JPH08173374A - Endoscope treating tool-inserting channel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide the subject channel being stiff even when its thickness is thin and it is bent at a bending part. CONSTITUTION: This endoscope treating tool-inserting channel 7 is formed of a tube made of a flexible synthetic resin and, at least at a bending part, a pair of stay wires 8 is buried in the tube wall of the inserting channel 7 in a relative position that about 180 deg. symmetric on the axis line of the treating tool inserting channel 7 and almost rectangular to the bending direction of the bending part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope for inserting biopsy forceps and other treatment instruments.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A treatment instrument insertion channel is generally formed of a tube made of a flexible synthetic resin material such as a fluororesin and is inserted into the insertion portion of an endoscope over its entire length.

In most cases, the insertion portion of such an endoscope is provided with a bending portion which is bent by a remote operation with a small radius of curvature, and a treatment instrument insertion channel is passed therethrough. It is necessary to prevent the treatment instrument insertion channel from bending when the bending portion is bent.

In order to prevent the waist from breaking, the thickness of the treatment instrument insertion channel may be increased. However, in that case, since the treatment instrument insertion channel largely blocks the cross section of the endoscope insertion portion, not only the outer diameter of the insertion portion becomes large, but also the force required to bend the treatment instrument insertion channel becomes large, so that the curved portion is This causes a large resistance to prevent bending, and causes serious inconveniences such as breaking optical fibers arranged side by side.

Therefore, conventionally, a spiral groove is formed on the outer periphery of the treatment instrument insertion channel, and a spiral coil or the like is wound around the groove to prevent the treatment instrument insertion channel from bending.

[0006]

However, forming a spiral groove on the outer circumference of the treatment instrument insertion channel and winding a fine coil in the groove requires a large number of manufacturing steps, resulting in an extremely high cost. Not only that, but the wall thickness of the entire treatment tool insertion channel including the coil becomes thicker,
This will greatly block the cross section of the endoscope insertion portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a treatment instrument insertion channel for an endoscope which has a thin wall thickness and which does not bend when bent at a curved portion.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope according to the present invention is provided in an insertion portion of an endoscope provided with a curved portion that is two-dimensionally bent by remote control. In the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope inserted into the endoscope, the treatment instrument insertion channel is formed of a tube made of a flexible synthetic resin material, and at least in the curved portion, a pair of stay wires are treated. It is embedded in the tube wall of the treatment instrument insertion channel in a positional relationship that is substantially 180 ° symmetrical with respect to the axis line of the instrument insertion channel and is substantially perpendicular to the bending direction of the bending portion. To do.

[0009]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a portion on the distal end side of the insertion portion of the endoscope. The bending portion 20 is connected to the distal end portion of the flexible insertion portion 10, and the distal end main body is attached to the distal end of the bending portion 20. 1 is connected. The outer diameter of each portion is formed to have substantially the same thickness.

The insertion portion 10 is formed by covering the outer circumference of a metallic spiral tube 11 with a mesh tube 12 braided with fine metal wires and further covering the outer surface thereof with a flexible polyurethane resin tube 13 or the like. It is covered by a flexible tube.

The bending portion 20 has a frame formed by a plurality of (for example, 10) node rings 21 rotatably connected to adjacent node rings 21 by a pair of rivets 22 at the left and right positions, and the outer periphery thereof is formed. Mesh tube 2 braided with fine metal wires
3, and the outer surface thereof is covered with a rubber tube 24 having elasticity.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of operating wires 25 are inserted along the inner peripheral surface of the node ring 21 at a position slightly obliquely displaced from the vertical direction. The tip portion is connected to the tip body 1.

Reference numeral 21a shown in FIG. 1 is an operation wire insertion guide formed on the inside of the node ring 21 so as to project.
Is the axial position of the rivet 22. Further, reference numeral 19 shown in FIG. 2 is a connecting cylinder that connects the bending portion 20 and the insertion portion 10.

With such a configuration, the bending portion 20 is tilted at each portion around the rivet 22 by pulling one of the pair of operation wires 25 from the base end side and sending the other to the front side, and vertically. It can be arbitrarily bent in a two-dimensional plane in the direction.

An objective lens 3 of an observation optical system is fixed in an observation window 2 formed on the tip surface of the tip body 1, and an image of the image guide fiber bundle 4 is placed at a position where an observation image is formed by the objective lens 3. The entrance end face is arranged.

Further, a light guide fiber bundle 5 for illuminating the observation range is arranged in two illumination windows (not shown). The image guide fiber bundle 4 and the light guide fiber bundle 5 are both
The tip portion is fixed to the tip body 1, and the bending portion 20
It is drawn from the inside into the insertion portion 10.

Further, the treatment instrument insertion channel 7 provided so as to communicate with the treatment instrument projecting port 6 opening on the tip end surface of the tip end body 1 has its tip fixed to the tip end body 1 from the rear side and is curved. It is drawn from the inside of the portion 20 into the inside of the insertion portion 10.

The treatment instrument insertion channel 7 is made of a material having flexibility and a small frictional resistance, such as a tube made of fluororesin. At the same time as being inserted, it is also used as a suction tube.

Within the tube wall of the treatment instrument insertion channel 7, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 which is an enlarged plan sectional view of the treatment instrument insertion channel 7, a pair of stay wires 8 are provided. It is buried over the entire length at the left and right positions that are substantially 180 ° symmetrical with respect to the axis of 7 and that are substantially perpendicular to the bending direction of the bending portion 20.

As the stay wire 8, a single wire of stainless steel wire is used here, but it is made of other elastic wire such as metal wire or non-metal wire such as carbon wire.
Single wires or stranded wires can be used.

In this way, the treatment instrument insertion channel 7 in which the stay wires 8 are embedded in the left and right cannot be expanded or contracted in the horizontal direction in which the stay wires 8 are embedded, and can be freely bent in the vertical direction. . In addition, it is strong against axial compression and tension, and does not easily bend.

Therefore, the treatment instrument insertion channel 7 bends freely when the bending portion 20 is bent in the vertical direction, and even if the bending portion 20 is repeatedly bent with a small radius of curvature, the stay wire 8 makes it easy. Don't break.

According to an experiment, a tetrafluoroethylene resin tube having an inner diameter of 1.4 mm and a wall thickness of 0.2 mm was used as the treatment instrument insertion channel 7, and a stay wire 8 having a diameter of 0. By embedding a 1 mm stainless steel wire, good results were obtained without breaking the waist.

By embedding the stay wire 8 in this way, even if the wall thickness of the treatment instrument insertion channel 7 is considerably thinned, it does not easily bend. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and as shown in, for example, FIGS. 4 and 5, the thickness of the treatment instrument insertion channel 7 is increased only in the portion where the stay wire 8 is embedded. The strength of the resin portion may be reinforced. Further, the stay wire 8 may be embedded in at least the range of the curved portion 20.

[0025]

According to the present invention, in the tube wall of the treatment instrument insertion channel made of a flexible synthetic resin tube,
Since the pair of stay wires are embedded in a positional relationship that is substantially 180 ° symmetrical with respect to the axis of the treatment instrument insertion channel and is substantially perpendicular to the bending direction of the bending portion, the wall thickness of the treatment instrument insertion channel is reduced. Even if it bends in the curved portion, it does not easily break.

Therefore, the wall thickness of the treatment instrument insertion channel can be reduced to bend the endoscope with a small amount of operation force, and the outer diameter of the endoscope insertion portion can be reduced to reduce the burden on the patient. Even if the curved portion is repeatedly bent, the treatment tool insertion channel does not bend at the waist, and excellent durability can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a distal end portion of the endoscope insertion portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan sectional view of a treatment tool insertion channel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a treatment tool insertion channel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of a treatment tool insertion channel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7 Treatment tool insertion channel 8 Stay wire 20 Bending section

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope inserted into an insertion portion of an endoscope provided with a curved portion that is bent two-dimensionally by remote control, wherein the treatment instrument insertion channel is flexible. The stay wire is formed of a tube made of a synthetic resin material, and at least in the curved portion, the pair of stay wires is at a position symmetrical about 180 ° with respect to the axis of the treatment instrument insertion channel and substantially in the bending direction of the curved portion. A treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope, which is embedded in a tube wall of the treatment instrument insertion channel in a positional relationship of forming a right angle.