JP2002282206A - Forceps plug for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a forceps plug for an endoscope to be taken out easily from a treatment tool inserting hole even if it is made of a slippery material. SOLUTION: The forceps plug has a blocking part 61 forced into the mounting part 55 of a ferrule 53 constituting the treatment tool inserting hole 51, an engaging part 62 to be engaged with a flange 55 a of the mounting part 55, and a tongue-shaped valve element 63 for opening/closing a slit 64. In addition, a nearly triangular pyramid-shaped notch 70 converging in the detaching direction S is formed on a part of the outer surface of the engaging part 62 as a finger hook for easily detaching the plug from the treatment tool inserting hole 51.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a forceps stopper made of an elastic material which is attached to a treatment instrument insertion port of an endoscope to prevent backflow by blocking the insertion port.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The endoscope is widely used in the medical field as a means for observing the inside of a body cavity and performing a treatment as necessary. Generally, this endoscope remotely controls the distal end of a tube-shaped flexible in-vivo insertion section that is extended from the operation section and inserted into the body by using knobs provided on the operation section, and the end surface of the distal end or The observation window arranged on the side is directed toward the object to be observed, and the image of the object to be observed is captured by the image sensor through the objective optical system arranged in the distal end portion. The electronic image signal from the image sensor is transmitted to the endoscope by the endoscope. After a predetermined signal processing is performed by a connected processor device, an image of the object to be observed is displayed on a monitor. In addition to the observation window, an illumination window for illuminating the object to be observed and an organ that is sprayed with air to expand the organ to secure the field of view of the observation window, An air supply / water supply nozzle for cleaning the observation window by spraying water is provided. On the other hand, a cable for sending an electronic image signal from the image sensor (in the case of an optical endoscope, an image guide composed of an optical fiber bundle for guiding an observation image of an objective optical system to the eyepiece) is provided in the body insertion section and the operation section. When,
A light guide composed of an optical fiber bundle for supplying light from a light source to the illumination window and an air / water channel for sending air or water from an air / water source to an air / water nozzle are passed through the air / water nozzle.

[0003] In addition, forceps, catheters, and the like used for performing procedures (such as incision, suturing, collection, injection, removal of foreign matter, and crushing of an affected part) while observing the body to be observed are provided in the body insertion section and the operation section. The treatment tool insertion channel for inserting the treatment tool is also passed through, and the distal end thereof is disposed at the distal end of the body insertion portion as the treatment window outlet in the same manner as the above-mentioned illumination window. The treatment instrument insertion channel also serves as a suction channel for sucking body fluid, blood, and the like, and is connected to a suction source. The treatment instrument insertion channel branches off from a conduit leading to the suction source at the operation section, and the branch path opens to a treatment instrument insertion port provided in the operation section. The treatment instrument is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel from the treatment instrument insertion port, and the treatment is performed by projecting the distal end of the treatment instrument from the treatment instrument outlet.

[0004] When the endoscope is used, the organ is expanded as described above by injecting air from the air / water supply nozzle to secure the visual field of the observation window. By the way, when the treatment tool insertion port is open in such a use situation, body fluid flows backward through the treatment tool insertion channel toward the treatment tool insertion side at a lower pressure than in the organ, and the treatment tool insertion port is Will leak to Leakage of bodily fluids and the like is not preferable from a sanitary point of view, and also causes a problem that the operation unit and the knobs are contaminated and operation becomes difficult. Therefore, in order to prevent backflow, a treatment instrument insertion port is provided with a rubber forceps stopper for closing the insertion port.

Conventional forceps stoppers are elastically attached to a flange usually formed at a peripheral edge of an opening end of a treatment instrument insertion port on a peripheral edge of an obstructing portion to be pressed into the treatment instrument insertion port. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-38924 discloses a structure in which a ring-shaped engaging portion to be engaged is formed, and a tongue-shaped valve body is formed on the back side of the closing portion.
In the forceps plug of the publication, a slit for inserting a treatment tool into a treatment tool insertion channel is cut into a closed portion, and the valve body usually has a portion integrally formed on the outer peripheral side of the closed portion as a root. It is in close contact with the back surface of the closing part, whereby the slit is closed. In addition, when the treatment tool is passed through the slit, the valve body is pushed open and elastically adheres to the treatment tool, thereby acting to prevent the above-mentioned backflow.

[0006]

The forceps stopper is generally made of oil-impregnated rubber impregnated with oil to reduce frictional resistance so that the treatment tool can be easily passed through the slit. The surface is slippery due to oil seeping from inside. For this reason, the forceps stopper attached to the treatment instrument insertion port is difficult to remove, and is particularly slippery when the operator wearing rubber gloves removes it, and is very difficult to remove. In the forceps stopper as described in the above-mentioned publication, although a part of the engaging part can be removed by flipping up the engaging part with a finger and removing the engaging part from the flange, the engaging part that generates a force to remove with a finger is small and easy. Was not something that could be removed.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a forceps stopper for an endoscope which can be easily removed from a treatment instrument insertion port even if it is made of a slippery material.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a forceps stopper made of an elastic material which is detachably attached to a treatment tool insertion port of a treatment tool insertion channel provided in an endoscope. A closing portion which is press-fitted into the treatment instrument insertion port to close the insertion port, and an engagement which is formed integrally with the closing portion and elastically engages with a flange formed on a peripheral edge of the treatment instrument insertion port. And a finger-holding portion for facilitating an operation of removing the forceps plug from the treatment instrument insertion port is provided in the engagement portion.

In the forceps plug of the present invention, the closing portion is press-fitted into the treatment instrument insertion port, and the engaging portion is engaged with a flange formed on a peripheral edge of the treatment instrument insertion port to thereby allow the treatment instrument insertion port to be inserted. Be attached. To remove the forceps stopper, put a finger on a finger hook consisting of a projection or the like provided on the engaging part, remove the engaging part from the flange by turning it up and deforming it in the removal direction, and following this operation This is performed by removing the closing part from the treatment instrument insertion port. Since the force required to remove the forceps plug is effectively transmitted from the engagement portion to the closing portion by hooking the finger on the finger hook portion, even if the forceps stopper is made of oil-containing rubber and is slippery, the finger hook Slip is suppressed by the part, and removal becomes easy.

[0010] Specific examples of the finger hook in the present invention include, in addition to the above-mentioned projection, a notch of a substantially triangular shape converging in the direction of removing the forceps plug. According to such a notch, as the finger placed on the notch is moved in the removing direction, the finger is tightened from the notch whose width is reduced, and the finger is reliably engaged with the notch. For this reason, the force required for removal is reliably transmitted from the engaging portion to the closing portion without loss.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the case where a finger catch portion having the above-mentioned triangular notch is provided, a thin portion is formed in a part of the engagement portion in addition to the finger catch portion. According to this aspect, the engaging portion is easily deformed from the thin portion as a starting point, so that the engaging portion is more easily detached from the flange, and the forceps stopper is more easily removed.

[0012]

Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. (1) First Embodiment (A) Configuration of Endoscope FIG. 1A shows an entire endoscope 1 to which a forceps plug 60A according to a first embodiment is applied. This endoscope 1
A flexible tube-shaped body insertion section 10 to be inserted into the body, an operation section 20 for remotely controlling the body insertion section 10, and various devices (not shown) (image processing apparatus, light source, air / water supply source, suction And a universal cord 30 into which cables to be connected to a power source or the like are inserted.

The body insertion portion 10 has a bending portion 12 having a distal end portion 11 and a relatively long flexible portion 13 connecting the bending portion 12 to an operation portion 20. As shown in FIG. 1B, an observation window 41, a plurality of illumination windows (two in this case) 42, and an air supply / water supply nozzle 43 are provided on the end surface of the tip 11.
And a treatment tool outlet 44 are provided. Internal insertion part 1
Although not shown, a cable (not shown) for transmitting an electronic image signal from an image sensor to the operation unit 20 and the universal cord 30 (an optical fiber for guiding an observation image of an objective optical system to an eyepiece in the case of an optical endoscope) Image guide consisting of a bunch)
A light guide composed of an optical fiber bundle for supplying light from a light source to the illumination window 42, an air / water channel for sending air or water from an air / water source to an air / water nozzle 43, and a treatment tool outlet 44 at the end. The treatment instrument insertion channel also serving as the suction channel is passed.

The upper end 2 of the operation unit 20 in FIG.
1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a suction button 22a, an air / water supply button 22b,
An image remote switch 22c is provided. On the other surface of the upper end portion 21, a vertical angle knob 2 is provided.
3a, upper and lower angle lock levers 23b, left and right angle knobs 24a, and left and right angle lock knobs 24b
Are mounted coaxially and rotatably.

In the bending portion 12 of the body insertion portion 10,
A bending mechanism (not shown) is built in. This bending mechanism
A plurality of articulation rings are rotatably pivotally connected by pins in the axial direction and connected, and a required number of operation wires are hooked. Each operation wire passes through the operation portion 20 from the flexible portion 13 and passes through the operation portion 20. Vertical angle knob 23a and left and right angle knob 24
a. When the upper and lower angle knobs 23a and the left and right angle knobs 24a are appropriately rotated, the bending portion 12 bends or rotates freely up and down and left and right by an operation wire and a node ring structure. Thereby, the tip 1
1 can be directed in any three-dimensional direction. The upper and lower angle lock levers 23b and the left and right angle lock knobs 24b are used to fix the upper and lower angle knobs 23a and the left and right angle knobs 24a, respectively, to fix the angle of the observation window 41.

Below the upper end 21 of the operation unit 20, a grip 25 having a rectangular cross section, which is a part for the surgeon to grip and support the endoscope 1, is formed. by the way,
The treatment tool insertion channel is branched from a pipe toward the suction source in the operation unit 20, and the branch is formed in a branch 26 below the grip 25 as shown in FIG. 2. The treatment tool insertion opening 51 is open. When using the endoscope 1, necessary treatments (cutting of an affected part, suturing, collection, injection, removal of foreign matter, crushing, and the like) are often performed using a treatment tool (not shown) while observing an image of the observation target. But,
The treatment is performed by inserting the treatment tool from the treatment tool insertion port 51 into the treatment tool insertion channel and projecting the distal end from the treatment tool outlet 44. A forceps plug 60A for closing the insertion port 51 is detachably attached to the treatment instrument insertion port 51. Forceps stopper 60A
The present invention relates to the present invention and will be described later in detail.

According to the endoscope 1 having the above-described configuration, the bending portion 12 is remotely controlled by the knobs 23a and 24a in a state where the body insertion portion 10 is inserted into the body cavity and the light from the light source is emitted from the illumination window 42. By directing the observation window 41 to the object to be observed of the target organ while operating, the image of the object to be observed is displayed on the monitor of the image processing apparatus. When performing treatment on the affected part, the treatment instrument insertion port 5 is observed while observing the image on the monitor.
The treatment tool inserted from 1 into the treatment tool insertion channel is projected from the treatment tool outlet 44 to perform necessary treatment.

In such use, the organ is expanded by operating the air / water supply button 22b to inject the air sent from the air / water supply source into the air / water supply channel from the air / water supply nozzle 43. Then, the field of view of the observation window 41 is secured. Further, the water sent from the air / water supply source to the air / water supply channel is jetted from the air / water supply nozzle 43 to wash the observation window 41, and the air is switched to air supply to remove the water attached to the observation window 41. Blowing is also performed. Further, by operating the suction button 22a, the body fluid, blood, or the like that has sprung into the organ is suctioned from the treatment tool outlet 44 into the treatment tool insertion channel and sent to the suction source. By operating the image remote switch 22c, it is possible to freeze the image on the monitor or output the still image to a hard copy device (not shown).

When the endoscope 1 is used as described above, the forceps plug 60 is inserted into the treatment instrument insertion port 51 in order to prevent body fluids and the like from flowing back to the treatment instrument insertion port 51 side.
A is attached to close the treatment instrument insertion port 51. Hereinafter, the forceps stopper 60A will be described with reference to FIGS.

(B) Structure of the forceps stopper As shown in FIG. 3, the treatment tool insertion port 51 has a cylindrical branch tube portion that projects obliquely from the branch portion 26 of the operation portion 20 toward the upper end 21. 52;
Strictly speaking, the opening of the cylindrical base 53 which is inserted into the branch pipe portion 52 and screwed together constitutes the treatment instrument insertion port 51. The base 53 has an insertion part 54 inserted into the branch pipe part 52 and a mounting part 55 having a uniform inner diameter, which is exposed from the branch pipe part 52 and has a flange 55a formed around the opening.

The forceps stopper 60A is made of oil-impregnated rubber in which an elastic material such as silicone rubber is impregnated with silicone oil, and is detachably attached to the attachment portion 55 by utilizing elasticity. The forceps stopper 60 </ b> A is press-fitted into the mounting portion 55 of the mouthpiece 53 and closes the treatment instrument insertion port 51.
1, a ring-shaped engaging portion 62 that elastically and closely engages with the flange 55a of the mounting portion 55, and a tongue-shaped valve body 63 are integrally formed.

The outer diameter of the closing portion 61 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the mounting portion 55, and the surface thereof has a hemispherical large concave portion 61a.
Are formed at the bottom of the large recess 61a.
b is formed. And in the center of the closing part 61,
A slit (insertion port) 64 for inserting the treatment tool into the treatment tool insertion channel is formed in the closed portion 6 from the bottom surface of the small recess 61b.
1 is cut over the back surface. The large concave portion 61a and the small concave portion 61b guide the treatment instrument to the slit 64 and reduce the depth of the slit 64 to reduce the frictional resistance when the treatment instrument is passed through the slit 64. The reason that the forceps stopper 60A is made of oil-containing rubber is to reduce the frictional resistance. The axial thickness of the closing portion 61 is increased toward the outer periphery, and the outer peripheral surface 61 c is pressed against the inner peripheral surface 55 b of the mounting portion 55.
Is secured in order to obtain the closing performance and the difficulty of detachment.

A tongue-shaped valve (hereinafter simply referred to as a valve) 63 is formed integrally with the closing portion 61 on the back side of the closing portion 61. As shown in FIG. 4 (b), the valve body 63 has a root 61d formed integrally with the outer peripheral side of the closing part 61, and the root 61d is used as a hinge to closely contact the back surface of the closing part 61. An opening / closing operation is performed to move away. Normally, the valve body 63 is in close contact with the back surface of the closing portion 61, whereby the slit 64 is closed. When the treatment tool is passed through the slit 64, the valve body 63 is pushed open and the treatment tool can be inserted.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Has an inner circumferential groove 6 into which the flange 55a of the base 53 is fitted.
2a are formed. Further, the inner peripheral groove 62a defines a shoulder 62b which is a connecting portion to the closing portion 61, and a hook portion 62c which is a substantial engaging portion with the flange 55a.
An intermediate portion 62d connecting the shoulder portion 62b and the hook portion 62c is formed. A plurality of circumferentially equal portions (four in this case) of the outer peripheral surface extending from the hook portion 62c to the intermediate portion 62d are cut as finger hook portions for facilitating the operation of removing the forceps plug 60A from the treatment instrument insertion port 51. A notch 70 is formed.

The notch 70 is viewed from the side (FIG. 5).
(See (b)), a bottom portion is opened at the end face of the hook portion 62c,
In addition, a direction from the hook 62c, which is the direction in which the forceps stopper 60A is removed from the treatment instrument insertion port 51, to the shoulder 62b (FIG. 5)
(In the direction of arrow S in FIG. 3) and has an isosceles triangular shape reaching a vertex. The notch 70 is a triangular pyramid-shaped recess formed by a symmetrical triangular bottom surface 70 a, and the depth thereof gradually becomes shallower in the removal direction S. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, a notch 70 is provided at a boundary between the hook portion 62c and the intermediate portion 62d of the engaging portion 62 and corresponding to the notch 70.
Is formed to form the thin portion 71.

(C) Function and Effect of Forceps Plug In order to attach the forceps stopper 60A to the treatment instrument insertion port 51,
While press-fitting the closing portion 61 into the mounting portion 55 of the base 53, the engaging portion 62 is pressed against the flange 55a to be elastically deformed,
The flange 55a is fitted into the inner circumferential groove 62a, and the hook 62c is engaged with the flange 55a. As a result, the closing portion 61 is press-fitted into the mounting portion 55 to close the treatment instrument insertion port 51, and the engaging portion 62 is engaged with the flange 55a, so that the stopper is securely prevented. FIG. 3 shows the mounted state. As described above, when performing a treatment by inserting a treatment tool into the treatment tool insertion port 51, the treatment tool is inserted into the treatment tool insertion channel through the slit 64 of the forceps plug 60A. When the treatment instrument is passed through the slit 64, the valve body 63 is pushed open and elastically adheres to the treatment instrument, thereby preventing backflow of bodily fluids and the like from the treatment instrument insertion channel.

Next, to remove the forceps stopper 60A, see FIG.
As shown in the figure, the finger F is put on the notch 70 of the engaging portion 62 and the engaging portion 62 is deformed in the removing direction and turned up to remove from the flange 55a. The part 61 is pulled out of the treatment instrument insertion port 51. FIGS. 6A and 6B show a process of detaching the engaging portion 62 from the flange 55a from the state in which the forceps stopper 60A is mounted. In this case, since the cutouts 70 are formed at four locations, for example, four fingers excluding the little finger can be hung on each cutout 70 to perform the removal operation. It is sufficient that at least one notch 70 is formed, and the number thereof is arbitrary.

By such an operation, the forceps plug 60A can be removed from the treatment instrument insertion port 51. In this operation, a force required to remove the forceps plug 60A by hanging a finger on the notch 70 is applied. It is effectively transmitted from the joint portion 62 to the closing portion 61. That is, as the finger hung on the notch 70 is moved in the removing direction, the finger is tightened from the notch 70 whose width becomes narrow and the depth becomes shallow, and the notch is securely cut. Hang on 70. For this reason, the force required for removal is reliably transmitted from the engaging portion 62 to the closing portion 61 without loss. Therefore,
Although it is made of oil-impregnated rubber and is slippery, slippage is suppressed by the notch 70, and removal of the forceps plug 60A becomes easy.

Since the thin portion 71 is formed in the engaging portion 62 corresponding to the notch 70, the engaging portion 62 is deformed starting from the thin portion 71 as shown in FIG. It is easier. For this reason, the engaging portion 62 is connected to the flange 55a.
And the forceps stopper 60A can be more easily removed.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In these figures, FIG.
The same components as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(2) Second Embodiment A forceps stopper 60B according to a second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 and FIG.
In the above, a finger hook (projection) 72 projecting in the outer peripheral direction from the engaging portion 62 is formed in a part of the engaging portion 62 as a finger hook in place of the notch 70. FIG.
As shown in (a), the finger hook portion 72 is formed in a substantially crescent shape along the engaging portion 62, and the back surface thereof is
2 is flush with the back surface. Therefore, the forceps stopper 60
B has an overall elliptical shape when viewed from the back as shown in FIG. 8A.

According to the forceps stopper 60B of the second embodiment, when removing the forceps stopper 60B, a finger is put on the finger hook 72 or the finger hook 72 is grasped, and then the finger hook 72 is engaged with the finger hook 72. The portion 62 is deformed in the removal direction and turned up to remove it from the flange 55a,
Following this operation, the closing portion 61 is pulled out of the treatment instrument insertion port 51. As described above, if the forceps plug 60b is removed using the finger hook portion 72 formed on a part of the engaging portion 62, slipping is suppressed, and the force required for removal is reduced from the engaging portion 62 to the closing portion 61. The forceps stopper 60B can be easily removed.

[0033]

As described above, according to the forceps stopper for an endoscope of the present invention, the operation of detaching the treatment instrument insertion port from the treatment instrument insertion port is facilitated by the engaging portion engaging with the flange of the treatment instrument insertion port. Since the finger hook is provided, the force required for removal acts effectively from the engaging part to the closing part, so that even if it is made of slippery material, it can be easily removed from the treatment instrument insertion port It has the effect that it can be done.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is an overall perspective view of an endoscope to which a forceps stopper according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing a configuration of a distal end portion of the endoscope.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an operation unit of the endoscope in FIG. 1 (a).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a forceps stopper mounting structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

4A is a rear view of the forceps stopper according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4B-4B in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is a side sectional view showing a state in which a finger is hooked on a notch of the forceps stopper according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a front view thereof.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are side sectional views showing a process of detaching the engaging portion from the mounted state of the forceps stopper according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the order of FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting structure for a forceps stopper according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8A is a rear view of a forceps stopper according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8B-8B in FIG. 8A.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope 51 ... Treatment tool insertion port 55a ... Flange 60A, 60B ... Forceps plug 61 ... Closure part 62 ... Engagement part 70 ... Notch (finger part) 71 ... Thin part 72 ... Finger part (projection) S: Removal direction

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A forceps stopper made of an elastic material detachably attached to a treatment tool insertion port of a treatment tool insertion channel provided in an endoscope, wherein the forceps stopper is pressed into the treatment tool insertion port to close the insertion port. A closing portion that is formed integrally with the closing portion and elastically engages with a flange formed on a peripheral edge of the treatment instrument insertion port. A finger clamp for facilitating an operation of removing the endoscope from the treatment instrument insertion port is provided. 2. The endoscope forceps stopper according to claim 1, wherein the finger hook is a projection. 3. The endoscope forceps stopper according to claim 1, wherein the finger hook is a substantially triangular notch converging in a direction in which the forceps stopper is removed. 4. The endoscope forceps plug according to claim 3, wherein a thin portion is formed in a part of the engagement portion by the notch.