JP4511224B2 - Ultrasound endoscope - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope, and more particularly to an ultrasonic endoscope in which an ultrasonic inspection mechanism is provided on the distal end side of a distal end main body disposed at the distal end of an insertion portion.

  2. Description of the Related Art There are an endoscope and an ultrasonic examination apparatus as apparatuses for examining and diagnosing a patient's body. The endoscope is for inspecting the state of the inner wall surface of the body cavity, and the ultrasonic inspection apparatus is for inspecting the state of the body tissue. In addition, an ultrasonic endoscope in which an ultrasonic inspection mechanism is added to an observation mechanism using an endoscope is also widely used. The ultrasonic endoscope is configured such that an ultrasonic inspection mechanism equipped with an ultrasonic transducer and an endoscope observation mechanism are disposed on the distal end body of the insertion portion inserted into the body cavity. It is. The endoscope observation mechanism includes an observation unit for observing the inside of the body cavity and an illumination unit for illuminating the observation field. In addition, the following are known documents related to the present invention.

JP-A-8-126604 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-258058

  By the way, an ultrasonic endoscope generally has a configuration in which an ultrasonic inspection mechanism is disposed on the distal end side of the distal end body, and an endoscope observation mechanism is disposed on the proximal end side thereof so that the distal direction is an observation direction. Is. In this configuration, since the ultrasonic inspection mechanism is located in the observation / illumination direction when viewed from the endoscope observation mechanism, a shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism is generated by the light from the illumination unit, and this shadow enters the observation visual field. There is. In particular, an ultrasonic endoscope designed so that the inspection site of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism can be confirmed using the endoscope observation mechanism is configured so that a part of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism enters the observation field of view. , The shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism tends to enter the observation field.

  Here, an example of an observation image of the ultrasonic endoscope having the above-described configuration will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an observation image of a conventional ultrasonic endoscope. In FIG. 6, a part of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 10 is included in the observation visual field in which the upper and lower ends of the circle are removed, and a shadow 20 is generated over a wide area around the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 10. When there are many shadow portions in this way, not only the effective visual field becomes narrow, but also the problem of being unable to fully confirm the ultrasonic inspection site occurs because it is difficult to observe the surroundings of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved ultrasonic endoscope capable of reducing the shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism in the observation visual field. Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic inspection mechanism is provided on the distal end side of the distal end body disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion, and the endoscope is viewed in the proximal direction from the ultrasonic inspection mechanism. An ultrasonic endoscope provided with a mirror observation mechanism, the endoscope observation mechanism having an observation unit for obtaining an observation image and an illumination unit for illuminating an observation field of the observation unit. The tip side end surface of the illumination unit and the tip side end surface of the illumination unit are inclined with respect to the axial direction of the tip unit body, and the tip side end surface of the illumination unit is configured to protrude in the tip direction from the tip side end surface of the observation unit An ultrasonic endoscope characterized by the above is provided.

  In such a configuration, since the distal end side end surface of the illumination unit protrudes from the distal end side end surface of the observation unit toward the distal end side, the distal end side end surface of the illumination unit becomes closer to the ultrasonic inspection mechanism. In addition, the illumination light is irradiated from the end surface on the tip side of the illuminator at an angle with respect to the axial direction of the tip body, so that the shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism caused by this illumination light is less than the case where it does not protrude. , Can be reduced. In addition, the front end side end surface of the observation unit can be configured, for example, such that the front end of the observation unit is configured by a window and the front end side surface of the window is the front end side end surface of the observation unit. Similarly, for the front end side end surface of the illumination unit, for example, the front end side surface of the window can be used as the front end side end surface of the illumination unit.

  Here, it is preferable that the inclination angles of the distal end side end surface of the observation unit and the distal end side end surface of the illumination unit with respect to the axial direction of the distal end main body are substantially the same. In such a configuration, the observation visual field and the optical axis direction of the illumination light can be made substantially the same, and illumination can be performed efficiently.

  In addition, the endoscope observation mechanism is formed with first and second inclined surfaces facing obliquely upward on the distal end side, the distal end side end surface of the observation unit is provided on the first inclined surface, and the distal end side of the illumination unit is disposed on the second inclined surface. An end face may be provided, and the second slope may be configured to protrude in the tip direction from the first slope. If the distal end surface of the observation unit and the distal end surface of the illumination unit are provided on the same slope, and the distal end surface of the illumination unit protrudes from the distal end surface of the observation unit, the distal end surface of the illumination unit may interfere with the observation field of view. There is. On the other hand, in the above-described configuration of the present invention, such a situation can be avoided because the front end side end surface of the observation unit and the front end side end surface of the illumination unit are provided on different slopes.

  In addition, it is preferable to set the protrusion amount of the front end side end surface of the illumination unit so that the front end side end surface of the illumination unit does not enter the observation field. There is a tendency for shadows to decrease as the amount of protrusion increases, but if the amount of protrusion becomes excessive, the end face on the front end side of the illumination section enters the observation field. In order to avoid this, it is preferable to set the protrusion amount of the end surface on the front end side of the illumination unit, and the upper limit of the protrusion amount can be determined from this point.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic endoscope of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism in the observation visual field caused by the illumination light emitted from the observation mechanism.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  An ultrasonic endoscope 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an ultrasonic endoscope 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic endoscope 100 includes an elongated and flexible insertion portion 102 that is inserted into a body cavity, an operation portion 104 that is connected to the proximal end of the insertion portion 102, and a side portion of the operation portion 104. And a connector portion (not shown) provided on the distal end side of the universal cord 106 and connected to a light source device (not shown) or an ultrasonic observation device.

  The insertion portion 102 includes a distal end portion main body 114 formed of a hard resin member in order from the distal end side, a bendable bending portion 116 located at the proximal end of the distal end portion main body 114, and a proximal end of the bending portion 116. Thus, a small-diameter, long, and flexible introduction portion 118 that reaches the distal end portion of the operation portion 104 is connected.

  The operation unit 104 performs an air supply / water supply operation for cleaning the window of the observation unit and the illumination unit provided in the tip body 114 and the angle knob 120 for bending the bending unit 116 in a desired direction. For this purpose, an air / water supply button 122 and a suction button 124 for performing a suction operation are provided.

  In addition, a treatment instrument insertion port 126 for inserting a treatment instrument such as forceps into a target site in the body cavity is provided on the side surface on the distal end side of the operation unit 104. The treatment instrument insertion port 126 is connected to a treatment instrument insertion channel (not shown) disposed in the insertion portion 102.

  2 is a perspective view showing configurations of the distal end main body 114 and the bending portion 116 of the ultrasonic endoscope 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a part of the distal end main body 114 of the ultrasonic endoscope. FIG.

  The bending portion 116 has a node ring structure in which a plurality of node rings 116a formed in a ring shape are connected in an axial direction. Inside the node ring 116a, a plurality of operation wires are disposed at predetermined intervals along the axial direction of the inner peripheral surface, and the proximal ends of the operation wires are rotated by the angle knob 120 of the operation unit 104. Connected to a pulley (not shown). Accordingly, when the angle knob 120 is operated to rotate the pulley, the operation wire is pulled and the bending portion 116 is bent in a desired direction.

  The distal end main body 114 is configured by connecting an ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 disposed on the distal end side and an endoscope observation mechanism 140 disposed on the proximal end side from the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130. An example of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 is an ultrasonic vibration inspection mechanism. The ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 includes an ultrasonic transducer 132 for inspecting the state of the body tissue. The ultrasonic transducer 132 has, for example, a convex configuration in which a large number of rectangular ultrasonic transducers that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves are arranged in a convex shape.

  A treatment instrument stand 142 is disposed at the center of the endoscope observation mechanism 140, and the treatment instrument stand 142 is accommodated in a concave-shaped stand support part 144. The treatment instrument stand 142 is for guiding the treatment instruments and changing the protruding direction thereof, and is supported by the stand support part 144 so as to be rotatable. A part of the bottom surface of the upright stand accommodating portion 144 serves as an opening and communicates with the treatment instrument insertion channel. The treatment instrument inserted from the treatment instrument insertion port 126 passes through the treatment instrument insertion channel, exits from the opening, and is led out in a predetermined direction by the treatment instrument stand 142. An operation wire is connected to the treatment instrument stand 142, and the treatment instrument stand 142 is rotated in the stand support section 144 by remotely operating the treatment section 104 and pulling the operation wire. The protruding direction of the equipment can be changed.

  In addition, the endoscope observation mechanism 140 includes one observation unit for obtaining an observation image and two illumination units (first and second illumination units) for illuminating the observation field of the observation unit. Has been. The plurality of illumination units are provided in order to reduce illumination unevenness. In this embodiment, the front end side end surfaces of the observation unit and the illumination unit are configured as surfaces of the observation window and the illumination window. Hereinafter, these configurations will be described.

  A first inclined surface 146 and a second inclined surface 148 are formed on both the left and right sides of the treatment instrument stand 142 as viewed from the distal end side in the axial direction of the distal end main body 114, and are directed obliquely upward at the distal end side. As shown in FIG. 2, an observation window 150, an air / water supply port 152, and a first illumination window 154 are arranged in order from the top on the first slope 146, and the second slope 148 has a second on the second slope 148. The illumination window 156 is provided.

  The observation window 150 is a window for obtaining an observation image, and the tip side surface thereof constitutes the tip side end surface of the observation part of the ultrasonic endoscope 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the observation unit of the ultrasonic endoscope 100 includes an observation window 150, an objective lens 158 arranged inside the observation window 150, and a solid-state imaging arranged at the imaging position of the objective lens 158. It has a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 160 as an element and an electric wiring 162 connected to the CCD 160. In this embodiment, the CCD 160 is used, but an image guide may be used instead. In this case, the image guide extends from the insertion unit 102 to the operation unit 104.

  The air / water supply port 152 is an opening of a nozzle that injects air or cleaning water to clean the observation window 150.

  The first illumination window 154 is a window that irradiates illumination light to the observation visual field of the observation unit, and the tip side surface thereof constitutes the tip side end surface of the first illumination unit of the ultrasonic endoscope 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the first illumination unit includes a first illumination window 154 and a light guide 164 made of an optical fiber bundle disposed inside the first illumination window 154. The light guide 164 is connected to the light source device through the operation unit 104 and the universal cord 106, and transmits illumination light from the light source device to the first illumination window 154.

  The second illumination window 156 is a window that irradiates illumination light to the observation visual field of the observation unit, and the tip side surface thereof constitutes the tip side end surface of the second illumination unit of the ultrasonic endoscope 100. In FIG. 3, the second illumination unit in the vicinity of the second illumination window 156 is indicated by a dotted line. The second illumination unit also has a light guide, and its configuration is the same as that of the first illumination unit, but the position where it is arranged is different.

  A configuration of a main part of the endoscope observation mechanism 140 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the first inclined surface 146 and the second inclined surface 148 have the same inclination angle, but the second inclined surface 148 is configured to protrude from the first inclined surface 146 in the distal direction. For this reason, the second illumination window 156 on the second slope 148 is positioned so as to protrude in the distal direction from the observation window 150 on the first slope 146.

  In addition, the observation window 150, the first illumination window 154, and the second illumination window 156 arranged on each slope all face obliquely upward on the distal end side and have substantially the same inclination with respect to the axial direction of the distal end main body 114. It is configured to have corners. Thereby, the observation direction of the observation unit and the direction of the illumination light from the first and second illumination units are also obliquely upward on the distal end side, and the observation visual field and the optical axis direction of the illumination light are substantially the same direction. Thus, in this embodiment, since the optical axis directions are aligned, illumination can be performed efficiently.

  Next, the relationship between the protrusion amount of the second illumination window 156 and the shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 will be described using a comparative example with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 generated according to the protruding amount of the second illumination window 156. In FIG. 4, the outer shape of the second illumination unit including the second illumination window 156 is indicated by a dotted line, and the illustration of the observation unit, the first illumination unit, and the like is omitted. In FIG. 4, the tangent A shows the case of this embodiment, and the tangent B shows the case of the comparative example.

  A part of the lower side of the illumination light emitted toward the distal end side from the second illumination window 156 is shielded by the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 disposed on the distal end side, and a shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 is generated. . The shadow area is a tangent line from the lower end of the second illumination window 156 to the outer surface of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130, and is a region below the tangent line on the distal end side of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130. In the present embodiment, the second illumination window 156 is on the second slope 148, and the tangent in this case is indicated as tangent A.

  Tangent line B is for the comparative example. Conventionally, all observation windows and illumination windows are often arranged on the same slope, and this is the case in the comparative example. In the comparative example, when the second illumination window 156 is moved in the optical axis direction and is on the slope at the same position as the first slope 146, in other words, the second slope 148 having the second illumination window 156 is the second slope 148. This is a case where it is located at the same position as the first slope 146. Therefore, the starting point of the tangent line B is on the first slope 146. Comparing the tangent line A and the tangent line B, it can be seen that the tangent line A is closer to the horizontal and the shadow area caused by the tangent line A is narrower than that produced by the tangent line B. That is, according to FIG. 4, the shadow area is narrower in the present embodiment than in the conventional case.

  Next, an observation image of the ultrasonic endoscope 100 will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an observation image of the ultrasonic endoscope 100 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an observation image of a conventional ultrasonic endoscope as a comparative example. Each of the ultrasonic endoscopes is configured so that a part of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism is reflected in the observation visual field so that the ultrasonic inspection part can be confirmed by the observation image. In FIG. 5, the shadow 170 is generated only in a very small area around the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 in the observation visual field in which the upper and lower ends of the circle are cut off. On the other hand, in FIG. 6, the shadow 20 is generated over a wide area around the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 10 in the observation visual field in which the upper and lower ends of the circle are excised. Comparing FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that the shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 in the observation visual field is greatly reduced in the present embodiment as compared with the conventional case.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the second illumination window 156 protrudes from the observation window 150 toward the distal end side, so that the shadow of the ultrasonic inspection mechanism 130 can be reduced. In the present embodiment, the second illumination window 156 having a slope different from that of the observation window 150 is projected. On the other hand, when the first illumination window 154 on the same slope as the observation window 150 is protruded, the observation window and the illumination window are close to each other, so that there is a high possibility that the illumination window becomes an obstacle to the observation visual field. In the present embodiment, this is avoided by forming two slopes.

  The shadow tends to decrease as the projection amount of the illumination window increases. However, if the projection amount is excessive, the illumination window enters the observation field. In order to avoid this, it is preferable to set the projection amount of the illumination window so that the illumination window does not enter the observation field of view. From this point, the upper limit of the projection amount is determined.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the second illumination window 156 protrudes from the observation window 150, but a configuration in which the first illumination window 154 protrudes from the observation window 150 may be employed. In that case, on the first inclined surface 146, a step may be provided between the observation window 150 forming portion and the first illumination window 154 forming portion, or only the tip of the first illumination window 154 is projected. May be.

  The present invention can be applied to an ultrasonic endoscope in which an ultrasonic inspection mechanism and an endoscope observation mechanism are provided on the distal end main body of the insertion portion.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the front-end | tip part main body and bending part of the ultrasonic endoscope concerning embodiment of this invention. It is the side view which cut | disconnected a part of front-end | tip part main body of the ultrasonic endoscope concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the protrusion amount of an illumination window, and the shadow of an ultrasonic inspection mechanism. It is a schematic diagram of the observation image of the ultrasonic endoscope according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of an observation image of a conventional ultrasonic endoscope.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic inspection mechanism 20 Shadow 100 Ultrasound endoscope 102 Insertion part 104 Operation part 106 Universal code 114 Tip part main body 116 Bending part 116a Node ring 118 Introduction part 120 Angle knob 122 Air supply / water supply button 124 Suction button 126 Treatment tool Insertion port 130 Ultrasonic inspection mechanism 132 Ultrasonic transducer 140 Endoscope observation mechanism 142 Treatment instrument stand 144 144 Stand support section 146 First slope 148 Second slope 150 Observation window 152 Air supply / water supply port 154 First Illumination window 156 Second illumination window 158 Objective lens 160 CCD
162 Electrical wiring 164 Light guide 170 Shadow

Claims (3)

An ultrasonic endoscope provided with an ultrasonic inspection mechanism on the distal end side of the distal end body disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion, and provided with an endoscope observation mechanism on the proximal end side from the ultrasonic inspection mechanism,
The endoscope observation mechanism is
A first slope facing obliquely upward at the front end side and a second slope different from the first slope are formed;
An observation unit for obtaining an observation image on the first slope ;
An illuminating unit for illuminating an observation field of view of the observation unit on the second inclined surface configured to protrude in the distal direction from the first inclined surface;
Distal end surface of the illumination portion provided at a distal end side end surface and the second inclined surface of the observation portion provided in the first inclined surface is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the distal end portion main body, the illumination unit An ultrasonic endoscope characterized in that the distal end surface of the projection protrudes in the distal direction from the distal end surface of the observation section.   The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein inclination angles of the distal end side end surface of the observation unit and the distal end side end surface of the illumination unit with respect to the axial direction of the distal end main body are substantially the same. Wherein such distal end surface of the illumination unit to the observation field of view from entering the ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that setting the projecting amount of the distal end surface of the illumination unit.

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