JP6620279B2 - Equipment for intrauterine injection of livestock - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an intrauterine injection device used for fertilized egg transplantation (embryo transplantation) or artificial insemination for domestic animals such as pigs.

  Conventionally, embryo transfer and artificial insemination have been performed for the purpose of efficiently producing livestock having excellent genetic traits. Among domestic animals, pigs have long horns and meanders, so the structure of the genital organs is anatomically complex, and there are many unexplained parts in reproductive physiology. For this reason, conventionally, pig embryo transfer is not a non-surgical technique via the cervix, but a surgical technique in which a laparotomy is performed and a fertilized egg is transplanted into the genital organ of a female livestock is widely used. In embryo transfer using a surgical technique, a fertilized egg is generally transplanted to the deep part (tip) of the uterine horn. Therefore, in embryo transfer using a non-surgical technique via the cervix, the uterus is similarly transferred. A method of injecting a fertilized egg into a deep part is used (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

US2002 / 0072650 Publication JP 2008-206881 A

In any of the methods described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a fertilized egg is injected into the deep part of the uterine horn of a pig. For this reason, in order to inject fertilized eggs into the deep part of the uterine horn, the devices described in these documents fix the tip of the outer catheter inserted from the vaginal opening between the cervix and the uterine horn, and from there It has a configuration in which the inner catheter protrudes to the deep part of the uterine horn. In this way, embryo transfer to pigs has traditionally aimed to inject fertilized eggs deep into the uterine horn, so the burden on pigs undergoing embryo transfer, etc. is high, and the technology is also high for the user of the instrument Was requested.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an intrauterine injection device that can be easily used with little burden on livestock, particularly pigs.

The intrauterine injection device for livestock of the present invention has the following configuration in order to reduce the burden on livestock in embryo transfer and artificial insemination using a non-surgical method via the cervical canal.
[1] In a domestic animal intrauterine injection device that includes an outer catheter and an inner catheter and supplies a fertilized egg to the shallow part of a pig's uterus , a winding spring is bonded to the inner surface of the outer catheter A cap having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the distal end portion of the flexible body , the inner catheter being inserted inside the winding spring in a state in which the inner catheter is movable in the extending direction of the winding spring , Provided at the distal end portion of the inner catheter, the cap is locked to the distal end portion of the flexible body, whereby movement of the inner catheter toward the proximal end portion is regulated, and the cap is flexible. The length L that can protrude from the tip of the body is 15 cm or less, and the inner catheter has an outer diameter of 1.5 to 2.3 mm, a wall thickness of 0.2 to 0.5 mm, and an inner diameter of 0.8 to 1. .6mm soft salt Characterized in that it is a vinyl or silicone rubber, intrauterine injection instrument livestock.
[2] The intrauterine injection device for livestock according to [1], wherein the winding spring is a tightly wound spring.
[3] The winding spring has a protruding portion protruding from the distal end portion of the outer catheter, and the protruding portion is covered with a cylindrical flexible body softer than the outer catheter. The intrauterine injection device for livestock according to [1] or [2], wherein the flexible body includes a spiral ridge formed on the outer surface.

[4] In a state where the cap is locked to the distal end portion of the flexible body, a locking portion is provided on the inner catheter positioned outside the outer catheter, and the locking portion is the outer catheter. The device for intrauterine injection of livestock according to [1] , wherein the movement of the inner catheter in the direction of the distal end portion is restricted by being locked to the proximal end portion.
[5] The locking portion is configured to be able to change the position of the inner catheter.
[4] The intrauterine injection device for livestock according to [4] .

[6] The intrauterine injection device for livestock according to any one of [1] to [5] , wherein the livestock is a pig .

  The intrauterine injection device for livestock of the present invention can strengthen the outer catheter and reduce its outer diameter by adhering a winding spring to the inner surface. With the configuration in which the outer diameter of the outer catheter is reduced, it is possible to reduce the burden on livestock when injecting fertilized eggs into the uterus. In addition, since the livestock is reduced by reducing the burden, it is difficult to damage the uterus and the instrument can be used easily. For this reason, it becomes possible to smoothly perform fertilized egg transplantation and artificial insemination even for pigs having a complicated uterine structure.

The front view which shows roughly the whole structure of the intrauterine injection device of the domestic animal which concerns on embodiment of this invention (a) The cap is latched by the front-end | tip part of a flexible body, and the movement to the base end part direction of an inner side catheter is carried out (B) State where the locking portion is locked to the proximal end portion of the outer catheter, and movement of the inner catheter toward the distal end portion is restricted. Sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the part A enclosed with the dashed-dotted line in Fig.1 (a) along the X-axis direction center line in XY plane Sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the part B enclosed with the dashed-dotted line in Fig.1 (a) by the XY plane along the centerline of a X-axis direction (a) The state in which the cap was latched by the front-end | tip part of a flexible body, (b ) The cap protrudes from the tip of the flexible body Sectional drawing which cut | disconnected by XY plane along the centerline of the X-axis direction which shows other embodiment of the part A enclosed with the dashed-dotted line in Fig.1 (a)

  An embodiment for implementing the present invention as an intrauterine injection device for livestock (hereinafter referred to as “intrauterine injection device” as appropriate) will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same number is attached | subjected to the same member and description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the overall configuration of a livestock intrauterine injection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) shows a cap 23 locked to a distal end portion 21S of a flexible body 21. FIG. The movement of the inner catheter 12 in the direction of the proximal end portion 12K is restricted, and (b) shows that the locking portion 31 is locked to the proximal end portion 11K of the outer catheter 11, thereby A state in which movement of the catheter 12 in the direction of the distal end portion 12S is restricted is shown.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a portion A surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a portion B surrounded by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 1A. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the cap 23 is locked to the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21, FIG. 3B shows a state where the cap 23 protrudes from the distal end portion 21 </ b> S of the flexible body 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the intrauterine injection device 1 includes an outer catheter 11 and an inner catheter 12, and a winding spring 13 is bonded to an inner surface 11 </ b> P of the outer catheter 11. The inner catheter 12 is inserted inside the winding spring 13 in the outer catheter 11 in a state in which the inner catheter 12 can move in the extending direction (X-axis direction) of the winding spring.

  The winding spring 13 bonded to the inner side surface 11P of the outer catheter 11 has a protruding portion 13T protruding from the distal end portion 11S of the outer catheter 11. The protruding portion 13T is covered with a cylindrical flexible body 21 that is softer than the outer catheter 11. With this configuration, the protruding portion 13T covered with the flexible body 21 deforms more flexibly than the portion of the winding spring 13 adhered to the outer catheter 11. In this way, by adopting a configuration in which the distal end side of the intrauterine injection device 1 is deformed more flexibly, insertion into the uterus can be facilitated. In addition, the flexible body 21 includes a spiral ridge 22 on the outer surface. With this configuration, insertion into the uterus can be facilitated. From the viewpoint of facilitating insertion, the length of the flexible body 21 is preferably 25 to 100 mm, and more preferably 40 to 80 mm.

  A portion of the flexible body 21 that covers the protruding portion 13T of the winding spring 13 is directly bonded to the surface of the protruding portion 13T. A cap 23 is accommodated in a portion that is not bonded to the protruding portion 13T on the distal end portion 21S side of the flexible body 21 so as to be movable in the X direction. A portion of the flexible body 21 that is not bonded to the protruding portion 13T on the side opposite to the distal end portion 21S covers the winding spring 13 via the outer catheter 11.

  The flexible body 21 has a spiral ridge 22 formed on the outer surface thereof so as to be fitted to the inner surface of the cervix. By providing the spiral ridge 22 on the outer surface, the flexible body 21 can be stably inserted into a predetermined position between the cervix and the uterine horn after the insertion while smoothly inserting into the cervix. Can be held in.

  The flexible body 21 reduces the burden on livestock when the intrauterine injection device 1 is inserted, and is fixed at a predetermined position after being inserted into the livestock. For this reason, it is softer than the outer catheter 11 and has a larger outer diameter than the outer catheter 11. Examples of the material constituting the flexible body 21 include silicone rubber, vinyl chloride resin, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, synthetic rubber such as polycarbonate, natural rubber, and the like. From the viewpoint of facilitating insertion into livestock, the outer diameter of the flexible body 21 is preferably 5 to 12 mm, more preferably 7 to 10 mm, in the thick portion where the protruding portion 22 is provided. In the thin part which is not carried out, 3-10 mm is preferable and 5-8 mm is more preferable.

  A hollow cap 23 is provided at the distal end portion 12S of the inner catheter 12. The tip 23S of the cap 23 is formed in a spherical shape and contributes to smooth insertion. A hole 23H is provided in the cylindrical portion of the cap 23. With the inner catheter 12 protruding from the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21 (see FIG. 3 (b)), a fertilized egg, an artificial insemination sperm, or the like passes from the hole 23H of the cap 23 into the uterine horn of the livestock uterus. It is injected into the shallow part.

  The outer diameter D23 of the cap 23 in the Y-axis direction is larger than the inner diameter D21 of the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21 in the Y-axis direction. For this reason, when the cap 23 is locked to the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21, the movement in the proximal end portion 12K direction is restricted, and the inner catheter 12 does not move in the proximal end portion 12K direction. In a state where the cap 23 is locked to the distal end portion 21 </ b> S of the flexible body 21, the inner catheter 12 is housed inside the outer catheter 11 and the flexible body 21. By inserting the inner catheter 12 in the housed state, the intrauterine injection device 1 can be smoothly inserted into livestock.

  In a state where the cap 23 is locked to the distal end portion 21 </ b> S of the flexible body 21, a locking portion 31 is provided on the exposed portion 12 </ b> R of the inner catheter 12 positioned outside the outer catheter. As shown in FIG. 1B, when the locking portion 31 is locked to the proximal end portion 11K of the outer catheter 11, movement in the distal end portion 12S direction is restricted, and the inner catheter 12 is moved toward the distal end portion 12S. It will not move in the direction.

  The distance that the inner catheter 12 can move in the outer catheter 11 is the length L of the inner catheter 12 from the proximal end portion 11K of the outer catheter 11 to the locking portion 31 in the state shown in FIG. As the inner catheter 12 moves in the outer catheter 11, the cap 23 provided at the distal end portion 12 </ b> S of the inner catheter 12 protrudes from the distal end portion 21 </ b> S of the flexible body 21. Therefore, the length L from the proximal end portion 11K of the outer catheter 11 shown in FIG. 1A to the locking portion 31 is such that the cap 23 shown in FIG. 1B protrudes from the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21. Equal to the length L of

  The intrauterine injection device 1 is a fertilized egg in the shallow part of the uterus of the livestock, in addition to reducing the outer diameter of the outer catheter 11 in order to reduce the burden on the livestock to which the fertilized egg or the like is injected and the device user. Etc. are injected. For this reason, the length L by which the cap 23 can protrude from the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21 is shortened. From the viewpoint of reducing the burden on livestock and equipment users, the length L is preferably 30 cm or less, more preferably 15 cm or less, and even more preferably 10 cm or less.

  The locking part 31 may be configured to be able to change the position of the inner catheter 12 in the exposed part 12R. If the position of the locking portion 31 can be changed, for example, the length L at which the cap 23 protrudes from the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21 can be adjusted according to the situation of each livestock.

  A grip 32 is provided at the proximal end portion 11 </ b> K of the outer catheter 11. The grip 32 is used as a handle of the user of the intrauterine injection device 1 and is formed of, for example, a resin. Further, a guide 33 is provided around the proximal end portion 12K of the inner catheter 12. The guide 33 facilitates injection of a fertilized egg or sperm into the inner catheter 12.

  The guide 33 communicates with the proximal end portion 12K of the inner catheter 12, and is configured to be opened and closed by a lid 34 whose opening is removable. 1A and 1B show a state in which the lid 34 is removed from the guide 33. FIG. The grip 32 is fixed to the outer catheter 11, and the guide 33 is fixed to the inner catheter 12 and interlocks with the inner catheter 12. For this reason, the position of the inner catheter 12 in the outer catheter 11 is changed by changing the distance between the grip 32 and the guide 33, and the inner catheter is changed from the flexible body 21 provided at the distal end portion 11 </ b> S of the outer catheter 11. 12 can be taken in and out.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the inner catheter 12 is pushed into the outer catheter 11 in the direction indicated by the white arrow in FIG. By the operation, the inner catheter 12 advances toward the distal end portion 11S side of the outer catheter 11, and the distal end portion 12S of the inner catheter 12 protrudes from the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21.

  The intrauterine injection device 1 controls the position of the cap 23 protruding from the flexible body 21 by moving the inner catheter 12 in the outer catheter 11 back and forth using the grip 32 and the guide 33. For this reason, the inner catheter 12 may have a hardness that can transmit the operation applied to the exposed portion 12 </ b> R to the cap 23.

  Conventional instruments increase the elasticity of the inner catheter 12 in order to reach the deep part of the uterine horn. On the other hand, in this case, in order to reduce the outer diameter of the outer catheter 11, the winding spring 13 is bonded to the inner surface 11P of the outer catheter 11. With this configuration, the outer diameter can be reduced and sufficient elasticity and flexibility can be imparted to the outer catheter 11. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce the burden of livestock when inserting the intrauterine injection device 1 into the genital organ of livestock. In addition, by reducing the burden on livestock, even an operator with low skill can easily use the instrument.

The outer catheter 11 is made of resin. Examples of the resin include synthetic resins such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, vinyl chloride resin, tetrafluoroethylene resin, and polyolefin resin (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.).
For example, the outer catheter 11 can have an outer diameter of about 4 to 7 mm, a wall thickness of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm, an inner diameter of about 3.5 to 6.8 mm, and a length of about 600 to 1000 mm. . Since the movements of the outer catheter 11 and the winding spring 13 are mutually restricted by the winding spring 13 bonded to the inner surface 11P of the outer catheter 11, the outer catheter 11 is given sufficient strength while having elasticity. be able to. Therefore, the outer diameter of the outer catheter 11 can be reduced.

  Examples of the resin constituting the inner catheter 12 include natural rubber, synthetic rubber, vinyl chloride resin, tetrafluoroethylene resin, and synthetic resin such as polyolefin resin (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.). The inner catheter 12 is for injecting a fertilized egg or the like into the shallow part of the uterine horn. For this reason, it is not necessary to make the cap 23 reach far from the distal end portion 21S of the flexible body 21. Therefore, the inner catheter 12 can be configured using a soft material such as soft vinyl chloride or silicone rubber, and the outer diameter can be reduced. Thus, the burden on livestock can be reduced by configuring the inner catheter 12 with a soft material and reducing the outer diameter.

In order to protrude the cap 23 connected to the distal end portion 12S to the shallow portion of the uterus, the inner catheter 12 moves in the winding spring 13 of the outer catheter 11. From the viewpoint of facilitating this movement, the inner catheter 12 and the winding spring 13 may be configured using a combination of materials having low frictional resistance. In addition, since the outer catheter 11 does not contact the inner catheter 12 directly, it is not necessary to use a material that has a small frictional resistance with the inner catheter 12 and has good sliding properties.
For example, the inner catheter 12 has an outer diameter of about 1.5 to 2.3 mm, a thickness of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm, an inner diameter of about 0.8 to 1.6 mm, and a length of about 760 to 1160 mm. Can be used.

  The winding spring 13 is intended to give elasticity to the outer catheter 11 instead of the inner catheter 12. For this reason, as shown in the enlarged view of the part shown with the dashed-dotted line of FIG. 2, it is adhere | attached not on the outer surface of the inner catheter 12, but on the inner surface 11P of the outer catheter 11. FIG.

  As the winding spring 13, one having an inner diameter equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the inner catheter 12 and an outer diameter comparable to the inner diameter of the outer catheter 11 is used. The linear body such as a wire constituting the winding spring 13 preferably has a rectangular cross section in order to strengthen the outer catheter 11 and to configure its outer diameter as small as possible.

  As a preferable combination of the shapes of the outer catheter 11, the inner catheter 12, and the winding spring 13, for example, the outer diameter of the outer catheter 11 is 5.5 mm, the inner diameter is 3.6 mm, the wall thickness is 0.9 mm, and the outer diameter of the inner catheter 12 is 1. 9 mm, an inner diameter of 1.2 mm, a thickness of 0.35 mm, an outer diameter of the winding spring 13 of 3.4 mm, an inner diameter of 2.4 mm, and a thickness of 0.5 mm. The difference between the inner diameter of the winding spring 13 and the outer diameter of the inner catheter 12 is preferably about 0.01 to 0.1 mm.

  Examples of the material constituting the winding spring 13 include metals and plastics (resins). In order to improve the strength of the outer catheter 11 and reduce the outer diameter, metals such as stainless steel are preferable. Moreover, you may use the metal by which the antirust process was given to the surface.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the XY plane along the center line in the X-axis direction, showing another embodiment of the portion A in FIG. As shown in the figure, instead of the winding spring 13, a winding spring 14 is used, which has a gap between adjacent linear bodies (wires) constituting the coil and is configured to be compressible in the coil extension direction. May be.
However, from the viewpoint of increasing the elasticity of the outer catheter 11, the adjacent linear members constituting the coil are in contact with each other and cannot be compressed in the extending direction (a close-up spring, a tension spring). ) Is preferred (see FIG. 2).

  As described above, in the intrauterine injection device 1 of the present invention, the outer diameter of the outer catheter 11 is small, and the length of the inner catheter 12 fed out from the flexible body 21 fixed in the uterus of livestock is short. For this reason, by using the intrauterine injection device 1, the burden on livestock can be reduced, and the user of the device can also perform fertilized egg transplantation and artificial insemination more easily than before. The intrauterine injection device 1 is particularly suitable for pigs having a complicated uterine shape.

<Pig fertilized egg transplant method>
The present invention can be implemented as a method for transplanting a fertilized egg in a pig, in which the fertilized egg is supplied to the shallow part of the uterus of the pig. The intrauterine injection device 1 described above is placed in the uterus of a pig. Specifically, the inner catheter 12 is moved in the direction of the distal end portion 12S while the flexible body 21 is fixed between the cervix and the uterine horn of the pig. The fertilized egg is supplied from the inner catheter 12 to the shallow part of the uterus of the pig.

  By supplying fertilized eggs to the “shallow part” instead of the “deep part” of the uterine horn of the pig, which was the conventional common sense, the burden on the pig is reduced and the user also carries out the fertilized egg transplantation easily. be able to. In the present invention, the “shallow part” of the uterus refers to a part where the distance from the cervix of the pig is ¼ or less of the distance to the farthest part of the uterine horn.

  When a fertilized egg was transplanted to a pig using the intrauterine injection device 1 having an outer diameter of 5.5 mm of the outer catheter 11 and a movable length L5.5 cm of the inner catheter 12, four of five subjects succeeded. The success rate was 80%.

1: Intrauterine injection device 11: Outer catheter 11K: Proximal end portion 11P: Inner side surface 11S: Front end portion 12: Inner catheter 12K: Proximal end portion 12R: Exposed portion 12S: Distal portion 13: Winding spring 13T: Protruding portion 14: Winding spring 21: flexible body 21S: tip portion 22: ridge portion 23: cap 23H: hole 23S: tip portion 31: locking portion 32: grip 33: guide 34: lid A, B: portion D21: inner diameter D23: Outer diameter L: Length

Claims (6)

In an intrauterine infusion device for livestock, comprising an outer catheter and an inner catheter, and supplying fertilized eggs to the shallow part of the uterus,
A winding spring is bonded to the inner surface of the outer catheter;
The inner catheter is inserted inside the winding spring in a state in which the inner catheter is movable in the extending direction of the winding spring ;
A cap having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the distal end portion of the flexible body is provided at the distal end portion of the inner catheter;
When the cap is locked to the distal end of the flexible body, movement of the inner catheter toward the proximal end is restricted,
The length L by which the cap can protrude from the tip of the flexible body is 15 cm or less,
The inner catheter is soft vinyl chloride or silicone rubber having an outer diameter of 1.5 to 2.3 mm, a wall thickness of 0.2 to 0.5 mm, and an inner diameter of 0.8 to 1.6 mm ,
Equipment for intrauterine injection of livestock. The winding spring is a tightly wound spring;
The intrauterine injection device for livestock according to claim 1. The winding spring has a protrusion protruding from the distal end of the outer catheter;
The protrusion is covered with a cylindrical flexible body softer than the outer catheter;
The flexible body includes a spiral ridge formed on the outer surface.
The device for intrauterine injection of livestock according to claim 1 or 2. In a state where the cap is locked to the distal end portion of the flexible body, a locking portion is provided on the inner catheter positioned outside the outer catheter,
Movement of the inner catheter toward the distal end is restricted by the engagement of the engagement portion with the proximal end portion of the outer catheter.
The intrauterine injection device for livestock according to claim 1 . The locking portion is configured to be able to change the position in the inner catheter,
The device for intrauterine injection of domestic animals according to claim 4 . The livestock is a pig,
The device for intrauterine injection of livestock according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .