JP4591687B2 - Balloon device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a balloon device for inserting an ultrasonic probe provided with an ultrasonic scanning section at the tip of a flexible cord and mounting a balloon on the ultrasonic scanning section.

  An ultrasonic probe is used to acquire tissue tomographic information in the body, and one in which this ultrasonic probe is inserted into a body cavity and ultrasonic scanning is performed from the inner wall of the body cavity is widely used. As guide means for guiding the ultrasonic probe into the body cavity, an ultrasonic probe that is inserted endoscopically using a treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope has been put into practical use. In this way, by using an ultrasonic probe with an endoscope as a guide means, when a lesion or a suspicious part is found in a body cavity endoscopy, the ultrasound probe is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel. By inserting an acoustic probe and performing ultrasonic scanning of the site, it is possible to confirm the presence or absence of a lesion. For example, information that is extremely advantageous in diagnosing a subject can be acquired. .

  As described above, an ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity using an endoscope as a guide means has a configuration in which an ultrasonic scanning unit incorporating an ultrasonic transducer is provided at the tip of a flexible cord. Since the ultrasonic wave is greatly attenuated in the air, in general, a balloon is attached to the ultrasonic scanning unit in order to prevent an air layer from intervening in the transmission / reception path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transducer. Then, an ultrasonic probe is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope, and an ultrasonic scanning part at the distal end is projected from the distal end of the insertion part, and then an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon. Although ultrasonic scanning is performed in this state, after the ultrasonic examination is completed, the ultrasonic probe can be taken out from the treatment instrument insertion channel by discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium in the balloon.

  Here, the ultrasonic probe of the type that is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope is required to have a small diameter. For this reason, it is difficult not only to attach the balloon directly to the ultrasonic probe, but also it may not be possible to secure a path for supplying and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium in the balloon. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an ultrasonic probe is incorporated into a balloon device using a balloon device having a balloon at the tip.

  In the balloon device of Patent Document 1, a balloon is attached to the distal end of a flexible sleeve in a holding cylinder into which a connector provided at a base end portion of an ultrasonic probe is inserted, and the ultrasonic probe is attached to the balloon device from the holding cylinder side. The ultrasonic scanning unit provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe is inserted so as to enter the balloon. The balloon is composed of a flexible membrane whose main body is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a fastening ring is formed at the tip of the balloon. In addition, an annular concave groove into which the fastening ring is fitted is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the tip of the ultrasonic scanning portion of the ultrasonic probe. Accordingly, the ultrasonic probe and the balloon device are incorporated by inserting the ultrasonic probe into the flexible sleeve and fitting the balloon's fastening ring into the concave groove of the ultrasonic scanning portion. Then, an annular gap is formed between the outer surface of the flexible sleeve of the balloon device and the ultrasonic probe, and this gap is used as a supply / discharge passage for the ultrasonic transmission medium. The holding cylinder is provided with a connection portion to which an ultrasonic transmission medium supply unit such as a syringe is attached.

When the ultrasonic probe is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel, the balloon is in a deflated state. And after the front-end | tip part of an ultrasonic probe protrudes from a treatment tool penetration channel, an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied from the supply means provided in the holding cylinder. As a result, the ultrasonic transmission medium is introduced into the balloon, and the balloon expands. Accordingly, an ultrasonic pulse is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer toward the body so that the balloon is in contact with the inner wall of the body cavity, and a reflected echo from the tissue tomographic part in the body is received. This reflected echo signal is converted into an electrical signal and taken into an ultrasound observation apparatus, and predetermined signal processing is performed to generate ultrasound image data. However, between the ultrasound transducer and the body cavity inner wall, By interposing an ultrasonic transmission medium, the attenuation of the ultrasonic signal is suppressed, and the S / N ratio of the acquired ultrasonic reflected echo signal is increased.
JP 2003-235847 A

  When an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon and the balloon is inflated, a high pressure acts on the balloon, and thus a force in the direction of dropping from the flexible sleeve of the balloon device acts. Therefore, it must be fixed so that the balloon mounting portion does not fall off. In order to fix the balloon, the balloon is not directly connected to the flexible sleeve, but a rigid ring is connected to the tip of the flexible sleeve, and the balloon is fitted to the rigid ring. Generally, a bobbin and an adhesive are applied to the outer peripheral portion of the fitting portion. However, the process of winding and bonding is complicated and not only increases the time and cost, but also the adhesive is exposed to the outside. There is a problem that the balloon is damaged, the adhesive is scraped off, and the bobbin winder is cut by being caught on the edge of the connecting pipe, particularly the connecting pipe constituting the connecting part of the treatment instrument insertion channel. .

  In consideration of the above points, Patent Document 1 is configured such that the wound portion of the balloon is covered with a protective layer made of a flexible member made of a tape or a tube. Accordingly, the balloon outer surface and the thread winding portion coated with the adhesive are not in direct contact with other members, so that there is an advantage that the balloon is protected from being damaged and the adhesive is not peeled off. However, even when configured as in Patent Document 1, there are still the following problems.

  That is, since the balloon is fixed by thread winding only, whether it is covered with a protective layer after applying an adhesive on its outer peripheral part or covered with a protective layer without using an adhesive, After all, the spool is indispensable. This balloon is of a small diameter, and this thin diameter part must be wound with a thread so that a tightening force acts on the hard ring so that the balloon does not fall off. There is a problem that the process of winding the thread becomes complicated, for example, it is necessary to process the parts so as to tie the parts, and cost increases cannot be avoided.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points. The object of the present invention is to firmly fix the balloon to the tip of the flexible sleeve without performing thread winding, thereby reducing the cost of the balloon. The purpose is to ensure that the fixing can be performed.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides an ultrasonic scanning unit having a built-in ultrasonic transducer with a tip of a flexible sleeve into which an ultrasonic probe in which a flexible cord is connected is inserted. A balloon device having a balloon fixed to an ultrasonic scanning unit, wherein a first hard ring is fixedly provided at a distal end portion of the flexible sleeve, and an outer peripheral surface of the first hard ring. A step portion is provided, and a base end portion of the balloon is fitted to a position including the step portion and fixed with an adhesive, and a second hard ring is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the balloon. By making the inner diameter of the second hard ring smaller than the outer diameter of the balloon at the position where it is fitted to the large-diameter portion forming the step portion of the first hard ring, Between the hard ring and the step portion of the first hard ring It is an its features that it has a structure for fixing the serial balloon so as to sandwich

  Two rigid rings are used to fix the balloon to the tip of the flexible sleeve. The first hard ring is fixed to the distal end portion of the flexible sleeve by means such as adhesion, and the base end portion of the balloon is fitted into the first hard ring. Here, a step is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first hard ring, and the balloon is fitted to the first hard ring at least to a position beyond the large diameter portion due to the step and fixed with an adhesive. In this balloon, the longer the fitting length to the first hard ring, the higher the bonding strength. When an ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied into the balloon, the balloon receives a force in the direction of peeling from the first hard ring, and as such, it does not have sufficient adhesive strength. Therefore, the balloon is prevented from peeling from the first hard ring by fitting the second hard ring to at least a part of the balloon, preferably by bonding the second hard ring and the balloon. is doing. Further, by making the inner diameter of the second hard ring smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the balloon fitted to the large diameter portion due to the step in the first hard ring, the balloon is interposed between the first and second hard rings. I get caught. As a result, it is possible to prevent the balloon from dropping off from the front end of the flexible sleeve, and the balloon is reliably fixed to the front end of the flexible sleeve without fixing with a spool. Therefore, the fitting direction of the second hard ring to the first hard ring is limited to either the rear side or the front side.

  The balloon is sandwiched between the inner peripheral surface of the end of the second hard ring fitted to the balloon and the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion of the first hard ring. The outer peripheral surface of the second hard ring is By providing an overhanging portion on the outer peripheral side so as to cover, when the second hard ring is fitted, another member comes into contact with a portion of the balloon located at the step portion of the first hard ring and is damaged. Protected against sticking.

  The second hard ring may be fixed to the flexible sleeve, but may be fixed to the first hard ring connected to the flexible sleeve. In the meantime, it can be fixed using an adhesive, or the second hard ring can be configured to be screwed onto the first hard ring. Further, the second hard ring can be bonded to the first hard ring after being screwed together.

  As described above, it is possible to easily and reliably fix the balloon to the distal end of the flexible sleeve by eliminating the need to fix the balloon by thread winding.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG.1 and FIG.2 shows the structure of an ultrasonic probe and a balloon apparatus. FIG. 1 shows an external appearance of the ultrasonic probe and the balloon device separated from each other, and FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the ultrasonic probe and the balloon device assembled therein.

  In these drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes an ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic probe 1 includes an ultrasonic scanning unit 2, a flexible cord 3, and a connector 4 from the distal end side. The connector 4 is detachably connected to the ultrasonic observation apparatus directly or via a relay means. Here, the ultrasonic scanning unit 2 will be described as being configured to perform mechanical radial scanning. However, the scanning mode can be used in other operation modes.

  FIG. 3 shows one configuration example of the ultrasonic scanning unit 2. As is clear from the figure, the ultrasonic scanning unit 2 is configured by mounting an ultrasonic transducer 6 inside a tip cap 5 connected to the tip of the flexible cord 3. The rotating base 7 is mounted. The rotary base 7 is provided by being connected to a flexible shaft 8, and this flexible shaft 8 is driven by rotating the rotary body 9 in the connector 4 provided by being connected to the base end portion of the flexible cord 3. The ultrasonic vibrator 6 mounted on the rotary base 7 is driven to rotate around the axis inside the flexible cord 3. Thereby, ultrasonic mechanical radial scanning is performed.

  A balloon device 10 in which the ultrasonic probe 1 is incorporated is configured by connecting a holding cylinder 12 to a proximal end portion of a flexible sleeve 11 and connecting a balloon 13 to a distal end portion thereof. The balloon 13 is formed with a fastening ring 13b made of an elastic ring at the tip of a balloon main body 13a made of a flexible film cylinder having a high elasticity such as latex. A sleeve fixing portion 14 made of a through hole is formed in the holding cylinder 12, and the base end portion of the flexible sleeve 11 is fixed to the sleeve fixing portion 14.

  The ultrasonic probe 1 is assembled so that the distal end cap 5 is inserted into the holding cylinder 12 and the distal end cap 5 is inserted into the balloon 13. An annular groove 15 is formed on the tip side of the tip cap 5 where the ultrasonic transducer 6 is attached. A fastening ring 13 b provided at the tip of the balloon 13 is fitted into the concave groove 15. The inner diameter of the fastening ring 13b in the free state is sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the groove bottom of the concave groove 15. Therefore, when the fastening ring 13b is fitted into the concave groove 15, the fastening ring 13b has a tightening force. Comes to work.

  The connector 4 provided at the base end portion of the ultrasonic probe 1 is provided with a cover rubber 16 for preventing the flexible cord 3 from being bent. The base end portion of the cord 3 is surrounded. On the other hand, a step-shaped seal portion 17 is formed on the inner surface of the holding cylinder 12. When the ultrasonic probe 1 is incorporated in the balloon device 10, the cover rubber 16 of the connector 4 is attached to the seal portion 17 of the holding cylinder 12. When pressed, the portion on the tip side from the seal portion 17 is held in an airtight state.

  Further, three to four notches 18 are provided in the circumferential direction at the base end side portion of the holding cylinder 12, and the outer peripheral portion of the portion provided with the cut portions 18 is directed toward the base end side. It is expanding. The holding cylinder 12 is fitted with a tightening ring 19. When the tightening ring 19 is moved to the proximal end side, the diameter of the cut portion 18 is reduced. Therefore, when the ultrasonic probe 1 is incorporated in the balloon device 10 and the outer surface of the holding cylinder 12 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the connector 4 of the ultrasonic probe 1, the ultrasonic probe 1 is incorporated in the balloon device 10. Will be able to hold.

  As described above, in the ultrasonic probe 1, the connector 4 is attached to the holding cylinder 12 of the balloon device 10, the flexible cord 3 is inserted into the flexible sleeve 11, and the fastening ring 13b of the balloon 13 is the tip. The balloon device 10 incorporated so as to be fitted in the concave groove 15 of the cap 5 and incorporating the ultrasonic probe 1 in this way is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope. Therefore, the outer diameter of the flexible sleeve 11 of the balloon device 10 is smaller than the inner diameter of the treatment instrument insertion channel. The balloon 13 is supplied to the inside of the balloon 13 provided at the distal end of the balloon device 10 and connected to the distal end cap of the ultrasonic probe 1 in a state of protruding from the treatment instrument insertion channel. Inflate. In order to be able to supply this ultrasonic transmission medium into the balloon 13, a connecting cylinder 20 is provided at the position of the sleeve fixing portion 14 in the holding cylinder 12 of the balloon device 10. A means for supplying an ultrasonic transmission medium such as is connected. The cover rubber 16 provided on the connector 4 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is kept in an airtight state in contact with the seal portion 17 of the holding cylinder 12. When pumped, the ultrasonic transmission medium does not leak to the proximal end side of the holding cylinder 12. An annular gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the flexible sleeve 11 in the balloon device 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the flexible cord 3 in the ultrasonic probe 1. The sound transmission medium flows into the balloon 13. In this state, while the flexible shaft 8 is rotationally driven, ultrasonic radial scanning is performed by transmitting an ultrasonic pulse from the ultrasonic transducer 6 toward the body and acquiring a reflected echo thereof. When the ultrasonic inspection is completed, the ultrasonic transmission medium in the balloon 13 is discharged, and this discharge route is also performed by the same route.

  In this way, when the ultrasonic transmission medium is sealed inside the balloon 13, the pressure is maintained so that the balloon 13 does not fall off from the tip of the flexible sleeve 11. The connection part to 11 has the structure shown in FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a first hard ring, and the first hard ring 21 is inserted into the inner surface of the distal end of the flexible sleeve 11 and fixed using an adhesive. Here, the flexible sleeve 11 can be made of a member having low stretchability, so that the adhesive strength between the first hard ring 21 and the flexible sleeve 11 can be increased. The proximal end portion of the balloon body 13a of the balloon 13 is fitted into the first hard ring 21 and is fixed by an adhesive. Here, a stepped portion 21a projecting to the outer peripheral side is formed at the tip of the first hard ring 21, and the balloon 13 gets over the stepped portion 21a and extends toward the proximal end side. The bonding area between the first hard ring 21 and the first hard ring 21 is increased. However, sufficient fixation of the balloon 13 cannot be obtained only by bonding the first hard ring 21 and the balloon 13. That is, since the balloon 13 is a member having high elasticity, a force to lift the balloon 13 from the first hard ring 21 acts when the ultrasonic transmission medium is enclosed. There is a risk of the adhesive peeling off.

  In order to prevent the balloon 13 from being lifted, a second hard ring 22 is fitted to the first hard ring 21. A predetermined length on the proximal end side of the balloon 13 is interposed between the first and second hard rings 21 and 22, and thus the balloon 13 is held so as not to float from the first hard ring 21. Is done. Here, an adhesive is also applied between the outer surface of the balloon 13 and the inner surface of the second hard ring 22, whereby the inner side of the balloon 13 is bonded to the first hard ring 21 and the outer side is the second. Sandwich is made so as to adhere to the hard ring 22.

  Further, when the ultrasonic transmission medium is sealed in the balloon 13, a force in a direction for causing the balloon 13 to escape from the tip of the flexible sleeve 11 acts. Therefore, the outer diameter R1 in a state where the balloon 13 is covered with the first step portion 21a is made larger than the inner diameter R2 of the second hard ring 22. Accordingly, when the second hard ring 22 is fitted from the proximal end side of the first hard ring 21 in a state where the balloon 13 is fitted to the first hard ring 21, the second hard ring 22 is fitted. Is restricted by the step portion 21a of the first hard ring 21, and cannot move any further. Therefore, by applying a predetermined pressing force to the second hard ring 22, the balloon 13 is sandwiched between the step portion 21 a of the first hard ring 21 and the corner portion on the inner surface side at the tip of the second hard ring 22. Will come to be. And by making these both corner parts into a curved surface shape, it is possible to apply a clamping force without damaging the balloon 13.

  As described above, the balloon 13 is firmly fixed by being sandwiched between the first and second hard rings 21 and 22 via an adhesive and sandwiched between the hard rings 21 and 22. become. The first and second hard rings 21 and 22 are fixed by an adhesive filled in an adhesive reservoir 21b formed on the outer peripheral portion of the first hard ring 21. The clamping force is fully demonstrated.

  When the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into the balloon 13 and the fastening ring 13b of the balloon 13 is fitted into the concave groove 15, the tip of the balloon 13 is sealed, and the ultrasonic transmission medium is contained inside. When the is encapsulated, the balloon body 13a of the balloon 13 swells as indicated by the phantom line in FIG. In order to secure the supply path of the ultrasonic transmission medium, the inner diameter R3 of the flexible sleeve 11 is larger than the outer diameter R4 of the flexible cord 3 of the ultrasonic probe 1.

  Here, in the fitting portion of the balloon 13 to the first hard ring 21, in particular, the tip portion of the stepped portion 21 a comes into contact with a sharp part such as a connection pipe provided in the treatment instrument insertion channel. When it does, the balloon 13 may be pressed by the 1st hard ring 21, and may be damaged. In order to prevent such a situation from occurring, the end portion of the second hard ring 22 is thinned on the inner peripheral surface side, and an overhanging portion 22a having an inner diameter larger than the aforementioned R1 is continuously provided. The overhanging portion 22 a is extended from the distal end portion of the first hard ring 21 to the distal end side. As a result, the portion where the balloon 13 is in direct contact with the first hard ring 21 is not exposed to the outside, so that there is no inconvenience that the balloon 13 is damaged due to collision of other objects.

Here, as described above, the second hard ring 22 may be fixed to the first hard ring 21 by bonding, but as shown in FIG. A thread portion is provided on the outer surface on the distal end side from the connection portion to the flexible sleeve 11, and the inner surface on the proximal end side of the second hard ring 122 is screwed to the thread portion of the first hard ring 121. It is also possible to form screw parts and screw them together. Furthermore, it can also fix by screwing and adhesion | attachment by apply | coating an adhesive agent to this screwing part.

It is an external view which shows the balloon apparatus which shows one Embodiment of this invention with the ultrasonic probe with which it is mounted | worn. It is sectional drawing of the state which incorporated the balloon apparatus and ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip part of an ultrasonic probe. It is a principal part half sectional view of the balloon apparatus which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part half sectional view of the balloon apparatus which shows other embodiment in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic probe 2 Ultrasonic scanning part 3 Flexible code 5 Tip cap 6 Ultrasonic vibrator 10 Balloon apparatus 11 Flexible sleeve 11 Holding cylinder 13 Balloon 15 Concave groove 21, 121 First hard ring 21a Step part 21b Adhesive reservoir 22,122 Second hard ring 22a Overhang portion

Claims (3)

A balloon to be fixed to the ultrasonic scanning unit is attached to the tip of a flexible sleeve into which an ultrasonic probe having a flexible cord connected to an ultrasonic scanning unit incorporating an ultrasonic transducer is inserted. In the balloon device,
A first hard ring is fixedly provided at a distal end portion of the flexible sleeve, a step portion is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the first hard ring, and a proximal end of the balloon is provided at a position including the step portion. The parts are fitted and fixed with an adhesive,
A second hard ring is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the balloon, and the inner diameter of the second hard ring is fitted to a large-diameter portion that forms the step portion of the first hard ring. The balloon is fixed so as to be sandwiched between the second hard ring and the step portion of the first hard ring by making it smaller than the outer diameter of the balloon. Balloon device. 2. The balloon device according to claim 1, wherein the second hard ring is formed with an outer peripheral side overhanging portion that covers at least the holding portion of the balloon by the first large diameter portion. The balloon device according to claim 1, wherein the second hard ring is configured to be fixed to the first hard ring by at least one of adhesion and screwing.

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