JPH037368B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in the insertion part of an endoscope into a living body cavity.

Currently, the endoscope shown in Figure 1 is widely used and has become an indispensable medical device. It is composed of an insertion section 1 for inserting into a cavity, etc., and a manual operating section 2 for operating and controlling the insertion section 1 outside the living body. Hard part 3
a curved portion 4 for directing the image to the observation, treatment area, etc.;
In addition, it is formed of a flexible tube 5, also called a soft tube, which can be bent along the shape of the body cavity in order to introduce the rigid distal end portion 3 into a site for observation, treatment, etc.

By the way, when introducing the rigid distal end portion 3 into a biological cavity for observation or treatment, the insertion portion 1,
In particular, the bendability of the flexible tube 5 is made different to make it easier to insert it into a living body cavity, etc., so it is economically disadvantageous for the user of the endoscope. However, there is the inconvenience of having to prepare a special endoscope according to the location where it will be used, and selecting one from among a large number of endoscopes when using it. With the spread of endoscopes, there has been increasing demand among surgeons for an endoscope that can be used for different types of observations and treatment sites, such as inside living body cavities.

In view of the above-mentioned current situation, the present invention provides a tube or a cavity for filling fluid in a flexible jacket tube for forming the insertion portion along the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion into the body cavity of an endoscope. a fluid-filling tube or a cavity, the distal end of the fluid-filling tube or cavity is sealed, and the other end of a fluid-feeding tube with one end opened to the outside on the hand side is connected to the base of the fluid-filling tube or cavity. Alternatively, the fluid filling tube may be attached to the inside of the flexible tube instead of being provided in the flexible material jacket tube, and water may be introduced into the fluid filling tube or cavity through the fluid feeding tube. Alternatively, by press-filling a fluid such as air, the flexibility of the insertion section, in other words, the hardness of the insertion section, especially the flexible tube, can be varied as necessary, and the degree of flexibility of the insertion section, In other words, by making the hardness adjustable to accommodate differences in observation and treatment areas within the body cavity, etc., different observation and treatment areas within the body cavity can be performed using a single endoscope. In addition to making it possible to provide an endoscope that can be used for various purposes and eliminating the economic disadvantages and inconveniences such as selection operations when using it, it is also possible to This makes it possible to provide an endoscope that can secure the bending fulcrum of the curved portion. This will be explained in detail by way of example.

Fig. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the main part of the first embodiment with built-in members removed, Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the flexible tube taken along the - line in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the insertion section with a part of the flexible tube cut away, FIG. 5 is a side view of the fluid filling tube of the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a diagram of the third embodiment. 7 and 8 are enlarged vertical cross-sectional views of the flexible tube in the fourth and fifth embodiments, respectively, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the main parts showing the sixth embodiment. It is a diagram. Note that the same or equivalent components in the figures are given the same reference numerals.

In the figure, 1 is an insertion section of an endoscope, which is equipped with a rigid tip section 3, a curved section 4, and a flexible tube 5, and 2 is a manual operation section for controlling the insertion section 1 in vitro. be. The flexible tube 5 is composed of a spiral tube 6, a mesh tube 7, and a jacket tube 8 made of flexible material. The above configuration is similar to a conventional endoscope.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a fluid-filling tube with a sealed tip, and the fluid-filling tube 9 is inserted into the flexible material jacket tube 8 along the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 1 in FIGS. 2 to 4. It is provided. The base portion 9 of the fluid filling tube 9 is connected to a fluid feeding tube 12 as shown in FIG. It is connected to an on-off valve device (not shown) and a fluid pressure source, so that fluid such as water or air at a desired pressure can be press-filled into the fluid filling tube 9. . When fluid is not press-filled into the fluid-filling tube 9, the insertion portion 1, especially the flexible tube 5, is flexible and does not have enough hardness to be inserted deeply into the body cavity. When the filling tube 9 is press-filled with a fluid such as water or air, the hardness of the insertion section 1, especially the flexible tube, increases, allowing it to be inserted deeply into the body cavity.

At this time, the hardness can be easily adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the fluid to be press-fitted. Note that the number of fluid filling tubes 9 may be one, but in the case of a plurality of fluid filling tubes, the hardness of the flexible tube 5 can be changed in a stepwise manner depending on the number of fluid filling tubes. It is convenient to use a Teflon tube as the tube 9 for filling fluid.

Reference numeral 10 shown in FIG. 8 is a fluid-filling cavity that replaces the fluid-filling tube 9 provided in the flexible material jacket tube 8, and the flexible material jacket tube 8 is composed of two layers. It is formed between the grooved inner composition 8a and the grooved outer composition 8b.

Furthermore, instead of providing the tube 9 for filling the fluid in the jacket tube 8 made of flexible material as described above, the tube 9 is attached inside the flexible tube as shown in FIG.
It may also be attached to the spiral tube 6 by.

Furthermore, in order to reduce the bending resistance, that is, the hardness, from the base to the distal end of the insertion section 1, a tube 9 for filling fluid or a cavity 1 is provided.
0 is reduced in size from the base A to the distal end A as shown in FIG.
You can also use 0. As shown in FIG. 6, when a plurality of fluid-filling tubes 9 or cavity portions 10 of different lengths are used, the fluid can be selectively press-filled into the fluid-filling tubes. , the degree of change in hardness of the insertion portion 1 can be adjusted, and the position of the bending fulcrum during bending can be easily adjusted.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, compared to the diameter of the tubes 9a, 9a in one of two orthogonal planes, the diameters of the tubes 9b, 9b in the other plane are
When the diameter of the tubes 9b, 9b is increased, the bending resistance due to the tubes 9b, 9b becomes larger than the bending resistance due to the tubes 9a, 9a. Of course, the number of the plurality of fluid-filling tubes 9 or cavities 10, their respective lengths, thicknesses, etc. can be arbitrarily designed depending on the intended use of the endoscope.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the hardness of the insertion section of the endoscope can be determined by checking the presence or absence of fluid press-filling and changes in the pressure, etc. for observation in a living body cavity, treatment area, etc. In addition to being easy to adjust according to differences, it is also possible to adjust the bending fulcrum, so there is no need to prepare multiple types of dedicated endoscopes, which not only reduces costs, but also
The complicated handling of replacing and using multiple types of endoscopes is extremely simplified, and excellent practical effects can be achieved, such as requiring less space for storage and use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an external view of a conventional endoscope, Figs. 2 to 9 show embodiments of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows the main parts of the first embodiment with internal components removed. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the flexible tube taken along the - line in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the insertion portion with a part of the flexible tube cut away. FIG. 5 is a side view of the fluid filling tube of the second embodiment, FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the fluid filling tube of the third embodiment, and FIGS. 4
FIG. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the flexible tube in the fifth embodiment, and a perspective view of essential parts of the sixth embodiment. Note that the same or equivalent components in the figures are given the same reference numerals. 1: Insertion section, 2: Manual operation section, 3: Hard tip section, 4: Curved section, 5: Flexible tube, 6: Spiral tube, 7: Mesh tube, 8: Flexible jacket tube, 8a: Inner composition , 8
b: Outside composition, 9, 9a, 9b: Fluid filling tube, 10: Fluid filling cavity, 11: Thin wire, 12: Fluid feeding tube.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A tube or cavity for filling fluid is provided in a flexible material jacket tube for forming the insertion portion along the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion of the endoscope into a living body cavity, etc. , the distal end of the fluid filling tube or cavity is sealed, and the other end of a fluid feeding tube having one end opened to the outside on the hand side is connected to the base of the fluid filling tube or cavity; The degree of flexibility of the insertion part can be adjusted by press-filling a fluid such as water or air into the fluid filling tube or cavity through a fluid feeding tube. Endoscope. 2. A fluid-filling tube is attached to the inside of the flexible tube along the longitudinal direction of the endoscope's insertion portion into the living body's vagina, and the distal end of the fluid-filling tube is sealed. The other end of a fluid feeding tube with one end opened to the outside on the hand side is connected to the base of the fluid filling tube, and water, air, etc. is introduced into the fluid filling tube through the fluid feeding tube. An endoscope characterized in that the degree of flexibility of the insertion section can be adjusted by press-fitting fluid.