiated forward from the illumination optical systems 54 and 54. Is done.

  The air / water supply nozzle 56 in FIG. 2 is connected to a valve (not shown) operated by the air / water supply button 28 in FIG. 1, and this valve is also connected to the air / water supply connector provided in the LG connector 18. 48 is communicated. An air / water supply means (not shown) is connected to the air / water connector 48 to supply air and water. Therefore, by operating the air / water supply button 28, air or water can be ejected from the air / water supply nozzle 56 toward the observation optical system 52.

  The forceps port 58 in FIG. 2 communicates with the forceps insertion portion 46 in FIG. Therefore, by inserting a treatment tool such as a forceps from the forceps insertion portion 46, the treatment tool can be led out from the forceps port 58. The forceps port 58 communicates with a valve (not shown) operated by the suction button 30, and this valve is further connected to the suction connector 49 of the LG connector 18. Therefore, by connecting a suction means (not shown) to the suction connector 49 and operating the valve with the suction button 30, a lesioned part or the like can be sucked from the forceps opening 58.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an endoscope cover 62 is attached to the insertion portion 12. The endoscope cover 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is fixed to the insertion portion 12 in a state where the insertion portion 12 is inserted. The endoscope cover 62 includes a tube portion 61 and a first balloon 60 (corresponding to a balloon portion).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tube portion 61 and the first balloon 60 have a double cylindrical structure having a hollow portion, and the inside of the tube portion 61 and the inside of the first balloon 60 are communicated. In addition, the tube portion 61 and the first balloon 60 are integrally formed of rubber. The tube portion 61 and the first balloon 60 are expanded (that is, expanded in diameter) by supplying a fluid therein, and contracted (that is, contracted) by sucking the fluid from the inside. Diameter).

  The first balloon 60 is made of rubber having a hardness lower than that of the tube portion 61. Therefore, when the fluid is supplied to the inside of the tube portion 61 and the first balloon 60, the diameter of the first balloon 60 is larger than that of the tube portion 61 as shown in FIG. The first balloon 60 only needs to be configured to expand more than the tube portion 61. For example, the first balloon 60 and the tube portion 61 are made of the same material, and the first balloon 60 is made of a tube. You may form thinner than the part 61. FIG. Moreover, the tube part 61 and the 1st balloon 60 are not limited to integral molding, You may make it weld or adhere | attach the thing manufactured separately.

  At the tip of the endoscope cover 62, a protruding ridge portion 62A protruding to the inner peripheral surface is formed, and by engaging this protruding ridge portion 62A with the distal end surface of the insertion portion 12, it is for the endoscope. The cover 62 is positioned with respect to the insertion portion 12. In addition, a rubber fixing ring 63 is fitted on the proximal end of the endoscope cover 62, whereby the endoscope cover 62 is fixed to the insertion portion 12. The tube portion 61 is set to a length that covers substantially the entire insertion portion 12, and the fixing ring 63 is disposed in the vicinity of the hand operation portion 14.

  A hydrophilic coating such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the endoscope cover 62. The hydrophilic coating may be only on the outer peripheral surface of the tube portion 61.

  A through hole 62 </ b> B is formed on the inner peripheral surface side of the endoscope cover 62. The through-hole 62 </ b> B is disposed at the position of the vent hole 64 of the insertion portion 12 when the endoscope cover 62 is attached to the insertion portion 12. Accordingly, the hollow portion of the endoscope cover 62 is communicated with the vent hole 64 of the insertion portion 12 through the through hole 62B.

  The ventilation hole 64 of the insertion unit 12 is communicated with a balloon air supply port 38 provided in the hand operation unit 14 of FIG. 1, and the balloon air supply port 38 is connected to the balloon control device 100 via a tube 110 described later. Connected. Therefore, the first balloon 60 and the tube portion 61 can be expanded and contracted by supplying and sucking fluid such as air by the balloon control device 100. The tube portion 61 is expanded by supplying a fluid so that the outer diameter of the tube portion 61 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of an insertion assisting tool 70 described later, or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion assisting tool 70. The first balloon 60 is inflated into a substantially spherical shape having an outer diameter larger than that of the tube portion 61 by supplying a fluid. Further, the tube portion 61 and the first balloon 60 are contracted by sucking a fluid from the inside thereof, and stick to the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 12.

  On the other hand, the insertion assisting tool 70 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a cylindrical gripping portion 72 provided on the base end side and a tube portion 73 connected to the gripping portion 72. The insertion part 12 of the mirror 10 is inserted into the tube part 73 from the grip part 72. The grip portion 72 may be formed as a separate member from the tube portion 73 or may be formed integrally.

  A hydrophilic coating is applied to the inner peripheral surface of the tube portion 73 with polyvinylpyrrolidone or the like. The insertion assisting tool 70 is provided with a lubricant (water) injection connector 78 so that the lubricant (water) can be supplied into the tube member 73. Accordingly, by supplying the lubricant (water) from the injection connector 78 with the insertion portion 12 being inserted through the tube portion 73, the insertion assisting tool 70 and the insertion portion 12 (actually, the endoscope cover 62) Friction with the tube portion 61) can be reduced.

  A second balloon 80 is mounted in the vicinity of the distal end of the tube portion 73 of the insertion assisting tool 70. The second balloon 80 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with both ends narrowed, and is attached in a state where the insertion assisting tool 70 is penetrated, and is fixed by winding a thread (not shown).

  A thin tube 74 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the tube portion 73. The distal end of the tube 74 is opened inside the second balloon 80, and a connector 76 is provided at the proximal end of the tube 74. A tube 120 is connected to the connector 76, and is connected to the balloon control device 100 via the tube 120. Therefore, the second balloon 80 can be inflated and deflated by supplying and sucking air with the balloon control device 100. The second balloon 80 is expanded into a substantially spherical shape by supplying air, and is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70 by sucking air.

  The balloon control device 100 of FIG. 1 is a device that supplies and sucks fluid such as air to the first balloon 60 and the tube portion 61 and supplies and sucks fluid such as air to the second balloon 80. The balloon control device 100 mainly includes a device main body 102 and a hand switch 104 for remote control.

  On the front surface of the apparatus main body 102, a power switch SW1, a stop switch SW2, a first pressure display unit 106, a second pressure display unit 108, a first function stop switch SW3, and a second function stop switch SW4 are provided. The first pressure display unit 106 and the second pressure display unit 108 are panels for displaying the pressure values of the first balloon 60 and the second balloon 80, respectively. When an abnormality such as balloon breakage occurs, the pressure display units 106 and 108 are displayed. An error code is displayed.

  The first function stop switch SW3 and the second function stop switch SW4 are switches for turning ON / OFF the functions of the endoscope control system and the insertion assisting tool control system, respectively. When only one is used, the function stop switches SW3 and SW4 which are not used are operated to turn off the function. In a control system whose function is turned off, air supply and suction are completely stopped, and the pressure display unit 106 or 108 of the system is also turned off. The function stop switches SW3 and SW4 can be set to an initial state by turning off both of them. For example, the calibration with respect to the atmospheric pressure is performed by turning off both function stop switches SW3 and SW4 and simultaneously pressing all the switches SW5 to SW9 of the hand switch 104.

  A tube 110 that supplies and sucks air to and from the first balloon 60 and the tube portion 61 and a tube 120 that supplies and sucks air to and from the second balloon 80 are connected to the front surface of the apparatus main body 102. The connection portions between the tubes 110 and 120 and the apparatus main body 102 are provided with backflow prevention units 112 and 122 for preventing backflow of body fluid when the first balloon 60 or the second balloon 80 is torn. The backflow prevention units 112 and 122 are configured by incorporating a gas-liquid separation filter in a hollow disk-like case (not shown) that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 102. The filter prevents the liquid from flowing in.

  On the other hand, the hand switch 104 includes a stop switch SW5 similar to the stop switch SW2 on the apparatus body 102 side, an ON / OFF switch SW6 for instructing pressurization / depressurization of the first balloon 60 and the tube portion 61, and a first balloon. 60 and a pause switch SW7 for holding the pressure of the tube portion 61, an ON / OFF switch SW8 for instructing the pressurization / depressurization of the second balloon 80, and a pause switch SW9 for holding the pressure of the second balloon 80. The hand switch 104 is electrically connected to the apparatus main body 102 via a cord 130. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the hand switch 104 is provided with a display unit that indicates an air supply state or an exhaust state of the first balloon 60 or the second balloon 80.

  The balloon control device 100 configured as described above supplies air to the first balloon 60, the tube portion 61, and the second balloon 80 to inflate them, and controls the air pressure to a constant value to control the first balloon 60, The tube part 61 and the second balloon 80 are held in an expanded state. In addition, air is sucked and contracted from the first balloon 60, the tube portion 61, and the second balloon 80, and the air pressure is controlled to a constant value to contract the first balloon 60, the tube portion 61, and the second balloon 80. Keep it in the finished state. The air pressure when the tube portion 61 is expanded is preferably controlled according to the inner diameter dimension of the insertion assisting tool 70. Specifically, the outer diameter dimension of the expanded tube section 61 is the insertion assisting tool. It is preferable to control so that the inner diameter of 70 is substantially the same.

  The balloon control device 100 is connected to a balloon dedicated monitor 82, and when the first balloon 60, the tube portion 61, and the second balloon 80 are inflated and deflated, their pressure values and inflated / deflated states are monitored by the balloon dedicated monitor. 82. The pressure values and the inflated / deflated states of the first balloon 60, the tube portion 61, and the second balloon 80 may be superimposed on the observation image of the endoscope 10 and displayed on the monitor 50. Good.

  Next, an operation method of the endoscope apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (f).

  First, the endoscope cover 62 is attached to the insertion portion 12 of the endoscope 10. Then, with the insertion portion 12 inserted through the insertion assisting tool 70, the insertion portion 12 is inserted into the intestinal tract (large intestine) 90 from the anus 90A as shown in FIG. 5A (insertion operation). At this time, the first balloon 60 and the second balloon 80 are deflated.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5A, air is supplied to the first balloon 60 and inflated with the distal end of the insertion portion 12 reaching the sigmoid colon 90B, and the distal end of the insertion portion 12 is fixed to the intestinal tract 90. (Fixed operation). At that time, since air is also supplied to the tube portion 61 (see FIG. 4) communicating with the first balloon 60, the tube portion 61 is expanded and expanded in diameter. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the expanded tube portion 61 is filled between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70 and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 12, and there is no gap.

  Next, by inserting the insertion assisting tool 70, the insertion assisting tool 70 is inserted along the insertion portion 12 (pressing operation). At that time, since the gap between the insertion assisting tool 70 and the insertion portion 12 is eliminated by the tube portion 61, there is no possibility that the intestinal wall or the like is drawn into the gap and caught up. Further, the lubricant injected from the injection connector 78 (see FIG. 1) is supplied between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70 and the outer peripheral surface of the tube portion 61, and the inner periphery of the insertion assisting tool 70 is also provided. Since the hydrophilic coating is applied to the surface and the outer peripheral surface of the tube 61, the friction between the insertion assisting tool 70 and the tube 61 is small, and the insertion assisting tool 70 can be slid smoothly with respect to the tube portion 61. .

  As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the pushing operation causes the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool 70 to reach the vicinity of the first balloon 60, and then supplies air to the second balloon 80 to inflate it. As a result, the second balloon 80 is fixed to the intestinal tract 90, and the intestinal tract 90 is held by the insertion assisting tool 70 via the second balloon 80.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the insertion assisting tool 70 is pulled together to eliminate excessive bending and bending of the intestinal tract 90 (hand feeding operation).

  Next, air is sucked from the first balloon 60 and the first balloon 60 is deflated. At this time, since air is also sucked from the tube portion 61 communicating with the first balloon 60, the tube portion 61 is contracted as shown in FIG. Therefore, a predetermined gap amount is ensured between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70 and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 12.

  Next, as shown in FIG.5 (d), the insertion part 12 is inserted into the deep part of the intestinal tract 90 (for example, to the bending part of the upper end of the descending colon 90C) (insertion operation). At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, since a predetermined gap amount is secured between the insertion portion 12 and the insertion assisting tool 70, the insertion portion 12 can be smoothly inserted. In addition, when performing the insertion operation of the insertion part 12, since the insertion part 12 moves to the direction pushed out with respect to the insertion assistance tool 70, there is no possibility that an intestinal wall etc. will be drawn in and inserted in the insertion assistance tool 70. FIG.

  After the insertion operation, as described above, after performing the fixing operation for inflating the first balloon 60 and the pushing operation for pushing the insertion assisting tool 70 along the insertion portion 12, the second balloon 80 is inflated and the gripping operation is performed. Then, a hand drag operation by the insertion assisting tool 70 is performed. Thereby, as shown in FIG.5 (e), the excess bending | flexion and bending of the intestinal tract 90 are removed.

  By repeatedly performing such a series of operations (insertion operation, fixing operation, push-in operation, gripping operation, and hand-feeding operation), the distal end of the insertion portion 12 can be gradually inserted into the deep portion of the intestinal tract 90. Further, the insertion assisting tool 70 can remove excessive bending of the intestinal tract 90. As described above, since the intestinal wall or the like may be caught in the gap between the insertion assisting tool 70 and the insertion portion 12 during the pushing operation, the tube portion 61 must be expanded during the pushing operation. Since the pushing operation is performed in a state where the first balloon 60 is inflated, if the first balloon 60 and the tube portion 61 are communicated, the tube portion 61 can also be inflated without performing any special operation during the pushing operation. .

  For example, FIG. 5 (f) shows a state in which the distal end of the insertion portion 12 is inserted to the end of the transverse colon 90D, and the insertion assisting tool 70 is operated to remove excess bending of the intestinal tract 90.

  By the above operation, the distal end of the insertion part 12 can be inserted into the deep part of the large intestine. At this time, the insertion assisting tool 70 forms a half loop shape, and the insertion portion 12 can be inserted deeper into the intestinal tract 90.

  Next, the operation of the endoscope cover 62 configured as described above will be described.

  When the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70 and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 12 is small, the insertion portion 12 cannot be smoothly inserted into and removed from the insertion assisting tool 70. Conversely, when the gap amount is large, when the insertion portion 12 is drawn relative to the insertion assisting tool 70, the intestinal wall is easily drawn into the gap. For this reason, in the conventional endoscope apparatus, it is not possible to achieve both the improvement of the insertion / extraction operability of the insertion part 12 and the prevention of the intestinal wall from being caught simultaneously.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the endoscope cover 62 is provided with the tube portion 61 having an enlarged diameter structure, and by supplying a fluid to expand the tube portion 61, the insertion aid 70 and The amount of gap with the insertion part 12 can be adjusted. For example, when the insertion portion 12 is pulled relative to the insertion assisting tool 70, the tube portion 61 is expanded as shown in FIG. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the intestinal wall can be reliably prevented from being caught.

  Moreover, when pushing the insertion part 12 relatively with respect to the insertion assistance tool 70, as shown in FIG. 7, the tube part 61 is shrunk | reduced and the predetermined | prescribed clearance gap amount is ensured. Therefore, the insertion portion 12 can be smoothly moved with respect to the insertion assisting tool 70. Therefore, according to the endoscope cover 62 of the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve both the improvement of the insertion / extraction operability of the insertion portion 12 and the prevention of the intestinal wall from being caught.

  In addition, since the first balloon 60 and the tube portion 61 are in communication with each other in the endoscope cover 62 of the present embodiment, the tube portion 61 can be expanded and contracted by the expansion and contraction operation of the first balloon 60. There is no need to individually perform the expansion / contraction operation of the tube portion 61. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the insertion / extraction operability of the insertion portion 12 and prevent the intestinal wall from being caught without increasing the number of operations.

  In the above-described embodiment, the diameter of the tube portion 61 is increased so that the gap between the insertion portion 12 and the insertion assisting tool 70 becomes zero. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the intestinal wall is involved. What is necessary is just to enlarge the diameter of the tube part 61 so that the amount of clearances may become small to such an extent. Therefore, the size of the tube portion 61 when it is inflated may be controlled so that a slight gap is formed between the insertion assisting tool 70 and the insertion portion 12 (actually the endoscope cover 62).

  In the above-described embodiment, the tube portion 61 is set so as to cover substantially the entire insertion portion 12, but the length of the tube portion 61 is not limited to this, and when the above-described series of operations is performed. It is only necessary that the tube portion 61 is always present at the distal end position of the insertion assisting tool 70.

  Moreover, although embodiment mentioned above communicated the tube part 61 and the 1st balloon 60, it is not limited to this, It is the structure where the inside of the tube part 61 and the inside of the 1st balloon 60 interrupted | blocked. Also good. In that case, the tube unit 61 and the first balloon 60 may be communicated with the balloon control device 100 via separate conduits, and the respective internal pressures may be controlled separately by the balloon control device 100. Also in this case, it is preferable to control the tube portion 61 to expand and contract at the same time when the first balloon 60 is expanded and contracted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the fluid is supplied to the endoscope cover 62 from the insertion portion 12 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a fluid conduit is attached to the endoscope cover 62. May be. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, a small-diameter tube 66 may be connected to the tube portion 61, and a connector 68 provided at the end of the tube 66 may be connected to the tube 110 of FIG. As a result, the endoscope cover 62 can be attached to the endoscope 10 having no duct in the insertion portion 12.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the endoscope cover 62 is formed in a double cylindrical shape. However, the configuration of the endoscope cover 62 is not limited to this, and the diameter of the endoscope cover 62 expands by supplying fluid. Any configuration can be used. For example, the endoscope cover 62 shown in FIG. 9 includes a tube portion 61 formed in a cylindrical shape and a first balloon 60 formed in a cylindrical shape. The tube portion 61 is made of rubber, and the first balloon is made of rubber having a higher expansion rate than the tube portion 61. Further, the proximal end portion of the first balloon 60 and the distal end portion of the tube portion 61 are welded or bonded over the entire circumference. Further, the distal end portion of the first balloon 60 is fixed to the insertion portion 12 by a fixing ring 63, and the proximal end portion of the tube portion 61 is fixed to the insertion portion 12 by a fixing ring 63. According to the endoscope cover 62 configured as described above, when the fluid is supplied to the endoscope cover 62, the tube portion 61 expands and expands in diameter, and the first balloon 62 is larger than the tube portion 61. It expands greatly.

  In the above-described embodiment, air may be supplied to the tube portion 61 to increase the internal pressure of the tube portion 61 so that the insertion portion 12 is automatically deformed into a substantially linear shape. Thereby, in the fixing operation which inflates the 1st balloon 60, the insertion part 12 can be automatically deformed linearly, and the excess bending | flexion and bending | flexion of an intestinal tract can be removed.

  The above-described embodiment has been described with respect to the example of the double balloon type endoscope apparatus. However, the endoscope apparatus without the second balloon 80 in the insertion assisting tool 70 and the endoscope apparatus not using the insertion assisting tool 70 are also described. The present invention can be applied. When the insertion assisting tool 70 is not used, the insertion portion 12 can be linearly deformed by supplying fluid to the endoscope cover 62 or the flexibility of the insertion portion 12 can be adjusted.

System configuration diagram of an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention The perspective view which shows the front-end | tip part of the insertion part of an endoscope Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the cover for endoscopes Sectional drawing which shows the state which expanded the cover for endoscopes of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the operating method of the endoscope apparatus which concerns on this invention Schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the present invention Schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the present invention Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the cover for endoscopes provided with the fluid conduit Sectional drawing which shows the cover for endoscopes of a structure different from FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Endoscope, 12 ... Insertion part, 14 ... Hand operation part, 60 ... 1st balloon, 61 ... Tube part, 62 ... Endoscope cover, 70 ... Insertion aid, 73 ... Tube part, 80 ... First 2 balloons

Claims (6)

In the endoscope cover that is formed in a cylindrical shape and is fixed to the insertion portion in a state where the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted,
While the insertion portion is inserted, the tube portion of the diameter expansion structure that expands and expands when fluid is supplied, and
A balloon portion that expands by being supplied with a fluid and expands larger than the tube portion; and
An endoscope cover characterized by comprising:   The endoscope cover according to claim 1, wherein the tube portion is formed in a cylindrical structure having a double structure having a hollow portion, and the fluid is supplied to the hollow portion.   The endoscope cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tube portion and the balloon portion are communicated with each other.   The endoscope cover according to claim 3, wherein the tube portion and the balloon portion are made of rubber, and the balloon portion is formed thinner than the tube portion.   The endoscope cover according to claim 3, wherein the tube part and the balloon part are made of rubber, and the balloon part is made of rubber having a hardness lower than that of the tube part. An endoscope in which the endoscope cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is attached to an insertion portion;
An insertion aid that is formed in a cylindrical shape and through which the insertion portion is inserted;
A fluid supply device that supplies fluid to the tube portion and the balloon portion of the endoscope cover;
An endoscope apparatus comprising:

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