JPS631055B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a heating probe for an endoscope that can partially heat and treat a part of a body cavity.

It has been discovered that cells of malignant tumors such as cancer die at temperatures around 40°C, and it is known that heating the area affected by cancer can be used to treat cancer. Therefore, in the past, the air and water supply ports and suction ports provided in the distal end component of the endoscope were used.
Hot air or hot water is blown onto a part of the body cavity from an air and water supply port, and warm air or hot water is collected from a suction port to heat a part of the body cavity, that is, the affected area. However, conventional endoscopes do not have a means to control the temperature of hot air or hot water blown from the air and water supply ports, so when heating a part of the body cavity, it is difficult to maintain that part at a certain constant temperature. I couldn't. Also,
Some devices are equipped with a high-frequency generating probe and a means for monitoring its temperature, but since the high-frequency generating device and its temperature sensing device are close to each other, there is a risk that they will interfere with each other, making it impossible to accurately measure the temperature. Furthermore, when used inside a body cavity, the body cavity wall moves, so it is difficult to provide uniform heat with high-frequency heating, and the temperature varies depending on the shape of the body cavity wall.

Therefore, normal human cells can tolerate it, but
It has not been possible to kill only cancer cells by heating a part of the body cavity to a temperature at which cancer cells cannot withstand and die, and then maintaining that temperature.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an endoscope that can heat a part of the body cavity to a desired temperature and that can easily control the temperature. The present invention attempts to provide a heating probe for mirrors.

The present invention will be explained below based on embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment, and numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is an endoscope body.
This endoscope main body 1 is composed of an insertion section 2 to be inserted into a body cavity and an operation section 3. In addition, the insertion section 2
The distal end portion 4 is provided with an illumination window, an observation window, and an opening for an insertion channel through which forceps and the like project (none of which are shown). The heating probe 5 used in the endoscope thus constructed is constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.
That is, 6 is a long flexible tube that can be inserted into and removed from the insertion channel, and an elastic expansion member, such as a balloon 7 made of rubber or soft synthetic resin material, is attached to the distal end of the tube. A liquid feeding tube 8 and a suction tube 9 are installed inside the flexible tube 6 along its axial direction. Openings 8a and 9a are provided at the tips of these liquid feeding tubes 8 and suction tubes 9.
are provided and are opposed to each other within the balloon 7.
Further, the ends of the liquid feeding tube 8 and the suction tube 9 are respectively led out from the ends of the flexible tube 6, and the liquid feeding tube 8 is connected to the pressurizing device 10, and the suction tube 9 is connected to the suction device 11, respectively. moreover,
A waterproof member 12 is provided on the distal end side of the flexible tube 6 to support the liquid feeding tube 8 and the suction tube 9 in a liquid-tight manner. A certain temperature sensing member 13 is provided. The temperature sensing member 13 has a base end fixed to the waterproof member 12, a support tube 14 whose distal end protrudes from the flexible tube 6 and is located inside the balloon 7, and a temperature sensor 1 fixed to the distal end of the support tube 14.
It consists of 5. The temperature sensor 15 is electrically connected to a temperature control device 17 via a lead wire 16 passing through the support tube 14 and the flexible tube 6. This temperature control device 17 is connected between the pressure device 10 and the suction device 11, and is configured to heat and control the fluid to a predetermined temperature.

When heating, for example, cancer cells in a body cavity to kill them, the insertion portion 2 of the endoscope main body 1 is inserted into the body cavity. In this state, the heating probe 5 is inserted into the insertion channel of the endoscope body 1, and the distal end of the flexible tube 6 and the balloon 7 are inserted into the distal end component 4.
protrude from Next, a predetermined temperature (temperature required to kill cancer cells = approximately 40
℃), this fluid is supplied into the balloon 7 via the liquid feeding tube 8. Therefore, the balloon 7 is expanded into a substantially spherical shape by the fluid, and the fluid inside the balloon 7 is sucked into the suction device 11 via the suction tube 9, and then transferred to the pressure device 10 via the temperature control device 17.
sent to. Therefore, the fluid is transferred to the pressurizing device 10
→Liquid feeding tube 8 → Balloon 7 → Suction tube 9
It circulates in the order of → suction device 11 → temperature control device 17. In this state, when the flexible tube 6 is advanced and the balloon 7 is pressed against the cancer affected area a on the inner wall of the body cavity, the cancer affected area a is heated by the fluid heat inside the balloon 7.
By holding it for a certain period of time, only cancer cells can be killed without affecting surrounding normal cells. At this time, the temperature sensor 15 inside the balloon 7 detects the cancerous area a through the wall of the balloon 7.
Since the temperature sensor 15 is in pressure contact with the cancer affected area a, the temperature of the fluid near the cancerous area a can be detected, and the detection signal of this temperature sensor 15 is sent to the temperature control device 1 via the lead wire 16.
7 is input. Therefore, the temperature of the circulating fluid can always be controlled to be constant.

In the above embodiment, heated fluid is sent into the balloon 7, and the cancer affected area a is heated by the fluid heat.
However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be configured as follows.

5 and 6 show a second embodiment, in which 18 is a flexible tube that can be inserted into and removed from the insertion channel, and a flexible coil 19 is contained within the flexible tube 18. is inserted so that it can freely slide in the axial direction. An elastic expansion member such as a disc-shaped flexible membrane body 21 made of rubber or synthetic resin is attached to the tip of the coil 19 via a fixture 20. Elastic heating wires 22 covering the entire surface including the periphery are attached to the flexible membrane 21 in a grid pattern, and a temperature sensor 23 is attached approximately to the center of the flexible membrane 21. There is. The heating wire 22 and the temperature sensor 23 are lead wires 22a and 23a passing through the coil 19, respectively.
The temperature control device 24 is led out from the end of the flexible tube 18 through the tube and is electrically connected to the temperature control device 24 .

Thus, the flexible membrane body 21 protrudes and retracts from the tip opening of the flexible tube 18 by moving the coil 19 forward and backward, and when it protrudes by moving the coil 19 forward, it is circularized by the elastic force of the heating wire 22. When expanded into a plate shape and the coil 19 is retreated, the heating wire 22
is elastically deformed and inserted into the flexible tube 18. Therefore, when heating the cancer affected area a on the inner wall of the body cavity to kill only the cancer cells, the flexible membrane 21 is heated by energizing the heating wire 22 by the temperature control device 24. In this state, by pressing the flexible membrane body 21 protruding from the flexible tube 18 against the cancerous area a, only the cancerous area a can be subjected to heat treatment.

In the second embodiment, the flexible film body 21 is formed into a disk shape, and the heating wire 22 is provided on the entire surface of the flexible membrane body 21.
are arranged in a lattice pattern, but the structure is not limited to this, and as shown in the third embodiment in FIG. It has similar effects.

As explained above, the present invention provides an elastic expansion member having means for supplying heat near the affected area at the tip of a flexible tube that can be inserted into and removed from an endoscope insertion channel, and adjusts the temperature of the elastic expansion member to Since it is controlled by the control device, the affected part of the inner wall of the body cavity can be heated to an arbitrary temperature, and the temperature can be easily controlled. Therefore, it is possible to heat and kill only cancer cells without affecting normal cells in any way.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention in use, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the heating probe, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main parts, and FIG.
The figures are Fig. 3 - sectional view along the line, Fig. 5, Fig. 6.
The drawings show the second embodiment, FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the main part, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the state of use, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the third embodiment. 6... Flexible tube, 7... Balloon (elastic expansion member), 17... Temperature control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A flexible tube that can be inserted into and removed from a channel for inserting forceps etc. provided inside the endoscope, an elastic expansion member provided at the tip of the flexible tube and having means for supplying heat to the vicinity of the affected area; A heating probe for an endoscope, comprising a temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of an elastic expansion member, and a temperature control device for controlling the temperature.