JPH0773566B2 - Extra-fine diameter swing endoscope - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an endoscope (catheter type fiberscope) having an extremely fine diameter and capable of swinging.

[Problems to be Solved by Conventional Techniques and Inventions]

Conventionally, the present inventors have proposed a catheter-type fiberscope in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-113056, but since this fiberscope has a structure in which the tip portion does not swing, the outer diameter dimension may be 1 mm or less. done.

However, for medical purposes, it is desirable that the tip portion can be swung in order to improve the ease of insertion into a blood vessel, trachea, ureter, etc. of the body.

All conventional endoscopes that can be swung (catheter type fiberscope) exceed 4 mm. The reason is that a large cross-sectional area is required to insert the pulling wire and the guide tube that penetrates the pulling wire, and when the wire is pulled strongly to swing the tip during use, the swing of the endoscope This is because the compressive force acts as a reaction force over substantially the entire length excluding the part, and if it is 4 mm or less, it is bent and deformed in a meandering shape (buckling), and the swinging of the tip becomes impossible or insufficient.

An object of the present invention is to have a moderate flexibility over the entire length and a firm waist, and when the wire is strongly pulled for swinging, it does not bend in a meandering shape, and the tip swings reliably. The present invention is to provide an extra-fine diameter swinging endoscope which can be carried out in accordance with the present invention and which has a sufficiently smaller outer diameter than conventional ones.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention inserts a pulling wire and a guide tube that guides it by inserting it, an image guide, etc., and inserts it into a jacket tube having an outer diameter of 3 mm or less so that the predetermined range of the tip is In a swinging endoscope capable of swinging by pulling a wire, the jacket tube is made of a seamless plastic from the base end to the tip, and the guide tube is wrapped with a metal rectangular wire in close contact. The outer diameter of the coiled tube and the plastic coating layer coated on it
The guide tube is formed to have a thickness of 0.4 mm or less, and is fixedly integrated with the image guide and the inner surface of the jacket tube over the entire length of the insertion section inserted into the jacket tube except for the swinging section.

[Work]

When pulling the base end of the pulling wire for swinging the tip, compression force tends to act on the inserted guide tube excluding the swinging part, but the guide tube is the image guide and the jacket tube over the entire length of the inserting section. Since it is fixedly integrated with the inner surface, the compression force is shared with the image guide together with the guide tube, and the buckling strength and rigidity can be significantly improved, and even if the overall diameter is reduced, Curvature deformation can be prevented.

Further, since the guide tube is a coil tube in which a rectangular wire is wound tightly, the inner diameter can be made a sufficient size for the wire to be inserted though the diameter can be reduced. In addition, while maintaining a moderate flexibility without bending and bending, it is strong and contributes to prevent the above-mentioned meandering curved deformation.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating examples.

FIG. 1 shows an enlarged view of a main part of an example of an endoscope capable of swinging according to the present invention in a partial cross section, and FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show the cross sections of FIG. 1 respectively. FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a plastic jacket tube which has no joint from the base end to the tip, and the pulling wire 2 and the pulling wire 2 are slid into the jacket tube 1. A guide tube 3 that is movably inserted is inserted, and an image guide 4 is also inserted. A swinging portion M is formed at the tip, and when the base end of the wire 2 is pulled in the direction of arrow F, the swinging portion M in the predetermined range of the tip swings from the phantom line in FIG. 1 to a solid line. To do.

The outer diameter D ₀ of the jacket tube 1 is set to an extremely small diameter of 3 mm or less. The outer diameter D ₂ of the wire 2 is a metal wire having a diameter of 0.3 mm or less, and the guide tube 3 has a coil tube 5 in which a rectangular wire obtained by rolling a metal wire is closely wound, as shown in FIG. The outer diameter D ₃ is set to 0.4 mm or less. Actually 0.15mm
It is desirable that ≦ D ₃ ≦ 0.4 mm.

The image guide 4 is made of quartz and is composed of a large number of glass parts, for example, 1,000 to 20,000, which are composed of a core and a clad, and a glass layer on which images are integrated, and a coating layer for covering the same with a plastic coating or the like. , Its outer diameter D ₄
Is 0.7 mm or less.

An objective lens such as a rod lens is connected to the tip end surface of the image guide 4 with an adhesive or the like, and the tip end of the image guide 4 and the objective lens 7 have a water drop shape or a dharma shape as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. It is inserted into the hole 9 of the tip connecting fitting 8 and fixed with an adhesive or the like, and the tip of the wire 2 is inserted into another hole and fixed by soldering or caulking. Thus, the tip of the image guide 4 and the tip of the wire 2 are connected and integrated. In addition, the outer surface of the tip connecting fitting 8 and the inner peripheral surface of the tip of the jacket tube 1 are adhesive 10 (as in FIG. 2).
It is fixed and integrated in.

Then, the guide tube 3 is inserted from the base end of the jacket tube 1 to the boundary portion of the swinging portion M, and the swinging portion M simply holds the wire 2 and the image guide 4 in a free state. , As shown in FIG. Then, with the adhesive 11 shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 4, the guide tube 3 is inserted into the jacket tube 1 excluding the swinging portion M over the entire length L of the insertion portion. The image guide 4 and the inner surface of the jacket tube 1 are fixedly integrated with each other to increase the rigidity against bending and buckling.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned illustrated embodiments, and it is also possible to further insert a light guide, a laser fiber, or the like into the jacket tube 1, for example. Further, it is also possible to freely swing the head in both left and right directions by using two pulling wires 2 and two guide tubes 3.

[Advantages of the Invention] Since the guide tube is composed of a coil tube in which a metal rectangular wire is closely wound and a plastic coating layer coated on the coil tube, its outer diameter can be reduced to 0.4 mm or less. Nevertheless, its inner diameter can be made relatively large so that the wire (0.3 mm or less) can be sufficiently inserted, which facilitates the pulling operation of the wire.

As described above, since the guide tube is a coil tube in which a rectangular wire is in close contact with the guide tube, it is possible to reduce the diameter of the guide tube.

Since the guide tube is fixedly integrated with the inner surface of the image guide and the outer tube over the entire length of the insertion portion, the image guide and the outer tube also share the compressive force applied to the guide tube during the swing operation together with the guide tube. Further, the buckling strength and rigidity can be remarkably improved, and the meandering bending deformation of the endoscope can be effectively prevented even if the diameter is reduced as a whole. Further, since the guide tube itself has a strong rigidity, it contributes to prevent the meandering curved deformation.

Since the jacket tube is made of seamless plastic from the distal end to the base end, it is not necessary to connect the jacket tube itself, and it is easy to manufacture and not costly.

In this way, it does not bend and keeps an appropriate flexibility, withstands the pressing force when it is inserted into the body, and has a strong waist, and effectively bends the meandering curve of the entire length of the insertion part when swinging. This is an invention that can be prevented, and can reliably swing the tip to observe an affected area or the like, which is a great contribution medically.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional enlarged side view showing an embodiment of the present invention,
2 and 3 and 4 are respectively (II-II) (II
I-III) (IV-IV) sectional enlarged view, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of an essential part. 1 ... Jacket tube, 2 ... Wire, 3 ... Guide tube, 4 ... Image guide, 5 ... Coil tube, 6 ...
Plastic coating layer, 11 …… Adhesive, D ₀ , D ₃ …
… Outer diameter, M …… Pivoting part, L …… Total length of insertion part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pulling wire, a guide tube for inserting and guiding the pulling wire, an image guide and the like are inserted into a jacket tube having an outer diameter of 3 mm or less so that a predetermined range of the tip end is pulled by the pulling of the wire. In a swingable endoscope, the jacket tube is made of seamless plastic from the base end to the tip, and the guide tube is a coil tube in which a metal rectangular wire is closely wound and An outer diameter of 0.4 mm or less from a plastic coating layer coated on the guide tube, and the guide tube is inserted into the jacket tube excluding the swinging section, and the image guide and the jacket tube An ultra-fine diameter swinging endoscope characterized by being fixedly integrated with the inner surface.