JPH0440933A - Extra fine diameter oscillating endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely execute the oscillation of the tip by setting the outside diameter of a sheath tube to an extra fine diameter, forming a guide tube by a coil tube to which a metallic wire of straight angle is allowed to adhere closely and wound and a plastic coating vessel, and constituting the guide tube so that an inserting part inserted into the sheath tube is fixed integrally to an image guide except an oscillating part. CONSTITUTION:When the base end of a traction wire 2 in a sheath tube 1 is drawn in the direction as indicated with an arrow F, an oscillating part M executes an oscillation. The outside diameter D0 of the sheath tube 1 is set to an extra fine diameter of <=3mm. The wire 2 is a metallic wire whose outside diameter D2 is <=0.3mm, and a guide tube 3 is constituted of a coil tube 5 to which a straight angle wire obtained by rolling a metallic wire is allowed to adhere closely and wound and a plastic coating vessel 6, and the outside diameter D3 is set to <=0.4mm. The guide tube 3, the image guide 4 and the inner surface of the sheath tube 1 are fixed integrally extending over the whole length L of an inserting part inserted into the sheath tube 1 except the oscillating part M with an adhesive agent 11, and an increase of rigidity against bending and buckling is contrived.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an ultra-small diameter endoscope (catheter-type fiberscope) that can swing.

[Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention] Previously, the present inventors proposed a catheter-type fiberscope in Japanese Patent Application No. 113056/1982, but this fiberscope had a structure in which the tip part did not swing. Because of this, we were able to reduce the outer diameter to 1 ml or less.

However, for medical purposes, it is desirable that the distal end be swingable in order to improve ease of insertion into blood vessels, tracheas, ureters, etc. of the body.

All conventional swingable endoscopes (catheter-type fiberscopes) have a length exceeding 4 m. The reason for this is that a large cross-sectional area is required to insert the traction wire and the guide tube that passes through it, and when the wire is pulled strongly to swing the tip during use, the endoscope swings. This is because a compressive force acts as a reaction force over almost the entire length except for the part, and if it is less than 4 degrees, it will be curved (buckled) in a meandering manner, making it impossible or insufficient to swing the tip.

The object of the present invention is to have appropriate visibility over the entire length and a firm waist, so that when the wire is strongly pulled for swinging, it will not bend in a meandering manner, and the tip will swing reliably. To provide an ultra-thin-diameter swinging endoscope that is capable of performing the same operations and has a sufficiently smaller outer diameter than conventional ones.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has been developed by inserting a traction wire, a guide tube through which it is inserted, an image guide, etc. into the sheath tube, so that a predetermined range of the distal end is oscillated by the traction of the wire. In a swingable endoscope, the outer diameter of the jacket tube is made extremely small, less than 3 mm, and the guide tube has a coiled tube tightly wound with a rectangular metal wire and a coating thereon. The guide tube is formed with a plastic coating layer having an outer diameter of 0.4 mm or less, and is fixedly integrated with the image guide over the entire length of the insertion part where the guide tube is inserted into the jacket tube, excluding the swinging part. has been done.

[Effect] When the proximal end of the traction wire is pulled to swing the tip, a compressive force will be applied to the inserted guide tube except for the swinging part, but the guide tube will not act as an image guide along the entire length of the inserted part. Since the image guide is fixedly integrated with the guide tube, the compressive force is shared with the guide tube, and the buckling strength and rigidity can be significantly improved. Deformation can be prevented.

In addition, since the guide tube is a coiled tube made of closely wound flat wire, it is possible to reduce the diameter, maintain appropriate flexibility without bending, and has a strong stiffness that prevents the above-mentioned meandering. This contributes to preventing shape deformation.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on drawings showing examples.

FIG. 1 shows an enlarged view of the essential parts of an example of a swingable endoscope according to the present invention, with a partial cross section, and FIGS. This is an enlarged view.

In Fig. 1 and Figs. 2 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a plastic sheathed tube with no seam from the proximal end to the distal end. A movable guide tube 3 is inserted, and an image guide 4 is also inserted. A swinging portion M is formed at the tip, and when the base end of the wire 2 is pulled in the direction of arrow F, the swinging portion M in a predetermined range of the tip swings from the virtual line to the solid line in FIG. do.

The outer diameter D0 of the jacket tube 1 is set to an extremely small diameter of 3 tm or less. The wire 2 is a metal wire with an outer diameter D2 of 0.3 m or less, and the guide tube 3 is made of a coiled tube 5 made of a flat wire rolled from a metal wire closely wound, as shown in FIG. a plastic coating layer 6 coated on the
The outer diameter D3 is set to 0.4 mm or less. In practice, it is desirable that 0.15 m≦D3≦0.4 m+.

The image guide 4 is made of quartz, and includes a glass part in which a large number of pixels, for example, 1,000 to 20,000, are integrated, each consisting of a core and a clank, and a covering layer that covers this with a plastic coating or the like. The outer diameter D4 shall be 0.7 mm or less.

An objective lens 7 such as a rod lens is connected to the distal end surface of the image guide 4 with an adhesive or the like, and the distal end of the image guide 4 and the objective lens 7 have a water drop shape or a daruma shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. The wire 2 is inserted into the hole 9 of the tip connecting fitting 8 and fixed with an adhesive or the like, and the tip of the wire 2 is inserted into another hole and fixed by soldering, caulking, etc. In this way, the tip of the image guide 4 and the tip of the wire 2 are connected and integrated. Further, the outer surface of the tip connecting fitting 8 and the inner circumferential surface of the tip of the jacket tube 1 are fixed and integrated with an adhesive 10 (as shown in FIG. 2).

Thus, the guide tube 3 is inserted from the proximal end of the jacket tube 1 to the boundary of the oscillating part M, and the wire 2 and the image guide 4 are simply inserted into the oscillating part M in a free state. , are inserted as shown in Figure 3. Then, with the adhesive 11 shown dotted in FIGS. 1 and 4,
The guide tube 3 is the jacket tube 1 except for the swinging part M.
The guide tube 3, the image guide 4, and the inner surface of the jacket tube 1 are
It is fixed and integrated to increase rigidity against bending and buckling.

It should be noted that the present invention is of course not limited to the illustrated embodiment described above, and for example, a light guide, a laser fiber, or the like may be further inserted into the jacket tube 1. In addition, the traction wire 2... and the guide tube 3
It is also possible to use two rods each to enable swinging in both left and right directions.

(Effects of the Invention) With the above-described structure, the present invention has an outer diameter of 3 or less, which was conventionally considered impossible as a swingable endoscope (catheter-type fiberscope). This invention was realized as D0 and made a significant contribution to medical science.

In particular, it maintains appropriate flexibility without becoming bent, has a strong waist that can withstand the pressure when inserted into the body, and prevents meandering deformation of the entire length of the insertion part when the head is swung. ,
The tip can be swung reliably.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional enlarged side view showing an embodiment of the present invention;
Figures 2, 3, and 4 are respectively (n-n) of Figure 1.
(III-I[1) (IV-TV) An enlarged sectional view, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Outer tube, 2... Wire, 3... Guide tube, 4... Image guide, 5... Coiled tube, 6... Plastic coating layer, 11...
adhesive, D. , Ds...outer diameter, M...swing portion, L
...Full length of insertion part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Insert a traction wire', a guide tube that guides it through it, an image guide, etc. into the jacket tube, and create a swingable endoscope whose tip can be swung within a predetermined range by the traction of the wire. In this case, the outer diameter of the above jacket tube is 3 mm.
The guide tube has an extremely small diameter as shown below, and the guide tube is formed from a coiled tube made of closely wound rectangular metal wire and a plastic coating layer coated thereon, with an outer diameter of 0.4 mm or less, and the guide tube has an outer diameter of 0.4 mm or less. An ultra-thin diameter oscillating endoscope, characterized in that the tube is fixedly integrated with the image guide over the entire length of the insertion portion inserted into the jacket tube, excluding the oscillating portion.