JPS6148384B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a medical laser probe used in a laser surgical device.

In recent years, laser light has been increasingly used to stop bleeding and treat cancer. However, the insertion part of conventional laser probes is made by inserting the laser guide into a hard tubular mantle, so when treating the affected area in the pharynx or larynx, the insertion part must be inserted into the narrow, curved body cavity. must be inserted in a straight line, and for this reason, when inserted, the observation field of view is narrowed or the patient is forced to press it forcefully against the body cavity wall, causing great pain to the patient. On the other hand, it is also possible to use the above laser guide as an optical fiber, but since this optical fiber is very soft, the position of the emitting tip cannot be maintained accurately, making the irradiation direction unstable.
This method cannot be carried out because it has the serious drawback of not being able to properly treat the target area.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above circumstances,
The purpose of this is to create a medical laser probe that can be inserted along the wall of a narrow, curved body cavity by making the insertion part easily plastically deformed by hand and held as it is. It is about providing.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

1 in Fig. 1 is a medical laser probe, and this medical laser probe 1 is connected to a flexible cable 2.
A handpiece part 3 is attached to the tip of the cable 2, so that the cable 2 can be connected to a laser beam generator 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the handpiece section 3 is formed by connecting an insertion section 6 to the tip of a relatively thick cylindrical grip 5, and the insertion section 6 is a mantle tube formed into a pipe shape from a ductile metal material. 8. As the ductile metal material, for example, copper annealed at 150 to 250° C. after cold working is used, and the mantle tube 8 can be easily plastically deformed even by hand, and the insertion portion 6 can be held in its curved shape. It's becoming like that.

On the other hand, an optical fiber 10 is inserted into the interior of the medical laser probe 1 over its entire length. The optical fiber 10 receives a laser beam from a laser beam generator 4 to which the cable 2 is connected, and emits the laser beam from the distal end of the insertion portion 6. Further, the outer periphery of the optical fiber 10 is covered with a silicone resin layer 11, and the outer periphery of the silicone resin layer 11 is further fitted with a protective tube 12 made of resin. Furthermore, a gas passage 13 formed by a gap around the optical fiber 10 is formed in the insertion portion 6, so that a nonflammable gas such as CO ₂ gas can be supplied.

A coiled spring 14 is fitted into the distal end of the insertion portion 6 as a holding member for holding the optical fiber 10 in the center. Note that a member for holding the optical fiber 10 at the center may be provided in place of the spring 14. This member may be of any type as long as it can send the fluid to the exit side. For example, a cylinder with slots or an axial groove can be considered.

Furthermore, a discharge hole 15 is formed in the grip 5 to open the gas passage 13 to the outside.

Next, a method of using the medical laser probe 1 will be explained.

When treating the affected part of the pharynx or larynx, insert the insertion part 6 in advance according to the shape of the body cavity to be inserted.
Bend it by hand. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, it is inserted through the oral cavity and positioned along the wall of the body cavity, and a laser beam is irradiated with the tip of the insertion section 6 toward the affected area. Note that the nonflammable gas sent from the laser light generator 4 through the gas passage 13 is released to the outside from the release hole 15, but if you want to spray it on the affected area during laser ablation, cover the release hole 15 with your finger. It can be sprayed from the tip of the insertion section 6.

On the other hand, when stopping bleeding in the brain or cauterizing cancerous tissue, by using it as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to easily cauterize even the smallest details.

Since the insertion portion 6 is configured to be easily plastically deformed and held as it is by hand, the medical laser probe 1 itself can be inserted into a narrow curved lumen along the lumen wall. does not obstruct or narrow your field of vision. In addition, by pressing strongly against the body cavity wall, treatment can be performed without causing pain to the patient. Moreover, since it can be reliably held in a stable position, unnecessary tissues are not cauterized and it is safe.

Furthermore, since the distal end of the insertion section 6 can be easily directed toward the target site and fixed, nonflammable gas can be accurately sprayed onto the affected area.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the mantle tube 20 is formed of a bellows-shaped pipe. By doing so, plastic deformation becomes easier. Also, it is not easily crushed.

Note that the above-mentioned ductile metal material is not limited to copper that has been annealed after cold working, but includes, for example, aluminum that has high purity and has been annealed after working.

Zinc extruded at 30-80℃.

Lead or lead-tin alloy.

Silver or silver-copper alloy.

Money.

Any metal can be used as long as it can be easily plastically deformed by hand, has toughness, and is rich in ductility. In the above example, silver is particularly desirable.

As explained above, the medical laser probe of the present invention can deform its insertion portion to match the shape of the site into which it is inserted and maintain that shape.
Treatment can be performed without causing pain to the patient. Moreover, since the distal end of the insertion section can be easily and reliably held toward the target site, accurate treatment can be achieved and safety can be improved. Further, heat resistance can be improved compared to a case where the outer tube is directly formed from a ductile metal material and the outer side of the outer tube is wrapped with a resin layer. Furthermore, since the mantle tube can be formed into a single layer, its structure can be simplified. Further, since a holding member for holding the optical fiber is provided at the inner meridian part of the distal end of the mantle tube, the direction of the output end of the optical fiber can be correctly positioned at the center of the mantle tube. Therefore,
The affected area can be treated accurately.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are explanatory diagrams of the usage state of a medical laser probe according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively;
Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the handpiece part of the medical laser probe, and Figure 4 is the middle of Figure 3.
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of an insertion portion in another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Medical laser probe, 6... Insertion part, 8...
Mantle tube, 10...optical fiber.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A flexible mantle tube for the insertion section into which an optical fiber that guides the laser beam is inserted is made of a ductile metal material that can maintain its shape when bent by hand, and the inner diameter part of the tip of the mantle tube is A medical laser probe, comprising: a holding member for holding an optical fiber;