JP2012245061A - Ultrasonic endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic endoscope capable of reducing the time for feeding/discharging water into/from a balloon.SOLUTION: The ultrasonic endoscope includes: an air supply connector 45 which can be connected to an air supply device: a balloon liquid feeding conduit 67 disposed in an insertion part 10 and communicating with the air supply connector 45; a suction connector 47 which can be connected to an aspirator; and a balloon suction conduit 69 disposed in the insertion part 10 and communicating with the suction connector 47. The ultrasonic endoscope also includes: a joint part 71 where the balloon liquid feeding conduit 67 and the balloon suction conduit 69 are joined with each other at a prescribed position of the insertion part 10; a plurality of balloon liquid feeding/discharging conduits 60a and 60b communicating with the joint part 71 and disposed from the prescribed position of the insertion part 10 to a distal end hard part 29; and a plurality of liquid feeding/discharging openings 61a and 61b opened in the distal end hard part 29 and communicating with the plurality of balloon liquid feeding/discharging conduits 60a and 60b.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ultrasonic endoscope is provided with an ultrasonic probe unit for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves at a distal end portion of an insertion unit. Further, in this ultrasonic endoscope, a balloon for interposing a liquid, which is an ultrasonic medium for transmitting ultrasonic waves, between the observation target of the subject and the ultrasonic probe part is a distal end part of the insertion part. It is attached to.

  Therefore, in the ultrasonic endoscope, a balloon liquid supply conduit for supplying liquid into the balloon and a balloon drain conduit for discharging the liquid from the balloon are inserted into the insertion portion.

  For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-110745, a balloon liquid supply passage through which liquid fed into a balloon passes and a balloon discharge passage through which liquid discharged from the balloon passes are inserted into the insertion portion over the entire length. A positioned ultrasound endoscope is disclosed.

JP 2005-110745 A

  However, in such an ultrasonic endoscope, in order to prevent the outer diameter of the insertion portion from becoming large, it is necessary to make the balloon liquid supply conduit and the balloon drainage conduit small in diameter. If the balloon liquid supply pipe line and the balloon drainage pipe line that are inserted through the entire length of the insertion portion are made small in diameter, it takes time to supply and discharge the liquid into the balloon and to discharge the liquid from the balloon. become.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the ultrasonic endoscope which can shorten the water supply / drainage time in a balloon.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, an insertion portion that can be inserted into a subject, a distal end hard portion disposed at a distal end of the insertion portion, and an ultrasound probe disposed in a distal direction of the distal end hard portion. Part, an air supply base connectable to the air supply apparatus, a balloon liquid supply line arranged in the insertion part and communicating with the air supply base, a suction base connectable to an aspirator, and the insertion A balloon suction conduit that is disposed in a portion and communicates with the suction cap, a merge portion that merges the balloon liquid supply conduit and the balloon suction conduit at a predetermined position of the insertion portion, and the merge portion A plurality of balloon liquid supply and drainage conduits arranged from a predetermined position of the insertion portion to the hard tip portion, and open at the hard tip portion, and the plurality of balloon liquid discharge tubes A plurality of liquid discharge / drain openings communicating with the passage. It is possible to provide an ultrasonic endoscope.

  According to the ultrasonic endoscope of the present invention, the time for water supply / drainage into the balloon can be shortened.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the front-end | tip part of an insertion part. It is a side view of the front-end | tip part of an insertion part. It is a figure for demonstrating the pipe line structure of an ultrasonic endoscope. It is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the liquid at the time of a liquid being sent to a balloon liquid feeding conduit. It is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the liquid at the time of the liquid being attracted | sucked to the balloon suction conduit. It is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the gas at the time of aeration.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of an ultrasonic endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic endoscope according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 of the present embodiment is configured to capture an ultrasonic tomographic image of a predetermined observation site in a subject by scanning an ultrasonic beam in the subject. Have

  The ultrasonic endoscope 1 includes an insertion unit 10 that can be inserted into the body of a subject, an operation unit 30 that is located at the proximal end of the insertion unit 10, and a universal cord 40 that extends from the side of the operation unit 30. It is mainly composed.

  The insertion portion 10 includes a distal end portion 11 disposed at the distal end, a bendable bending portion 12 disposed on the proximal end side of the distal end portion 11, and a proximal end side of the bending portion 12. A flexible tube portion 13 having flexibility and connected to the distal end side is continuously provided.

  As will be described in detail later, the distal end portion 11 of the insertion unit 10 includes an imaging device 15 and an illumination device 16 for capturing an optical image, an ultrasonic probe unit 50 for capturing an ultrasonic tomographic image, and the like. It is arranged. In addition, the distal end portion 11 is provided with a treatment instrument insertion port 17 for projecting the treatment instrument.

  The operation unit 30 includes an angle knob 31 for manipulating the bending of the bending unit 12, a fluid feeding operation from the fluid sending unit 14 provided at the distal end 11, and a liquid feeding operation to a balloon 52 described later. An air / water feed button 32 for performing the operation, a suction button 33 for controlling the suction operation from the treatment instrument insertion port 17 and the suction operation from the balloon 52, and a pipe base 34 communicating with the treatment instrument insertion port 17. Etc. are provided. In addition, the operation unit 30 is provided with a treatment instrument raising lever 35 for operating the protruding direction of the treatment instrument protruding from the treatment instrument insertion port 17 of the distal end portion 11 of the insertion section 10.

  An endoscope connector 41 connected to a light source device (not shown) is provided at the base end portion of the universal cord 40. The light emitted from the light source device travels through the optical fiber cable inserted through the universal cord 40, the operation unit 30, and the insertion unit 10, and is emitted from the illumination device 16 at the distal end portion 11. The ultrasonic endoscope 1 may be configured to include a light source device such as an LED at the distal end portion 11.

  The endoscope connector 41 is provided with a video connector 42 and an ultrasonic connector 44 to which a video cable is connected. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 to be described later, the endoscope connector 41 includes an air supply base 45 that can be connected to an air supply device provided in the light source device, and a water supply base 46 that can be connected to a liquid supply tank. A suction cap 47 that can be connected to the suction device is provided.

  The video connector 42 is electrically connected to the camera control unit via a video cable (not shown). The camera control unit is electrically connected to the imaging device 15 provided at the distal end portion 11 via a video cable. The camera control unit is electrically connected to an image display device (not shown) and outputs an image captured by the imaging device 15 to the image display device.

  The ultrasonic connector 44 is detachably connected to an ultrasonic observation control unit (not shown) via an ultrasonic cable. The ultrasonic observation control unit is electrically connected to the ultrasonic probe unit 50 provided at the tip via an ultrasonic cable, and drives the ultrasonic probe unit 50.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the distal end portion 11 of the insertion portion 10 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a top view of the distal end portion of the insertion portion, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the distal end portion of the insertion portion. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the distal end portion 11 is provided with an imaging device 15, an illumination device 16, a fluid delivery unit 14, an ultrasonic probe unit 50, and a treatment instrument insertion port 17.

  The imaging device 15 includes an imaging optical system member and an imaging element, and captures an optical image. The imaging device 15 is disposed so as to capture at least the distal end direction of the distal end portion 11 in the field of view. Note that the imaging device 15 is not limited to a mode in which an optical image is electronically captured, and may be configured to guide the optical image to an eyepiece provided in the operation unit via an optical fiber cable. The illumination device 16 emits light emitted from the light source device into the field of view of the imaging device 15.

  The fluid delivery part 14 is an opening provided in the distal end part 11, and communicates with an air / water supply conduit 70 (described later) inserted into the insertion part 10. In the present embodiment, by operating the air / water supply button 32 provided in the operation unit 30, the fluid is sent out from the fluid delivery unit 14 via the air / water supply conduit 70. Here, the fluid delivered from the fluid delivery unit 14 is at least one of a gas such as air and a liquid such as physiological saline.

  The ultrasonic probe unit 50 includes an ultrasonic transducer, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. Although the form of the ultrasonic probe part 50 is not specifically limited, In this embodiment, as an example, the ultrasonic probe part 50 has a form called a so-called convex scanning type. Specifically, the ultrasonic probe unit 50 includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in an arc shape, and by driving the plurality of ultrasonic transducers at a predetermined timing, the radial direction of the arc It is possible to scan the ultrasonic beam substantially fan-shaped toward the outside.

  Note that the ultrasonic probe unit 50 is not limited to the convex scanning type. For example, the ultrasonic probe unit 50 may have a form in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a straight line. Further, for example, the ultrasonic probe unit 50 may be in a form capable of three-dimensional scanning in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a matrix. Further, the ultrasonic probe unit 50 is not limited to the electronic scanning type, and may be a so-called mechanical scanning type that scans by moving the ultrasonic transducer.

  In addition, for example, a piezoelectric element such as piezoelectric ceramic, an electrostrictive element, or an ultrasonic transducer (MUT; Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer) using a micromachine technique can be applied to the ultrasonic vibrator.

  The treatment instrument insertion port 17 is an opening for projecting the treatment instrument, and communicates with the suction conduit 18. The suction pipe 18 also serves as a pipe line through which the treatment tool is inserted when the treatment tool is inserted from the pipe base 34 and protrudes from the treatment tool insertion port 17. The treatment instrument insertion port 17 is provided in a concave accommodating portion 25 provided at the distal end portion 11. The accommodating portion 25 is a groove dug in the side surface portion of the distal end portion 11 along the central axis of the distal end portion 11. The accommodating portion 25 is provided so as to open in the distal direction and the side of the distal end portion 11.

  In the ultrasonic endoscope 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, the treatment tool is inserted from the opening of the pipe mouthpiece 34, whereby the treatment tool is inserted into the treatment tool insertion port 17 of the distal end portion 11 via the suction pipe 18. The treatment tool can be introduced into the body of the subject. The type of treatment tool is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a puncture needle, biopsy forceps, and cytodiagnosis brush.

  Further, in the ultrasonic endoscope 1 of the present embodiment, the treatment instrument raising base 19 for changing the protruding direction of the treatment instrument protruding from the treatment instrument insertion port 17 in the accommodating portion 25 of the distal end portion 11. Is provided. The treatment instrument raising base 19 is well known and will not be described in detail. However, the treatment instrument raising base 19 oscillates in conjunction with the movement of the treatment instrument raising lever 35 provided in the operation unit 30, and the treatment instrument raising base 19 is disposed. It has the structure which changes the protrusion direction of the treatment tool protruded from the insertion port 17.

  Further, in the ultrasonic endoscope 1 according to the present embodiment, blurring when a treatment instrument having a small diameter such as a puncture needle protrudes between the treatment instrument insertion port 17 and the ultrasound probe unit 50 is prevented. A guide member 21 is provided. Conventionally, since the diameter of the puncture needle is smaller than the diameter of the treatment instrument insertion port 17, the puncture needle is easy to shake in the vertical and horizontal directions. It becomes impossible. Therefore, conventionally, a guide groove is provided in the treatment instrument raising base 19 in order to prevent blurring of the puncture needle.

  On the other hand, in the ultrasonic endoscope 1 of the present embodiment, the treatment instrument such as a puncture needle is provided with no guide groove in the treatment instrument elevator base 19 or without the treatment instrument elevator base 19 itself. Since it protrudes along the guide member 21 provided between the treatment instrument insertion port 17 and the ultrasonic probe section 50, the blur of the puncture needle is particularly reduced, and the target position on the ultrasonic image is reduced. Puncture is possible with certainty.

  Below, the more detailed structure of the front-end | tip part 11 is demonstrated. The distal end portion 11 includes, for example, the imaging device 15, the illumination device 16, the fluid delivery portion 14, the ultrasonic probe portion 50, and the treatment instrument insertion port 17 on the distal end hard portion 29 made of metal or resin. It is installed and configured.

  The distal end hard portion 29 is a substantially axial member that is disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion 10 and has an axis along the insertion direction of the distal end portion 11 as a central axis. The distal end hard portion 29 is formed with a slope portion 24 that is a planar portion inclined with respect to the central axis. The slope portion 24 is provided so as to be away from the central axis of the distal end hard portion 29 as it goes from the distal end side to the proximal end side of the distal end portion 11. In other words, the distal end hard portion 29 becomes thicker from the distal end side to the proximal end side of the distal end portion 11 at the location where the slope portion 24 is formed. The inclined surface portion 24 is provided with an imaging device 15, an illumination device 16, and a fluid delivery portion 14.

  The accommodating part 25 is formed in the site | part in which the slope part 24 of the front-end | tip hard part 29 was formed, and is opened in the front-end | tip direction in the location in which the slope part 24 was formed. Here, the accommodating part 25 is opened toward the front-end | tip direction to the bottom face part 25a. In this way, the treatment tool elevator 19 is opened at the time of cleaning the ultrasonic endoscope 1 by opening the groove-shaped container 25 in which the treatment instrument elevator 19 is accommodated toward the bottom surface 25a in the distal direction. Can be easily seen, and cleaning with a brush or the like is facilitated.

  In the present embodiment, the accommodating portion 25 is a space formed between the distal end hard portion 29 and the cover 26 fixed to the distal end hard portion 29 so as to cover the side of the treatment instrument elevator base 19. . In the present embodiment, the cover 26 is formed of a transparent material such as resin. For this reason, in the ultrasonic endoscope 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily observe visually the dirt in the housing portion 25 in which the treatment instrument elevator 19 is accommodated, and the surroundings of the treatment instrument elevator 19 are cleaned. Can be easily performed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the distal end hard portion 29 constituting the distal end portion 11 and the outer peripheral portion on the proximal end side of the cover 26 are covered with the covering member 27. The covering member 27 is made of an electrically insulating material such as rubber. By covering the base end side of the cover 26 together with the distal end hard portion 29 with the covering member 27, it is possible to reduce the groove-shaped portion where water tends to accumulate in the outer peripheral portion of the distal end portion 11. By making it difficult for moisture to accumulate in the outer peripheral portion of the tip portion 11, it is possible to prevent the high-frequency current from flowing to the outer peripheral portion of the tip portion 11 when using a treatment instrument that uses a high-frequency current.

  An ultrasonic probe portion 50 is disposed on the distal end side of the distal end hard portion 29 so as to protrude in the distal direction. An annular balloon mounting groove 51 carved in the circumferential direction is provided on the proximal end side of the distal end portion 11 relative to the ultrasonic probe portion 50. The balloon attachment groove 51 is for attaching the balloon 52 to the distal end portion 11. The balloon 52 is made of a stretchable material, and has a shape that covers the periphery of the ultrasonic probe unit 50 when mounted in the balloon mounting groove 51.

  The balloon 52 stores an ultrasonic medium that is a liquid. When an ultrasonic tomographic image is captured by the ultrasonic endoscope 1, the balloon 52 transmits ultrasonic waves between the imaging target and the ultrasonic probe unit 50 using the ultrasonic medium. It is for transmission. Since the balloon 52 and the balloon attachment groove 51 for mounting the balloon are well known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In addition, an opening 20 is provided in the distal end portion 11. The opening 20 is a recess provided in the outer periphery of the tip 11 at the tip 11. The opening 20 has a concave shape that opens outward in the radial direction at the outer peripheral portion of the distal end portion 11. The opening 20 opens with a predetermined width in the axial direction of the distal end portion 11.

  In addition, in the opening 20, a plurality of, here, two liquid supply / drainage openings 61 a and 61 b that are open at the distal end hard portion 29 are provided. These liquid supply / drainage openings 61a and 61b each have an opening into which a brush or the like can be inserted in order to perform a cleaning operation. Further, a plurality of, here, two balloon liquid supply and drainage conduits 60a and 60b inserted into the insertion section 10 are connected to the liquid supply and drainage openings 61a and 61b, respectively. The balloon liquid supply / drain lines 60 a and 60 b are used to send liquid to the balloon 52 and to discharge the liquid from the balloon 52.

  As described above, the opening 20 is provided in an area surrounded by the bag-like balloon 52 when the balloon 52 is mounted in the balloon attachment groove 51. In the present embodiment, the opening 20 is disposed between the ultrasonic probe portion 50 and the balloon attachment groove 51.

  Further, the liquid supply / drainage openings 61a and 61b communicating with the balloon liquid supply / drainage lines 60a and 60b are provided on the side surface of the base end side of the opening 20 having a groove shape.

  Therefore, the balloon liquid supply / drainage conduits 60a and 60b of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 of the present embodiment are surrounded by the bag-like balloon 52 when the balloon 52 is mounted in the balloon attachment groove 51. The region communicates with the liquid supply / drainage openings 61a and 61b.

  Next, the conduit configuration of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a pipeline configuration of the ultrasonic endoscope.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the endoscope connector 41 includes an air supply base 45 that can be connected to an air supply device provided in the light source device, a water supply base 46 that can be connected to a liquid supply tank, and an aspirator. A connectable suction cap 47 is provided.

  An air supply pipe 63 disposed on the universal cord 40 communicates with the air supply base 45. The air supply line 63 communicates with the air supply line 64 disposed in the insertion portion 10 via the air / water supply button 32.

  A water supply pipe 65 disposed on the universal cord 40 communicates with the water supply base 46. The water supply line 65 communicates with the water supply line 66 and the balloon liquid supply line 67 arranged in the insertion portion 10 via the air / water supply button 32. Further, the water supply cap 46 communicates with the air supply cap 45 through the air supply pipe 63. Therefore, the water supply conduit 66 and the balloon liquid supply conduit 67 arranged in the insertion portion 10 communicate with the air supply cap 45 via the air / water supply button 32, the water supply conduit 65 and the air supply conduit 63.

  A suction pipe 68 disposed on the universal cord 40 communicates with the suction cap 47. The suction line 68 communicates with the suction line 18 and the balloon suction line 69 arranged in the insertion portion 10 via the suction button 33. As described above, the suction pipe 18 and the balloon suction pipe 69 arranged in the insertion portion 10 communicate with the suction base 47 via the suction button 33 and the suction pipe 68.

  The air supply pipeline 64 and the water supply pipeline 66 in which the insertion portion 10 is arranged merge near the tip of the insertion portion 10 to constitute an air supply / water supply pipeline 70. The air / water supply conduit 70 communicates with the fluid delivery unit 14.

  Further, at a predetermined position of the insertion portion 10, a merging portion 71 for merging the balloon liquid feeding line 67 and the balloon suction line 69 is disposed. In addition, since there exists a possibility that the junction part 71 may enlarge the diameter of the insertion part 10, you may make it provide the junction part 71 in the operation part 30, for example. Thereby, the diameter increase of the insertion part 10 can be prevented.

  In addition, a plurality of, here, two balloon liquid supply and drainage conduits 60a and 60b communicate with the confluence 71. The configuration is not limited to the two balloon liquid supply / drainage channels 60 a and 60 b, and a configuration in which three or more balloon liquid supply / drainage channels communicate with the junction 71 may be employed.

  The balloon liquid supply / drainage conduits 60 a and 60 b are arranged from the joining part 71 arranged at a predetermined position of the insertion part 10 to the hard end part 29, and the liquid supply / drainage opening at the hard end part 29. The openings 61a and 61b communicate with each other.

  Next, the operation of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 configured as described above will be described.

  First, the effect | action at the time of air supply / water supply is demonstrated. When the air supply cap 45 is connected to the air supply device, gas is supplied to the air / water supply button 32 via the air supply pipe 63. The air / water supply button 32 is provided with a hole (not shown), and the gas supplied to the air / water supply button 32 is released to the outside through the hole provided in the air / water supply button 32. When the user presses the hole, the gas supplied to the air / water supply button 32 is supplied to the air supply pipe 64 of the insertion section 10 and sent from the fluid delivery section 14 via the air / water supply pipe 70. I care.

  When the user pushes the air / water supply button 32 one step, a valve (not shown) of the air supply pipe 64 is closed, and supply of gas to the air supply pipe 64 is stopped. As a result, the gas supplied to the air supply pipe 63 in the universal cord 40 is supplied to the liquid supply tank via the water supply base 46, the pressure in the liquid supply tank increases, and the water supply pipe from the liquid supply tank is increased. The liquid is sent to 65. The liquid that has even been supplied to the water supply pipe 65 is supplied to the air / water supply button 32. The liquid supplied to the air / water supply button 32 is supplied to the water supply pipe 66 of the insertion section 10 and supplied from the fluid delivery section 14 via the air / water supply pipe 70.

  When the user pushes the air / water supply button 32 in two stages, a valve (not shown) of the water supply pipe 66 is closed and a valve (not shown) of the balloon liquid supply pipe 67 is opened. As a result, the liquid supplied to the air / water supply button 32 is supplied to the balloon liquid supply line 67.

  Here, the flow of the liquid when the liquid is supplied to the balloon liquid supply pipe 67 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the flow of the liquid when the liquid is supplied to the balloon liquid supply conduit.

  The liquid supplied to the balloon liquid supply pipe 67 is diverted at the junction 71 and supplied to the balloon liquid supply / drain lines 60a and 60b. The ultrasonic medium that is the liquid supplied to the balloon liquid supply / drainage pipes 60a and 60b is supplied to the balloon 52 from the liquid supply / drainage openings 61a and 61b.

  As described above, the liquid fed to the balloon liquid feeding pipe 67 is divided into a plurality of, in this case, two balloon liquid feeding and draining pipes 60 a and 60 b communicating with the merging portion 71 and supplied to the balloon 52. Is done. Therefore, the amount of liquid supplied to the balloon liquid supply line 67 can be increased as compared with the conventional case where liquid is supplied to the balloon 52 through one balloon liquid supply line, and water supply to the balloon 52 is possible. Time can be shortened.

  Next, the action during suction will be described. When the user pushes the suction button 33 in one step, a valve (not shown) of the suction pipe 18 is opened. The suction line 18 communicates with the suction device via the suction line 68 and the suction base 47 in the universal cord 40. As a result, bodily fluids and the like in the body are sucked into the aspirator via the suction pipe line 18 and the suction pipe line 68.

  When the user pushes the suction button in two stages, a valve (not shown) of the suction pipe 18 is closed, a valve (not shown) of the balloon suction pipe 69 is opened, and the balloon suction pipe 69 is connected to the suction pipe 68 in the universal cord 40. And it communicates with the aspirator through the suction cap 47. Further, the balloon suction conduit 69 communicates with the balloon liquid supply / drainage conduits 60 a and 60 b via the junction 71. As a result, the liquid in the balloon 52 is sucked into the aspirator through the balloon liquid supply / drainage conduits 60a and 60b, the merging portion 71, the balloon suction conduit 69, and the suction conduit 68.

  Here, the flow of the liquid when the liquid is sucked into the balloon suction conduit 69 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the flow of the liquid when the liquid is sucked into the balloon suction conduit.

  The liquid in the balloon 52 sucked into the balloon feeding / draining conduits 60a and 60b joins at the joining portion 71, is sucked into the balloon suction conduit 69, and is sucked into the suction device via the suction conduit 68. .

  Thus, the liquid in the balloon 52 is sucked from the balloon liquid supply / drainage channels 60a and 60b. Therefore, the amount of liquid drained from the balloon 52 can be increased and the drainage time from the balloon 52 can be shortened compared to the case where liquid is sucked from the balloon 52 through a single conduit as in the prior art. Can do.

  As described above, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 of the present embodiment is provided with the merging portion 71 where the balloon liquid feeding conduit 67 and the balloon suction conduit 69 are merged, and communicates with the merging portion 71. 52 is provided with a plurality of balloon liquid supply / drain lines 60a and 60b for supplying and discharging liquid. Thereby, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 can increase the amount of liquid supplied to the balloon liquid supply pipe 67 and the amount of liquid drained from the balloon 52, thereby shortening the time for supplying and discharging the balloon 52. it can.

  Therefore, according to the ultrasonic endoscope of the present embodiment, the water supply / drainage time into the balloon can be shortened.

  In addition, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 configured in this way can shorten the aeration time after the disinfection sterilization process.

  FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a gas flow during aeration.

  In this aeration, gas is supplied from the air supply pipe 63, the water supply pipe 65, and the suction pipe 68 in order to remove the disinfecting liquid and the like attached in each pipe after the disinfection sterilization process.

  The gas supplied from the air supply pipe 63 and the water supply pipe 65 to the air supply / water supply button 32 is supplied to the air supply pipe 64, the water supply pipe 66 and the balloon liquid supply pipe 67. At this time, the gas supplied to the air supply / water supply button 32 is divided by the ratio of the diameter of the air supply pipe 64, the diameter of the water supply pipe 66, and the diameter of the balloon liquid supply pipe 67. It is supplied to the water pipeline 66 and the balloon liquid feeding pipeline 67. The diameter of the air supply line 64, the diameter of the water supply line 66, and the diameter of the balloon liquid supply line 67 are substantially the same, and as shown in FIG. 7, the air supply line 64, the water supply line 66, and the balloon liquid supply line The amount of gas supplied to the path 67 is also substantially the same.

  On the other hand, the gas supplied from the suction pipe 68 to the suction button 33 is supplied to the suction pipe 18 and the balloon suction pipe 69. The suction pipe line 18 also serves as a pipe line through which the treatment tool is inserted when the treatment tool is inserted from the pipe base 34 and protruded from the treatment tool insertion port 17. For this reason, the suction pipe 18 is thicker than the balloon suction pipe 69 so that the treatment instrument can be inserted therethrough.

  The gas supplied to the suction button 33 is divided according to the ratio of the diameter of the suction pipe 18 and the diameter of the balloon suction pipe 69 and supplied to the suction pipe 18 and the balloon suction pipe 69. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the amount of gas supplied to the suction pipe 18 that has been increased in diameter increases, and the amount of gas supplied to the balloon suction pipe 69 decreases.

  For example, when the balloon suction conduit 69 communicates with the distal end hard portion 29 as in the conventional case, since the amount of gas that branches to the balloon suction conduit 69 is small as described above, the balloon suction conduit 69 is aerated. It takes time.

  On the other hand, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a merging portion 71 where the balloon liquid feeding line 67 and the balloon suction conduit 69 merge, and communicates from the merging portion 71 to the distal end hard portion 29. The gas supplied from the balloon liquid supply pipe 67 is branched and supplied to the balloon liquid supply / drain lines 60a and 60b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the ultrasonic endoscope 1 includes a balloon liquid feeding line 67 and a balloon liquid feeding line 67 a and a balloon liquid feeding line 60 b that communicate with the distal end hard part 29 from the merging portion 71. Since gas can be supplied from two locations with the balloon suction conduit 69, the aeration time after the disinfection sterilization process can be shortened.

  Further, as described above, by providing the merging portion 71 in the operation portion 30, the length of the balloon suction conduit 69 with a small gas supply amount is shortened, and the aeration time can be further shortened. .

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultrasound endoscope, 10 ... Insertion part, 11 ... Tip part, 12 ... Bending part, 13 ... Flexible pipe part, 14 ... Fluid delivery part, 15 ... Imaging device, 16 ... Illumination device, 17 ... Treatment tool Insertion port, 18 ... suction line, 19 ... treatment instrument raising base, 20 ... opening, 21 ... guide member, 24 ... slope part, 25 ... accommodating part, 25a ... bottom part, 26 ... cover, 27 ... covering member , 29 ... Hard end of tip, 30 ... Operation part, 31 ... Angle knob, 32 ... Air / water feed button, 33 ... Suction button, 34 ... Pipe mouthpiece, 35 ... Treatment instrument raising lever, 40 ... Universal cord, 41 ... Endoscope connector, 42 ... Video connector, 44 ... Ultrasonic connector, 45 ... Air supply base, 46 ... Water supply base, 47 ... Suction base, 50 ... Ultrasonic probe part, 51 ... Balloon mounting groove, 52 ... Balloon, 60a, 60b ... Balloon liquid drainage line, 61 , 61b ... liquid supply / drainage opening, 63 ... air supply line, 64 ... air supply line, 65 ... water supply line, 66 ... water supply line, 67 ... balloon liquid supply line, 68 ... suction line, 69 ... Balloon suction line, 70 ... air / water supply line, 71 ... junction.

Claims (3)

An insertion section that can be inserted into the subject;
A hard tip portion disposed at a tip of the insertion portion;
An ultrasonic probe portion arranged in the distal direction of the distal rigid portion;
An air supply cap connectable to the air supply device;
A balloon liquid supply line disposed in the insertion portion and communicating with the air supply base;
A suction base that can be connected to a suction device;
A balloon suction conduit disposed in the insertion portion and communicating with the suction cap;
A merging portion that merges the balloon liquid supply conduit and the balloon suction conduit at a predetermined position of the insertion portion;
A plurality of balloon liquid supply and drainage conduits that are in communication with the merging portion and are arranged from a predetermined position of the insertion portion to the distal end hard portion;
A plurality of liquid supply / drain openings opened at the distal end hard part and communicating with the plurality of balloon liquid supply / drain lines;
An ultrasonic endoscope comprising:   The plurality of balloon liquid supply and drainage conduits are attached to a proximal end side of the ultrasonic probe unit, and send liquid to a balloon having a shape covering the periphery of the ultrasonic probe unit, and the The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is discharged from a balloon.   The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the merging portion is provided in an operation portion disposed at a proximal end of the insertion portion.

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