JP3074544B2 - Corneal and conjunctival epithelial cell collection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the collection of epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva used for examination at the time of diagnosis of extraocular diseases in ophthalmology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, diagnosis of various extraocular diseases in ophthalmology has referred to test results obtained by collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva. As a method, as shown in FIG. 6 , an ophthalmologist has peeled epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva from a human eye with a rod-shaped object such as a glass rod or tweezers.

[0003]

Therefore, for a patient, a long glass rod or the like peels off the epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva, which may be accompanied by fear, and the operation requires a considerable skill. It also took time. In addition, the collected cell layer was thick and the morphology was uneven.

[0004]

According to the present invention, a substance for collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva is held in a collecting jig by suction force, and the material is simply pressed against the cornea and conjunctiva using the suction force. In this method, the epithelial cells of the cornea and the conjunctiva are collected on the surface of the substance for collecting the epithelial cells of the cornea and the conjunctiva.

[0005]

By holding the porous membrane on a sampling jig by suction and utilizing the suction force during suction, the sampling jig holding the porous membrane is lightly pressed against the cornea and conjunctiva. cornea,
The epithelial cells of the conjunctiva are collected on the surface of the porous membrane. Therefore, the conventional skill level is unnecessary and the operation is simple. Furthermore, since the collected cells are on the surface of the porous membrane held by suction, the cells can be easily removed together with the porous membrane by stopping the suction.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Example (1) 1 is a collection device main body for collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva. The collection device main body 1 includes a syringe 2, a hose 4 attached to a distal end opening 3 of the syringe 2, and a A hollow rod-shaped applanator 5 as a sampling jig attached to the end of the hose 4. A head 7 of a piston rod 6 for sucking or discharging a fluid (gas or liquid) through the distal end opening 3 is inserted into the syringe 2.
A flange 8 formed at the rear end of the piston rod 6 is loosely fitted to a guide 10 fixed to a flange 9 at the rear end of the syringe 2 so that the piston rod 6 reciprocates in the syringe 2 along the guide 10. It has been done. Reference numeral 11 denotes a coil spring wound around the piston rod 6 and biased between the rear end flange 9 of the syringe 2 and the flange 8 of the piston rod 6. The coil spring 11 is connected to the piston rod 6. 6 is always biased in the direction of the upper arrow A in FIG. If the flange 8 is pressed manually or by an appropriate air pressure from the back, the fluid in the syringe 2 is discharged from the distal end nozzle 12 of the applanator 5 through the distal end opening 3 and the hose 4, and the air pressure is reduced. Is released, the piston rod 6 is moved and returned in the direction of the arrow B in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, reference numeral 13 denotes a small through-hole formed by radially piercing the distal end nozzle 12 of the applanator 5 toward the distal end, and the entire area of the substance P from which epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva are collected. In order to assure the retention over the entire range. Immediately before the substance P for collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva is applied to the tip nozzle 12, the flange 8 is pressed manually or by an appropriate air pressure from the back to allow the fluid in the syringe 2 to flow through the tip opening. After once discharging from the tip nozzle 12 of the applanator 5 through 3 and the hose 4, the substance P is applied to the tip nozzle 12,
When the air pressure is released, the piston rod 6 returns to the original position by the return force of the coil spring 11, and the inside of the syringe 2 becomes negative pressure, and the substance P for collecting the corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells
Is to be sucked by the applanator 5.
If the back of the flange 8 is pressed again by the air pressure, the substance P for collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva can be easily removed from the applanator 5. As the substance P for collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva, for example, there is a porous membrane (membrane filter) and the like. It can be collected.

As a membrane filter which is a substance P for collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva, a millipore filter (membrane filter manufactured by MILIPORE, USA; cellulosic, pore size: 0.25 to 0.45 μm) is 3 mm long and horizontal. It is cut into a 5 mm rectangle, placed on the tip nozzle 12 of the hollow plastic rod of the applanator 5 and sucked. The corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells can be easily held by holding the millipore filter and gently pressing it against the cornea of the eye. Can be stripped and collected. By making the Millipore filter rectangular as shown in FIG. 3, the edge Q thereof can be easily grasped with tweezers or the like, and post-processing can be easily performed. After the suction was completed, the Millipore filter was removed, and the state of the collected cells was confirmed by a tissue staining test. As a result, the morphology of the cells was well maintained.

Embodiment (2) In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS.
One through-hole 13 at the center in the tip nozzle 12
The tapered portion 16 is formed to communicate with the
This saves the labor of forming the through holes 13 of the swarf 12.
Occasionally, the suction force becomes stronger, resulting in a membrane filter
Luter can be held securely and suction power is strong
Thus, epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva can be collected well.

[0010]

【The invention's effect】 As described above, in the present invention, ophthalmology
Of corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells by simple operation
And the morphology of the collected corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells
It has a constant thickness in the form of a film.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially longitudinal front view of a first embodiment showing a use mode of the product of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view showing a main part of the tip of the applanator of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view taken along the line XX in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional front view of a second embodiment of the product of the present invention.

5 is a vertical sectional side view taken along the line ZZ in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sampling apparatus main body 2 Syringe 3 Tip opening part 4 Hose 5 Applanator 12 Tip nozzle 13 Penetrating small hole 15 Gap P Substance which collects epithelial cells of cornea and conjunctiva (porous membrane)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A 2-65903 (JP, U) JP-A 48-42159 (JP, Y1) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 10/00 A61B 3/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A collection device for collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva.
Insert the main body 1 into the syringe 2 and the tip end opening 3 of the syringe 2
The attached hose 4 and the sampling attached to the end of the hose 4
It consists of a hollow rod-shaped applanator 5 as a jig.
And penetrates the tip nozzle 12 of the applanator 5.
Drill a plurality of through holes 13 radially toward the tip
At the same time, epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva made of porous membrane were collected.
The substance P to be taken is sucked into the tip nozzle 12 and
By pressing against the cornea and conjunctiva epithelium, the cornea and conjunctiva
Epithelial cells of cornea and conjunctiva on the surface of substance P from which skin cells are collected
Corneal and conjunctival epithelial cell collection device. 2. One through-hole 1 is formed in said tip nozzle 12.
3. A device for collecting epithelial cells of the cornea and conjunctiva according to claim 1, wherein
Place.