JPS6137955B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a laser irradiation device with improved laser beam irradiation positioning means.

Recently, laser beams have been used to treat affected areas within body cavities endoscopically.
Treatment is usually performed with YAG laser light, which is invisible light. In this method, a laser light guide is introduced through the insertion channel of an endoscope introduced into the body cavity, and laser light is irradiated from the tip of the laser light guide toward the affected area within the body cavity. By the way, in order to treat an affected area within a body cavity using this method, it is necessary to detect and confirm the irradiation position of the laser beam in advance before irradiating the laser beam. Conventionally, this detection confirmation method involves preparing a visible light laser oscillator in addition to the therapeutic laser oscillator to determine the irradiation position of the laser beam, and introducing the laser beam from this positioning laser oscillator into the laser beam guide body. The light is emitted from its tip into the body cavity, and the irradiation position is observed using an endoscope.

However, in this conventional method, a positioning laser oscillator must be prepared in addition to the therapeutic laser oscillator, and the optical connection means and electric circuit with the laser light guide are complicated.
It also had the disadvantage of being expensive.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above circumstances,
The purpose is to configure a laser beam irradiation positioning means using a laser oscillator for treatment,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope that can simplify the configuration and improve operability.

The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

This embodiment shows a laser irradiation device for treating an affected area in a body cavity endoscopically with laser light. That is, 1 in FIG. 1 is an endoscope,
This endoscope 1 has an operating section 2 connected to a flexible insertion section 3 and a light guide cable 4, and the operating section 2 is provided with an eyepiece section 5. Furthermore, an observation optical system 6 and an illumination optical system 7 are provided within the endoscope 1. On the other hand, an observation window 8 and an illumination window 9 are provided at the distal end of the insertion section 3, and the observation optical system 6 is configured so that the field of view from the observation window 8 can be observed from the eyepiece section 5. Further, the illumination optical system 7 receives illumination light from the light source 12 of the light source device 11 connected to the distal end connector 10 of the light guide cable 4, and irradiates the illumination light into the body cavity through the illumination window 9. The observation optical system 6 is formed by connecting an objective lens 13 and an eyepiece 14 with a flexible image guide 15 made of, for example, an optical fiber bundle. Also,
The illumination optical system 7 includes a light guide 16 made of, for example, an optical fiber bundle. Note that the light source device 11 includes an infrared reflecting filter 17 located between the light source 12 and the light guide 16.
is provided.

The endoscope 1 also has an insertion channel 1 that communicates with the insertion port 18 of the operation section 2 and reaches the tip of the insertion section 3.
9 is provided, and this insertion channel 19
A protective glass 20 is provided at the opening at the tip. A flexible laser light guide 21 can be inserted into the insertion channel 19.

Further, the laser light guide 21 is connected to a laser oscillation tube 23 of a laser oscillator 22 provided outside the endoscope 1. The laser oscillator 23 above is YAG
The device that oscillates a laser beam is driven to oscillate by a laser oscillation drive device 24, and its output can be switched by selectively using an observation oscillation switch 25 and a treatment oscillation switch 26. . That is, when the observation oscillation switch 5 is used, an extremely weak laser beam can be oscillated, and when the treatment oscillation switch 26 is used, a high-power laser beam that can be used for treatment can be oscillated.

On the other hand, in the observation optical system 6, the eyepiece 1
4 and the image guide 15, a prism 27 is provided as a means for reflecting and dividing the optical image of the laser beam transmitted through the observation optical system 6 out of the optical path. Further, a microchannel 28 is provided outside the optical path as a means for converting the optical image formed by the laser beam into a visible light image. The light image is made incident on the entrance surface 29 of this microchannel 28 via an imaging lens 30, a prism 31, and an infrared transmission filter 32. In addition, microchannel 28
The visible image appearing on the image plane 33 is returned to the optical path of the observation optical system 6 by means to be described later, and is combined with the observation light image of the observation optical system 6. That is, in the above means, the optical image on the image plane 33 is received by the prism 34 and reflected and directed toward the optical path side of the observation optical system 6, and the optical image is received by the prism 35 provided in the optical path and reflected toward the eyepiece 14 side. It is something to be directed toward. In addition, the prism 2 on the observation optical system 5
An infrared reflecting filter 36 is inserted between 7 and 35.

The insertion section 3 of the endoscope 1 is provided with a forceps channel (not shown) through which the forceps 37 can be inserted and protruded from the distal end of the insertion section 3.

Next, the operation of the laser irradiation device will be explained.
First, the insertion section 3 of the endoscope 1 is introduced into the body cavity 38. At this time, the light source 12 of the illumination light source device 11 is turned on to illuminate the inside of the body cavity 38. Therefore, the body cavity 38 is
You can observe the situation inside. When an affected area to be treated with laser light is found in the body cavity 38, the observation oscillation switch 25 of the laser oscillation drive device 24 is closed, and the laser light is oscillated at a low output. A weak laser beam from the laser oscillator 23 reaches the tip of the insertion section 3 through the laser light guide 21 and is emitted from the protective glass 20 into the body cavity 38 . Note that this laser light is invisible light with a wavelength of 1.05 μm, so even if the living body inside the body cavity 38 is irradiated, it cannot be directly observed. In other words, A in Figure 2
It is in the state shown. However, this reflected light is transmitted through the observation optical system 6, a part of which is split by the prism 27, and is focused on the incident surface 29 of the microchannel plate 28 via the imaging lens 30 and prism 31. Image.
In addition, in front of this entrance surface 29, there is an infrared transmitting filter 3 that passes only the wavelength of the YAG laser beam.
2, the light incident on the microchannel plate 28 is a spot-shaped optical image 39 of only the laser beam, as shown by B in FIG. Although this light image is quite weak, it is amplified to a certain level while being automatically adjusted by the microchannel plate 28, and is amplified to a certain level by the image plane 33.
A visible image is obtained as shown by C in FIG.

Further, this visible image returns to the optical path of the observation optical system 6 through the prisms 34 and 35, and is combined with the observation image of the observation optical system 6. In other words, as shown by D in FIG.
is shown. The position of this optical image 39 is the irradiation position of the laser beam.

Note that the laser light directed toward the eyepieces 14 and 14 without being reflected by the prism 29 is reflected by the infrared reflecting filter 36 and removed there, so that it does not enter the operator's eyes.

Therefore, in the above observation state, a spot-shaped optical image 39 of laser light is placed on the affected area to be treated within the body cavity 38.
The endoscope is operated so as to match, and when they match, the therapeutic oscillation switch 26 is switched to the closed state. However, the laser oscillation tube 2
A high-energy laser beam is emitted from the laser beam guide 21 and the protective glass 20 and is emitted toward the affected area in the body cavity 38, so that the affected area can be cauterized, for example.

Note that during the laser treatment, the operation of the microchannel plate 28 may be stopped so that only the state of the treatment can be observed. In other words, the microchannel plate 2 is simultaneously irradiated with laser light for treatment.
8 may be stopped.

Furthermore, the output of laser oscillation may be increased or decreased not only by changing the input to the laser oscillation tube 22, but also by inserting a filter or the like in front of the tube. Furthermore, in order to selectively guide the wavelength of the laser beam to the microchannel plate 28, a filter 17 that reflects infrared rays including the wavelength of the laser beam may be inserted between the image guide 15 and the observation light source 12.

Further, in the above embodiment, the microchannel 28
, but an image intensifier may be used instead.

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to prepare equipment such as a laser oscillator for detecting the irradiation position in addition to the laser oscillator for treatment, and when another equipment is provided, the transmission means is optically connected. You can omit the means. Furthermore, the electrical circuitry required for this can be greatly simplified and omitted. Further, the laser irradiation device can be easily handled and operated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the entire device, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the main parts. 1... Endoscope, 3... Insertion section, 5... Eyepiece section,
6... Observation optical system, 7... Irradiation optical system, 8... Observation window, 11... Light source device, 12... Light source, 14...
...Eyepiece, 15...Image guide, 16...
...Light guide, 20...Protective glass, 21...
... Laser light guide, 22 ... Laser oscillator, 23
... Laser oscillation tube, 24 ... Laser oscillation drive device, 25 ... Oscillation switch for observation, 26 ... Oscillation switch for treatment, 27 ... Prism, 28 ... Microchannel plate, 29 ... Incident surface, 3
0...imaging lens, 31...prism, 32...
Infrared transmission filter, 33... Video surface, 34...
... Prism, 35... Prism, 36... Infrared reflecting filter, 38... Body cavity.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A laser oscillator that oscillates invisible laser light, a laser guide that guides the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator to the irradiation position, an observation optical system that observes the vicinity of the irradiation position, and a laser beam that is transmitted through the observation optical system. A means for separating a light image produced by a laser beam, a means for converting the divided light image into a visible light image, and a means for returning this visible light image to the optical path of the observation optical system and combining it with the observation light image of the observation optical system. A laser irradiation device characterized by comprising means.