JP3794497B1 - Insertion aid for endoscope apparatus and balloon mounting method using the insertion aid - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an insertion assisting tool for an endoscope apparatus that can easily attach a balloon to an insertion portion of an endoscope, and a balloon mounting method using the insertion assisting tool.
A first balloon 60 to be attached to an insertion portion 12 of an endoscope 10 has an end fitting portion 61B fitted to the distal end portion of an insertion assisting tool 70 before being attached to the insertion portion 12. It is attached. In order to attach the first balloon 60 to the insertion portion 12, first, the insertion portion 12 is inserted into the insertion assisting tool 70. Then, after the distal end hard portion 44 comes into contact with the entrance of the one end fitting portion 61A, when the insertion portion 12 is further pushed in, the distal end hard portion 44 is pushed into the one end fitting portion 61A, and one end of the first balloon 60 is pushed. The fitting portion 61 </ b> A is firmly attached to the distal end hard portion 44. Thereafter, when the insertion portion 12 is further pushed in, the other end fitting portion 61B is detached from the insertion assisting tool 70 and is fitted into the insertion portion 12.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention particularly relates to an endoscope apparatus for observing a deep digestive tract such as a small intestine and a large intestine, and an insertion assisting tool for an endoscope apparatus that is used with a balloon attached to a distal end portion of an insertion section of the endoscope, and The present invention relates to a balloon mounting method using an insertion aid.

  When inserting the insertion part of the endoscope into the deep digestive tract such as the small intestine, simply pushing the insertion part makes it difficult for force to be transmitted to the distal end of the insertion part due to the complicated bending of the intestinal tract. Have difficulty. For example, if excessive bending or bending occurs in the insertion portion, it becomes impossible to insert the insertion portion further into the deep portion. Therefore, the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted into the insertion aid and inserted into the body cavity, and the insertion portion is guided by the insertion aid to prevent the insertion portion from being excessively bent or bent. A treatment method for deep insertion has been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an endoscope in which a first balloon is attached to a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an endoscope and a second balloon is attached to a distal end portion of an insertion assisting tool (also referred to as an overtube or a sliding tube). A mirror device is disclosed.

  By inflating the first balloon and bringing the first balloon into intimate contact with the intestinal inner wall, the distal end of the insertion portion can be temporarily fixed in the intestinal tract. Similarly, by inserting the second balloon, an insertion aid Can be temporarily fixed in the intestinal tract. Therefore, by inserting and inserting the insertion portion and the insertion aid alternately while inflating and contracting the first balloon and the second balloon, the insertion portion can be inserted into a deeply bent intestinal tract such as the small intestine. I can go.

  Such a balloon includes an inflating / contracting portion that is inflated and inflated, a distal end portion of an insertion portion that is formed at both ends thereof, and a fitting portion that is elastically fitted to the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool.

Conventionally, the first balloon attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion is manually attached after the insertion portion is inserted into the insertion aid and the distal end portion of the insertion portion protrudes from the distal end portion of the insertion aid. The That is, the diameters of the fitting portions at both ends are widened using a dedicated balloon mounting jig, the distal end portions of the insertion portions are inserted into these fitting portions, and then the jig is removed from the fitting portions. Thereby, the fitting portion is fitted to the distal end portion of the insertion portion by its own elastic restoring force. With the above operation, the first balloon is attached to the distal end of the insertion portion. Thereafter, the fitting portion is firmly fixed to the distal end portion of the insertion portion with a thread or a rubber band. Such a balloon mounting operation is performed by a practitioner who handles the endoscope apparatus.
JP 2002-301019 A

  However, since the conventional balloon mounting method is a manual mounting method using a jig after the insertion portion is inserted into the insertion aid, it takes time to mount the balloon and requires a dedicated balloon mounting jig. There is a drawback that the work becomes complicated. That is, the conventional balloon mounting method has a problem of placing a burden on the practitioner.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an insertion assisting tool for an endoscope apparatus that can easily attach a balloon to an insertion portion of an endoscope and a balloon mounting method using the insertion assisting tool. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 of the present invention provides an insertion assisting tool in which an insertion part of an endoscope is inserted and assists the insertion of the insertion part. An endoscope balloon is detachably attached.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the practitioner inserts the insertion portion of the endoscope into the insertion aid having a balloon attached to the tip portion, and causes the insertion portion to protrude from the tip portion of the insertion aid. Then, the balloon at that position is attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion. Therefore, the balloon can be easily attached to the insertion portion. In addition, in a so-called disposable type in which the insertion aid is discarded after one use, the insertion aid is unused or used depending on whether there is a balloon at the tip of the insertion aid. It is possible to easily determine whether it is present.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the balloon is formed at both ends of the inflated / contracted portion and the inflated / contracted portion and fitted at the distal end portion of the insertion portion. And an inner diameter of the fitting portion is smaller than an outer diameter of a distal end portion of the insertion portion, and a thickness of the fitting portion is thicker than a thickness of the expansion / contraction portion. It is characterized by being formed.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, the inner diameter of the fitting portion constituting the balloon is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the distal end portion of the insertion portion, and the thickness of the fitting portion is larger than the thickness of the expansion / contraction portion. Further, since the fitting force of the fitting portion is increased by forming it thick, the fixing operation of the fitting portion with a rubber band or a thread can be omitted. In addition, since a dedicated balloon mounting jig is not required, the complexity of work can be eliminated.

  The invention according to claim 3 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the balloon is formed at an inflated / contracted portion and both ends of the inflated / contracted portion and fitted at a distal end portion of the insertion portion. And a convex portion that is fitted into a groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion. The convex portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion portion.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the convex portion that fits into the groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion that constitutes the balloon. The balloon can be firmly attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion simply by fitting the portion into the groove. Similarly, in the present invention, the fixing work of the fitting portion by the rubber band or the thread can be omitted, and the rubber band, the thread, or the dedicated balloon mounting jig is not required, so that the troublesome work can be eliminated.

  The invention according to claim 4 of the present application is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the balloon is integrally formed so as to be separable from a balloon for an insertion aid attached to the insertion aid.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the balloon attached to the insertion portion is integrally formed so as to be separable from the insertion aid balloon attached to the insertion aid. That is, when the balloon is attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion, the distal end portion of the insertion portion is protruded from the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool, and then the balloon is separated from the balloon for the insertion assisting device to Attach to. The present invention, in which two balloons are integrated, eliminates the complexity associated with handling and mounting of balloons because the parts handled are one part compared to a conventional endoscope apparatus in which the two balloons are separate. it can.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the object, the distal end portion of the insertion portion is inserted into the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool in which the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted to assist the insertion of the insertion portion. Removably attach the balloon to be attached to, insert the distal end portion of the insertion portion from the proximal end portion of the insertion assisting tool, and project the distal end portion of the insertion portion from the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool, The distal end portion of the insertion portion is fitted to one end fitting portion of the balloon, the insertion portion of the endoscope is further pushed into the insertion assisting tool, and the balloon is removed from the insertion assisting tool to remove the balloon. The balloon is attached to the insertion portion by fitting the other end fitting portion to the distal end portion of the insertion portion.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, first, a balloon attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion is detachably attached to the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool. That is, the other end fitting portion of the balloon is fitted to the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool. The attachment of the balloon to the insertion assisting tool is performed at the manufacturing factory of the insertion assisting tool and the balloon, so that the practitioner is provided with the insertion assisting tool in which the balloon is attached in advance. The practitioner takes this insertion assisting tool and the endoscope and inserts the distal end of the insertion part from the proximal end of the insertion assisting tool, and the distal end of the insertion part protrudes from the distal end of the insertion assisting tool. And is passed through the expansion / contraction part of the balloon and is fitted to one end fitting part of the balloon. Next, when the insertion portion is further pushed into the insertion assisting tool, the other end fitting portion of the balloon is detached from the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool due to the pushing force and is fitted to the distal end portion of the insertion portion. With the above operation, the balloon can be attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion. Therefore, in the present invention, the balloon can be attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion only by a simple insertion operation of inserting the insertion portion into the insertion aid.

  According to the insertion assisting tool of the endoscope apparatus and the balloon mounting method using the insertion assisting tool according to the present invention, the insertion part of the endoscope is inserted into the insertion assisting tool in which the balloon is attached to the distal end, and the insertion is performed. Since the portion protrudes from the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool and the balloon at that position can be attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion, the balloon can be easily attached to the insertion portion. In addition, in a so-called disposable type in which the insertion aid is discarded after one use, the insertion aid is unused or used depending on whether there is a balloon at the tip of the insertion aid. It is possible to easily determine whether it is present.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an insertion assisting tool for an endoscope apparatus and a balloon mounting method using the insertion assisting tool according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an endoscope apparatus according to the present invention. The endoscope apparatus shown in the figure is mainly constituted by an endoscope 10, an insertion assisting tool 70, and a balloon control apparatus 100.

  The endoscope 10 includes a hand operation unit 14 and an insertion unit 12 that is connected to the hand operation unit 14 and is inserted into a body cavity. A universal cable 16 is connected to the hand operation unit 14, and an LG connector 18 is provided at the tip of the universal cable 16. The LG connector 18 is detachably connected to the light source device 20, whereby illumination light is sent to the illumination optical system 54 (see FIG. 2). In addition, an electrical connector 24 is connected to the LG connector 18 via a cable 22, and the electrical connector 24 is detachably coupled to the processor 26.

  The hand operation unit 14 is provided with an air / water supply button 28, a suction button 30, a shutter button 32, and a function switching button 34, and a pair of angle knobs 36 and 36. A balloon air supply port 38 is formed at the proximal end portion of the hand operation unit 14 by an L-shaped tube. The first balloon 60 can be inflated or deflated by supplying or sucking fluid such as air to the balloon air supply port 38.

  The insertion portion 12 is configured by a flexible portion 40, a bending portion 42, and a distal end hard portion 44 in order from the hand operation portion 14 side, and the bending portion 42 rotates the angle knobs 36 and 36 of the hand operation portion 14. The bending operation is performed remotely. Thereby, the distal end hard portion 44 can be directed in a desired direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an observation optical system 52, illumination optical systems 54 and 54, an air / water supply nozzle 56, and a forceps port 58 are provided at predetermined positions on the distal end surface 45 of the distal end rigid portion 44, respectively. A CCD (not shown) is disposed behind the observation optical system 52 via a prism (not shown), and the signal cable of this CCD is inserted into the insertion portion 12, the hand operating portion 14, the universal cable 16 and the like of FIG. Then, it extends to the electrical connector 24 and is connected to the processor 26 via the electrical connector 24. Therefore, the observation image captured by the observation optical system 48 is formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD and converted into an electrical signal. This electrical signal is output to the processor 26 via the signal cable, and the video signal processing of the processor 26 is performed. After being converted into a video signal by the unit, it is displayed as an observation image on the monitor 50 connected to the processor 26.

  An exit end of a light guide (not shown) is disposed behind the illumination optical systems 54 and 54 in FIG. The light guide is inserted through the insertion portion 12, the hand operating portion 14, and the universal cable 16 of FIG. 1, and an incident end is disposed in the LG connector 18. Therefore, by connecting the LG connector 18 to the light source device 20, the illumination light emitted from the light source device 20 is transmitted to the illumination optical systems 54 and 54 via the light guide, and irradiated forward from the illumination optical systems 54 and 54. Is done.

  2 communicates with a valve (not shown) operated by the air / water feed button 28 of FIG. 1 via an air / water feed channel (not shown). Is communicated with an air / water connector 48 provided on the LG connector 18. An air / water supply means (not shown) is connected to the air / water supply connector 48 to supply air or water. Therefore, by operating the air / water supply button 28, air or water can be ejected from the air / water supply nozzle 56 toward the observation optical system 52.

  The forceps port 58 in FIG. 2 is communicated with the forceps insertion portion 46 in FIG. 1 via a forceps channel (not shown). Therefore, the treatment tool can be led out from the forceps port 58 by inserting a treatment tool such as a forceps from the forceps insertion portion 46. The forceps port 58 communicates with a valve (not shown) operated by the suction button 30, and this valve is further connected to the suction connector 49 of the LG connector 18. Therefore, a lesioned part or the like can be sucked from the forceps port 58 by connecting a suction means (not shown) to the suction connector 49 and operating the valve with the suction button 30.

  Incidentally, the first balloon 60 made of an elastic body such as rubber is mounted on the outer peripheral surfaces of the bending portion 42 and the distal end hard portion 44. The first balloon 60 has a substantially spherical expansion / contraction portion 60A at the center, a cylindrical one end fitting portion 61A on the distal end side with the expansion / contraction portion 60A interposed therebetween, and a similar cylindrical other end insertion on the proximal end side. The part 61B is integrally formed. The first balloon 60 is attached to the distal end hard portion 44 of the insertion portion 12 by an attachment method using an insertion assisting tool 70 described later. The fitting portion 61 </ b> A has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the distal end hard portion 44 and is fitted to the distal end hard portion 44.

  A vent hole 64 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the distal end hard portion 44. The ventilation hole 64 communicates with a balloon air supply port 38 provided in the hand operation unit 14 of FIG. 1 via an air tube (not shown), and the balloon air supply port 38 is controlled by a balloon via a tube 110. Connected to device 100. Therefore, the first balloon 60 can be inflated and deflated by supplying and sucking air by the balloon control device 100. The first balloon 60 is such that when the air is supplied, the expansion / contraction part 60 </ b> A expands into a substantially spherical shape, and when the air is sucked, the expansion / contraction part 60 </ b> A sticks to the outer surfaces of the distal end hard part 44 and the curved part 42. It has become.

  On the other hand, the insertion assisting tool 70 shown in FIG. 1 is formed in a cylindrical shape, has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the insertion portion 12, and has sufficient flexibility. A rigid gripping portion 72 is provided at the proximal end of the insertion assisting tool 70, and the insertion portion 12 is inserted from the gripping portion 72.

  A second balloon 80 is mounted near the distal end of the insertion assisting tool 70. The second balloon 80 has both ends fitted in a cylindrical shape, is mounted in a state where the insertion assisting tool 70 is penetrated, and is fixed to the insertion assisting tool 70 by winding a thread (not shown). The

  A tube 74 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70 is communicated with the second balloon 80, and a connector 76 is provided at the proximal end portion of the tube 74. A tube 120 is connected to the connector 76, and is connected to the balloon control device 100 via the tube 120. Therefore, the second balloon 80 can be inflated and deflated by supplying and sucking air with the balloon control device 100. The second balloon 80 expands into a substantially spherical shape when air is supplied, and sticks to the outer peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70 when the air is sucked.

  An injection port 78 is provided on the proximal end side of the insertion assisting tool 70. The injection port 78 communicates with an opening (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70. Therefore, the lubricant can be supplied into the insertion aid 70 by injecting the lubricant (for example, water) from the injection port 78 with a syringe or the like. Therefore, when the insertion portion 12 is inserted into the insertion assisting tool 70, the friction between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion assisting tool 70 and the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 12 is reduced, and the relative relationship between the insertion portion 12 and the insertion assisting tool 70 is reduced. The movement can be performed smoothly.

  The balloon control device 100 is a device that supplies and sucks fluid such as air to the first balloon 60 and supplies and sucks fluid such as air to the second balloon 80. The balloon control device 100 is mainly composed of a device main body 102 and a hand switch 104 for remote control.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a power switch SW1, a stop switch SW2, a first pressure display unit 106, a second pressure display unit 108, a first function stop switch SW3, and a second function stop switch are provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 102. SW4 is provided. The first pressure display unit 106 and the second pressure display unit 108 are panels for displaying the pressure values of the first balloon 60 and the second balloon 80, respectively. When an abnormality such as balloon breakage occurs, the pressure display units 106 and 108 are displayed. An error code is displayed.

  The first function stop switch SW3 and the second function stop switch SW4 are switches for turning on / off the functions of an endoscope control system A and an insertion assisting tool control system B, which will be described later. When only one of the two balloons 80 is used, the function stop switches SW3 and SW4 which are not used are operated to turn off the function. In the control system A or B whose function is OFF, air supply and suction are completely stopped, and the pressure display unit 106 or 108 of the system is also turned OFF. The function stop switches SW3 and SW4 can be set to an initial state by turning off both of them. For example, the calibration with respect to the atmospheric pressure is performed by turning off both function stop switches SW3 and SW4 and simultaneously pressing all the switches SW5 to SW9 of the hand switch 104.

  A tube 110 that supplies and sucks air to the first balloon 60 and a tube 120 that supplies and sucks air to the second balloon 80 are connected to the front surface of the apparatus main body 102. The connection portions between the tubes 110 and 120 and the apparatus main body 102 are provided with backflow prevention units 112 and 122 for preventing backflow of body fluid when the first balloon 60 or the second balloon 80 is damaged. The backflow prevention units 112 and 122 are configured by incorporating a gas-liquid separation filter in a hollow disk-like case (not shown) that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 102. The filter prevents the liquid from flowing in.

  In addition, the pressure display units 106 and 108, the function stop switches SW3 and SW4, and the backflow prevention units 112 and 122 are always arranged in a constant manner for the endoscope 10 and the insertion assisting tool 70. That is, the pressure display unit 106 for the endoscope 10, the function stop switch SW3, and the backflow prevention unit 112 are respectively connected to the pressure display unit 108, the function stop switch SW4, and the backflow prevention unit 122 for the insertion assisting tool 70. Are arranged on the right side.

  On the other hand, the hand switch 104 includes a stop switch SW5 similar to the stop switch SW2 on the apparatus main body 102 side, an ON / OFF switch SW6 that supports pressurization / decompression of the first balloon 60, and the pressure of the first balloon 60. A pause switch SW7 for holding, an ON / OFF switch SW8 for supporting pressurization / decompression of the second balloon 80, and a pause switch SW9 for holding the pressure of the second balloon 80 are provided. The hand switch 104 is electrically connected to the apparatus main body 102 via the cord 130. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the hand switch 104 is provided with a display unit that indicates an air supply state or an exhaust state of the first balloon 60 or the second balloon 80.

  The balloon control device 100 configured as described above supplies air to the balloons 60 and 80 to inflate them, and controls the air pressure to a constant value to hold the balloons 60 and 80 in an inflated state. In addition, air is sucked from each balloon 60 and 80 and contracted, and the air pressure is controlled to a constant value to hold each balloon 60 and 80 in a contracted state.

  The balloon control device 100 is connected to the balloon dedicated monitor 82, and displays the pressure value and the inflation / deflated state of each balloon 60, 80 on the balloon dedicated monitor 82 when the balloons 60, 80 are inflated and deflated. . It should be noted that the pressure values and the inflated and deflated states of the balloons 60 and 80 may be superimposed on the observation image of the endoscope 10 and displayed on the monitor 50.

  Next, an example of an operation method of the endoscope apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the insertion part 12 is inserted into the intestinal tract (for example, the descending leg of the duodenum) 90 with the insertion assisting tool 70 placed on the insertion part 12. At this time, the first balloon 60 and the second balloon 80 are deflated.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the second balloon 80 is inflated by supplying air to the second balloon 80 in a state where the distal end of the insertion assisting tool 70 is inserted up to the bent portion of the intestinal tract 90. That is, the switch SW8 of the hand switch 104 is turned on to instruct pressurization, air is supplied from the balloon control device 100 through the tube 120, and the second balloon 80 is inflated until a preset pressure is applied. As a result, the second balloon 80 is locked to the intestinal tract 90, and the distal end of the insertion assisting tool 70 is fixed to the intestinal tract 90.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, only the insertion portion 12 of the endoscope 10 is inserted into the deep portion of the intestinal tract 90. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (d), air is supplied to the first balloon 60 to be inflated. That is, the switch SW6 of the hand switch 104 is turned on to instruct pressurization, air is supplied from the balloon control device 100 via the tube 110, and the first balloon 60 is inflated until a preset pressure is applied. Thereby, the first balloon 60 is fixed to the intestinal tract 90.

  Next, air is sucked from the second balloon 80 to contract the second balloon 80. That is, the switch SW8 of the hand switch 104 is turned OFF to command a pressure reduction, air is sucked from the balloon control device 100 through the tube 120, and the second balloon 80 is contracted until a preset pressure reducing force is obtained. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4E, the insertion assisting tool 70 is pushed in and inserted along the insertion portion 12. And after holding the front-end | tip of the insertion auxiliary tool 70 to the vicinity of the 1st balloon 60, as shown in FIG.4 (f), air is supplied to the 2nd balloon 80, and it is made to expand. That is, by turning ON the switch SW8 of the hand switch 104, the second balloon 80 is inflated until a preset pressure is applied. Thereby, the second balloon 80 is fixed to the intestinal tract 90. That is, the intestinal tract 90 is grasped by the second balloon 80.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4 (g), the insertion assisting tool 70 is pulled forward. Thereby, the intestinal tract 90 is in a contracted state, and the extra bending or bending of the insertion assisting tool 70 is eliminated. Next, as shown in FIG. 4 (h), air is sucked from the first balloon 60 to contract the first tube 60. That is, the switch SW6 of the hand switch 104 is turned OFF to instruct decompression, air is sucked from the balloon control device 100 through the tube 110, and the first balloon 60 is contracted until the preset decompression force is reached.

  And the front-end | tip part 44 of the insertion part 12 is inserted in the deep part of the intestinal tract 90 as much as possible. That is, the insertion operation shown in FIG. Thereby, the front-end | tip part 44 of the insertion part 12 can be inserted in the deep part of the intestinal tract 90. FIG. When inserting the insertion portion 12 into a deeper portion, after performing a fixing operation as shown in FIG. 4D, a pushing operation as shown in FIG. ), A hand-drawing operation as shown in FIG. 4G, and an insertion operation as shown in FIG. Thereby, the insertion part 12 can be further inserted into the deep part of the intestinal tract 90.

  By the way, the first balloon 60 is attached with the other end fitting portion 61B fitted to the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool 70 as shown in FIG. 5 before being attached to the insertion portion 12 (at the time of factory shipment). That is, the practitioner is provided with the insertion assisting tool 70 to which the first balloon 60 is attached in advance.

  Next, an attachment procedure method for attaching the first balloon 60 attached to the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool 70 to the distal end rigid portion 44 of the insertion portion 12 will be described. This mounting operation is performed by the practitioner.

  First, the insertion portion 12 is inserted into the insertion assisting tool 70 from the grip portion 72 of the insertion assisting tool 70 with the distal end hard portion 44 at the head. Then, it is confirmed that the distal end hard portion 44 protrudes from the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool 70, and when the insertion assisting tool 70 is further inserted, the distal end hard portion 44 passes through the expansion / contraction portion 60A and is fitted to one end 61A. Abuts on the inlet of

  When the insertion portion 12 is further pushed in this state, the diameter of the other end fitting portion 61B is set so that the fitting force of the other end fitting portion 61B to the insertion assisting tool 70 is larger than the pushing force of the insertion portion 12 at this time. Therefore, even if the insertion portion 12 is pushed into the one end fitting portion 61A, the first balloon 60 is not detached from the insertion assisting tool 70, whereby the distal end hard portion 44 is pushed into the one end fitting portion 61A. As shown in FIG. 6, the protruding portion 63 of FIG. 7 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the one end fitting portion 61A is formed in the yarn winding groove 44A formed in advance on the outer peripheral portion of the distal end hard portion 44. Mating. Thereby, the one end fitting portion 61A of the first balloon 60 is firmly attached to the distal end hard portion 44, and the gripping force of this portion becomes larger than the fitting force of the other end fitting portion 61B to the insertion assisting tool 70. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the one end fitting portion 61A is formed to be thicker than the wall thickness of the expansion / contraction portion 60A to enhance the fitting force. Furthermore, the opening end 63A of the one end fitting portion 61A is formed to have a smaller diameter, and the opening end 63A is in close contact with the distal end surface of the distal end hard portion 44, thereby increasing the gripping force.

  Thereafter, when the insertion portion 12 is further pushed in, the gripping force on the one end fitting portion 61A side is larger than the fitting force on the other end fitting portion 61B side at this time, so that the insertion portion 12 is attached to the insertion assisting tool 70 as shown in FIG. The other end fitting portion 61 </ b> B is detached from the insertion assisting tool 70 and fitted into the insertion portion 12.

  Therefore, if the insertion aid 70 to which the first balloon 60 is attached is used, the first balloon 60 can be attached to the insertion portion 12 only by the operation of inserting the insertion portion 12 into the insertion aid 70. Therefore, it is very easy to mount the first balloon 60 on the insertion portion 12.

  In addition, in a so-called disposable type in which the insertion assisting tool 70 is discarded after one use, the insertion assisting tool 70 is not used depending on whether or not the first balloon 60 is present at the distal end of the insertion assisting tool 70. It is possible to easily determine whether it is used or used.

  Furthermore, since the thickness of the one end fitting portion 61A of the first balloon 60 is made thicker than the thickness of the expansion / contraction portion 60A, and the fitting force of the one end fitting portion 61A is increased, the fitting portion by a rubber band or thread The fixing work can be omitted. In addition, since a dedicated balloon mounting jig is not required, the complexity of work can be eliminated. Needless to say, the other end fitting portion 61B is formed thick like the one end fitting portion 61A.

  Furthermore, since the convex strip 63 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the one end fitting portion 61A to be fitted into the thread winding groove 44A of the tip rigid portion 44, the convex strip 63 is threaded. The first balloon 60 can be firmly attached to the insertion portion 12 simply by being fitted into the winding groove 44A.

  Also, by integrally forming the first balloon 60 in a separable manner with the second balloon 80, the parts to be handled are one part as compared with the conventional endoscope apparatus in which the two balloons are separate. The complexity of handling and mounting can be eliminated. In addition, it becomes a structure which can be isolate | separated by forming a perforation in the boundary part of the 1st balloon 60 and the 2nd balloon 80, or forming a thin boundary part so that a boundary part may fracture | rupture easily.

System configuration diagram of endoscope apparatus The perspective view which showed the 1st balloon of the insertion part of an endoscope Front view showing the front panel of the balloon control device Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the operation method of an endoscope apparatus Overall side view of insertion aid Explanatory drawing which showed the attachment method of the 1st balloon The enlarged view which showed the cross-sectional shape of the one end fitting part of a 1st balloon Explanatory drawing which showed the attachment method of the 1st balloon

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Endoscope, 12 ... Insertion part, 14 ... Hand operation part, 20 ... Light source device, 26 ... Processor, 50 ... Monitor, 60 ... First balloon, 64 ... Vent, 70 ... Insertion aid, 80 ... First 2 balloons, 100 ... balloon control device, 102 ... device main body, 104 ... hand switch, 106 ... first pressure display unit, 108 ... second pressure display unit

Claims (5)

In an insertion assisting tool in which an insertion part of an endoscope is inserted to assist insertion of the insertion part,
An insertion aid for an endoscope apparatus, wherein a balloon for the endoscope is detachably attached to a distal end portion of the insertion aid. The balloon is composed of an inflating / contracting portion, and a fitting portion formed at both ends of the inflating / contracting portion and fitted to the distal end portion of the insertion portion,
The inner diameter of the fitting portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the distal end portion of the insertion portion, and the thickness of the fitting portion is larger than the thickness of the expansion / contraction portion. The insertion assisting tool for the endoscope apparatus according to claim 1. The balloon is composed of an inflating / contracting portion, and a fitting portion formed at both ends of the inflating / contracting portion and fitted to the distal end portion of the insertion portion,
The insertion of the endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a convex portion that fits into a groove formed on an outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion. Auxiliary tool.   The insertion aid for an endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the balloon is integrally formed so as to be separable from a balloon for an insertion aid attached to the insertion aid. A balloon attached to the distal end portion of the insertion portion is detachably attached to the distal end portion of an insertion assisting tool that assists insertion of the insertion portion when the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted,
The distal end portion of the insertion portion is inserted from the proximal end portion of the insertion assisting tool, the distal end portion of the insertion portion is protruded from the distal end portion of the insertion assisting tool, and the distal end portion of the insertion portion is set to one end of the balloon. To fit the fitting part,
By further pushing the insertion portion of the endoscope into the insertion aid and removing the balloon from the insertion aid to fit the other end fitting portion of the balloon to the distal end portion of the insertion portion, A balloon mounting method using an insertion assisting tool, wherein the balloon is mounted on the insertion portion.

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