CN212307788U - Capsule imaging catheter and OCT system - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides a capsule imaging catheter and OCT system, capsule imaging catheter includes: a connecting tube, an imaging tube, and an imaging capsule. The imaging capsule is connected with the connecting pipe through an imaging pipe and is used for propping open the cavity wall of the scanning area. And the proximal end of the imaging tube is detachably connected to the distal end of the connecting tube to freely replace the imaging tube. The distal end of the imaging tube is arranged in the imaging capsule, and the scanning probe is arranged in the imaging area range on the imaging capsule so as to scan the tomographic image in the cavity channel through the imaging capsule. The capsule imaging catheter provided by the application adopts a capsule structure in a scanning area, can expand cavity tissues without inflation or water injection, and is not required to be matched with an endoscope for use. And the imaging tube can be freely replaced, so that the reuse rate of the whole catheter is greatly improved.

Description

Capsule imaging catheter and OCT system

The present application claims priority from chinese patent application entitled "a capsule imaging catheter and OCT system" filed by the chinese patent office at 18/3/2020, application No. 202020341175.X, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to a capsule imaging catheter and an OCT system.

Background

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a novel imaging technique integrating photoelectric and high-speed data acquisition and image processing, and has the advantages of high resolution, high imaging speed and the like. A typical OCT system includes a scanning probe and a display device. The scanning probe is connected with a display device, and carries out tomography scanning on tissues of a diagnosis area through optical imaging modes such as laser, visible light, infrared light and the like so as to obtain a tomography image, and a plurality of tomography images are fused so as to obtain an image of the diagnosis area. Because the scanning probe can scan in the 360-degree direction of the fault, the OCT system can also completely scan the diagnosis region of the cavity structure, such as the digestive tract, and most of the currently common digestive tract OCT systems are balloon OCT.

The balloon OCT system is applied to the digestive tract and also comprises a catheter, a scanning probe is connected with display equipment through the catheter, and the length of the catheter can be set to be different according to the position of a diagnosis area to be detected. The catheter is also provided with an inflatable balloon at one end close to the probe, and the inflatable balloon is used for inflating by inflating after the probe reaches the diagnosis area so as to open the alimentary canal, so that the probe can scan the diagnosis area in the alimentary canal. The conduit is also internally provided with a data line and an inflation tube which are respectively used for transmitting scanning electric signals and supplying air to the inflation saccule.

The existing balloon OCT needs to be matched with an endoscope to enter the alimentary canal, and when the balloon OCT is used, patients need to be anesthetized firstly, so that the balloon OCT is easy to cause injury to human bodies; the operation can be completed only by inflating the balloon, and the operation is complex. And the capsule OCT is used, so that patients do not need to be anesthetized, an endoscope is not needed, and the patients can directly swallow the capsule OCT to obtain real-time imaging data of the digestive tract.

In addition, because the data line and the inflation tube need to be arranged in the catheter of the balloon OCT at the same time, after the digestive tract of the patient is scanned by the existing balloon OCT, the next patient can be continuously scanned and diagnosed only after the whole catheter needs to be replaced, and the recycling rate of the catheter is very low. Moreover, when the catheter is replaced, the data line, balloon, inflation tube, etc. need to be replaced together with the catheter, further increasing the cost of diagnosis.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The application provides a capsule imaging catheter and OCT system realizes not having the anesthesia, not using under the scope real-time acquisition imaging data, in addition, adopts the detachable design of segmentation to solve the problem that pipe reuse rate is low.

In one aspect, the present application provides a capsule imaging catheter comprising:

a connecting pipe;

the near end of the imaging tube is connected with the far end of the connecting tube;

an imaging capsule connected to the distal end of the imaging tube;

wherein the distal end of the imaging tube is disposed within the imaging capsule; a transparent imaging area is arranged on the imaging capsule; a scanning probe is arranged in the imaging tube of the imaging capsule within the imaging area; the scanning probe is connected with a data line, and the data line extends to the connecting pipe in the imaging pipe to be connected with a display device.

Optionally, the imaging capsule comprises a capsule front shell and a capsule rear shell, and the capsule front shell and the capsule rear shell can be connected into a whole.

Optionally, the capsule front shell and the capsule rear shell are respectively provided with a connecting structure which is matched with each other; the front shell and the rear shell of the capsule are combined and connected into a whole through mutually matched connecting structures.

Optionally, the capsule front shell and the capsule rear shell are combined to form a spherical, ellipsoidal or capsule-shaped structure through a mutually matched connecting structure.

Optionally, the imaging capsule further comprises a connecting member, and the distal end of the imaging tube is connected to the capsule back shell through the connecting member.

Optionally, a connecting shaft is arranged in the middle of the capsule rear shell; the far end of the imaging tube is sleeved on the connecting shaft; the connecting piece is a cylinder with a central hole in the middle, and the connecting piece is sleeved at the far end of the imaging tube through the central hole.

Optionally, the connecting shaft is a tapered shaft with a diameter gradually increasing from the proximal end to the distal end; the center hole of the connecting piece is a taper hole with the same diameter variation as the connecting shaft.

Optionally, the outer circumferential surface of the connecting piece and the inner wall of the capsule rear shell are respectively provided with a connecting structure which is matched with each other, so that the connecting piece is fixed in the capsule rear shell.

Optionally, the capsule rear shell is of a solid structure, a connecting hole is formed in the capsule rear shell, and the far end of the imaging tube is arranged in the connecting hole.

Optionally, a front joint is arranged at the far end of the connecting pipe; the near end of the imaging tube is provided with a rear joint; the front connector is detachably connected with the rear connector.

Optionally, the front joint and the rear joint are two coaxial hollow cylinders; a cylindrical boss is arranged on the end face of the far end of the front joint, and an external thread is arranged on the outer wall of the boss; the end face of the near end of the rear joint is provided with a counter bore, and the inner wall of the counter bore is provided with an internal thread.

Optionally, the proximal end of the connecting tube is further provided with an operating handle and a catheter fixing piece; the catheter fixing piece is connected with the outer wall of the connecting pipe and arranged inside the operating handle.

Optionally, the proximal end of the imaging tube is detachably connected to the distal end of the connecting tube.

In another aspect, the present application further provides an OCT system, comprising a display device, and the above-mentioned capsule imaging catheter; the capsule imaging conduit is connected to the display device to present the scanned image through the display device.

As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the present application provides a capsule imaging catheter and an OCT system, the capsule imaging catheter including: a connecting tube, an imaging tube, and an imaging capsule. The imaging capsule is connected with the connecting pipe through an imaging pipe and is used for propping open the cavity wall of the scanning area. And the proximal end of the imaging tube is connected with the distal end of the connecting tube so as to freely replace the imaging tube. The distal end of the imaging tube is arranged in the imaging capsule, and the scanning probe is arranged in the imaging area range on the imaging capsule so as to scan the tomographic image in the cavity channel through the imaging capsule. The capsule imaging catheter provided by the application adopts a capsule structure in a scanning area, can expand cavity tissues without inflation or water injection, and is not required to be matched with an endoscope for use. And the imaging tube can be freely replaced, so that the reuse rate of the whole catheter is greatly improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly explain the technical solution of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a capsule imaging catheter according to the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an imaging capsule of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a front sub and a rear sub of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the operating handle of the present application.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following examples do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. But merely as exemplifications of systems and methods consistent with certain aspects of the application, as recited in the claims.

In the technical scheme provided by the application, for convenience of description, one end of the whole catheter, which is placed in a human body, is called a distal end, and the end is mainly used for carrying out tomography on a diagnosis area; the end located outside the body is called the proximal end, and this end is mainly used for the operation of the operator. Unless otherwise stated, the term distal end of each member refers to the end near the inside of the body, and the term proximal end of each member refers to the end near the outside of the body. The diagnostic region referred to in this application refers to the region that is scanned by the OCT system, such as a segment of the alimentary tract.

Referring to fig. 1, a schematic diagram of a capsule imaging catheter according to the present application is shown. As can be seen in fig. 1, the present application provides a capsule imaging catheter comprising: connecting tube 1, imaging tube 2 and imaging capsule 3. The connecting tube 1 and the imaging tube 2 may be two plastic tubes with the same or different specifications, such as block polyether amide (Pebax). The length may extend from the display device to the diagnostic region. In order to improve the strength and ensure that the connecting tube is not easy to deform in the body cavity, the connecting tube 1 and the imaging tube 2 can be internally provided with spirally arranged supporting steel wires.

To enable the imaging tube 2 to be replaced to improve the overall reuse of the catheter, the proximal end of the imaging tube 2 is detachably connected to the distal end of the connecting tube 1. The imaging tube 2 may be removably connected to the connection tube 1 by means of threads, clips, loose joints, or the like. The imaging capsule 3 is connected to the distal end of the imaging tube 2, and in practical applications, before scanning, the scanning probe and the data line may be first passed through the proximal end of the imaging tube 2 until the scanning probe reaches the imaging capsule 3. And then the imaging tube 2 is connected to the connecting tube 1, so that the connecting tube 1 and the imaging tube 2 are connected into an integral catheter, and the insertion and extraction actions are uniformly carried out to adjust the positions of the scanning probe and the imaging capsule 3.

After a scan of a patient is completed, the imaging tube 2 may be withdrawn from the patient, the connection between the imaging tube 2 and the connecting tube 1 may be released, and the scanning probe and the data line may be removed from the imaging tube 2. After a new imaging tube 2 is replaced, the above process is continued to scan and inspect the next patient. It can be seen that in the above process of diagnosing a plurality of persons, only the imaging tube 2 and the imaging capsule 3 need to be replaced, and the whole catheter does not need to be replaced. And at the in-process of changing imaging tube 2, because scanning probe and data line can not direct contact patient's alimentary canal under imaging tube 2 and the separation of formation of image capsule 3, consequently after changing imaging tube 2 and formation of image capsule 3, cross infection's hidden danger between the patient can not appear, is convenient for realize quick replacement, improves detection efficiency.

The imaging capsule 3 as a whole can assume a cylindrical structure with an end face of a circular arc surface after assembly, i.e., a capsule-shaped structure. The circumferential wall of the imaging capsule 3 is used for expanding tissues of a diagnosis area so as to carry out tomography, and the arc-shaped surfaces at the two ends of the imaging capsule 3 can reduce the resistance of the imaging capsule 3 in a cavity and facilitate the movement in the cavity. Obviously, the imaging capsule 3 may also have other shapes that facilitate swallowing by the patient, such as spherical, ellipsoidal, etc.

The diameter of the circumferential wall of the imaging capsule 3 can meet the requirement of actual scanning imaging, and the effect of expanding the cavity is achieved. The circumferential wall diameter of the imaging capsule 3 may also be different depending on the scanning scenario. For example, when the esophagus is scanned and detected, the diameter of the circumferential wall is 2-3 cm; when the duodenum is scanned, the diameter of the circumferential wall can be 1.5-2.5 cm. In practice, the imaging capsule 3 is swallowed by the patient directly into the lumen of the human digestive tract. Since the imaging capsule 3 is larger in diameter relative to the connecting tube 1 and the imaging tube 2, the imaging capsule 3 can hold up the lumen for tomographic scanning.

To complete the tomographic scan of the inner wall of the patient's lumen, the distal end of the imaging tube 2 is disposed within the imaging capsule 3. The imaging tube 2 may be located at the central axis of the imaging capsule 3. As shown in fig. 2, the imaging capsule 3 is provided with a transparent imaging region 30 for transmitting the scanning light signal to irradiate on the inner wall of the cavity to complete signal scanning. Accordingly, a scanning probe is provided in the imaging tube 2 within the imaging region 30. For example, the imaging region 30 is a transparent region on the imaging capsule 3, and the scanning probe is disposed in a cylindrical space within the transparent region to perform image scanning on the inner wall of the lumen. In order to present a better scanning tomographic image, the scanning probe can be arranged on the central axis of the cylindrical space, so that the distances between the scanning probe and the inner wall of the cavity in the peripheral direction are the same, and the imaging effect is improved.

In this application, the scanning probe may be composed of a transmitter capable of transmitting optical signals 360 degrees in the vertical plane of the probe and a receiver for receiving optical signals. The scanning probe is connected with a data line, and the data line extends to the connecting pipe 1 in the imaging pipe 2 so as to be connected with the display equipment. The received optical signal may be converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to the display device through the data line, thereby presenting a scanned picture in the display device.

In some embodiments of the present application, imaging capsule 3 includes a capsule front shell 31 and a capsule rear shell 33. Wherein, the capsule front shell 31 refers to a shell body positioned at the proximal end of the imaging capsule 3; the capsule back shell 33 refers to a shell located at a distal position of the imaging capsule 3. The imaging area 30 is disposed on the capsule front shell 31, for example, a transparent area is disposed on the capsule front shell 31, or the whole capsule front shell 31 is directly made of a transparent material such as transparent resin, for example, Polycarbonate (PC).

Further, the imaging capsule 3 further comprises a connecting member 32, and a through hole may be further formed at a central position of the proximal end surface of the capsule front shell 31. The imaging tube 2 passes through the through hole into the imaging capsule, and the distal end of the imaging tube 2 is connected to the capsule back shell 33 by a connecting piece 32, so that the entire imaging capsule 3 is disposed at the distal end of the imaging tube 2.

To achieve the connection of the imaging tube 2 to the capsule rear shell 33, the middle of the capsule rear shell 33 is provided with a connecting shaft 34 for connecting the imaging tube 2. In practical application, the distal end of the imaging tube 2 is sleeved on the connecting shaft 34 to realize fixation. Therefore, the diameter of the connecting shaft 34 may be equal to or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the imaging tube 2 so that the imaging tube 2 can be fixed by the frictional force between the contact surfaces after being fitted over the connecting shaft 34. For example, the connecting shaft 34 is in an interference fit with the inner cavity of the imaging tube 2.

After the imaging tube 2 is sleeved on the connecting shaft 34, the outer wall of the distal end of the imaging tube 2 can be pressed through the connecting piece 32, so that the imaging tube 2 is pressed, and the friction force between the contact surfaces of the imaging tube 2 and the connecting shaft 34 is increased. To this end, the connector 32 is a cylinder with a central hole in the middle, through which the connector 32 fits over the distal end of the imaging tube 2. The connecting member 32 may be made of a material having a high friction coefficient and a certain elasticity to increase the fixing effect. For example, the connector 32 may be made of rubber or foam material.

In addition, the capsule rear shell 33 is of a solid structure, a connecting hole is formed in the capsule rear shell 33, the far end of the imaging tube 2 is arranged in the connecting hole, and the imaging tube 2 and the capsule rear shell 33 can be fixedly connected.

In practical applications, the distal end of the imaging tube 2 may pass through the through hole of the capsule front shell 31, then pass through the connecting member 32, and be sleeved on the connecting shaft 34. After the connecting shaft 34 is sleeved with a certain length, the connecting piece 32 can be pressed towards the capsule rear shell 33 to compress the sleeved position.

In order to facilitate the imaging tube 2 to be sleeved on the connecting shaft 34, in some embodiments of the present application, a tapered portion may be provided on the connecting shaft 34, so that the connecting shaft 34 is a tapered shaft with a diameter gradually increasing from the proximal end to the distal end. The tapered shaft allows the imaging tube 2 to fit smoothly over the connecting shaft 34 by virtue of the tapered shape of the proximal end. In practical applications, the conical shape of the connecting shaft 34 may be a conical shaft with a continuously increasing diameter or a stepped shaft with a gradually increasing diameter.

Since the connecting shaft 34 is in a tapered shaft structure, the imaging tube 2 is easily separated from the connecting shaft 34, which will cause the imaging tube 2 to be easily separated from the connecting shaft 34 when an operator adjusts the position of a scanning tomographic field or withdraws the catheter, i.e., when the imaging capsule 3 needs to be moved along the axial direction of the imaging tube 2, so that the imaging capsule 3 is easily separated. To avoid separation, the central bore of the coupling member 32 is a tapered bore of the same varying diameter as the coupling shaft 34. Thereby giving separation resistance to the imaging tube 2 through the circumferential wall of the tapered hole and preventing the imaging tube 2 from being separated on the connecting shaft 34.

In the present application, the imaging capsule 3 may be of an integral structure to increase the sealing of the imaging capsule 3 to the scanning probe. However, a through hole for connecting the imaging tube 2 should be provided at the proximal end of the imaging capsule 3 so that the distal end of the imaging tube 2 can enter the imaging capsule 3. However, the imaging capsule 3 of this integrated structure is not easily replaced and is not easily connected to each other. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present application, the capsule front shell 31 and the capsule rear shell 33 are respectively provided with a mutually matching connecting structure; the capsule front shell 31 and the capsule rear shell 33 are buckled to form a spherical, ellipsoidal or capsule-shaped structure through an interconnection structure.

For example, the cooperating catch may be a protrusion and a counter bore. That is, on the capsule rear case 33, a connection table having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the capsule front case 31 may be provided, and the connection table may be inserted into the capsule front case 31. A plurality of protrusions may be uniformly disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the connection table, and counter bores corresponding to the plurality of protrusions are disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the capsule front shell 31. After the connecting table enters the capsule front shell 31, the plurality of protrusions can correspondingly enter the counter bores by utilizing the elasticity of the material so as to realize the buckling of the capsule front shell 31 and the capsule rear shell 33.

It should be noted that, besides the snap connection, other connection manners of the front capsule shell 31 and the rear capsule shell 33 may be adopted in the present application, for example, the connection manners may be shaft hole fitting, screw connection, etc., that is, a connection platform with a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the front capsule shell 31 may be provided on the rear capsule shell 33, and the connection platform may be inserted into the front capsule shell 31. An external thread is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the connection table, and an internal thread having the same specification as the external thread is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the capsule front shell 31. Thus, after the imaging tube 2 is connected to the capsule rear shell 33, the capsule front shell 31 and the capsule rear shell 33 are connected together by screwing. The capsule front shell 31 and the capsule rear shell 33 can also form a spherical, ellipsoidal or capsule-shaped structure by means of buckling, gluing, welding, extruding and the like through mutually matched connecting structures.

When the imaging capsule 3 has a capsule-shaped structure, the capsule front shell 31 and the capsule rear shell 33 may have two cylindrical structures, and the two cylinders may form one capsule-shaped structure. In order to facilitate access to the alimentary tract cavity of the patient, the outer diameters of the capsule front shell 31 and the capsule rear shell 33 should be kept equal. When the imaging capsule 3 is a spherical structure, the capsule front shell 31 and the capsule rear shell 33 may be two hemispherical shell structures.

Obviously, the front capsule shell 31 and the rear capsule shell 33 may be combined to form other structures for facilitating the entry into the cavity, such as a round cylindrical body, a conical body with gradually increasing diameter, a spindle body, etc., and other shapes that can be suggested by those skilled in the art based on the shapes disclosed in the present application are within the scope of the present application.

In some embodiments of the present application, in order to increase the connection stability between the imaging capsule 3 and the imaging tube 2, the outer circumferential surface of the connecting member 32 and the inner wall of the capsule rear shell 33 are respectively provided with a mutually matching connecting structure to fix the connecting member 32 in the capsule rear shell 33.

For example, a plurality of protrusions are uniformly formed on the outer circumferential surface of the connecting member 32, and a plurality of counter bores corresponding to the positions of the protrusions are formed on the inner wall of the capsule rear case 33. In practical application, after the connecting piece 32 enters the capsule back shell 33, the protrusion can enter the counter bore to play a role of limiting, so that the connection stability between the imaging capsule 3 and the imaging tube 2 is increased. For another example, an annular step is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the connecting member 32, and an annular groove corresponding to the position of the annular step is provided on the inner wall of the capsule rear case 33. After the connecting piece 32 enters the capsule rear shell 33, the annular step can enter the annular groove, so that the limiting effect is also achieved, and the connection stability is improved. Similarly, the connecting member 32 and the rear shell 33 may be fixed together by means of snap-fit, gluing, welding, pressing, or other suitable connecting structures.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in fig. 3, the distal end of the connection tube 1 is provided with a front joint 11; the proximal end of the imaging tube 2 is provided with a rear joint 21; the front joint 11 is detachably connected to the rear joint 21. The front joint 11 and the rear joint 21 enable a detachable connection between the connecting tube 1 and the imaging tube 2 and facilitate a hand-held operation during the actual treatment.

Further, the front joint 11 and the rear joint 21 are two coaxial hollow cylinders; a cylindrical boss is arranged on the end face of the far end of the front joint 11, and an external thread is arranged on the outer wall of the boss; the end face of the near end of the rear joint 21 is provided with a counter bore, and the inner wall of the counter bore is provided with internal threads. Obviously, the thread arrangement on the front joint 11 and the rear joint 21 is not limited to the above-mentioned one, and the thread connection may be realized by arranging an external thread on the front joint 11 and an internal thread on the rear joint 21.

Similarly, the detachable connection mode of the front joint 11 and the rear joint 21 is not limited to a threaded connection, and other connection modes, such as a snap, a pipe joint, a sleeve and the like, can be provided according to actual needs.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in fig. 4, the proximal end of the connection tube 1 is further provided with an operation handle 12 and a catheter fixing member 13. The operation handle 12 may be provided with an OCT host interface to connect with a display device. The catheter fixing member 13 is connected to both the connection tube 1 and the manipulation handle 12 to fix the manipulation handle 12 to the outer wall of the connection tube, so as to connect the display device and perform the surgical operation.

The catheter fixing member 13 is connected to the outer wall of the connection tube 1, and the catheter fixing member 13 is connected to the inside of the operation handle 12 by a pin. For example, the catheter fixing member 13 is provided with 4 holes, which are respectively connected with 4 shafts on the operation handle 12 for positioning. Wherein, the operating handle 12 and the catheter fixing piece 13 are transparent pieces so as to observe the movement of the data line and the probe in the catheter.

According to the above technical solution, the present application provides a capsule imaging catheter comprising: connecting tube 1, imaging tube 2 and imaging capsule 3. The imaging capsule 3 is connected with the connecting pipe 1 through the imaging pipe 2 and is used for expanding the cavity wall of the scanning area. And the proximal end of the imaging tube 2 is detachably connected to the distal end of the connection tube 1 to freely replace the imaging tube. The distal end of the imaging tube 2 is disposed within the imaging capsule 3, and a scanning probe is disposed within the imaging region on the imaging capsule 3 to scan intraluminal tomographic images through the imaging capsule 3. The capsule imaging catheter provided by the application adopts a capsule structure in a scanning area, can expand cavity tissues without inflation or water injection, and is not required to be matched with an endoscope for use. And the imaging tube can be freely replaced, so that the reuse rate of the whole catheter is greatly improved.

Based on the capsule imaging catheter, the application also provides an OCT system, which comprises a display device and the capsule imaging catheter; the capsule imaging conduit is connected to a display device to present the scanned image through the display device. The display device can be a liquid crystal display with a real-time display function, and can be provided with a sweep frequency laser module, an interference module, a detector module, a data acquisition module, a data processing module, an image display module, an execution mechanism and the like in a matching manner in order to present a detection image.

The frequency sweeping laser module comprises a high-speed frequency sweeping laser, an optical fiber isolator and an optical fiber coupler, and optical signals output from the frequency sweeping laser are isolated from a subsequent optical path, so that the optical signals returned by the subsequent optical path are prevented from interfering the normal work of the laser.

The interference module may employ a fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) or a fiber-optic Michelson interferometer (Michelson) configuration. The system mainly comprises two optical fiber couplers, two optical fiber circulators and two optical fiber polarization controllers, wherein the first optical fiber coupler generally adopts an asymmetric optical fiber coupler and outputs most of laser to a microprobe of a sample arm; placing a fiber optic circulator in each of the reference arm and the sample arm to collect optical signals reflected or scattered back from both arms; the second fiber coupler can be a symmetrical 2 × 2 fiber coupler (i.e. with a splitting ratio of 50/50) to generate optical interference signals and reduce dc common mode signals, and fiber polarization controllers are symmetrically disposed in the reference arm and the sample arm for adjusting the polarization states of the two arms to obtain the optimal optical interference signals.

The detector module can adopt a high-speed balanced photoelectric detector and is mainly used for converting interference optical signals output from the interference module into electric signals.

The data acquisition module is a high-speed analog-digital acquisition card and is mainly used for converting analog electrical signals into digital electrical signals and providing the digital signals to the data processing module for digital signal processing. The data processing module is a chip (such as CPU, GPGPU, DSP, FPGA, etc.) with digital signal processing capability, and is mainly used for processing and converting original signals into final image signals.

The image display module is mainly used for displaying image signals and is responsible for post-processing and measuring of images. The executing mechanism consists of an optical fiber rotating connector, a motor and an electric translation table and is mainly used for driving the OCT microprobe to mechanically scan in a spiral manner so as to obtain an OCT image.

According to the technical scheme, the OCT system provided by the application is based on the capsule imaging catheter for endoscopic scanning imaging, the whole catheter is divided into the connecting pipe 1 and the imaging pipe 2, and the connecting pipe 1 and the imaging pipe 2 are detachably connected. The connection structure of the imaging capsule 3 and the imaging tube 2 has a strong connection force. In practical application, the patient can directly drink the imaging capsule 3 into the natural cavity of the human body and support the cavity; and then the interface on the operating handle 12 is screwed with the joint on the display device, the scanning button on the software is clicked to scan the image, and after the scanning is finished, the imaging capsule 3 is withdrawn from the human body and the imaging tube 2 is replaced with a new one. In the OCT system that this application provided, formation of image capsule 3 and formation of image pipe 2 are disposable, and connecting pipe 1, scanning probe and data line etc. repeatedly usable improve the holistic reuse rate of pipe.

The embodiments provided in the present application are only a few examples of the general concept of the present application, and do not limit the scope of the present application. Any other embodiments extended according to the scheme of the present application without inventive efforts will be within the scope of protection of the present application for a person skilled in the art.

Claims (14)

1. A capsule imaging catheter, comprising:

a connecting tube (1);

the imaging tube (2), the near end of the imaging tube (2) is connected with the far end of the connecting tube (1);

an imaging capsule (3) connected to the distal end of the imaging tube (2);

wherein the distal end of the imaging tube (2) is disposed within the imaging capsule (3); a transparent imaging area (30) is arranged on the imaging capsule (3); a scanning probe is arranged in the imaging tube (2) of the imaging capsule (3) within the imaging area (30); the scanning probe is connected with a data line, and the data line extends to the connecting pipe (1) in the imaging pipe (2) to be connected with a display device.

2. The capsule imaging catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the imaging capsule (3) comprises a capsule front shell (31) and a capsule rear shell (33), the capsule front shell (31) and capsule rear shell (33) being joinable.

3. The capsule imaging catheter according to claim 2, wherein the capsule front shell (31) and the capsule rear shell (33) are respectively provided with mutually matched connecting structures; the capsule front shell (31) and the capsule rear shell (33) are combined and connected into a whole through mutually matched connecting structures.

4. The capsule imaging catheter according to claim 3, wherein the capsule front shell (31) and the capsule rear shell (33) form a spherical, ellipsoidal or capsule-shaped structure in combination by means of mutually cooperating connecting structures.

5. The capsule imaging catheter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the imaging capsule (3) further comprises a connecting piece (32), the distal end of the imaging tube (2) being connected to the capsule back shell (33) by the connecting piece (32).

6. Capsule imaging catheter according to claim 5, characterized in that the middle of the capsule back shell (33) is provided with a connecting shaft (34); the far end of the imaging tube (2) is sleeved on the connecting shaft (34); the connecting piece (32) is a cylinder with a central hole in the middle, and the connecting piece (32) is sleeved at the far end of the imaging tube (2) through the central hole.

7. The capsule imaging catheter as recited in claim 6, wherein the connecting shaft (34) is a tapered shaft with a diameter that gradually increases from a proximal end to a distal end; the central hole of the connecting piece (32) is a taper hole with the same diameter variation as that of the connecting shaft (34).

8. The capsule imaging catheter as recited in claim 6, wherein the outer circumferential surface of the connecting member (32) and the inner wall of the capsule rear housing (33) are respectively provided with a mutually cooperating connecting structure to fix the connecting member (32) in the capsule rear housing (33).

9. The capsule imaging catheter as recited in claim 2, characterized in that the capsule back shell (33) is a solid structure, a connection hole is provided on the capsule back shell (33), and the distal end of the imaging tube (2) is disposed in the connection hole.

10. The capsule imaging catheter as recited in claim 1, characterized in that the distal end of the connecting tube (1) is provided with a front joint (11); the near end of the imaging tube (2) is provided with a rear joint (21); the front joint (11) is detachably connected with the rear joint (21).

11. The capsule imaging catheter according to claim 10, wherein the front joint (11) and the rear joint (21) are two coaxial hollow cylinders; a cylindrical boss is arranged on the end face of the far end of the front joint (11), and an external thread is arranged on the outer wall of the boss; the end face of the near end of the rear joint (21) is provided with a counter bore, and the inner wall of the counter bore is provided with internal threads.

12. The capsule imaging catheter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximal end of the connecting tube (1) is further provided with an operating handle (12) and a catheter fixing member (13); the catheter fixing piece (13) is connected with the outer wall of the connecting pipe (1), and the catheter fixing piece (13) is arranged inside the operating handle (12).

13. The capsule imaging catheter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the proximal end of the imaging tube (2) is detachably connected to the distal end of the connecting tube (1).

14. An OCT system comprising a display device, further comprising the capsule imaging catheter of any one of claims 1-13; the capsule imaging conduit is connected to the display device to present the scanned image through the display device.

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