GB2055224A

GB2055224A - Improvements in or relating to surgical mirrors

Info

Publication number: GB2055224A
Application number: GB8021745A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Richard Wolf GmbH
Current assignee: Richard Wolf GmbH
Priority date: 1979-07-04
Filing date: 1980-07-02
Publication date: 1981-02-25
Also published as: DE2927013A1; DE2927013C2; GB2055224B

Abstract

This invention relates to surgical mirrors for inspecting body cavities, and comprises an operating handle 1 and a lighting device arranged in the area of a reflecting surface 3 and directable towards an object, and a plane specular surface substantially level with a rim of the reflecting surface the plane of which extends at an angle alpha between the plane of the reflector and the axis of the operating handle 1 of between 165 DEG and 155 DEG . The axis of the light beam of the lighting device 4 extends at an angle beta differing from 90 DEG to the reflector plane, this angle beta lying between 105 DEG and 125 DEG . The reflector plane is displaceable with respect to the axis of the operating handle. The light source may be situated at the rim of the reflecting surface. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to surgical mirrors The present invention relates to surgical mirrors for inspecting body cavities, of the kind comprising an operating handle, a lighting device situated in the area of a reflecting surface and directable at an object, and a plane specular surface substantially level with the rim of the reflecting surface, the plane of which includes an angle with the axis of the operating handle.

Such mirrors for inspection of body cavities are utilised in medical facilities for the purpose of making body cavities, body sections, body organs and parts thereof, which are not exposed to direct view, available for optical inspection and evaluation.

A distinction must be drawn between two kinds in the case of the optical instruments available at present in medical practice and having the purpose specified above.

Inspection mirrors for evaluation of teeth and oesophagus have been known for a long time, modern examples being described and illustrated in United States Patent Specification No.

3,638,013. The illumination of the object is performed in this case by means of a light source housed in the reflector, the opening of the light source and thus the beam of the light generated commonly being perpendicular with respect to the plane of the reflecting surface, so that no more than a fraction of the light intensity is incident on the object and illumination of constricted body cavities is consequently impossible. This kind of illumination may well be adequate for systems applied in the dental sphere. These known devices are unusable for operations in constricted body cavities, such as for example bone cavities and the like. These devices are even less applicable if use is made of an external light source to illuminate an object, or if an indirect object illumination is performed by reflection from the observation mirror.

Endoscopes have also become known, which are utilised to examine hollow formations in the human body, to which end use is made of a complex optical system comprising lenses and reflection surfaces within a tube for image transmission from the body cavity. In their case, the illumination of the object is performed by means of cold light cables. The application of lenses in these instruments has the consequence however that particular objects only may be observed in sharp focus, being those positioned at a distance depending on the lens utilised. An overall examination of a larger cavity or of a larger object is consequently impossible at any one setting. If media having different light refraction are encountered at the object, this leads to a distortion of the picture and thus to a considerable impairment of the observation facility.If the establishment of contact of this kind with different fluids is unavoidable, e.g. as in body apertures (water-air-secretion) or in surgery wounds (airblood-rinsing liquids-secretion), the observation of an object by means of this kind of endoscope is then hardly possible.

The application of such instruments during operations becomes doubtful because the eyepiece must be brought close to the eye during observation and touches the facial epidermis. The eyepiece thus can no longer be kept sterile, and there is a risk of a bacterial contamination in the operating area, via the hand holding the instrument.

It is an object of the invention to provide a surgical mirror for inspecting body cavities which under sterile conditions of application allows of adequate illumination of as large as possible a section of an object within an operative cavity without a dazzling effect on the observer.

Furthermore, easy directional control and an adequate field of view should be assured upon observing an object, and the instrument should be easy to clean so that image distortions by contact with blood or wound secretions may be averted immediately by cleaning.

Accordingly, the invention consists in a surgical mirror for inspecting body cavities, comprising an operating handle and a lighting device arranged in the area of a reflecting surface and directable towards an object, and a plane specular surface substantially level with a rim of the reflecting surface the plane of which includes an angle with the axis of the operating handle, wherein the angle a between the plane of the reflector and the axis of the operating handle lies between 1 650 and 1550, the axis of the light beam of the lighting device extends at an angle ss differing from 900 to the reflector plane, this angle ss lying between 1050 and 1250, and wherein the reflector plane is displaceable with respect to the axis of the operating handle.

This system also renders it possible to illuminate longer body cavities, because the light source may be brought right up to the object and no appreciable light loss consequently occurs during transmission. Since the observation mirror is placed within or on the object and within the field of view, an interpretation of the picture in the observation mirror is facilitated substantially whilst optimising the co-ordination of the details observed with the organ as a whole. By a slight displacement of the mirror via the holding handle, an observation of the object as a whole is also possible without blurred areas and with satisfactory simultaneous sighting on the position of the object details of interest.

To observe the image in the mirror, there is no need to bring the eye close to the instrument, and a possible jeopardy of the sterility requirement is thus averted.

To obtain as homogenous as possible an object illumination, several projector-like radiating units may be installed at the rim of the mirror, in such manner that a dazzling action on the observer and an appreciable impairment of the picture observed, i.e. of the reflector surface, are precluded thereby.

Because a device for replacement of the observation mirror is situated on the holding handle, a larger or smaller mirror or else an appropriate form of mirror may be selected in accordance with local requirements.

An electrical heating system which allows of maintaining a particular adjustable temperature at the mirror surface and avoids preliminary heating of the mirror, may be located below the reflecting surface.

The fundamental unit of the mirror may, if the mirror is removed, also be utilised as light ducting bar.

In order that the invention maybe more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show one embodiment thereof by way of example and in which: Fig. 1 graphically shows a front view of the mirror, Fig. 2 shows a partially cross-sectioned view of the observer and of the object, and finally, Fig. 3 shows a sketch intended to elucidate the angle units.

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1, reference 1 denotes the holding handle of a mirror, 2 is a light ducting cable which leads into this holding handle and passes therethrough, and is finally divided into individual cable strands in the head section of the instrument, which are marked 2a and 2b in Fig. 2. The cable strands lead, in the area of the actual mirror 3, into projector-like light sources 4, these projector-like light sources being so aligned that they are directed precisely at the object. To this end, an angle ss of between 1250 and 1050 is preferably maintained between the light beam and the plane of the mirror. The plane of the mirror extends at an angle of 1550 to 1650 to the axis of the operating handle 1 , the actual mirror being shown at 5 in Fig. 2.

A milled nut is provided whereby the mirror may be adjusted with respect to the handle in the directions of the arrows F1 and F2 in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 2, Ob denotes the object which is to be observed, and A the eye of an observer, and it will be clear from the illustration in Fig. 2, that the eye A of an observer cannot be dazzled by the emergent light beam at the mirror 5, but that an ample illumination of the object by the light beam is possible.

Claims

1. A surgical mirror for inspecting body cavities, comprising an operating handle and a lighting device arranged in the area of a reflecting surface and directable towards an object, and a plane specular surface substantially level with a rim of the reflecting surface the plane of which includes an angle with the axis of the operating handle, wherein the angle a between the plane of the reflector and the axis of the operating handle lies between 1650 and 1550, the axis of the light beam of the lighting device extends at an angle ss differing from 900 to the reflector plane, this angle ss lying between 1050 and 1250, and wherein the reflector plane is displaceable with respect to the axis of the operating handle.

2. A mirror as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source is situated at the rim of the reflecting surface.

3. A mirror as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein several light sources are incorporated in distribution along the rim of the reflecting surface.

4. A mirror as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the light source is inset into the mounting of the reflecting surface.

5. A mirror as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the lighting device includes a source of cold light and a light conducting cable.

6. A mirror as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a displacing device is provided to set the angle between the plane of the reflecting surface and the operating handle, said device being actuable externally by means of a milled nut.

7. A mirror as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a coupling device is provided between the reflecting surface and the handle.

8. A mirror as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a heating system is located in the area of the reflector surface.

9. surgical mirror for inspecting body cavities, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.