JP2009189400A - Treatment tool for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a treatment tool for an endoscope which can be easily inserted into the forceps channel of the endoscope and can well-treat a subject to be tested. <P>SOLUTION: The treatment tool includes a treatment function portion treating the subject to be tested, a flexible member which is a long member having flexibility and engagingly fastening the treatment function portion to one end, a supporting portion supporting the end opposite to the treatment function portion of the flexible member, an operating portion operating the treatment function portion, and a stiffness adjustment portion adjusting the stiffness of the flexible member. The stiffness adjustment portion can make the treatment function portion side portion of the flexible member stiffer than the other parts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscopic treatment tool that treats an examination object by a treatment function unit that is inserted into a forceps channel of an endoscope and protruded from a distal end of the endoscope.

In order to observe the inside of a living body, the inside of a machine, etc., as an apparatus for acquiring an internal image, by inserting an insertion part having a photographing unit into the inside of a living body or the inside of a machine, There are endoscopes that examine (or photograph) the inside of a machine.
As an endoscope, for example, Patent Document 1 is provided with an insertion portion including a distal end portion, a bending portion, and a flexible portion, and a bending knob formed at the rear end of the insertion portion for bending the bending portion. A flexible variable member whose one end side is fixed to the connecting tube portion between the insertion portion, the bending portion and the soft portion, and whose other end side is fixed to the peripheral portion of the rear end of the soft portion, and whose flexibility changes by expansion and contraction; A wire connected to the flexible variable member in the section from the fixed part of the flexible variable member to the connecting pipe part or a portion where the flexible variable member and the flexible part bend relatively softly, and provided near the bending knob. An endoscope having a link connected to a wire and an operation lever connected to the link and applying tension to the wire is described.

In addition, since the endoscope can be inserted into the living body without incising the abdominal wall, an endoscope treatment tool is introduced from a forceps channel formed by being inserted through the endoscope, The esophagus or gastric lesion (for example, early cancer) mucous membrane may be removed with a treatment tool.
Such endoscopic treatment tools include biopsy forceps, grasping forceps, clips, snares and the like.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, in a highly variable treatment instrument having a sheath made of a contact coil having a treatment function part at the tip and inserted through a forceps channel provided in an insertion part of an endoscope, the contact of the contact coil There is described a hardness variable treatment instrument (endoscopic treatment instrument) characterized in that a hardness adjusting means for changing the degree of hardness and adjusting the hardness of the sheath is provided on the sheath proximal end side.

  Moreover, although it is not a treatment tool for endoscopes, Patent Document 3 includes a long rigid portion, a flexible portion formed at the tip of the rigid portion, and a large-diameter gripping portion provided at the rear end of the rigid portion. A stylet composed of is described. Moreover, this rigid part is comprised with the wire penetrated in the cylinder formed with the coil and the coil, and adjusting the hardness degree of a rigid part by operating a wire in a holding part Is also described.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 03-43802 JP 2004-33525 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 02-51501

Here, in such an endoscopic treatment tool, a treatment function unit for performing a treatment on an examination object is provided at the distal end. Therefore, when the endoscope treatment tool is inserted into the forceps channel of the endoscope, the endoscope treatment tool moves in the forceps channel with the treatment function unit at the head in the traveling direction. Further, at the time of observing the inspection object, the insertion portion of the endoscope into which the inspection object is inserted is curved in accordance with the internal shape of the inspection object.
Therefore, the treatment instrument for an endoscope moves in the curved forceps channel when the treatment function part comes into contact with the wall surface of the forceps channel and the traveling direction is changed.
Thus, when the treatment function part of the endoscope treatment tool contacts the wall surface of the forceps channel, the wall surface may be damaged and damaged.

  Further, in order not to damage the wall surface of the forceps channel, if the rigidity of the elongated flexible portion connecting the treatment function portion and the operation portion of the endoscope treatment tool is lowered, the treatment function portion is not stable during the treatment of the examination target. There is a problem that it is difficult to treat accurately.

  On the other hand, like the endoscope described in Patent Document 1, even if the hardness of the insertion portion of the endoscope is changed, the treatment function portion is prevented from damaging and damaging the inner wall of the forceps channel. It is not possible.

The endoscope treatment tool described in Patent Document 2 is inserted in advance into the forceps channel of the endoscope before the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted into the body. There is no disclosure or suggestion that the treatment function part of this type is in contact with the inner wall of the forceps channel.
Further, in the endoscope treatment tool described in Patent Document 2, since the rigidity of the entire sheath is adjusted, if the rigidity of the endoscope treatment tool is increased, the rigidity of the entire insertion portion of the endoscope is increased. For this reason, when the rigidity of the endoscope treatment tool is increased, the rigidity of the insertion portion itself of the endoscope is also increased, and there is a problem that a high load is applied to the insertion portion that is curved in the examination target. On the other hand, if the rigidity is low, there is a problem that the treatment function unit cannot be fixed and the operability is lowered.

  The stylet described in Patent Document 3 is also used by inserting it into the forceps channel before inserting the insertion portion of the endoscope into the examination object, and adjusting the rigidity of the entire long coil. Therefore, there is a problem similar to that of the endoscope treatment tool described in Patent Document 2.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the problems based on the above prior art, easily insert through the forceps channel of the endoscope, and perform an appropriate treatment on the inspection object. It is in providing tools.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an endoscope treatment tool that inserts into a forceps channel of an endoscope and projects a portion of the distal end side from the forceps channel to treat a test object. A treatment function section for performing a treatment on the test object; a flexible long member; and a flexible member in which the treatment function section is locked to one end; and the flexible member A support portion that supports an end opposite to the treatment function portion, an operation portion that operates the treatment function portion, and a rigidity adjustment portion that adjusts the rigidity of the flexible member, The adjustment unit provides an endoscopic treatment instrument characterized in that the rigidity of the flexible member on the treatment function part side can be higher than the rigidity of the other parts.

Here, the rigidity adjusting unit is a traction unit that passes through the flexible member, the distal end is fixed to the treatment function unit side end of the flexible member, and the terminal end is disposed on the operation unit side. It is preferable to have a wire and a traction mechanism that is disposed at a position farther from the flexible member than the support portion, is connected to a terminal end of the traction wire, and pulls the traction wire.
In addition, the operation unit is disposed at a position that passes through the flexible member and has a distal end fixed to the treatment function unit and a position farther from the flexible raw member than the support unit, It is preferable that an operation trigger that pulls the operation wire is connected to a terminal end of the operation wire, and the treatment function unit is a grip member member that opens and closes when pulled by the operation wire.
Moreover, it is preferable that the said treatment function part is removable with respect to the said flexible member.
The flexible member is a spiral in which a gap is formed when the rigidity is set to be low by the rigidity adjusting unit, and the spiral of the part on the treatment function unit side has a diameter larger than the spiral of the other part. A large coil is preferred.
Moreover, it is also preferable that the rigidity adjusting unit can make the rigidity of the flexible member on the side of the treatment function part and the part on the side of the operation part higher than the rigidity of other parts.
In the flexible member, the spiral of the part on the treatment function part side and the part on the operation part side is larger in diameter than the spiral of the other part, and the rigidity is set to be low by the rigidity adjusting part. It is preferable that the coil is a spiral with a gap formed.

According to the present invention, by adjusting the rigidity of the flexible member by the rigidity adjusting mechanism, the rigidity can be reduced when inserted into the forceps channel, and the rigidity can be increased when the treatment function unit is used. . Thereby, it can prevent that a treatment function part damages a forceps channel at the time of insertion, and can improve the operativity of a treatment function part at the time of use of a treatment function part.
In addition, by making the tip part more rigid than the other parts, that is, by making the tip part more rigid and making the other parts inserted into the forceps channel less rigid, It is possible to reduce a load applied to the insertion portion of the endoscope, and it is possible to prevent the inserted insertion portion from being deformed due to a change in rigidity of the endoscope treatment tool. As a result, the possibility that the endoscope will fail can be further reduced, and the insertion portion of the endoscope can be prevented from coming into contact with the living body and increasing the load on the living body.

  An endoscope treatment tool according to the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

First, an example of an endoscope in which the endoscope treatment tool of the present invention can be used will be described.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an endoscope in which the endoscope treatment tool of the present invention can be used, and FIG. 2 is an insertion portion 12 of the endoscope 11 shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the front-end | tip part 22.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope 11 captures (photographs) an image of an examination site using a CCD sensor 60 and observes the examination site and takes a moving image or a still image. The endoscope has an insertion portion 12, an operation portion 14, a connector 16, and a universal cord 18 as in a normal endoscope.

  The endoscope 11 performs observation of a test site, taking a photograph or a movie, and collecting a tissue from an insertion part 12 inserted into a test site such as a body cavity (digestive tract, otolaryngology, etc.).

  The insertion part 12 is a long part to be inserted into an examination part such as a body cavity, and includes a tip part 22 at a tip (a tip on the insertion side, that is, an end opposite to the operation part 14 side), and an angle part. 24 and a flexible portion 26.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a CCD sensor 60 for imaging the examination site is disposed at the distal end portion 22. As an optical system for imaging the examination site by the CCD sensor 60 (imaging) lens 62, and lens 62 A prism 64 is provided for allowing the image (light) incident on the image sensor to enter the observation window (also referred to as “imaging surface”) of the CCD sensor 60. The output signal of the CCD sensor 60 is subjected to predetermined processing such as A / D conversion by the processing substrate 68 and is output. The output signal lines that transmit the output signals output from the processing board 68 are grouped together as a data cable 70. The data cable 70 is inserted through the angle portion 24 and the flexible portion 26, through the operation portion 14 to the universal cord 18 to the connector 16, and to the video connector 56.

  In addition, the distal end portions 22 of the two light guides 76 that guide the emitted light and emit light to illuminate the examination site from the distal end portion 22 are disposed. Further, the distal end portion 22 is opened with an air supply / water supply port 72 for supplying air or water to the examination site, a forceps port 74 for inserting a forceps for collecting a tissue into the examination site, and the like. ing. The air / water supply port 72 is connected with an air / liquid supply channel 80 inserted into the insertion portion, and the forceps port 74 has a forceps channel 78 inserted into the insertion portion. It is connected.

The angle portion (curved portion) 24 is vertically and horizontally (orthogonal) by an operation on the operation portion 14 in order to insert the distal end portion 22 into a target position and to photograph a target position by the CCD sensor 60 of the distal end portion 22. This is a region that is curved in four directions. In the endoscope 11 of the illustrated example, the angle portion 24 has a configuration in which a large number of circular rings are connected in the same manner as the angle portion of a known endoscope, and the angle portion is curved in this ring. Wires (angle wires) are connected.
The angle portion 24 is bent by an operation of an LR knob 88 and a UD knob 90 of the operation unit 14 described later.

The flexible portion 26 is a portion that connects the distal end portion 22 and the angle portion 24 and the operation portion 14, and is a long portion having sufficient flexibility for insertion into the examination portion.
Here, in the angle portion 24 and the flexible portion 26, the above-described data cable 70, two light guides, a wire for bending the angle portion 24, and the like are accommodated / inserted. Further, the angle portion 24 and the flexible portion 26 are further connected to a forceps channel (forceps tube) 78 that is a conduit connected to the above-described forceps port 74 and a conduit connected to the air / water supply port 72. A certain air / water channel (air / water tube) 80 is also housed / inserted.

The operation unit 14 is a part that operates the endoscope 11.
Similar to a normal endoscope, the operation unit 14 communicates with a forceps channel 78, and a forceps port 82 that is an opening for a user to insert forceps, and a forceps port 74 of the distal end portion 22 through the forceps channel 78. A suction button 84 for performing suction from the air, an air / water feeding button 86 for performing air feeding and water feeding from the air / water feeding port 72 of the distal end portion 22 to the examination site or the like via the air / water feeding channel 80. Be placed.
In addition, the endoscope 11 which is an electronic scope is provided with various switches for observing / photographing images with the CCD sensor 60, such as a zoom switch, a still image photographing switch, and a moving image photographing switch. It has been.

  Further, the operation unit 14 includes an LR knob (left / right knob) 88 that bends the angle part 24 leftward and rightward, and a UD knob (up / down) that bends the angle part 24 upward and downward. (Knob) 90 is arranged. In the endoscope 11, as in various known endoscopes, the wire connected to the angle portion 24 is pulled by turning the LR knob 88 and the UD knob 90, and the angle portion 24 is pulled. As a result, the angle portion 24 is bent in the vertical and horizontal directions or in the combined vertical and horizontal directions.

The connector 16 is a part for connecting to a power source, a signal processing device, a water supply means, an air supply means, a suction means, etc. in a facility where the endoscope 11 is used, and a light guide 76 for illuminating the examination part. LG rod 52 for connecting the illumination light source, water supply connector for connecting the endoscope 11 and the water supply (water supply) means of the facility, a ventilation connector for connecting to the air supply means, connection to the suction means For example, an S connector (not shown) for connecting an S cord when an electric knife is used is disposed.
As described above, since the endoscope 11 is an electronic scope, the connector 16 is further connected with a video connector 56 for connection to the signal treatment device 21. As described above, the data cable 70 that transmits the image captured by the CCD sensor 60 passes through the operation unit 14 to the universal cord 18 from the insertion unit 12 and is connected to the video connector 56 through the connector 16. . The video connector 56 is connected to the signal processing device 21.

The universal cord (connector soft part) 18 is a part for connecting the connector 16 and the operation part 14.
Two light guides 76 and a data cable 70 are accommodated / inserted into the universal cord 18. The universal cord 18 further accommodates / inserts a water supply channel connected to the water supply connector 46, an air supply channel connected to the ventilation connector 48, a suction channel connected to the suction connector 50, and the like.
The endoscope 11 is basically configured as described above.

Next, the endoscope treatment tool 100 of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of one embodiment of the endoscope treatment tool 100 of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, an endoscope treatment tool 100 (hereinafter also referred to as “treatment tool 100”) is a member that performs treatment on an examination object by being inserted into a forceps channel 78 of the endoscope 10. The treatment function part 102 exposed at the distal end of the forceps channel 78 and contacting the subject to be inspected, and the treatment function part 102 locked to the distal end, are inserted into the forceps channel 78 at the time of use. A member 104; a support unit 105 that supports the base end of the flexible member 104; a treatment function operation unit 106 that operates the treatment function unit 102; and a rigidity adjustment unit 108 that adjusts the rigidity of the flexible member 104. Have.

The treatment function unit 102 is a forceps that grips a part of an inspection target, and that supports the first forceps piece 110, the second forceps piece 112, and the ends of the first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112. And a single connecting portion 114.
The first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112 are arranged to face each other. Further, the end of the first forceps piece 110 that is not supported by the forceps piece connecting portion 114 and the end of the second forceps piece 112 that is not supported by the forceps piece connecting portion 114 abut.
The forceps piece connecting portion 114 rotatably supports the end portions of the first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112.

  The treatment function unit 102 is configured as described above, and the forceps piece connection unit 114 uses the forceps piece connection unit 114 as a fulcrum in response to an operation of a treatment function operation unit 106 described later. 112 is rotated, and the first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112 are opened and closed (specifically, the abutting portions are separated or brought into contact with each other). In this way, a part of the inspection object can be grasped by opening and closing the treatment function unit 102.

The flexible member 104 is a long member having flexibility (that is, flexibility) that is deformed along the forceps channel 78 and is used by being inserted into the forceps channel 74 of the endoscope 10. The end portion supports the treatment function portion 102, and the other end portion is fixed to a support portion 105 described later.
The flexible member 104 is a coil in which a linear member having a predetermined rigidity such as a metal wire is spirally wound so that the linear members at other positions do not come into contact with each other. The flexible member 104 includes a partial region (hereinafter referred to as “distal region”) 122 on the treatment function unit 102 side and a partial region (hereinafter referred to as “proximal region”) 126 on the support unit 105 side. And the region between the distal end region 122 and the proximal end region 126 (hereinafter referred to as “intermediate region”) has a shape in which the spiral diameter is different. Specifically, the flexible member 104 has a shape in which the spiral diameter of the distal end region 122 and the proximal end region 126 is larger than the spiral diameter of the intermediate region 124.
Here, the distal end region is a region that is disposed at a portion protruding from the forceps opening and a distal end portion of the forceps channel when the treatment tool is used. As a specific example, it is an area | region from a front-end | tip support part to 60 mm.
Further, the base end region is a region having a certain length from the support portion, and as a specific example, is a region located at a distance of 600 to 1000 mm from the support portion.

  The support part 105 supports the flexible member 104 by fixing the base end side (the side opposite to the treatment function part 104) of the flexible member 104.

The treatment function operation unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “operation unit”) 106 includes an operation wire 132 and an operation trigger 134, and controls the opening / closing operation of the treatment function unit 102.
The operation wire 132 is inserted into the flexible member 104 and the support portion 105, one end is connected to the forceps connection portion 114, and the other end is connected to the operation trigger 134.
The operation trigger 134 is disposed on the surface of the support portion 105 opposite to the surface on which the flexible member 104 is disposed, and is connected to the operation wire 132.
The operation trigger 134 is configured so that the connecting portion between the operation trigger 134 and the operation wire 132 is away from the support unit 105 (that is, the operation wire 132 between the treatment function unit 102 and the support unit 105 is shortened). By pulling, the forceps connecting portion 114 of the treatment function portion 102 can be pulled to the support portion 105 side.

The treatment function operation unit 106 is configured as described above. By pulling the operation wire 132 toward the support unit 105 by the operation trigger 134, the first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112 of the treatment function unit 102. The tip (the end opposite to the forceps connecting portion 114) can be brought into contact.
In addition, the treatment function operation unit 106 is flexible by fixing the proximal end of the flexible member 104 with the support unit 105 and further locking the treatment function unit 102 with the operation wire 132 and the flexible member 104. The member 104 and the treatment function unit 102 are locked at predetermined positions.
The operation wire 132 is preferably provided with a stopper (not shown) between the operation trigger 134 and the support unit 105 so that the operation trigger 134 does not move to the treatment function unit 102 side beyond a certain distance.

The rigidity adjusting unit 108 includes a tip support part 136, a pulling wire 138, and a pulling trigger 140, and adjusts the rigidity of the flexible member 104.
The distal end support portion 136 is disposed between the flexible member 104 and the treatment function member 102 and is connected to the flexible member 104. Further, a hole for allowing the operation wire 132 to be inserted is formed in the tip support portion 136.
The pulling wire 138 is inserted through the inside of the flexible member 104 and the support portion 105, one end portion is connected to the tip support portion 136, and the other end portion is connected to the pulling trigger 140.
The pull trigger 140 is disposed on the surface of the support portion 105 opposite to the surface on which the flexible member 104 is disposed, and is connected to the pull wire 138.
The traction trigger 140 has a traction wire 138 in a direction in which a connecting portion between the traction trigger 140 and the traction wire 138 is separated from the support portion 105 (that is, a direction in which the traction wire 138 between the tip support portion 136 and the support portion 105 is shortened). By pulling, the tip support part 136 can be pulled to the support part 105 side.

The rigidity adjusting unit 108 is configured as described above, and by pulling the pulling wire 132 to the support unit 105 side by the pulling trigger 140, the tip support unit 136 can be pulled to the support unit 105 side. The distance between the support portion 136 and the support portion 105 can be adjusted.
As with the traction trigger 140, the traction wire 138 is provided with a stopper (not shown) between the traction trigger 140 and the support portion 105 so that the traction trigger 140 does not move to the tip support portion 136 side for a certain distance or more. It is preferable to provide it.

The treatment tool 100 is configured as described above.
Next, the operation of the treatment tool 100 will be described to describe the endoscope treatment tool of the present invention in more detail. 4A to 4C are schematic views showing the operation of the treatment instrument 100 shown in FIG.

First, the operator inserts the insertion portion 12 of the endoscope 11 into the examination target. For example, when examining the lower digestive system such as the large intestine and the small intestine of a living body, the insertion portion 12 is inserted from the anus toward the large intestine.
In this way, the insertion unit 12 is inserted into the inspection target, and the inspection target is observed by acquiring an image of the inspection target with the CCD sensor at the tip of the insertion unit 12.

The treatment tool 100 is used when it is necessary to treat the inspection target during such observation.
First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the operator treats the treatment instrument 100 in a state where the operation wire 132 is not pulled by the operation trigger 134 and the pulling wire 138 is not pulled by the pulling trigger 140. Inserted into the forceps port 82 of the endoscope 11 from the 102 side. After the treatment function unit 102 reaches the forceps channel 78 from the forceps port 82, the treatment function unit 102 and the flexible member 104 are further inserted into the back to expose the treatment function unit 102 from the forceps port 74. At this time, the flexible member 104 is inserted into the forceps channel 78.

As described above, when the treatment function unit 102 is exposed from the forceps opening 74, the pulling wire 140 is pulled by the pulling trigger 140 as shown in FIG. In this way, the distance between the tip support portion 136 and the support portion 105 is shortened by pulling the pulling wire 138 and pulling the tip support portion 136 toward the support portion 105 side. Thereby, the space | interval of the winding of the spiral coil of the flexible member 104 arrange | positioned between the front-end | tip support part 136 and the support part 105 becomes short, and it will be in the state contact | adhered. As the coil is brought into close contact, the rigidity of the flexible member 104 is increased, and the rigidity of the treatment instrument 100 portion in the forceps channel 78 is increased.
Here, the flexible member 104 has a spiral diameter larger in the intermediate region 124 than in the distal end region 122 and the proximal end region 126. For this reason, the intermediate region 124 is higher in rigidity than the distal end region 122 and the proximal end region 126. As a result, the flexible member 104 in the vicinity of the treatment function unit 102 and the flexible member 104 in the vicinity of the operation trigger 132 are harder than the flexible member 104 in the forceps channel 78.
Further, the treatment function unit 102 causes the first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112 to be opened by the operation unit 106.

Next, in this way, the rigidity of the flexible member 104 is increased, and the treatment function unit 102 is moved to the target position to be examined with the first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112 opened.
When the treatment function part 102 is moved to the target position, the operation wire 132 is pulled to the support part 105 side by the operation trigger 134, whereby the first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112 are shown in FIG. And the tip is closed. Thus, by closing the tips of the first forceps piece 110 and the second forceps piece 112 at the target position, it is possible to grasp a part of the inspection object.

  As described above, according to the treatment instrument 100, the rigidity of the flexible member 104 can be increased by increasing the distance between the distal end support portion 136 and the support portion 105 (not shortening in the present embodiment) during insertion. Can be low (ie, soft). Thereby, even if the treatment function part 102 contacts the inner wall of the forceps channel 78, the treatment function part 102 and the flexible member 104 can be moved along the forceps channel 78, and the treatment function part 102 is moved to the forceps channel 78. It is possible to prevent the forceps channel from being damaged by being pierced into the inner wall.

Furthermore, at the time of treatment of the inspection target, the rigidity of the flexible member 104 can be increased by shortening the distance between the tip support portion 136 and the support portion 105. Thereby, the flexible member 104 and the treatment function part 102 can be stably supported with respect to the forceps channel 78, and the target position can be grasped (treated) more reliably in a shorter time. That is, the operability of the treatment tool 100 can be increased.
Further, by making the rigidity of the intermediate region 124 lower than that of the distal end region 122 and the proximal end region 126 of the flexible member 104, the insertion portion 12 and the forceps channel 78 can be connected to the flexible member 104 while maintaining operability. Deformation due to rigidity can be prevented, and the insertion portion 12 can be prevented from coming into contact with the living body and increasing the load on the living body. Furthermore, the load applied to the insertion portion 12 and the forceps channel 78 can be reduced, and the possibility that the endoscope 11 will break down can be further reduced.

In addition, the rigidity of the flexible member is preferably lower than the rigidity of the inner wall of the forceps channel when the rigidity is not increased by the rigidity adjusting portion.
By reducing the rigidity of the flexible member, it is possible to further reduce the possibility of damaging the forceps channel and to facilitate insertion.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the rigidity of the flexible member is increased by the rigidity adjusting unit, the rigidity of the tip region and the base region is higher than the rigidity of the intermediate region, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, it is sufficient that at least the rigidity of the tip region can be higher than the rigidity of other regions. For example, the rigidity adjusting unit may be a mechanism that adjusts only the distal end region of the flexible member, and the rigidity of the other regions of the flexible member may not be changed. In addition, when not changing the rigidity of the other area | region of a flexible member, it is preferable to make rigidity low so that it may deform | transform along a forceps channel. In this case, the rigidity of the other region of the flexible member needs to be lower than the rigidity of the tip region of the flexible member.

Further, the flexible member can change the rigidity of each position of the flexible member by changing the diameter of the spiral depending on the position. Here, in this embodiment, the flexible member is divided into three regions, but may be divided into two regions or four or more regions.
Further, by increasing the gap between the windings, the flexible member in a state where the rigidity is not increased by the rigidity adjusting portion can be made softer.

Moreover, in the treatment tool 100, although the helical coil was used as a flexible member, this invention is not limited to this.
FIG. 5 (A) is a partial cross-sectional view showing another example of the treatment instrument of the present invention, and FIG. 5 (B) is a schematic view of a part of the flexible member of the treatment instrument shown in FIG. 5 (A). It is a perspective view which shows a structure.
Here, the treatment instrument 150 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is the same as the treatment instrument 100 shown in FIG. These members are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the treatment instrument 100, the description thereof will be omitted, and the configuration unique to the treatment instrument 150 will be described below.

The treatment unit 150 includes a treatment function unit 102, a flexible member 152, a support unit 105, a treatment function operation unit 106, and a stiffness adjustment unit 108.
One end of the flexible member 152 supports the treatment function unit 102, and the other end is fixed to the support unit 105.
The flexible member 152 has a plurality of hollow cylindrical tubes 154a, 156a, 158a formed in a material that is hardened when a certain pressure is applied, and is arranged in series. The operation wires 132 of the operation unit 106 and the pulling wires of the stiffness adjusting unit 108 are inserted into the spaces inside the tube bodies 154a, 156a, and 158a.
More specifically, in the flexible member 152, a plurality of tubes 154a are arranged in series in the distal end region 154, a plurality of tubes 156a are arranged in series in the intermediate region 156, and a proximal end region 158 is arranged. A plurality of tube bodies 158a are arranged in series.
Here, as shown in FIG. 5A, the tubular body 154a has a thicker cylindrical shape than the tubular body 156a. Specifically, the tubular body 154a has a shape in which the inner diameter is the same as the tubular body 156a and the outer diameter is larger than the tubular body 156a. The tube body 158a has the same shape as the tube body 154a.

The treatment tool 150 having the above-described configuration also compresses the tubes 154a, 156a, and 158a of the flexible member 152 by shortening the distance between the distal end support portion 136 and the support portion 105 by the stiffness adjusting portion 108. The rigidity of the flexible member 152 can be increased.
Further, by increasing the thickness of the tube body 154a disposed in the distal end region 154, the rigidity of the distal end region 154 can be made higher than that of the intermediate region 156, and the same effect as that of the treatment instrument 100 described above can be obtained. be able to.
Moreover, the rigidity can be changed more finely by changing the wall thickness of each tube to another stage.

In addition, the flexible member may have a pipe shape in which the above-described tubular body is connected (that is, the distal end region and the proximal end region are thicker than the intermediate region).
Moreover, it is good also as a shape which combined the coil and tube mentioned above, or a coil and a pipe shape.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another example of the treatment instrument of the present invention.
Here, the treatment instrument 170 shown in FIG. 6 is the same as the treatment instrument 100 shown in FIG. 3 except for the configuration of the flexible member 180 and the rigidity adjusting portion 182. The same reference numerals as those of the treatment instrument 100 are attached to the components, and the description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, a configuration unique to the treatment instrument 170 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, the treatment instrument 170 includes a treatment function unit 102, a flexible member 180, a support unit 105, a treatment function operation unit 106, and a rigidity adjustment unit 182.
The flexible member 180 has a shape in which a linear member having a predetermined rigidity such as a metal wire is spirally wound so that a linear member at another position does not come into contact with one end portion of the treatment function unit 102. , And the other end portion has two coils (first coil 184 and second coil 186) fixed to the support portion 105.
Here, the diameters of the first coil 184 and the second coil change at a predetermined distance from the tip support portion 136 and the diameter of the portion connected to the tip support portion 136 is the diameter of the other portion. Larger spiral shape. Further, the diameter of the second coil 184 changes from the first coil 184 at a position away from the tip support portion 136.

In addition, the rigidity adjusting unit 182 includes a tip support unit 136, a first pulling wire 188, a second pulling wire 190, and a pulling trigger 140, and adjusts the rigidity of the flexible member 104.
Since the tip support portion 136 and the pulling trigger 140 have the same configuration as each portion of the rigidity adjusting portion 108 described above, detailed description thereof is omitted.
The first pulling wire 188 is inserted through the inside of the first coil 184 and the support portion 105, one end is connected to the tip support portion 136, and the other end is connected to the pull trigger 140.
The second puller wire 190 is inserted through the inside of the second coil 186 and the support part 105, one end is connected to the tip support part 136, and the other end is connected to the pull trigger 140.

The treatment instrument 170 is configured as described above, and the traction trigger 140 pulls the first traction wire 188 and the second traction wire 190 toward the support portion 105 so that the distance between the distal end support portion 136 and the support portion 105 is increased. By shortening and compressing the first coil 184 and the second coil 186, the rigidity of the flexible member 180 can be increased.
Further, the treatment instrument 170 can also increase the rigidity of the distal end region by increasing the diameter of the first coil 184 and the second coil 186 on the distal end support portion 136 side, and the same effect as the treatment instrument 100 can be obtained. be able to.
In addition, by providing a plurality of coils as in the present embodiment and shifting the position where the diameter changes, the rigidity of the flexible member in the length direction of the flexible member can be made to be different depending on the position. .

  Moreover, in all the treatment tools of the above-described embodiments, the rigidity of the flexible member is increased by pulling the tip support part to the support part side by the rigidity adjusting member, but the present invention is not limited to this. The rigidity of the flexible member may be increased by disposing a moving member at the end of the support portion of the flexible member and moving the moving member to the tip support portion side.

Moreover, it is preferable that a rigidity adjustment part selectively changes the rigidity of a flexible member. Specifically, it is preferable to change the rigidity for each position in the length direction of the flexible member (for example, for each region such as the distal end region, the intermediate region, and the proximal end region).
Here, as a mechanism for changing the flexible member for each position, various methods can be used. For example, as a mechanism for changing only the intermediate region, a split support portion is arranged at the boundary between the intermediate region and the distal end region, and the boundary between the intermediate region and the proximal end region, and the wire is moved from the support portion to the intermediate region and the distal end region. The front end is connected to the divided support portion in the boundary region between the intermediate region and the proximal end region. By adopting such a configuration and pulling the wire, the split support part at the boundary region between the intermediate region and the proximal region is pulled toward the split support part side at the boundary between the intermediate region and the tip region, and the length of the intermediate region is increased. The length can be shortened and the rigidity of the intermediate region can be increased.
In this way, by selectively changing the rigidity of the flexible member (that is, the rigidity of the portion inserted into the forceps channel), the rigidity can be adjusted for each position at the time of insertion, and the treatment instrument is inserted more by the forceps channel. Can be easier.

  As described above, the endoscope treatment tool according to the present invention has been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. May be performed.

For example, the treatment function unit is preferably exchangeable. Specifically, the treatment function unit can be exchanged by attaching and detaching the connection part (in this embodiment, the forceps piece connection part) of the treatment function part with the operation wire.
Thus, various treatment function parts can be used by making a treatment function part exchangeable (that is, detachable).
When performing the treatment to be examined a plurality of times during one observation, if only the treatment function part at the front end is replaced, the treatment tool of the part other than the treatment function part can be used a plurality of times. The number of treatment tools used at one time can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where forceps are used for the treatment function unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various treatment tools such as biopsy forceps, grasping forceps, clips, and snares may be used. it can.

In addition, it is preferable that the treatment instrument is provided with a mantle portion that has one end portion connected to the support portion 105, the other end portion connected to the tip support portion 136, and covering the outer periphery of the flexible member 104. . Here, the mantle portion is preferably formed of a material having lower rigidity than the flexible member 104.
Thus, by providing the mantle portion, the flexible member 104, the operation wire 132, and the pulling wire 138 are not exposed, so that the forceps channel 78 and the flexible member 104 can be prevented from contacting each other. Insertability can be further increased.
Moreover, it is not necessary to clean the complicated shape inside the mantle part, and the treatment tool 100 can be easily cleaned.

It is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of one embodiment of an endoscope which can use the treatment tool for endoscope of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the front-end | tip part of the insertion part of the endoscope shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows schematic structure of one Embodiment of the treatment tool for endoscopes of this invention. (A)-(C) are schematic diagrams which respectively show operation | movement of the treatment tool for endoscopes shown in FIG. (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows another example of the treatment tool of this invention, (B) is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a part of flexible member of the treatment tool shown to (A). is there. It is a front view which shows schematic structure of other one Embodiment of the treatment tool for endoscopes of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Endoscope 12 Insertion part 14 Operation part 16 Connector 18 Universal code 22 Tip part 24 Angle part 26 Soft part 56 Video connector 78 Forceps channel 100,150,170 (For endoscope) Treatment tool 102 Treatment function part 104,152 , 180 Flexible member 105 Support portion 106 (Treatment function) Operation portion 108, 182 Rigidity adjustment portion 110 First forceps piece 112 Second forceps piece 114 Forceps connection portion 122, 154 Tip region 124, 156 Intermediate region 126, 158 Base End region 132 Operation wire 134 Operation trigger 136 Tip support portion 138 Tow wire 140 Tow trigger 154a, 156a, 158a Tubing body 184 First coil 186 Second coil 188 First pulling wire 190 Second pulling wire

Claims (7)

An endoscopic treatment tool that inserts into a forceps channel of an endoscope and projects a portion of the distal end side from the forceps channel to treat a test object,
A treatment function unit for performing a treatment on the inspection object;
A flexible member, which is a long member having flexibility, wherein the treatment function part is locked to one end part;
A support portion for supporting an end portion of the flexible member opposite to the treatment function portion;
An operation unit for operating the treatment function unit;
A rigidity adjusting unit for adjusting the rigidity of the flexible member;
The endoscope treatment instrument according to claim 1, wherein the rigidity adjusting unit can make the rigidity of the portion of the flexible member on the treatment function unit side higher than the rigidity of other portions. The stiffness adjuster is
A pulling wire that passes through the flexible member, a distal end is fixed to the end of the flexible member on the treatment function unit side, and a terminal end is disposed on the operation unit side;
The treatment instrument for an endoscope according to claim 1, further comprising: a traction mechanism that is disposed at a position farther from the flexible raw member than the support portion, is connected to a terminal end of the traction wire, and pulls the traction wire. . The operation portion is disposed in a position that is farther from the flexible biomaterial than the support portion, and an operation wire that passes through the flexible member and has a distal end fixed to the treatment function portion. And an operation trigger for pulling the operation wire.
The treatment instrument for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the treatment function unit is a grip member member that opens and closes when pulled by the operation wire.   The treatment instrument for an endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the treatment function unit is detachable from the flexible member.   The flexible member is a spiral in which a gap is formed when the rigidity is set to be low by the rigidity adjusting unit, and the spiral of the part on the treatment function unit side has a diameter larger than the spiral of the other part. The endoscope treatment tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is a large coil.   The said rigidity adjustment part can make the rigidity of the part by the side of the said treatment function part of the said flexible member, and the part by the side of the said operation part higher than the rigidity of another part. Endoscopic treatment tool.   In the flexible member, the spiral of the part on the treatment function unit side and the part on the operation unit side is larger in diameter than the spiral of the other part, and the rigidity is set to be low by the rigidity adjusting unit The endoscopic treatment tool according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is a spiral coil in which a gap is formed.

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