JPH10118071A - Ultrasonic endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic endoscope which enables easier removal of bubble generated within a housing, without fear of giving damage to the housing or without requirement of large equipment. SOLUTION: A housing 25 is mounted at the tip of an inserting part 2 to house an ultrasonic vibrator 26 thereinto and an ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is packed into the circumference thereof. An opening part at the tip of the housing 25 is sealed with a film 33 which is characterized by allowing a gas to pass but none of the ultrasonic transmission medium 31. Moreover, the housing 25 is opened outside with a mouth piece 38 through a through hole 35 or the like provided at a tip structural member 21 and a syringe or like is connected to the mouth piece 38 to feed the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 in the housing 25. When bubble is generated in the housing 25, a syringe or the liek is connected to the mouth piece 38 to feed the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 into the housing 25 and thus, the bubble can be removed through the film 33 under a pressure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope in which an ultrasonic vibrator is arranged on the distal end side of an insertion portion to obtain an ultrasonic tomographic image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in addition to the function of an endoscope, an ultrasonic endoscope capable of performing acoustic observation using ultrasonic waves has been put to practical use.

FIG. 11A shows a conventional ultrasonic endoscope 80.
The tip side is shown. The ultrasonic endoscope 80 has an elongated insertion portion 81.
For example, an illumination window 84 and an objective window 85 are provided on a slope portion of the distal end component member 83 forming the distal end portion 82 to have an endoscope function. The ultrasonic vibrator 88 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is accommodated therein, and this ultrasonic vibrator 88 is attached to the distal end of a flexible shaft 90 via a holder 89.
Is driven to rotate so that the ultrasonic transducer 88 can also be driven to rotate.

The periphery of the ultrasonic transducer 88 in the housing 87 is filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium 91, and the opening at the tip of the housing 87 is closed by a lid 93. A water-tight sealing member is attached to a fitting portion between the housing 87 and the lid 93, and a water-tight sealing member 94 is also provided between the holder 89 and the inner peripheral surface of the tip component 83 on the outer peripheral surface side. Is attached.

When the flexible shaft 90 is driven to rotate, the ultrasonic vibrator 88 is also driven to rotate, and the ultrasonic beam passing portion is passed through an ultrasonic transmission medium 91 and a housing 87 made of an ultrasonic transmitting material. Ultrasound is transmitted / received to the 95 side so that an ultrasonic tomographic image of the inspection target site can be obtained.

[0006] A housing 87 covering the ultrasonic vibrator 88 has a role of protecting the ultrasonic vibrator 88 from direct contact with an object. Also, it has a role of protecting the ultrasonic vibrator 88 from disinfectant or gas sterilization.

Since the ultrasonic waves are hardly transmitted in the air, the inside of the housing 87 is filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium 91 as described above. However, when the ultrasonic endoscope 80 is used for a long time or transported for a long distance, bubbles 96 may be generated inside the ultrasonic transmission medium 91.

Since the ultrasonic beam cannot pass through the bubble 96, the ultrasonic tomographic image is significantly deteriorated, and the ultrasonic tomographic image of the inspection target site cannot be obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the bubbles 96.

Hitherto, when air bubbles 96 are generated as shown in FIG. 11A, the lid 93 attached to the housing 87 is removed, and then the syringe needle 97 is moved to the housing 87 as shown in FIG. 11B. A method of inserting the gas bubble 96 into the inside and extracting the gas bubble 96 and a method of using the vacuum pump 98 shown in FIG.

[0010]

However, in the method shown in FIG. 11B, it is difficult to trap the bubbles 96 because the syringe needle 97 is inserted into the narrow housing 87, and the housing 87 is inadvertently moved to the syringe needle. There is a risk of hurt at 97.

Further, the method using the vacuum pump 98 shown in FIG. 12 requires large-scale equipment, and the workability of removing bubbles is very poor.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and there is no possibility of damaging the housing, and there is no need to prepare a large-scale device such as a vacuum pump. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic endoscope that can easily remove bubbles generated in a filled ultrasonic transmission medium.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A membrane having a characteristic that air can pass through but cannot pass through an ultrasonic transmission medium such as water or oil is provided in an opening of a housing in which an ultrasonic transducer is housed. In addition, by providing a liquid sending means for sending an ultrasonic transmission medium inside the housing, when bubbles are generated inside the housing, the liquid is sent by the liquid sending means and pressurized by the ultrasonic transmission medium. This allows the air bubbles to pass through the membrane to the outside, so that the air bubbles can be easily removed.

Therefore, there is no need to insert a syringe needle into the housing or to prepare a large-scale device such as a vacuum pump for removing bubbles, so that there is no risk of damaging the housing and the workability of removing bubbles is good. .

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of an ultrasonic endoscope according to the first embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 3 shows the structure of the distal end portion, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present embodiment. An object of the present embodiment is to provide an ultrasonic endoscope that can easily remove bubbles generated inside a housing.

As shown in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic endoscope 1 according to a first embodiment has an elongated insertion portion 2 which can be inserted into a body cavity, and an operation portion 3 provided at a rear end of the insertion portion 2. An eyepiece 4 provided at a rear end of the operation unit 3, a universal cord 6 extended from a main operation unit 3 </ b> A provided adjacent to a grip 5 on a front end side of the operation unit 3, An ultrasonic code 7 extending from a sub-operation unit 3B provided on the rear end side of the operation unit 3,
Light source connector 8 and ultrasonic connector 9 provided at the ends of universal cord 6 and ultrasonic cord 7, respectively.
It is composed of

The insertion portion 2 has a hard tip 11 from the tip side.
A bending portion 12 provided at the rear end of the distal end portion 11 and capable of bending, and a flexible portion 13 having flexibility provided at the rear end of the bending portion 12.

The main operating section 3A of the operating section 3 includes a bending section 1
2 is provided with a bending operation knob 14 for bending operation and an air / water / suction / suction button 15. A light source connector 8 provided at an end of the universal cord 6 extended from the main operation portion 3A is detachably connected to a light source device (not shown),
The illumination light supplied from the light source device is transmitted by a light guide (not shown), and (the transmitted illumination light) is emitted from the illumination lens system 22 in FIG.

At the rear end of the main operation unit 3A, there is provided a sub operation unit 3B having a drive motor (not shown). The ultrasonic code 7 extended from the sub operation unit 3B
An ultrasonic connector 9 provided at an end of the ultrasonic observation device is detachably connected to an ultrasonic observation device (not shown), and an ultrasonic image is displayed on a monitor of the ultrasonic observation device.

A treatment tool insertion port 17 for inserting a treatment tool is provided near the front end of the operation unit 3, more specifically, near the front end of the grasping unit 5. It communicates with the treatment instrument channel. Further, a base 3 for removing air bubbles, which will be described later, is provided near the front end of the grip 5.
8 are provided.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the distal end portion 11 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1. An illumination lens system 22 and an objective lens system 23 are provided adjacent to each other on a slope formed near the front end of a front end component member 21 forming the front end portion 11. The tip component 21 is formed of a metal member such as a tip hardware.

The illumination lens system 22 emits the illumination light transmitted by the light guide, and illuminates a portion to be inspected in the body cavity. The illuminated inspection target portion and the like form an optical image at the image forming position by the objective lens system 23.

At the image forming position, a leading end face of an image guide is arranged, and the image guide transmits an optical image to a trailing end face. The rear end face is arranged near the front end of the eyepiece 4 and can be magnified and observed through an eyepiece system (not shown) of the eyepiece 4. That is, it has an endoscope function.

An ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit 20 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is provided at the distal end of the distal end component 21. That is, a base end of a substantially cylindrical housing 25 is attached to an attachment portion 24 provided at a distal end of the distal end component member 21 and is fixed by a thread winding or the like. An ultrasonic transducer 26 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is rotatably housed inside the housing 25.

The base end of the ultrasonic vibrator 26 is fixed to the distal end of a holder 27. The base end of the holder 27 is fixed to a flexible shaft 28 which is driven to rotate, and the ultrasonic vibrator 26 is driven to rotate together with the flexible shaft 28. I can do it. For this reason, a through-hole for passing the holder 27 and the flexible shaft 28 is provided in the distal end component 21. The flexible shaft 28 is inserted into the insertion section 2
And a rear end thereof is connected to the driving motor provided in the sub-operation unit 3B.

The ultrasonic beam transmitting portion 29 of the housing 25 which is at least opposed to the ultrasonic transducer 26 and which transmits and receives ultrasonic waves is made of an ultrasonic-permeable material such as low-density polyethylene or polymethylpentene. Have been.

The inside of the housing 25 is filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium 31, and the periphery of the ultrasonic transducer 26 is filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31. This ultrasonic transmission medium 3
No. 1 is a liquid such as liquid paraffin, water, and carboxymethylcellulose aqueous solution, and has a property of transmitting ultrasonic waves.

The front end of the housing 25 is made thin and thick, and inside the housing 25, a bubble passage hole 32 for communicating the inside of the housing 25 with the outside and passing and discharging bubbles is provided. It is sealed with a film 33 that selectively allows gas to pass therethrough as a member for sealing the open end of the hole 32.

The film 33 allows gas such as air to pass through, but liquid such as water or oil (more specifically, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31).
Have the property that they cannot pass through, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (hereinafter referred to as PTF).
(Abbreviated as E).

A peripheral groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the holder 27, and a seal member 34 such as an O-ring is accommodated. The seal member 34 is pressed against the wall surface of the through hole on the outer peripheral side of the holder 27 in the distal end component 21. doing. Therefore, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 filled in the housing 25 does not flow into the flexible shaft 28 on the rear side of the holder 27.

In the present embodiment, means for feeding the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is provided inside the housing 25 as described below. One or more through holes 35 are provided in the distal end component 21 in the axial direction thereof. One end of the through hole 35 communicates with the inside of the housing 25,
The other end is opened at the rear end of the tip component member 21, and a flexible tube 37 is connected via a pipe 36 fixed to the opening.

The tube 37 is inserted through the insertion section 2 and is connected to a hollow base 38 near the front end of the operation section 3, for example. Then, by transmitting the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 from the base 38, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is supplied or injected into the housing 25 so that the inside of the housing 25 can be pressurized by the ultrasonic transmission medium 31. ing.

In the middle of the tube 37, a check valve 39 is provided.
Are arranged. As shown in FIG. 2, the direction of the check valve 39 is such that liquid flows from the base 38 toward the housing 25, but does not flow in the opposite direction.

In this embodiment, as described above, the portion of the housing 25 that opens to the outside is sealed with the film 33 for discharging air bubbles (from the housing 25 to the outside).
The outside and the housing 25 are connected by a conduit with a through hole 35 or the like, and a base 38 that opens to the outside of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 is provided. A syringe or the like is connected to the base 38 so that the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is connected. It is characterized in that it has a structure in which liquid is supplied (and the inside of the housing 25 is pressurized by the ultrasonic transmission medium 31).

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. The light source connector 8 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 is connected to a light source device (not shown), and the ultrasonic connector 9 is connected to an ultrasonic observation device (not shown). Further, a balloon is attached to the distal end portion 11, inserted into a body cavity, optically observed by an endoscope function, and pressed against a target portion to be inspected.

The rotation of the driving motor (not shown) in the sub-operation unit 3B is controlled by the flexible shaft 28 and the holder 27.
Transmitted to the ultrasonic vibrator 26 via the ultrasonic vibrator 2
6 is rotated, and the ultrasonic beam emitted from the ultrasonic transducer 26 passes through the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 and the ultrasonic beam passage portion 29 around the ultrasonic transducer 26, and further presses the balloon through the liquid in the balloon. The light is emitted radially toward the target portion and radial scanning is performed.

Then, the ultrasonic beam is reflected at the portion where the acoustic impedance changes, is received again by the ultrasonic transducer 26, is converted into an electric signal, is subjected to signal processing by the ultrasonic observation device, and is displayed on the monitor screen with the ultrasonic tomographic image. An image is constructed.

As described above, the ultrasonic beam is transmitted and received by the ultrasonic transducer 26, and the ultrasonic beam passes through the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 and the ultrasonic beam passage portion 29 provided in the housing 25.

However, if the ultrasonic endoscope 1 is used for a long period of time, bubbles 40 may be generated in the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 filled in the housing 25 as shown in FIG. Because the beam cannot pass through bubble 40,
Even a small bubble 40 significantly deteriorates the image quality of an ultrasonic tomographic image, and a larger bubble 40 makes it almost impossible to construct an ultrasonic tomographic image.

As a result, the target portion to be inspected is obstructed by the bubbles 40 and cannot be drawn, which causes inconvenience in diagnosis.

Therefore, when the bubble 40 is generated, FIG.
As shown in (A), the syringe 41 filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is connected to the base 38. And FIG. 3 (B)
As shown in (1), by applying a compressive force to the internal ultrasonic transmission medium 31 by pressing the piston side of the syringe 41, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is sent into the housing 25 through the tube 37 and the through hole 35. The liquid is raised to increase the pressure inside the housing 25.

By the pressurization by the liquid sending, the bubbles 40 pass through the bubble passage holes 32 and the membrane 33 and are discharged to the outside of the housing 25, and are replaced with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31. Thus, the air bubbles in the housing 25 can be easily removed.

When the liquid is supplied, the air bubbles 40 can be moved to the inside of the film 33 if the film 33 is set to the upper side, and can be discharged to the outside through the film 33 more easily. As described above, the film 33 has the property of not allowing the passage of a liquid, so that the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 can be prevented from leaking from the film 33.

Since the check valve 39 is provided in the middle of the tube 37, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 inside the housing 25 does not flow out of the base 38. The effects of the first embodiment are as follows.

A bubble passage hole 32 communicating with the outside of the housing 25 and a film 33 for sealing a portion of the bubble passage hole 32 which is open to the outside are provided, and the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is supplied inside the housing 25. By providing the means for performing the operation, the bubbles 40 can be easily removed.

In order to remove bubbles, there is no need to remove the lid 93 as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 11, and it is not necessary to insert the syringe needle 97 into the housing 25. Also, the lid 93 and the housing 87 are not damaged by the syringe needle 97.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 4 and 5 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows a structure of a distal end portion of an ultrasonic endoscope according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present embodiment. An object of the present embodiment is to provide an ultrasonic endoscope having a structure different from that of the first embodiment, in which air bubbles generated inside the housing are easily removed.

In this embodiment, the housing 2 shown in FIG.
A screw hole is provided on the inner peripheral surface on the distal end side of the opening described as the bubble passage hole 32 at the distal end of No. 5 to form the lid attaching portion 43.

A substantially cylindrical lid 44 having a screw portion screwed into the screw hole of the lid mounting portion 43 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof.

The lid 44 has a bubble passage hole 4 in its axial direction.
5 is provided, and a film 33 is attached to an end surface of the bubble passage hole 45 on, for example, the attachment side (housing 25 side). In other words, the membrane 33 is attached to the housing 25 side end of the bubble passage hole 45 that allows the housing 25 to communicate with the outside and allows the bubbles to pass through.

Further, a peripheral groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface near the end on the mounting side adjacent to the threaded portion of the lid 44 to accommodate the seal member 46 and seal the opening at the tip of the housing 25.

The lid 44 is screwed to the lid mounting portion 43 of the housing 25 after filling the inside of the housing 25 with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

First, when the bubbles 40 are generated, the bubbles 40 can be removed by the same method as in the first embodiment. When initially filling the inside of the housing 25 with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31, the lid 44 to which the membrane 33 is attached is removed as shown in FIG.
A syringe 48 is attached to 3 and the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is injected. Thereafter, the lid 44 is attached to the housing 25.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
Is connected to the syringe 41 filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31, and the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is injected into the housing 25, and then the lid 44 is attached to the housing 25.

In the case where the check valve 39 is not provided and the screw hole is provided in the base 38 as shown in FIG. 6, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is first placed inside the housing 25. When filling, do as follows. As shown in FIG. 6, the housing 25 is placed in a container 49 filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31, and the syringe 41 is connected to the base 38.

Then, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is
After suctioning and filling the inside of the housing 25 with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31, the syringe 41 is removed from the base 38,
A screw is attached to the screw hole to close the mouthpiece 38 airtightly and liquidtightly. Further, a cover 44 is provided at the opening at the tip of the housing 25.
Attach.

The effects of the second embodiment and its modifications are as follows. Similar to the first embodiment, the housing 33 is provided with the membrane 33 and the housing 25 is provided with a unit for sending the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 therein.
The bubbles 40 can be easily removed.

Further, since the membrane 33 is provided on the lid 44, when the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is first filled into the housing 25,
Since the lid 44 may be attached after filling the ultrasonic transmission medium 31, workability is better than that of the first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment) FIGS. 7 and 8 relate to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 shows a structure of a distal end portion of an ultrasonic endoscope according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present embodiment. An object of the present embodiment is to provide an ultrasonic endoscope having a structure different from that of the first embodiment, in which air bubbles generated inside the housing are easily removed.

In the present embodiment, for example, in FIG.
Is provided. One end of the communication hole 51 communicates with the inside of the housing 25, and the other end communicates with the outside on the side surface of the tip component member 21. The other end is provided with a screw hole, and a lid 52 provided with a screw to be screwed into the screw hole is detachably attached to the tip component 21.

The lid 52 is provided with a seal member 53. The pipe 36 and the tube 3 in FIG.
7, the base 38 and the check valve 39 are not provided. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When bubbles 40 are generated in the ultrasonic transmission medium 31, FIG.
As shown in (A), the lid 52 is removed from the distal end component member 21, and a syringe 41 filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is attached instead. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is sent into the housing 25 through the communication hole 51.

As a result, the pressure inside the housing 25 is increased, and the air bubbles 40 are discharged to the outside of the housing 25 through the air bubble passage holes 32 and the membrane 33, and are replaced with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31. As described above, the film 33 does not allow the liquid to pass through, so that the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 does not leak from the film 33.

When the bubbles 40 have been removed, the syringe 41 is removed as shown in FIG. 8C, and a lid 52 is attached instead. Since the lid 52 is provided with the seal member 53, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 inside the housing 25 does not flow out.

The effects of the third embodiment are as follows.

As in the first embodiment, the housing 25
In addition to the provision of the membrane 33 and the provision of the means for feeding the ultrasonic transmission medium inside the housing 25, the bubbles 40 can be easily removed.

Further, the pipe 3 shown in the first embodiment
6. Since there is no tube 37, no check valve 39, and base 38, the structure can be simple and inexpensive, and the insertion portion can be made thinner.

In the third embodiment, instead of providing the membrane 33 directly on the housing 25, as shown in the second embodiment, the membrane 33 is attached to the lid 44 provided with the bubble passage hole 45. Alternatively, the lid 44 may be attached to the housing 25.

According to these embodiments, the housing 25 is provided with the film 33 having the characteristic that air can pass therethrough but cannot pass through the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 such as water or oil. Since the means for feeding the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is provided, the housing 25
Bubbles 4 generated in the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 filled therein
0 can be easily removed.

Further, since it is not necessary to insert a syringe needle into the housing 25 or to prepare a large-scale device such as a vacuum pump for removing the air bubbles 40, the housing 25 is not required.
There is no risk of damaging the air bubbles and the workability of removing the bubbles 40 is good.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, an ultrasonic endoscope according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment has an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves at the tip of the insertion unit, a notch on the hand side, and a front perspective type in which an objective lens system and an illumination lens system are arranged in the notch. An object of the present embodiment is to provide a front oblique ultrasonic endoscope that can obtain a good ultrasonic image, has no flare, and is easy to insert. is there.

FIG. 9 shows a distal end portion 11 of a front oblique ultrasonic endoscope. In FIG. 9, the distal end portion 11 of the front perspective ultrasonic endoscope has a notch portion 62 in which a front end side of a metal distal end component member 61 forming the distal end portion 11 is cut in a wedge shape. It is provided. The illumination lens system 22 and the objective lens system 23 are provided on the slope 63 near the notch 62 so that the optical axes O1 and O2 are substantially perpendicular to the slope 63.

A housing 25 forming an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64 is provided on the distal end side of the distal end component 61 via the mounting portion 24.
A groove 65 is provided adjacent to 4 for mounting a balloon (not shown). Note that the height h from the bottom 66 to the notch 62 on the opposite side of the notch 62 in the tip component 61 is smaller than the height h ′ from the bottom 66 to the upper end 67 of the ultrasonic transceiver 64.

Further, the opening angle θ of the notch 62 is 90
° or more. The height of the upper end 69 of the slope 68 on the distal end side of the notch 62 and the upper end of the mounting portion 24 of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64 of the distal end component member 61 are the same.

The imaging range α of the objective lens system 23 is
It is desirable that the angle is about 80 ° to 100 ° so that the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64 at the distal end of the objective lens system 23 does not enter the imaging range and a wide observation field of view can be obtained. The central axes of the distal end component 61 and the housing 25 (the ultrasonic receiving unit 64) are indicated by 61a and 25a, respectively. Other configurations are the same as those of the third embodiment, for example.

The operation of the present embodiment is as follows.
The illumination lens system 22 emits illumination light sent from a light source device (not shown) via a light guide.

The objective lens system 23 forms an image of an object in the range illuminated by the illumination lens system 22. The illumination light emitted from the illumination lens system 22 impinges on a slope 68 of the distal end component member 61. The slope 68 is parallel to the optical axis O1 of the illumination lens system 22 or is close to the hand of the illumination lens system 22. Therefore, the reflected light from the inclined surface 68 does not directly enter the objective lens system 23.

The effects of the present embodiment are as follows.

The illumination lens system 22 and the objective lens system 2 are provided on one surface of the notch 62 of the distal end member 61 of the ultrasonic endoscope.
3, and by setting the opening angle of the notch 62 to 90 ° or more, an endoscope image without flare is obtained.
In addition, axial deviation between the distal end component 61 and the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64 can be reduced. That is, the diameter of the distal end component member 61 can be reduced without reducing the size of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64, and an ultrasonic endoscope with good insertability and excellent ultrasonic images can be provided. The other effects are the same as those of the third embodiment.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The purpose of this embodiment is the same as that of the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the distal end portion 11 of the front perspective ultrasonic endoscope has a distal end member 71 made of metal provided with a perspective surface 72 perpendicular to the oblique front direction. The oblique surface 72 is provided with an illumination lens system 22 and an objective lens system 23 such that the optical axes O1 and O2 are substantially perpendicular to the oblique surface 72.

A housing 25 forming an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64 is provided on the front end side of the front end member 71.
A groove 65 for mounting a balloon (not shown) is provided near the mounting portion 24 of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64 in the distal end component 71.

The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 6 at the end of the groove 65
The outer surface of the mounting portion 24 of No. 4 is covered with a matte black resin 73. Note that, instead of the matte black resin, a matte black coating may be applied to the mounting portion 24.

The imaging range α 'of the objective lens system 23
Is the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 6 at the tip of the objective lens system 23.
It is preferable that the angle 4 is in the range of 80 ° to 100 °, which does not fall within the imaging range and provides a wide observation visual field range.

The height h ″ between the bottom 74 of the tip component 71 and the bottom 75 of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64 is as small as possible within a range where the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 64 does not enter the imaging range of the objective lens system 23. Other configurations are the same as those of the third embodiment, for example.

The operation of the present embodiment is as follows.
The illumination lens system 22 emits illumination light sent from a light source device (not shown) via a light guide.

The objective lens system 23 forms an image of an object illuminated by the illumination lens system 22. The light emitted from the illumination lens system 22 hits the outer surface on the tip side of the tip component 71, but the outer surface of the mounting portion 24 is covered with the matte black resin 73, so that the hit light is reflected. do not do. Therefore, light does not directly enter the objective lens system 23.

The effect of this embodiment is almost the same as that of the fourth embodiment. In addition, since the slope 68 and the upper end 69 on the tip side of the notch 62 shown in FIG. 9 are not required, the rigid length L of the tip 11 can be shortened, and insertion becomes easier. The other effects are the same as those of the third embodiment.

According to the fourth and fifth embodiments,
A front perspective ultrasonic endoscope having a transmitting / receiving section for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section at the distal end of the insertion section, and a notch on the hand side, and an objective lens system and an illumination lens system are arranged in the notch. In the mirror, by setting the opening angle of the notch to 90 ° or more, a good ultrasonic image can be obtained without increasing the outer diameter of the tip, and the light emitted from the illumination lens system is directly transmitted to the objective lens system. Since there is no flare, since there is no flare, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic endoscope which can be easily inserted into a patient and can always obtain good ultrasonic images and endoscope images.

The present invention relates to, for example, the tip 1 shown in FIG.
1, a structure may be employed in which a portion of the housing 25, which is open to the outside on the distal end side, is covered with a detachable lid 44 provided with a film 33 (a structure without a liquid feeding means such as the through hole 35 in FIG. 4). What you did).

In this case, when filling the housing 25 with the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 for the first time, the lid 44 is removed, and the ultrasonic wave inside the syringe 48 is used by using the syringe 48 in the same manner as in FIG. What is necessary is just to inject the transmission medium 31.

When bubbles 40 are generated due to long-term use, the lid 44 is removed, a small amount of the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is injected with a syringe 48 or the like, and then the lid 44 is added to the ultrasonic transmission medium 31. It is attached in a state of being pressed so that the lid 44 side faces upward. By applying pressure when the lid 44 is attached, the bubbles 40 can pass through the membrane 33 to the outside and be discharged, and the bubbles 40 can be removed from the housing 25. Also in this case, the bubbles 40 can be removed more easily than in the conventional example.

When the small air bubbles 40 are generated, the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is not injected, but the tightening amount of the lid 44 is simply increased, and the mounting position of the lid 44 is moved to the housing 25 side. Alternatively, the bubbles 40 can be removed from the housing 25 under a pressurized state. The ultrasonic endoscope having this structure has a wide range of application and can be realized at low cost, since only the lid portion needs to be changed as compared with the conventional example.

The film 33 attached to the end of the lid 44 on the housing 25 side is urged toward the housing 25 via an elastic member such as an O-ring (in a state where the ultrasonic transmission medium 31 is slightly pressed). May be attached. In this way, even when bubbles are easily mixed or generated, such as when the volume of the housing 25 is changed, the movement or movement of the film 33 can prevent the mixed or generated bubbles.

Even if bubbles are generated, they can be removed via the film 33 because they are in a pressurized state. For this reason,
For a long period of time, the generation of air bubbles can be substantially prevented. Note that embodiments and the like formed by partially combining the above-described embodiments and the like also belong to the present invention.

[Supplementary Notes] In an ultrasonic endoscope having an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from an insertion unit, a housing member that covers the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit, and the housing member is filled around the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit. An ultrasonic transmission medium that transmits ultrasonic waves, a sealing member that is provided in an opening that communicates the inside and the outside of the housing member, does not allow the ultrasonic transmission medium to pass, and has a property of passing a gas,
Inside the insertion portion, one end communicates with the housing member, and the other end communicates with an opening that opens to the outside of the ultrasonic endoscope, and is connected to the opening, and is connected to the opening through the conduit. An ultrasonic endoscope comprising: a liquid sending unit that sends an ultrasonic transmission medium into the housing member.

2. 2. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is a porous fiber. 3. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is attached to a hollow lid, and the lid is detachably fixed to the housing member.

4. In an ultrasonic endoscope having an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from an insertion unit, a housing member that covers the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit, and the housing member is filled around the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit. An ultrasonic transmission medium that transmits ultrasonic waves, a sealing member that is provided in an opening that communicates the inside and the outside of the housing member, does not allow the ultrasonic transmission medium to pass, and has a property of passing a gas, A conduit that is internal to the insertion portion, one end communicates with the housing member, and the other end communicates with an opening that opens outside the ultrasonic endoscope, and a closing member that removably opens and closes the opening. An ultrasonic endoscope comprising:

5. In an ultrasonic endoscope having an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from an insertion unit, a housing member that covers the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit, and the housing member is filled around the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit. An ultrasonic transmission medium for transmitting ultrasonic waves, and selectively provided in an opening communicating between the inside and the outside of the housing member so as to be detachable and having a property of not allowing the ultrasonic transmission medium to pass therethrough and allowing gas to pass therethrough. An ultrasonic endoscope comprising: a detachable sealing member provided with a gas passage member.

6. An ultrasonic transmission / reception unit for transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves at the distal end of the insertion unit, and a notch on the hand side, and a front perspective ultrasonic endoscope in which an objective lens system and an illumination lens system are arranged in the notch. An ultrasonic endoscope, wherein a notch has an opening angle of 90 ° or more.

(Background of Supplementary Note 6) The present invention has an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section for transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves at the tip of the insertion section, and visually observes the range illuminated by the illumination lens system with the objective lens system. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope apparatus capable of drawing an ultrasonic image while performing the operation.

(Prior Art) Generally, an ultrasonic endoscope is provided with an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section at the distal end of an insertion section, and an objective lens system and an illumination lens system are provided near the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section. . For this reason, the ultrasonic endoscope tends to have a large outer diameter. In order to avoid this, the objective lens system and the illumination lens system are often provided on the front surface of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit by diagonally cutting off the distal end component, and are of a front perspective type.

However, in the case of such a front perspective ultrasonic endoscope, it is necessary to make the outer diameter as small as possible in order to improve the insertability. Therefore, as shown in the side view of the ultrasonic endoscope in FIG. 13, the center axis C <b> 1 of the tip component 83, which forms the tip 82 as much as possible, and the tip of the tip component 83 are provided via the mounting portion 86. It is necessary to bring the center axis C2 of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 77 closer and reduce the step H.

Then, the mounting portion 86 of the distal end component 83 to the ultrasonic transmission / reception portion 77 and the groove surface 78 for mounting the balloon when the balloon is used are provided by the illumination lens system 84.
, And the illuminating light is reflected on the surface 78 and is incident on the objective lens system 85, and a part of the flare often shines brightly.

If the outer diameter of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section 77 is reduced, the possibility of occurrence of this flare is reduced. However, for example, in the case of a mechadial type ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit, a good ultrasonic image cannot be obtained at low frequencies because a vibrator having a large aperture diameter is required. Further, in the case of the electronic scanning type ultrasonic transmission / reception unit, since the number of elements of the vibrator is reduced, there is also a problem that a satisfactory ultrasonic image cannot be obtained.

The present invention has been made with respect to the above-mentioned problems, and the object of Appendix 6 is to provide an ultrasonic endoscope which can be easily inserted into a patient and always obtain good ultrasonic images and endoscope images. It is to be.

(Means and Actions for Solving the Problems) The present invention adopts the configuration of Appendix 6 so that a good ultrasonic image can be obtained without increasing the outer diameter of the tip and the illumination lens system can be used. Since the emitted light does not directly enter the objective lens system, it has the effect of eliminating flare.

[0107]

As described above, according to the present invention, in an ultrasonic endoscope having an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section for transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves to / from an insertion section, a housing member for covering the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section; Inside the housing member, an ultrasonic transmission medium for transmitting ultrasonic waves filled around the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit, and an opening communicating between the inside and the outside of the housing member, passing through the ultrasonic transmission medium Don't let me
And a sealing member having a property of allowing gas to pass therethrough, a pipe which is internal to the insertion portion, one end communicates with the housing member, and the other end communicates with an opening opening outside the ultrasonic endoscope, Liquid supply means for supplying an ultrasonic transmission medium into the housing member through the conduit, the liquid supply means being connected to the opening, so that when bubbles are generated, the liquid supply means By sending the ultrasonic transmission medium to the housing member to increase the pressure of the ultrasonic transmission medium in the housing member, air bubbles can be easily removed outside the housing member through the sealing member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an entire ultrasonic endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a structure of a distal end portion of the ultrasonic endoscope.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a structure of a distal end portion of an ultrasonic endoscope according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a modification of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a structure of a distal end portion of an ultrasonic endoscope according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a distal end portion of an ultrasonic endoscope according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a distal end portion of an ultrasonic endoscope according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a structure of a distal end portion of a conventional ultrasonic endoscope and a method for removing bubbles.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a method of removing bubbles in a conventional ultrasonic endoscope.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a distal end portion of a conventional ultrasonic endoscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultrasonic endoscope 2 ... Insertion part 3 ... Operation part 11 ... Tip part 21 ... Tip constituent member 22 ... Illumination lens system 23 ... Objective lens system 24 ... Mounting part 25 ... Housing 26 ... Ultrasonic transducer 27 ... Holder 28 ... flexible shaft 29 ... ultrasonic beam passage part 31 ... ultrasonic transmission medium 32 ... bubble passage hole 33 ... membrane 34 ... seal member 35 ... through hole 36 ... pipe 37 ... tube 38 ... base 39 ... check valve 40 ... bubble 41 ... Syringe

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic endoscope having an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section for transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves to / from an insertion section, wherein: a housing member that covers the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section; An ultrasonic transmission medium for transmitting ultrasonic waves filled in the surroundings, provided in an opening communicating between the inside and the outside of the housing member, and having a property of passing gas without passing through the ultrasonic transmission medium. A sealing member, a pipe that is internal to the insertion portion, one end communicates with the housing member, and the other end communicates with an opening that opens outside the ultrasonic endoscope; and An ultrasonic endoscope, comprising: a liquid supply unit configured to supply an ultrasonic transmission medium into the housing member via a conduit.