JPH0346134B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Purpose of the Invention a. Field of Industrial Application The present invention is a mantle tube for a fiberscope, that is, a method for observing, for example, the inside of a hollow organ of a human body or an animal, or the inside of a drainage pipe in various fields, using a fiberscope. When inspecting
This invention relates to a mantle tube that is used in conjunction with a fiberscope.

b. Prior Art The basic structure of a fiberscope is that a fiber bundle for image guide is installed in the center of the interior, a fiber bundle for light guide is installed on the side of the fiber bundle, and an objective lens is provided at the tip of the former. The outer tube for this fiberscope is generally a simple metal tube with openings at both ends.

When using a fiberscope to look inside a hollow organ of a human body or animal, for example, if the inner wall of the hollow organ is in close contact with the inner wall of the hollow organ, the tip of the fiberscope inserted through the mantle may be damaged. It is blocked by an inner wall. Therefore, the light from the fiberscope does not reach the observation/inspection site on the inner wall, and the objective lens is also blocked, making it impossible to see inside. Conventionally, the interior of the hollow organ is emptied in advance, air is pumped in, and the cavity is inflated around the observation/examination site, thereby illuminating the site with light from the fiberscope and blocking the reflected light. It is received by an objective lens and can be viewed internally.

In addition, especially in the case of endoscopy of blood vessel lumens, since blood that lacks transparency flows within the blood vessels, the light from the fiberscope does not sufficiently reach the observation/examination site on the inner wall, and the light reflected from there is It does not enter the objective lens. Therefore, in the past, blood-blocking balloons were installed before and after the observation/examination site, and by drawing out the blood between them to form a void, the light from the fiberscope was removed in the same way as described above. The object is illuminated by a lens, and an objective lens is used to receive the light.

Furthermore, when inspecting the inside of a drainage pipe, for example, opaque wastewater poses an obstacle, so conventionally the flow of wastewater is stopped in advance to empty the interior, and then a fiberscope is inserted to inspect the interior.

Therefore, recently, a balloon catheter has been proposed for use in blood vessel endoscopes, which has a balloon part made of a transparent elastic material near the distal end and has packing at the proximal part of the catheter (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-188421).

c Problems to be Solved by the Invention When observing and inspecting the inside of a hollow organ or drainage pipe using a fiberscope, it is impossible to see inside as it is as described above, so it is necessary to make a space in advance around the area to be observed or inspected. must be formed.

However, the preparation work is complicated and time-consuming, and requires complicated operations using special equipment. Moreover, even with such preliminary preparations, the scope for internal viewing is limited to the space created at that time.
There was also the problem that if you wanted to look inside other parts, you would have to create a new cavity.

Therefore, the above-mentioned balloon catheter for angioscopy was proposed, but in this balloon catheter, when the fiberscope is pulled out from inside the catheter section for exchange or other purposes, the balloon section shrinks.
It will be necessary to inflate the balloon part again.
In addition, if the balloon needs to be further inflated or slightly deflated due to changing the observation/examination site, it is necessary to pull out the fiberscope from inside the catheter before injecting and expelling fluid to expand the balloon. The problem remains that it cannot be expanded or contracted.

The present invention attempts to solve the above-mentioned problems when using a fiberscope. That is, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the trouble of emptying the interior in advance and supplying air to form a cavity, unlike the conventional method, although it has a simple configuration when viewing the inside of a hollow organ or a drainage pipe using a fiberscope. The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the need for complicated operations using special instruments, and to make it possible to easily move the range that can be viewed internally, so that observation and inspection can be performed easily and quickly. Moreover, when the fiberscope is pulled out from inside the tube for replacement or other purposes, unlike the conventional balloon catheter mentioned above, the balloon does not deflate, and the fiberscope can be replaced and endoscopy can be continued, and the balloon can be further inflated or slightly removed. When deflation is necessary, the balloon can be further inflated or slightly deflated without having to pull out the fiberscope, unlike the conventional balloon catheter.

B. Arrangement of the Invention a Means for Solving the Problems Fiberscope mantle tube A according to the present invention
is tube 2 that can be fitted to fiberscope 1.
In the outer tube for a fiberscope, a balloon 4 made of a thin film having transparency and expandable elasticity is attached near the tip 3 of the tube 2 so as to enclose the tip 3. balloon 4
A closing plate 6 made of a transparent material is provided to isolate the inside of the tube 2 from the inside of the tube 2, and an opening for fitting the fiberscope 1 is provided at the rear end 5, and the fiberscope mantle is provided near the rear end 5. A fluid inlet 7 is provided that is independent of the common opening.

In the above configuration, the length and thickness of the tube 2 of the main mantle tube A are such that it can be fitted into the fiberscope 1. Therefore, depending on the type of fiberscope 1 that differs depending on the use, the tube 2
There are various lengths and thicknesses. The material of the tube 2 is preferably one that is physiologically inert and flexible, such as medical silicone rubber, for example, when the fiberscope 1 is used for internal viewing inside a hollow organ. For example, when used for internal viewing inside a straight drain pipe, metal or hard synthetic resin may be used.

The closing plate 6 at the tip 3 of the tube 2 isolates the inside of the tube 2 and the inside of the balloon 4, and also protects the tip of the fiberscope 1 inserted into the tube 2.
It serves as a stopper to prevent tube 2 from protruding from the tip. The reason why the closing plate 6 is made transparent is to allow the light from the fiberscope to pass through and the reflected light to enter the objective lens 9. The material should be particularly transparent, even if silicone rubber is used as described above.

The balloon 4 is attached near the tip 3 of the tube 2 so as to wrap around the tip 3 of the tube 2. The transparency of the balloon 4 also means that it can transmit light from the fiberscope as well as reflected light from the observation/inspection site. It is usually colorless and transparent, but it may also be colored and transparent. In addition, the elasticity of the balloon 4 means that it can expand when the fluid described later is introduced to form a cavity with a volume necessary for internal viewing of the observation/inspection site 9, but it contracts after the fluid is withdrawn, and the tip of the tube It means to be in close contact with the 3rd side. The material of the balloon 4 is preferably medical silicone rubber if the mantle tube A is used for internal viewing inside a hollow organ, and if wear resistance is required for other uses. There is also. The shape of the balloon 4 when inflated is not limited to a spherical shape, and may be, for example, an oblong sphere (rugby ball shape) or other shapes. Although it is desirable that the inner surface of the balloon 4 be coated to prevent internal reflection of light from the fiberscope, the shape of the balloon 4 and the position of the light guide of the fiberscope 1 may be changed as appropriate.

The fluid to be introduced into the balloon 4 can be, for example, air,
Other gases, water, physiological saline, and other liquids may be used, but transparent ones are preferable. The fluid feed portion 7 is provided near the rear end portion 5 of the tube 2, and may be, for example, a connector with a check valve as shown in the figure, to which a syringe 10 or other fluid supply means can be connected. .

The fluid passage 8 communicates the fluid inlet 7 and the balloon 4, and for example, as shown in the drawing, the thin tube may be placed along the outer wall of the tube 2 and covered with another cover tube 11. Alternatively, a thin gap may be formed between the tube 2 and the cover tube 11 without using a thin tube.

In the figure, 12 is a part of a hollow organ, 13 is a part of a blood vessel, 14 is a part of a drainage pipe, 15 is an ulcer, and 1
6 indicates a thrombus, and 17 indicates a crack.

b. Effect The fiberscope outer tube A of the present invention can be used by simply fitting it into the fiberscope 1. That is, the fiberscope 1 is inserted into the opening of the tube rear end 5 from its tip end, and the tip end is inserted up to the position of the closing plate 6 of the tube tip end 3.

When using the fiberscope 1 with this outer tube A to view inside a hollow organ or drainage pipe, for example, insert the tip end with the balloon 4 as it is to the observation/inspection site 9 inside the hollow organ or drainage pipe. do it. At this time, as shown in Figure 2, the balloon 4 has not yet received fluid and is in close contact with the tube tip 3 while being deflated, so the insertion into the hollow organ etc. is smooth and without any hindrance. It will be held on.

Next, fluid is fed into the balloon 4 from the fluid feed section 7 through the channel 8. With this, the elastic balloon 4 is inflated as shown in Figure 1, so a cavity 15 the size of the balloon 4 is formed in the hollow organ whose inner wall is in close contact with each other, as shown in Figure 4. Ru. For example, in a blood vessel cavity, the inflated balloon 4 comes into close contact with the inner circumferential wall of the blood vessel as shown in FIG. 5, blocking the flow of blood and forming a cavity 15 there. Similarly, inside the sewer pipe, as shown in Figure 6, the inflated balloon 4 comes into close contact with the inner circumferential wall, blocking the flow of sewage and creating a void 15 there.
form. Furthermore, even when there is content in the stomach, for example, if the inflated balloon 4 is brought into close contact with the inner wall, a cavity 15 is formed there.

Therefore, the fiberscope 1 can be used for internal viewing. In this case, the inflated balloon 4 allows the observation/examination site 9 inside the hollow organ as described above.
Since a cavity 15 is formed in the tube tip 3 and the balloon 4 and the closing plate 6 at the tube tip 3 are transparent, the light from the fiberscope will surely illuminate that part 9, and the reflected light from there will also surely reach the objective lens. Light enters. Therefore, the observation/examination site 9 inside the hollow organ can be clearly viewed internally by the fiberscope 1.

In addition, if you want to move the observation/inspection area 9, you can move the fiberscope 1 with the mantle tube A in the same state and move the balloon 4 to the desired area. Similarly, a void 15 is formed by the balloon 4.
If it is not possible to move the balloon 4 while it is inflated, first remove the fluid and move the balloon 4 while it is deflated, and then fill the balloon 4 with fluid again and inflate it to form the cavity 15. do it.

Furthermore, when moving the fiberscope 1 in and out of the tube 2 for exchanging purposes or other purposes during endoscopic examination of a hollow organ, for example, the inside of the tube 2 and the inside of the balloon 4 are separated by a closing plate 6. , even if fiberscope 1 is pulled out from inside tube 2,
The pressure inside the inflated balloon 4 is not affected at all,
Balloon 4 does not deflate. Therefore, there is no need to re-inflate the deflated balloon 4, and the fiberscope in the tube 2 can be replaced and the endoscopy can be continued.

Moreover, it is necessary to further inflate or slightly deflate the balloon 4 by changing the observation/examination site, for example, but the fluid inlet 7 is provided independently of the opening for receiving the fiberscope, and the fluid inlet 7 A fluid passage 8 between the tube 2 and the balloon 4 is provided in the side wall of the tube 2. Therefore, the fluid supply and
There is no need to pull out the fiberscope 1 from the tube 2 before evacuation, and the balloon 4 can be inflated or deflated by feeding and discharging fluid while the fiberscope 1 remains in the tube 2.

After the endoscopic examination, the fluid may be extracted from the balloon 4 to deflate it, bring it into close contact with the tube tip 3, and then pull it out from within the hollow organ or the like.

c Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 3 show a mantle tube A of the present invention for observing and inspecting the inside of a hollow organ. The entire material is made of medical silicone rubber, the total length of the tube 2 is 750 mm, and its thickness is, for example, if the outer diameter of the fiberscope 1 is 3.0 mm, the inner diameter is 3.5 mm, and the outer diameter is 3.5 mm.
5.0mm, and balloon 4 has a volume of 10 when inflated.
ml, the size is about 30mm x 30mm. When observing and inspecting the inside of a hollow organ using this fiberscope 1 with the outer tube A, since the material is highly flexible, the movement of the fiberscope 1 is well tracked and linked, and the operation is smooth.
The observation/inspection site 9 was also easy to move. It also has excellent transparency, allowing for clear internal viewing. Furthermore, even when used for long periods of time to observe and test the heart and vascular system,
No formation of thrombus was observed.

C. Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above, according to the outer tube for a fiberscope according to the present invention, endoscopic examination of the inside of a hollow organ, drainage pipe, etc. using a fiberscope can be performed easily and without the need for labor, unlike the conventional technology.・Can be done quickly.

That is, () By using the outer tube for a fiberscope of the present invention, by simply inserting it into a hollow organ or drainage pipe, and inflating the balloon by injecting fluid into the balloon at the observation/examination site, the inner wall can be Since they are in close contact to form a void, the light from the fiberscope spreads through the transparent balloon, and the reflected light is received by the objective lens for internal viewing. For example, in a blood vessel cavity, an inflated balloon stops blood flow and forms a cavity, and in a drainage pipe, an inflated balloon blocks sewage and forms a cavity, making it easier to perform internal examination. can.

() By using the fiberscope mantle of the present invention, it is possible to quickly move the balloon to another observation/examination site while keeping it inflated.
Furthermore, it is also possible to once deflate the balloon, move it to a desired site, and then inflate it again to form a necessary space, which also facilitates endoscopic examination.

() Moreover, unlike conventional balloon catheters, the inside of the tube and the inside of the balloon are separated by a closing plate, which is unique to the outer tube for a fiberscope of the present invention. Therefore, even when the fiberscope is moved in and out of the tube for exchanging or other purposes during endoscopic examination of a hollow organ, the inflated balloon will not deflate. Therefore,
Unlike conventional balloon catheters, there is no need to re-inflate a deflated balloon, and the fiberscope inside the tube can be replaced and endoscopy can be continued, which is extremely convenient for medical practice.

() Furthermore, unlike conventional balloon catheters, the fiberscope sheath tube of the present invention is unique in that, unlike conventional balloon catheters, the fluid inlet is provided independently of the opening for enclosing the fiberscope, and the fluid inlet is provided between the fluid inlet and the inside of the balloon. A fluid passageway is provided in the side wall of the tube. Therefore, unlike conventional balloon catheters, when the balloon needs to be further inflated or slightly deflated due to changing the observation/examination site, for example, there is no need to pull out the fiberscope from the tube before injecting or expelling fluid. . The fiberscope inside the tube can continue to perform internal viewing by injecting and discharging fluid and inflating or deflating the balloon, which also makes it convenient for medical practice.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of the mantle tube when the balloon is inflated, and Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of the balloon near the tip when the balloon is deflated. 3 are enlarged sectional views taken along the line II in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are partially cutaway front views showing each state of use. Drawing code: A... Mantle tube, 1... Fiberscope, 2... Tube, 3... Tip, 4...
Balloon, 5... Rear end, 6... Closing plate, 7...
Fluid feed section, 8...fluid passage.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A balloon 4 made of a thin film having transparency and expandable elasticity is mounted near the distal end 3 of the tube 2 which can be fitted into the fiberscope 1 so as to enclose the distal end 3. In the fiberscope mantle tube, the tube 2 has a balloon 4 at its distal end 3.
A closing plate 6 made of a transparent material is provided to isolate the inside of the tube 2 from the inside of the tube 2, and an opening for fitting the fiberscope 1 is provided at the rear end 5. A fiberscope for a fiberscope, characterized in that a fluid inlet 7 is provided independent of the common opening, and a fluid passage 8 is provided on the side wall of the tube 2 to connect the fluid inlet 7 and the inside of the balloon 4. Mantle tube.