JPH0530738Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a laser probe that irradiates a diseased area within a body cavity with a laser beam.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, as seen in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-502168, a tip made of a sapphire or the like capable of transmitting laser light has been attached to the tip of a sheath through which a laser light guide fiber is inserted. A laser probe is known in which a member is attached and the tip member is brought into contact with an affected area in a body cavity to perform laser irradiation.

In this type of laser probe, a small diameter attachment part provided on the tip member is press-fitted between the sheath and the fiber, or
As seen in the above-mentioned publication, a sleeve into which the irradiation end of the fiber is screwed is formed in the tip member, and the outer diameter of this sleeve is formed slightly larger than the inner diameter of the sheath, and the outer circumferential wall is provided with a sleeve in the axial direction. The distal end member is fixed to the sheath distal end by forming a slot along the sheath, fitting this sleeve into the distal opening of the sheath, and tightening the sleeve from the outside.

By the way, when such a laser probe is used by being inserted into a channel of an endoscope, the outer diameter of the laser probe must be smaller than the inner diameter of the channel. Especially now that intravascular laser treatment has become popular,
As endoscopes become smaller in diameter, the inner diameter of the channel tends to become smaller and smaller, and therefore the laser probe that is inserted through this channel also needs to have a smaller outer diameter.

However, since the conventional laser probe described above requires a sheath to attach the tip member, the outer diameter increases by the sheath. Its presence makes insertion impossible.

Therefore, it is impossible to use the endoscope with an extremely small outer diameter, such as a blood vessel endoscope, and there is a need for a means for directly attaching the distal end member to the distal end of the fiber.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] In this case, since the tip member has a larger diameter than the fiber, it is necessary to pass the fiber through the channel and then attach it to the irradiation end of the fiber led out from the channel.

As this attachment means, considering the ease of attachment work, etc., it is conceivable to screw and fix the tip member to the outer periphery of the fiber, similarly to the above-mentioned prior art.

However, if the tip member is simply screwed in, there is a risk that the tip member may fall off during insertion into the channel or during laser irradiation, and there is a problem in terms of reliability of attachment of the tip member.

Moreover, when the tip member is screwed onto the outer periphery of the fiber, the sheathing material on the outer periphery of the fiber is forcibly deformed, so if the tip member is displaced relative to the sheathing material, the sheathing material and the optical transmission part of the fiber may be damaged. There was a risk of damage to the product, and there was room for improvement in this respect.

The present invention was developed based on these circumstances, and allows the tip member to be securely and easily fixed to the fiber, and there is no need to deform the fiber side when fixing the tip member.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a laser probe that can prevent damage to the fiber.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the laser probe of the present invention is connected to a laser generator, can be inserted into a channel of an endoscope, and is covered with a covering material. In addition, a fiber for laser light guide having an uneven portion on the outer periphery near the end of the coating material, and a tip member provided at the laser irradiation end of the fiber and having a diameter larger than the channel of the endoscope. We are prepared.

The tip member is provided with an introduction port into which the irradiation end of the fiber enters, and a peripheral wall of the introduction port is engaged with the uneven portion of the fiber to fix the tip member to the irradiation end of the fiber. It is characterized by the provision of a means of integration.

[Function] According to such a configuration, when the fiber is fixed, the peripheral wall of the introduction port engages with the uneven portion, and the tip member and the fiber are caught with each other, so the tip member and the fiber are more tightly connected than when simply screwed together. The strength of the bond with Therefore, the tip member can be firmly fixed to the irradiation end of the fiber led out from the channel of the endoscope, and the tip member can be reliably prevented from falling off.

Moreover, when the tip member is fixed, no deformation occurs on the fiber side, so the fiber including the covering material is not damaged, and the fixing work can be performed more easily than conventional screwing.

[Example] The first example of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 7.
This will be explained based on the diagram.

A laser generator indicated by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 7 is controlled ON/OFF by a foot switch 2, and the laser beam generated by this laser generator 1 is
guided by laser probe 3.

This laser probe 3 is equipped with a laser light guide fiber 4 that guides the incident laser light to a long distance. As shown in FIG. 6, the fiber 4 is inserted into a channel 7 formed in the insertion section 6 of the endoscope 5, and the outer diameter of the fiber 4 is smaller than the inner diameter of the channel 7. .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fiber 4 has a central core 8 and a cladding 9 made of quartz glass, and the outer periphery of the cladding 9 prevents the fiber 4 from breaking. It is covered with a covering material 10 for the purpose of

The covering material 10 of this embodiment includes a primary covering material 11 made of silicone resin that covers the outer peripheral surface of the cladding 9;
This primary covering material 11 has a double structure with a secondary covering material 12 made of synthetic resin that protects it. Such a covering material 10 is removed from the outer periphery of the cladding 9 at the irradiated end 4a of the fiber 4 in order to prevent thermal damage.

4 and 5 show an example of the fiber 4 in which the cladding 9 is made of silicone resin. In the case of this fiber 4, the covering material 10
has a single tube structure made of synthetic resin,
At the irradiation end 4a, a cladding 9 and a covering material 10 are provided.
are removed from the outer periphery of the core 8.

By the way, a tip member 13 is attached to the irradiation end 4a of the fiber 4 led out from the channel 7 of the endoscope 5. This tip member 13
As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the fiber 4
It is composed of a holding member 14 attached to the holding member 14, and a contact member 15 fixed to the tip of the holding member 14.

That is, the holding member 14 has a hollow cylindrical shape with a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the channel 7. An introduction port 16 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the fiber 4 is formed on the axis of the holding member 14, and the irradiation end portion 4a of the fiber 4 is inserted into the introduction port 16.

Then, the fiber 4 from which the coating material 10 has been removed
The irradiation end portion 4 a is opposed to the contact member 15 within the introduction port 16 . This contact member 15 is
It is made of a material with excellent heat resistance and laser light transmittance, such as sapphire or ceramics. The outer diameter of the contact member 15 is larger than the inner diameter of the channel 7, and the distal end surface 15a that contacts the inner wall of the body cavity has a smooth spherical shape.

A heat-shrinkable tube 17 is attached to the outer periphery of the end of the holding member 14 on the insertion side of the fiber 4 so as to span between the outer periphery of the fiber 4 and the outer periphery of the fiber 4 . The heat-shrinkable tube 17 is continuous with the holding member 14 and constitutes a part of the holding member 14, and the portion of the hollow hole 17a that protrudes from the holding member 14 is connected to the introduction port 16. It's summery.

In the case of this embodiment, a circumferentially continuous fixing groove 18 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the holding member 14, and a covering material 10 is also provided on the outer periphery of the end of the fiber 4 on the irradiation end 4a side. A groove-shaped recess 19 is formed by continuously removing a portion of the groove in the circumferential direction.

The heat-shrinkable tube 17 is heat-shrinked after the fiber 4 is inserted into the introduction port 16. Due to this contraction, the holding member 14 is tightened from the outside, the inner surface of the insertion port 16 is brought into close contact with the covering material 10, and the inner surface of the hollow hole 17a of the heat-shrinkable tube 17 is brought into close contact with the covering material 10, and this tube 17 itself is brought into close contact with the covering material 10. is engaged with a recess 19 on the outer periphery of the covering material 10. Further, the heat-shrinkable tube 17 is attached to the holding member 14
It is also engaged with a fixing groove 18 on the outer periphery of.

Therefore, this heat-shrinkable tube 17 constitutes an engaging means for fixing the tip member 15 to the fiber 4.

In such a configuration, in order to fix the tip member 13 to the fiber 4, as shown in FIG. It is led out from the tip opening of No.7. Then, in this state, the irradiation end 4a of the fiber 4 is inserted into the introduction port 16 of the holding member 14 via the heat-shrinkable tube 17.

In this state, the heat-shrinkable tube 17 is heated and contracted. Due to this shrinkage, the heat-shrinkable tube 1
7 engages with the fixing groove 18 on the outer periphery of the holding member 14,
The holding member 14 is held to prevent it from coming off, and the holding member 14 is tightened from the outside, so that the inner surface of the inlet 16 comes into close contact with the covering material 10. At the same time, the heat-shrinkable tube 17 also engages with the recess 19 on the outer periphery of the covering material 10 and is held by the covering material 10 without coming off. As a result, the tip member 15 and the fiber 4 are engaged with each other via the heat-shrinkable tube 17, and the tip member 13 is fixed to the irradiation end 4a of the fiber 4.

In this state, the insertion section 6 of the endoscope 5 is inserted into the body cavity, and under observation by the endoscope 5, the contact surface 15a of the contact member 15 is brought into contact with or close to the affected area to be irradiated with the laser. Laser irradiation is performed via the contact member 15.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the tip member 13 is attached directly to the irradiation end 4a of the fiber 4, so a conventional sheath is not required.
Laser irradiation can be performed in combination with an endoscope 5 having an extremely narrow channel 7.

Further, since the tip member 13 is fixed to the irradiation end 4a of the fiber 4 with the fiber 4 passing through the channel 7, laser irradiation is performed using the tip member 13 having a larger diameter than the channel 7. be able to. Therefore, even if the irradiation range is wide, laser irradiation can be completed in a short time, contributing to shortening the surgical time.

By the way, in the first embodiment, the holding member 14
By heating and shrinking the heat-shrinkable tube 17 connected to the fiber 4, the tube 17 itself is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the fiber 4 and engaged with the recess 19 on the outer periphery of the sheathing material 10, so that the tip member 13 and the fiber 4 are hooked to each other via the heat-shrinkable tube 17, and the bonding strength is improved accordingly.

For this reason, compared to simple screwing, the tip member 1
3 can be firmly fixed to the fiber 4, and this tip member 13 can be reliably prevented from falling off.

Moreover, since the tip member 15 is fixed to the fiber 4 by heating and shrinking the heat-shrinkable tube 17, no deformation occurs on the side of the fiber 4 including the covering material 10. Therefore, starting with this coating material 10, the core 8 made of quartz glass
Otherwise, the cladding 9 is not damaged, and the optical transmission function of the fiber 4 is not adversely affected.

Therefore, the work of fixing the fiber 4 and the tip member 13 can be performed more easily than by conventional screwing.

The present invention is not limited to the first embodiment described above, and the second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.
An example is shown.

In this second embodiment, a covering material 10 is applied to the fiber 4.
Instead of providing the concave portion 75 from which the coating material 10 is removed, a wire 21 is wound in a coil around the outer periphery of the end portion of the coating material 10, and a convex portion is formed on the outer periphery of the coating material 10 by the wire 21.

According to this configuration, when the heat-shrinkable tube 17 is heated and contracted, the inner surface of the hollow hole 17a of the heat-shrinkable tube 17 bites into the outer periphery of the wire 21, as shown in FIG. Because it gets caught, heat shrink tube 17 and fiber 4
and can be strongly combined.

Moreover, even in this configuration, the fiber 4 is not deformed when the tip member 13 is fixed, and the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention described in detail above, the tip member can be firmly fixed to the fiber, and the tip member can be reliably prevented from falling off or loosening. Moreover, when fixing the tip member to the fiber, the fiber side including its covering material is not deformed in any way, so the fiber itself is not damaged and the optical transmission function of the fiber is not adversely affected. do not have. Therefore, compared to conventional screwing, the fiber and the tip member can be fixed more easily and reliability is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a partially sectional side view of the attachment portion of the tip member, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional side view of the fiber, 3 is a sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a partially sectional side view of another fiber, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG. FIG. 6 is a partially sectional side view showing the procedure for attaching the tip member, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the laser probe installed in the endoscope, and FIGS. 8 is a partially sectional side view of the attachment portion of the tip member, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the middle part of FIG. 8. 1... Laser generator, 4... Fiber,
5... Endoscope, 7... Channel, 10... Covering material, 13... Tip member, 16... Inlet, 17...
...Engagement means (heat-shrinkable tube), 19, 21...
...Uneven parts (concavities, wires).

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A device that is connected to a laser generator, can be inserted into a channel of an endoscope, is covered with a covering material, and has an uneven portion on the outer periphery near the end of the covering material. A fiber for guiding laser light, and a tip member provided at the laser irradiation end of the fiber and having a larger diameter than the channel of the endoscope, the introduction in which the irradiation end of the fiber enters the tip member. A laser probe comprising: an opening; and engaging means for fixing the tip member to the irradiation end of the fiber by engaging the peripheral wall of the introduction opening with the uneven portion of the fiber.