JP4827599B2 - Endoscope treatment instrument insertion channel - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope.

  In general, an insertion portion of an endoscope is provided with an insertion portion flexible tube and a bending portion connected to a distal end of the insertion portion flexible tube so as to be bent by remote operation. A treatment instrument insertion channel for inserting and removing the treatment instrument is inserted through the entire length of the internal space of the insertion portion flexible tube and the bending portion.

  The treatment instrument insertion channel has a portion near the distal end including the entire portion located in the bending portion so that the bending portion bent at a large angle with a small curvature radius as compared with the insertion portion flexible tube can be smoothly bent. It is more flexible than the rear part.

  However, if the flexible portion of the treatment instrument insertion channel is simply formed of a flexible tube, the bending portion of the treatment portion tends to collapse and buckle, and if the tube is made too thick, the optical fiber bundle Such other built-in components must have a small cross-sectional area, and the basic performance as an endoscope is significantly impaired.

  Therefore, conventionally, a spiral groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube constituting the treatment instrument insertion channel so that the treatment instrument insertion channel can be bent even with a small force. A metal coil having a spring property is wound around the bottom of the spiral groove so that the treatment instrument insertion channel does not buckle even if the portion is repeatedly bent (for example, Patent Document 1).

Further, the metal coil wound along the bottom of the spiral groove in the curved portion is extended rearward as it is, and the metal coil is wound over the entire length of the outer peripheral surface of the flexible tube where the spiral groove is not formed. There is also a thing (for example, patent document 2).
ACT 6-41701 Shokai 62-39706

  However, if the spiral groove is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the portion near the distal end of the flexible tube constituting the treatment instrument insertion channel and the metal coil is wound along the bottom, the insertion portion behind the curved portion is taken. When the flexible tube is bent with a small radius of curvature, the rear portion of the treatment instrument insertion channel around which the metal coil is not wound may be buckled.

  However, if the metal coil is wound around the outer periphery of the rear part of the flexible tube where the spiral groove is not formed, the outer diameter of the entire treatment instrument insertion channel becomes significantly large. The built-in component must have a small cross-sectional area, and the basic performance as an endoscope is significantly impaired.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a built-in object that is unlikely to bend due to bending in any part of the bending portion and the insertion portion flexible tube, and that the endoscope can exhibit sufficient performance without increasing the outer diameter over the entire length. It is an object of the present invention to provide a treatment instrument insertion channel for an endoscope.

  To achieve the above object, the endoscope treatment instrument insertion channel of the present invention is bent at the distal end of the insertion portion flexible tube constituting the insertion portion of the endoscope and the insertion portion flexible tube by remote control. The flexible portion closer to the distal end including the entire portion located in the bending portion is inserted and arranged to insert and remove the treatment instrument over the entire length of the internal space with the bending portion connected so that the bending portion is closer to the rear. An endoscope treatment instrument insertion channel configured to be more flexible than the flexible portion of the endoscope, and a flexible tube having a spiral groove formed on the outer periphery in the entire range located in the bending portion and the insertion portion flexible tube And a metal coil wound around the flexible tube along the bottom of the spiral groove, and a filler filled in the spiral groove, and the spiral groove of the flexible portion is provided with a first elastic filling The first groove is filled in the spiral groove of the flexible part. By filling the second filler, which is harder than the agent, the flexibility of the flexible portion is configured to be greater than the flexibility of the flexible portion, and the metal coil spirals at the boundary between the flexible portion and the flexible portion. It is wound twice along the bottom of the groove.

  Note that the metal coil is spiraled at the boundary between the flexible part and the flexible part, and the whole range coil continuously wound along the bottom of the spiral groove over the whole range located in the bending part and the insertion part flexible tube. You may be comprised by the boundary part coil wound in parallel with the full range coil along the bottom part of the groove | channel.

  Alternatively, the metal coil is formed of a front coil wound around the spiral groove in the flexible portion and a rear coil wound around the spiral groove in the flexible portion, and at the boundary between the flexible portion and the flexible portion, The front coil and the rear coil may be wound in parallel along the bottom of the spiral groove.

  Then, the hardness of the filler filled in the spiral groove may gradually change at the boundary between the flexible part and the flexible part, and in that case, the boundary part between the flexible part and the flexible part In, the fillers of both the first filler and the second filler may be filled by gradually changing the ratio.

  Further, in the rear portion of the portion located in the insertion portion flexible tube, the flexible tube may not be formed with a spiral groove, and in this case, the outer periphery of the portion where the spiral groove is not formed is also metal. A coil may be wound.

  According to the present invention, the spiral groove formed on the outer periphery of the flexible tube in the entire range located in the bending portion and the insertion portion flexible tube is filled with the first filler in the flexible portion near the tip, The flexible part closer to the rear is filled with the second filler harder than the first filler, and the metal coil is doubled along the bottom of the spiral groove at the boundary between the flexible part and the flexible part. By being wound, buckling due to bending is unlikely to occur in the treatment instrument insertion channel in any part of the bending section and the insertion section flexible tube, and the inner diameter of the treatment instrument insertion channel is not increased over the entire length. A built-in object that allows the endoscope to perform sufficiently can be arranged.

  A treatment instrument is formed over the entire length of the internal space of the insertion portion flexible tube constituting the insertion portion of the endoscope and the bending portion connected to the distal end of the insertion portion flexible tube so as to be remotely operated. An endoscope treatment instrument insertion channel in which a flexible portion closer to the distal end including an entire portion located in the bending portion is configured to be inserted and removed, and has a greater flexibility than a flexible portion closer to the rear than that. A flexible tube having a spiral groove formed on the outer periphery in the entire range located in the bending portion and the insertion portion flexible tube, and a metal coil wound around the flexible tube along the bottom of the spiral groove; A filler filled in the spiral groove is provided, the spiral groove of the flexible portion is filled with the first elastic filler, and the spiral groove of the flexible portion is harder than the first filler. The flexibility of the flexible part by being filled with the second filler With greater than the flexibility of the flexible portion constituted, metal coil at the boundary portion between the flexible portion and the flexible portion is wound doubly along the bottom of the spiral groove.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 shows the overall configuration of the endoscope. The bending portion 2 connected to the distal end of the insertion portion flexible tube 1 that is freely bent by an external force is connected to the proximal end of the insertion portion flexible tube 1. By remote operation from the operation unit 4, it can be bent at an arbitrary angle in an arbitrary direction with a small radius of curvature as indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  A distal end portion body 3 in which an observation window, an illumination window, and the like are arranged is connected to the distal end of the bending portion 2, and the insertion portion S is configured by the insertion portion flexible tube 1, the bending portion 2, and the distal end portion body 3. A treatment instrument insertion channel 6 for inserting and removing the treatment instrument is inserted and disposed across the entire length of the bending portion 2 and the insertion portion flexible tube 1. The treatment instrument insertion port 6b is disposed in the lower half of the operation unit 4 close to the connection portion with the insertion unit flexible tube 1, and the treatment instrument protrusion 6a is disposed in the distal end portion body 3.

  In addition to the bending portion operation knob 5 for bending the bending portion 2, the operation portion 4 includes a suction operation valve 7, an air / water supply operation valve 8, and the like. The channel 6 communicates with the channel 6 through the suction communication tube 9 in the operation unit 4.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 that is inserted and arranged over the entire length of the bending portion 2 and the insertion portion flexible tube 1 and whose rear end portion reaches the operation portion 4 includes the insertion portion 1, The portion closer to the tip, including the entire portion located in the bending portion 2, from the second and third most distal portions (that is, the tip position of the tip portion main body 3) to the range of, for example, about 50 cm, is the flexible portion 6A and the rear side thereof. The closer portion is a flexible portion 6B having lower flexibility than the flexible portion 6A, and the flexibility gradually changes in the range of several mm to several cm of the boundary region between the flexible portion 6A and the flexible portion 6B. It is a boundary portion 6AB. Further, the portion of the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 that is located in the anti-folding 10 and the portion that is located in the operation portion 4 that is the boundary portion between the insertion portions 1, 2, 3 and the operation portion 4 is a hard portion 6 C. Yes.

FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration of the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows an enlarged vicinity of the boundary portion 6AB.
60 is a flexible tube with good sliding property such as a tetrafluoroethylene resin tube, for example, a flexible portion 6A, a boundary portion 6AB and a flexible portion located in the bending portion 2 and the insertion portion flexible tube 1. In the entire range of 6B, the spiral groove 160 is formed in the outer periphery of the flexible tube 60, and as a result, the very flexible characteristic is acquired. The spiral groove 160 is not formed in the hard part 6C, and the part has very little flexibility.

  The spiral groove 160 may be formed by thermoforming at the same time when the flexible tube 60 is extruded, or by forming a spiral groove by machining on the outer periphery of a tube that is extruded into a simple tube. Also good. Alternatively, a partial region of the entire spiral groove 160 may be formed by extrusion, and the remaining region may be formed by machining.

  Then, over the entire range of the flexible portion 6A, the boundary portion 6AB, and the flexible portion 6B, a single metal full-range coil 61 having a spring property, such as a stainless steel wire for a spring, extends along the bottom of the spiral groove 160. Thus, the outer diameter of the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 has a characteristic that the flexible tube 60 does not buckle even when the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 is bent with a small radius of curvature. Can be obtained without making it thicker. In this embodiment, the entire range coil 61 is not wound around the hard portion 6C.

  The spiral groove 160 is filled with an elastic soft first filler 63 in the area of the flexible part 6A, and a second harder than the first filler 63 in the area of the flexible part 6B. The filler 64 is filled, and thereby, a characteristic that the flexibility is greatly different between the flexible portion 6A and the flexible portion 6B of the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 is obtained.

  In addition, by filling the helical grooves 160 with the fillers 63 and 64, the effect of preventing the flexible tube 60 from buckling and preventing the full-range coil 61 from coming off from the helical groove 160 is also obtained. As the fillers 63 and 64, for example, silicon-based, urethane-based, fluorine-based, or polyester-based materials can be used.

  In the boundary portion 6AB, the fillers of both the first filler 63 and the second filler 64 are filled in the spiral groove 160 with gradually changing ratios. The flexibility does not change abruptly between the flexible part 6A and the flexible part 6B, and gradually becomes flexible from the flexible part 6B side to the flexible part 6A side, and the flexible tube 60 is formed at the boundary part 6AB. Prevents the characteristic from being easily broken.

  In this embodiment, the thickness of each of the first filler 63 and the second filler 64 is gradually changed in the spiral groove 160. However, the first filler 63 and the second filler 64 are different from each other. In the case of similar fillers, the first filler 63 and the second filler 64 may be mixed in the spiral groove 160 and the mixing ratio may be gradually changed.

  In the range of the boundary portion 6AB, a single metal boundary portion coil 161 having a spring property made of, for example, a stainless steel wire for a spring, which is different from the entire range coil 61, extends along the bottom of the spiral groove 160. The flexible tube 60 is wound around the flexible tube 60 in parallel with the full-range coil 61, thereby preventing the flexible tube 60 from being suddenly bent and easily broken at the boundary portion 6AB.

  With such a configuration, the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 of the present invention is unlikely to buckle due to bending in any part of the bending portion 2 and the insertion portion flexible tube 1, and the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 over the entire length. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the outer diameter of the inner portion of the bending portion 2 and the insertion portion flexible tube 1.

  5 and 6 show a specific configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention, in which a metal coil is wound continuously around the spiral groove 160 across the flexible portion 6A and the boundary portion 6AB. 66, and a rear coil 67 continuously wound around the spiral groove 160 across the flexible portion 6B and the boundary portion 6AB. As a result, in the boundary portion 6AB, the front side coil 66 and the rear side coil 67 Are wound around the flexible tube 60 along the bottom of the spiral groove 160 in parallel.

  Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted. Even with such a configuration, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. A configuration may be adopted in which one metal coil is continuously wound over the entire length of the spiral groove 160 so as to be double-wound by the boundary portion 6AB.

  The rigid portion 6C of the treatment instrument insertion channel 6 may have any configuration in the present invention. For example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the first and second embodiments described above. The metal coil 68 may be wound around the outer periphery of the hard portion 6C formed in a simple tubular shape, or although not shown, the spiral groove 160 is formed in the hard portion 6C continuously from the flexible portion 6B. A metal coil may be wound along the bottom.

It is a partial expanded side surface fragmentary sectional view of the treatment tool penetration channel of the endoscope of the 1st example of the present invention. It is side surface partial sectional drawing of the treatment tool penetration channel of the endoscope of 1st Example of this invention. 1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an overall schematic view of a treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side surface fragmentary sectional view of the treatment tool penetration channel of the endoscope of the 2nd example of the present invention. It is a partial expanded side surface fragmentary sectional view of the treatment tool penetration channel of the endoscope of the 2nd example of the present invention. It is side surface fragmentary sectional view of the treatment tool penetration channel of the endoscope of the 3rd Example of the present invention. It is a side surface fragmentary sectional view of the treatment tool penetration channel of the endoscope of the 4th example of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Insertion section flexible tube (insertion section)
2 Curved part (insertion part)
4 operation part 6 treatment instrument insertion channel 6A flexible part 6B flexible part 6AB boundary part 6C hard part 60 flexible tube 61 full range coil (metal coil)
63 First filler 64 Second filler 66 Lead coil (metal coil)
67 Rear coil (metal coil)
68 Metal coil 160 Spiral groove 161 Boundary coil (metal coil)

Claims (5)

A treatment instrument is formed over the entire length of the internal space of the insertion portion flexible tube constituting the insertion portion of the endoscope and the bending portion connected to the distal end of the insertion portion flexible tube so as to be remotely operated. Endoscopic treatment instrument insertion channel in which a flexible portion closer to the distal end including the entire portion located in the bending portion is configured to be inserted / removed so as to be more flexible than a flexible portion closer to the rear side. Because
A flexible tube having a spiral groove formed on the outer periphery in the entire range located in the bending portion and the insertion portion flexible tube, and a metal coil wound around the flexible tube along the bottom of the spiral groove; And a filler filled in the spiral groove,
The spiral groove of the flexible part is filled with an elastic first filler, and the spiral groove of the flexible part is filled with a second filler harder than the first filler. As a result, the flexibility of the flexible part is configured to be greater than the flexibility of the flexible part,
One full range coil in which the metal coil is continuously wound along the bottom of the spiral groove over the entire range located in the bending portion and the insertion portion flexible tube, the flexible portion, and the flexible portion Endoscope treatment characterized by comprising only one boundary coil wound in parallel with the same diameter as the entire range coil along the bottom of the spiral groove only at the boundary with the coil Instrument insertion channel. In the boundary portion between the flexible portion and the flexible portion, the treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope according to claim 1 Symbol placement hardness of the filler filled in the helical groove gradually changes . The internal view according to claim 2 , wherein both the first filler and the second filler are gradually changed in ratio at the boundary between the flexible portion and the flexible portion. Mirror treatment tool insertion channel. The treatment instrument insertion of the endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the spiral groove is not formed in the flexible tube at a portion rearward of a portion located in the insertion portion flexible tube. Channel. The endoscope treatment instrument insertion channel according to claim 4, wherein a metal coil is wound around an outer periphery of a portion where the spiral groove is not formed.

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