JPH074377B2 - Ultrasound endoscope - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope in which an optical observation window and an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit are provided side by side at a distal end portion of an insertion portion.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, ultrasonic endoscopes have been put into practical use, and these ultrasonic endoscopes include a mechanical scan system and an electronic scan system. The mechanical scan type is excellent in high frequency, and the mechanical scan type is also excellent in that a wide high frequency layer range can be obtained.

This type of mechanical scanning type ultrasonic endoscope is provided with a rotor that rotates about its long axis at the tip of the insertion portion, as is known from JP-A-57-190551. It is equipped with an ultrasonic transducer for transmission and reception. Therefore, a flexible shaft is inserted along the central axis of the insertion portion including the distal end portion for rotationally driving the rotor equipped with the transmitting / receiving ultrasonic transducer. Also,
On the side of the hard part located in front of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver at the tip, a slope is formed that gradually approaches the central axis as it goes to the tip, and this slope is for optical observation window, illumination window, and water / water supply. A nozzle and a suction port are provided. In the suction conduit communicating with the suction port, a portion along the central axis direction of the insertion portion and a tip portion (perpendicular to the inclined surface) communicating with the suction port are connected at an acute angle. And this suction line is only for suction, and does not pass through a treatment tool such as forceps. Even if a treatment tool is inserted through this suction conduit, it will be pushed back at the bent portion, and thus it cannot be used originally.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The reason why the treatment tools such as forceps cannot be easily used so far is as follows.

In general endoscopes other than ultrasonic endoscopes, the forceps port is provided in the plane part where the observation window and illumination window are provided, but the duct part connected to this forceps port is provided perpendicular to the plane. The forceps that passes through this portion and projects from the forceps port is projected in the same direction as the observation visual field direction of the objective lens.

On the other hand, in an ultrasonic endoscope, a conduit portion that connects to the forceps port perpendicular to this plane is provided on the observation window mounting plane on the side of the distal end, and if a conduit along the axial direction of the insertion portion is connected to this. The connecting portion becomes an acute angle, and even if an attempt is made to pass the forceps, it cannot be passed. Further, if the connecting portion is made to have a gentle angle, the protruding direction of the forceps lie in the visual field direction of the objective optical system, so that the forceps cannot properly enter the visual field. In other words, it just barely blurs the edge of the field of view.

In order to avoid this, there is a method of providing a forceps raising mechanism, but this would make the tip end too thick.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an ultrasonic endoscope in which a front perspective objective optical system is provided on the side of a rigid portion located in front of an ultrasonic transceiver. It is to be able to form a lead-out port of a treatment instrument capable of projecting the treatment instrument in the observation visual field without thickening the distal end portion.

[Means and Actions for Solving Problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit on a hard portion of an insertion portion and a front perspective objective optical system on the side surface of the rigid portion located in front of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit. In the ultrasonic endoscope, a front side inclined surface is formed on the side surface of the hard portion located in front of the ultrasonic transmission / reception section, and an observation window of a front perspective objective optical system is provided on this inclined surface. On the side surface of the hard portion in front, a treatment instrument outlet opening that is opened obliquely toward the observation visual field of the objective optical system is formed, and the treatment instrument outlet channel is formed in the treatment instrument outlet port. Is connected.

Therefore, the treatment tool can be used without increasing the diameter of the insertion portion, and the treatment tool can be introduced into the center of the observation visual field.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the distal end portion of the insertion portion 1 of the ultrasonic endoscope. A distal end hard portion 2 is provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion 1, and a main body of the distal end hard portion 2 is formed of a metal piece 3. A flexible shaft 4 is inserted through the center of the hardware 3, and the flexible shaft 4 is guided to the hand side of the insertion portion 1 and connected to a rotary drive source such as a motor (not shown). In addition, the flexible shaft 4
A rotor 7 is attached to the tip of the rotor via a connecting shaft body 5. The connecting shaft body 5 is supported on the metal 3 via a bearing 6. Further, an ultrasonic transducer 8 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is attached to the rotor 7. The ultrasonic oscillator 8 is connected to a signal line (not shown) inserted through the flexible shaft 4. Then, the ultrasonic transducer 8 oscillates upon receiving the signal transmitted by this signal line. Further, the signal received by the ultrasonic transducer 8 is transmitted through the signal line. That is, the ultrasonic transducer 8 rotating together with the rotor 7 performs so-called mechanical scanning in which the ultrasonic transducer 8 scans by transmitting ultrasonic waves and receiving reflected waves during its rotation.

The rotor 7 is housed in a scanning chamber 11 which is liquid-tightly formed inside a tip cap 9 attached to the tip of the metal 3. The scanning chamber 11 is filled with a liquid substance having a good ultrasonic transmission property. Further, a balloon 12 is attached to the outer circumference of the tip cap 9, and the balloon 12 can be expanded and contracted by supplying and discharging a liquid substance having a good ultrasonic transmission property. Then, on the upper side surface of the tip rigid portion 2 located in front of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section 13 thus configured, a slope 15 is formed so as to gradually approach the central axis as it goes to the tip side, that is, a diagonal front. Has been done.
An optical observation window 16, an illumination window 17, and an air / water supply nozzle 18 are disposed on the slope 15. A front perspective type objective optical system is incorporated in the optical observation window 16.

Further, a treatment instrument outlet 19 is formed on the upper side surface of the distal end hard portion 2 located in front of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit 13 and is obliquely opened toward the observation field of view of the objective optical system. The instrument outlet 19 is connected to a treatment instrument insertion channel 21 formed in the insertion portion 1. The treatment instrument outlet 19 opens obliquely toward the observation field of view of the objective optical system. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, an inner cavity 22 of the treatment instrument lead-out port 19 is formed to be relatively large, and its longitudinal cross-sectional shape has a vertically long length as shown by a two-dot chain line L1 in FIG. It is a circle.
Further, the upper end wall portion of the inner cavity 22 of the treatment instrument lead-out port 19
Reference numeral 23 is obliquely inclined toward the observation visual field of the objective optical system. The lower end wall portion 24 of the inner cavity 22 is the insertion portion 1
And a rising portion 24b which rises in a gentle curve from a parallel portion 24a along the longitudinal axis direction.

The treatment instrument insertion channel 21 is composed of a flexible tube 26 having a distal end connected to a connection tube 25 brazed and fixed to the metal 3, and the tube 26 is an operation section (not shown) on the proximal side of the insertion section 1. Is guided to the treatment instrument insertion port provided in the.

Next, a case where a treatment tool is used by utilizing the ultrasonic endoscope will be described. That is, a treatment tool such as forceps is passed through the treatment tool insertion channel 21 from the treatment tool insertion port of the operation section
28 is inserted and drawn out from the treatment instrument lead-out port 19 into the body cavity. When the treatment instrument 28 is led out from the treatment instrument lead-out port 19, the tip of the treatment instrument 28 is guided along the lower end wall portion 24 in the inner cavity 22 of the treatment instrument lead-out port 19. That is, as shown by the circles A, B, and C of the one-dot chain line in FIG. And proceed to the treatment instrument outlet 19
Reach the tip opening. When the distal end portion of the treatment instrument outlet port 19 is reached, the distal end portion of the treatment instrument 28 also hits the upper end wall portion 23 of the lumen 22 of the treatment instrument outlet port 19 and heads diagonally forward. Then, when the treatment tool 28 is pushed forward as it is, as shown in FIG. 1, the treatment tool 28 projects so as to intersect with the observation field of view of the front perspective objective optical system. That is, the treatment tool 28 passes across the center of the optically observable visual field range. Therefore, the treatment tool 28 can be used in a good observation state. The treatment tool insertion channel 21 can be used to perform suction, air supply, liquid supply, and the like.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the ultrasonic endoscope of the present invention forms a slope facing forward on the side surface of the hard part located in front of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver, and observes the front perspective objective optical system on this slope. A window is provided, and a treatment instrument lead-out port that is opened obliquely toward the observation field of view of the objective optical system is formed on the side surface of the hard portion before the slope, and this treatment instrument lead-out port is formed in the insertion portion. A treatment tool insertion channel is connected. That is, since the treatment tool outlet is formed on the side surface of the hard portion in front of the slope in addition to the slope where the observation window of the objective optical system is provided, the treatment tool outlet is directed toward the observation field of view of the objective optical system. It can be easily opened diagonally. Therefore, the treatment tool lead-out port can be provided without increasing the diameter of the insertion portion.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view in the vicinity of a distal end of an insertion portion of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view in the vicinity of a treatment tool introducing port of the embodiment of the present invention. 1 ... Insertion part, 2 ... Tip rigid part, 8 ... Ultrasonic transducer, 13 ... Ultrasonic transmission / reception part, 15 ... Slope, 16 ... Optical observation window, 19 ... Treatment instrument outlet, 21 ... Channel for inserting treatment instruments.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic endoscope in which an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section is provided in a hard section of an insertion section and a front perspective objective optical system is provided on a side surface of the rigid section located in front of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section, A slope facing forward is formed on the side surface of the hard portion located in front of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit, and an observation window of a front perspective objective optical system is provided on this slope, and a side surface of the hard portion in front of the slope. Is formed with a treatment tool lead-out port that is opened obliquely toward the observation field of view of the objective optical system, and the treatment tool lead-out port is connected to the treatment tool insertion channel formed in the insertion portion. Ultrasound endoscope.