JP2010069206A - Hood for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hood for an endoscope, which has no projection/recession etc. on the outer surface and is mountable on insertion tubes with different outer diameters without using a plurality of components to be separated and is firmly fixed in a mounted state. <P>SOLUTION: The hood 10 for the endoscope, whose outer surface is a smooth and cylindrical surface shape without having a step and a projection/recession, etc., includes: a cylindrical hood body 11; and a thin-wall part 12 successively arranged from the hood body 11, wherein a flexible storage bag part 13 is mounted on the inner surface of the thin-wall part 12. An air supply opening member 16 with a check valve 20 is arranged to penetrate a thick-wall part 14. The distal end hard part 2 of the insertion tube 1 is inserted into the thin-wall part 12, and pressurized air is introduced from a pressurized air supply nozzle 17. The flexible storage bag part 13 is deformed by swelling inward to be adhered onto the distal end hard part 2. Thus, even in the insertion tube 1 having a different outer diameter dimension, the hood 10 for the endoscope in a prescribed dimension shape is mounted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope hood that is detachably attached to a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an endoscope used for medical purposes.

  The insertion part of the endoscope is inserted into the body cavity and the inner wall of the body cavity is observed or a predetermined treatment is performed. The endoscope hood is configured such that the distal end of the insertion part is separated from the inner wall of the body cavity. Therefore, it is detachably attached to the distal end of the insertion portion. The endoscope hood is mounted so as to protrude a predetermined length from the distal end of the insertion portion. The hood is attached to the distal end of the insertion portion in advance before the insertion portion is inserted into the body cavity of the subject. Then, when inserted into the observation target part or the treatment target part, the tip of the hood is brought into contact with the body cavity inner wall. At this time, even if the hood is pressed against the inner wall of the body cavity, the main body of the hood is made of a hard member, specifically, a hard plastic so as not to be deformed or displaced. Is common.

  The endoscope hood mounted on the insertion portion must be securely held in the mounted state until it is pulled out from the body cavity after the insertion portion is inserted into the body cavity, and must be held so as not to drop off in the middle. For this reason, it is necessary to provide means for fixing the insertion portion with the hood attached thereto, but the distal end portion of the insertion portion of the endoscope is not provided with a mechanism for fixing the hood.

  From the above, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a hood made of a hard member is fixed to the distal end portion of the insertion portion by a fixing member made of an elastic member or the like formed in an annular shape. However, in Patent Document 1, the hood is fitted into the insertion portion in a close-fitting manner, and the fixing member is in close contact with the outer surface of the insertion portion. Therefore, this hood can be attached to an insertion portion having a constant outer diameter, and it cannot be attached to an insertion portion having a different outer diameter, or even if it can be attached, it can easily fall off. In other words, the endoscope hood consisting of the hood main body and the fixed member is dedicated to an endoscope having an insertion part with a fixed size and shape, and can be attached to an insertion part with a fixed outer diameter. Therefore, it cannot be applied to an insertion portion having a small outer diameter as well as an insertion portion having a larger outer diameter.

An endoscope hood that can be applied to insertion portions having different outer diameters is disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example. The endoscope hood according to Patent Document 2 is a fixed member connected to the main body of the hood, and is configured as an inner diameter variable portion made of an elastically deformable elastic member. The inner diameter variable portion corresponds to the distance from the hood main body. The upper and lower flaps are made thicker, and the operation ring is fitted to the outer periphery thereof. As a result, when the operating ring is moved in the axial direction, the inner diameter of the inner diameter variable portion changes. Therefore, the inner diameter variable portion is compressed by projecting the hood main body portion from the insertion portion, fitting the portion of the inner diameter variable portion to the distal end portion of the insertion portion, and moving the operation ring to the insertion portion side in this state. Thus, the outer surface of the insertion portion is pressed against the outer surface.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-131397 JP 2002-545 A

  By the way, in the endoscope hood of Patent Document 2, since the inner diameter variable portion made of an elastic member is compressed by the operation ring, the operation ring is configured by a hard ring and constitutes the inner diameter variable portion. Projects from the outer surface of the flap. And since an internal diameter is expanded / contracted, the notch part for absorbing a diameter difference is formed between the upper and lower flaps which comprise an internal diameter variable part. Therefore, the outer surface of the fitting portion to the insertion portion of the endoscope hood has an outer surface such as an annular projecting portion formed by the operation ring and a gap formed by the cut portion formed between the flap portions. It has an uneven shape. For this reason, when inserting the insertion part equipped with the hood into the body cavity, there is a possibility that the inner wall of the body cavity may be damaged by the edge portion of the operation ring made of a hard member, or the inner wall of the body cavity may be sandwiched between the uneven parts.

  Moreover, the operation ring is configured to be removable from the inner diameter expansion / contraction part. When reusing this endoscope hood, the endoscope hood must be cleaned and disinfected together with the endoscope. For this purpose, the hood is removed from the insertion portion. The operation ring is also removed. Here, the operation ring is a small component and may be lost during the cleaning operation or during storage.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the object of the present invention is to insert parts having different outer diameters without using uneven parts on the outer surface, and without using a plurality of separated parts. It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope hood that can be attached to the endoscope and can be firmly fixed in the attached state.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides an endoscope hood that is attached to a distal end of an insertion portion of an endoscope, and includes a hood main body portion formed of a cylindrical member, and the hood main body portion. A thinned portion formed by thinning the proximal end inner peripheral surface, and provided in the thinned portion, with the insertion portion inserted, by enclosing a fluid inside and bulging, It is characterized by comprising a flexible bag portion for fastening the distal end portion of the insertion portion.

  The hood main body can be made of hard plastic, but it can also be made of an elastic member depending on the application. The hood main body portion and the thinned portion are formed by connecting different members, respectively, or are configured as an integral unit. At least the hood main body portion can be formed of a transparent member, and the entire hood main body portion and the thinned portion may be formed of a transparent plastic material. A flexible bag portion is attached to the thinned portion, and the flexible bag portion is preferably composed of a sheet-like elastic member. Even if the hood main body and the thinned portion are formed of transparent plastic, the flexible bag portion can be formed of a transparent member. However, the flexible bag portion has a distal end portion of the insertion portion of the endoscope. Since it is inserted, it is not always necessary to use a transparent member.

  The insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted into the thinned portion, and it is not necessary to enter the inside of the hood main body portion. The inner diameter of the thinned portion is larger than the outer diameter of the insertion portion of the endoscope. As long as the insertion portion can be inserted into the thinned portion, the endoscope hood can be attached to those having different outer diameters. By supplying fluid pressure into the flexible bag portion with the insertion portion inserted, the space between them can be firmly fixed, and the endoscope hood can fall off while being inserted into the body cavity. It is not.

  The flexible bag portion can be formed from an annular shape, and can be divided and arranged at a plurality of locations. In the case of divisional arrangement, it is desirable to have about 3 to 4 places at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In the thinned portion connected to the hood main body portion, the insertion portion is inserted into the portion where the flexible bag portion is attached, and then the fluid is sealed in the flexible bag portion. Here, the fluid sealed in the flexible bag portion may be a gas or a liquid, but the gas sealed in a pressurized state is not affected by gravity. desirable. In order to enclose fluid, in particular gas, a supply / discharge portion is provided, and this supply / discharge portion is formed on the end face of the hood main body portion or the flexible bag portion. The supply / discharge portion has a fluid supply passage that communicates the inside and the outside of the flexible bag portion. However, after the fluid is supplied, the passage must be closed. A plug member that can be attached to and detached from the fluid supply path can be provided, and the fluid can be supplied toward the flexible bag portion. However, a check valve that prevents backflow may be attached. When a check valve is provided, exhaust is not possible. Therefore, when the endoscope hood is reused, it is necessary to eliminate the staying fluid in the flexible bag portion. For this purpose, an exhaust valve member is separately provided, and the entire endoscope hood is cleaned and disinfected with the flexible bag portion contracted.

  The endoscope hood of the present invention is attached to a plurality of types of insertion portions having different outer diameters, can be fixed in an extremely stable state, and is substantially composed of a single member. When it is not mounted, a part to be separated is not used, and when it is mounted on the insertion portion, its outer surface is a cylindrical surface without an uneven portion.

    Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an endoscope in which an endoscope hood is attached to an insertion portion, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the endoscope hood and the insertion portion of the endoscope are separated. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an endoscope insertion portion, and a distal end hard portion 2 of the insertion portion 1 is provided with an endoscope observation means including an illumination portion and an observation portion. A treatment instrument deriving unit for deriving the instrument is also provided. Further, the bending portion 3 is connected to the distal end hard portion 2, and the proximal end side of the bending portion 3 is a soft portion, and the soft portion is connected to the main body operation portion. Since the configuration of the endoscope is conventionally known, illustration and detailed description are omitted.

  Next, reference numeral 10 denotes an endoscope hood. The endoscope hood 10 includes a cylindrical hood main body 11 and a thinned portion 12 connected to the hood main body 11. The flexible bag 13 is attached to the inner surface of the thinned portion 12. The thinned portion 12 is formed by thinning the inner surface side of the hood main body portion 11 and has a step on the inner peripheral surface. On the other hand, the outer diameter of the thinned portion 12 is the same as the outer diameter of the hood main body portion 11, and therefore, the outer surface side of the endoscope hood 10 has a smooth cylindrical surface shape without steps or uneven portions. ing. Here, the hood main body 11 and the thinned portion 12 constituting the endoscope hood 10 are integrally formed, and are preferably formed of a transparent hard plastic.

  The flexible bag 13 attached to the inner surface of the thinned portion 12 is composed of a sheet-like elastic member such as an annular rubber sheet, and a thick portion 14 is formed on one end thereof. ing. The flexible bag portion 13 has a tip 15 formed at the transition portion to the thinned portion 12 in the hood main body portion 11 and a step 15 larger than the thickness of the flexible bag portion 13 or more. The end portion of the flexible bag portion 13 is firmly fixed to the portion 15 using an adhesive or the like. The thick portion 14 is also fixed to the end portion of the thinned portion 12 using an adhesive. Here, the insertion portion 1 is inserted into the thinned portion 12, and the distal end of the insertion portion 1 is inserted to a position immediately before the hood main body portion 11. Therefore, the flexible bag 13 need not be formed of a transparent member.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inner diameter of the hood main body 11 in the endoscope hood 10 is D1, the inner diameter of the thick portion 14 where the flexible bag 13 attached to the thinned portion 12 is attached. Is set to D2, the outer diameter D3 of the distal end hard portion 2 in the insertion portion 1 must be smaller than the inner diameter D2 of the thick portion 14, but smaller than the inner diameter D1 of the hood main body portion 11. Alternatively, it may be larger than the inner diameter D1. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the thick portion 14 is provided with an air supply port member 16.

  As is apparent from FIG. 5, the air supply port member 16 is equipped with a pressurized air supply nozzle 17 in which an air pipe 17b is connected to a nozzle head 17a. The air supply port member 16 has a cylindrical main body portion 16a mounted so as to penetrate the thick portion 14, and a connection portion 18 for inserting the nozzle head 17a of the pressurized air supply nozzle 17 into the main body portion 16a. Is formed. A plurality of flow passages 19 are provided between the connection portion 18 and the inside of the flexible bag portion 13. Further, these flow passages 19 can be opened and closed by check valves 20. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the check valve 20 has a valve portion 20 a that closes each flow passage 19 and supplies pressurized air from the pressurized air supply nozzle 17 to the flow passage 19 side. 5 becomes higher than the pressure inside the flexible bag portion 13, the valve portion 20 a is elastically deformed to open the flow passage 19 as shown in FIG. Pressurized air can be supplied.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, an exhaust member 21 is provided in the thick portion 14. The exhaust member 21 is provided with an exhaust passage 22, and the exhaust passage 22 is closed by the seal member 23 when the pressure in the flexible bag portion 13 is high. An operation rod 24 is connected to the seal member 23. When the operation rod 24 is pushed into the flexible bag 13 side, the seal member 23 is separated from the exhaust passage 22, As a result, the inside of the flexible bag 13 communicates with the atmosphere, and the internal pressure is released.

  The endoscope hood 10 having the above configuration is detachably attached to the insertion portion 1 of the endoscope. Here, the insertion portion 1 to which the endoscope hood 10 can be attached has only to have an outer diameter that can be inserted into the flexible bag portion 13, and the endoscope hood 10 is inserted into a plurality of insertion portions having different dimensions. Even when it is mounted on, it can be firmly fixed so that it does not fall off.

  That is, the endoscope hood 10 is fitted into the insertion portion 1 in a state in which no air is supplied into the flexible bag portion 13. Here, of the endoscope hood 10, the thinned portion 12 provided with the flexible bag portion 13 is fitted to the distal end hard portion 2. Since the distal end hard portion 2 of the insertion portion 1 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the portion where the flexible bag portion 13 of the endoscope hood 10 is mounted, the portion of the flexible bag portion 13 is the tip. It can be easily fitted to the hard part 2 and is in a loose fit state.

  Therefore, pressurized air is supplied into the flexible bag 13. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle head 17 a of the pressurized air supply nozzle 17 is connected to the connection portion 18 in the air supply port member 16, and pressurized air is supplied from the pressurized air supply nozzle 17. Since the outer surface side of the flexible bag 13 is provided in the thinned portion 12 made of a hard member, the flexible bag 13 is bulged and deformed inward by the supply pressure of the pressurized air. As a result, the flexible bag portion 13 is in close contact with the distal end hard portion 2.

  Here, if the waist of the flexible bag 13 is increased to some extent by increasing the wall thickness, the tip of the flexible bag 13 will bulge almost uniformly over the entire circumference of the flexible bag 13. The part 2 is aligned with the endoscope hood 10. And by making the inside of the flexible bag part 13 into a high voltage | pressure, the adhesiveness to the outer surface of the front-end | tip hard part 2 in the insertion part 1 becomes high, and the hood 10 for endoscopes is fixed firmly. In particular, by increasing the coefficient of friction of the outer surface of the flexible bag portion 13, it is more firmly fixed.

  As described above, the endoscope hood 10 is attached to the insertion portion 1, and the distal end hard portion 2 of the insertion portion 1 can be inserted into the thinned portion 12 provided with the flexible bag portion 13. If it is, it can mount | wear with the endoscope which has an insertion part from which size differs. In other words, the amount of bulging of the flexible bag 13 is reduced when the insertion is made on the insertion portion having a large outer diameter, and the size of the flexible bag 13 is made larger when the insertion is made on the insertion portion having a small outer diameter. By bulging, both can be brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion. The attached endoscope hood 10 is firmly fixed to the distal end hard portion 2 of the insertion portion 1, and the endoscope 1 is inserted into the body cavity while performing observation, treatment, or the like. The hood 10 does not fall off.

  No member is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the endoscope hood 10, and there is no unevenness, and the entire periphery has a uniform and smooth cylindrical surface shape. Therefore, the operability of the insertion operation of the insertion portion 1 into the body cavity is improved with the endoscope hood 10 attached, and there is no fear of scratching the insertion path. And when the insertion part 1 reaches | attains the site | part which should perform a predetermined | prescribed test | inspection, treatment, etc., the front-end | tip of the hood main-body part 11 is made to contact | abut to a body cavity inner wall. As a result, the distal end surface of the insertion portion 1 is kept away from the inner wall of the body cavity. For this reason, observation can be performed by the observation means, and the treatment instrument outlet portion is kept away from the inner wall of the body cavity. In addition, treatment using forceps, a high-frequency treatment instrument, etc., cell collection, and the like can be performed smoothly. Here, when observing the inside of the body cavity by the observation means, it is necessary to irradiate illumination light from the illuminating unit. However, if the hood main body 11 is made of transparent hard plastic, the insertion unit 1 is not necessary. The front end of the light source can be stabilized, and bright illumination can be performed from the illumination unit.

  After the operation such as examination and treatment by the endoscope is completed and the insertion portion 2 is taken out from the body cavity, the insertion portion 2 and the endoscope hood 10 are separated. For this purpose, the operation rod 24 of the exhaust member 21 is operated to be pushed in. As a result, the seal member 23 is separated from the exhaust passage 22, the exhaust passage 22 is opened, and the pressurized air in the flexible bag 13 is discharged. Therefore, the flexible bag portion 13 is in a contracted state, and the close contact with the outer surface of the distal end hard portion 2 is released. As a result, the insertion portion 1 can be pulled out from the thinned portion 12, and the insertion portion 2 and the endoscope hood 10 can be separated.

  When the endoscope hood 10 is used repeatedly, the entire endoscope hood 10 must be cleaned after use. At this time, if the insides of the air supply port member 16 and the exhaust member 21 are contaminated, it becomes difficult to clean the portions, so that a plug (not shown) is inserted before the insertion portion 1 is inserted into the body cavity. It is desirable to close with a member.

  Here, the air supply port member may have the structure shown in FIG. 7 in addition to those shown in FIG. The air supply port member 30 shown in the figure is composed of a hard cylindrical member, and a check valve portion 31 is provided at the tip thereof so as to protrude into the flexible bag portion 13. The check valve portion 31 is formed with a flow path 32 that communicates with the internal space of the air supply port member 30, and a plurality of outflow passages 33 communicate with the flow path 32. The valve portion 34 made of an elastic member is mounted on the side facing the flexible bag portion 13. Accordingly, when the pressure on the flow path 32 side becomes higher than that in the flexible bag portion 13, the valve portion 34 opens as shown by the phantom line in FIG. When supplied, the flexible bag 13 can be bulged.

  Next, FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the endoscope hood 40 is composed of a hood main body 41 and a thinned portion 42, which are formed of hard plastic. The thinned portion 42 has a flexible bag portion 43. Is installed. About the above point, it is the same as that of 1st Embodiment mentioned above. A fluid supply / discharge tube 44 is connected to the flexible bag portion 43, and the other end of the fluid supply / discharge tube 44 extends along the insertion portion 1 of the endoscope. It extends to the vicinity of the main body operation unit 4 provided in a connected manner. The other end of the fluid supply / discharge tube 44 is connected to a syringe 45 as fluid supply means.

  The syringe 45 stores a fluid for bulging and deforming the flexible bag 43, a gas such as air, or a liquid such as water. Therefore, when the endoscope hood 40 is connected to the insertion portion 1, the fluid is supplied into the flexible bag portion 43 so as to be inflated so as to be in close contact with the outer surface of the insertion portion 1. Further, when the endoscope hood 40 is detached from the insertion portion 1, the fluid is collected in the syringe 45.

  Here, it is desirable to fix the distal end portion of the fluid supply / discharge tube 44 connected to the flexible bag portion 43 to the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 1 with a medical tape or the like. Thereby, for example, even if the fluid in the flexible bag portion 43 decreases due to the fluid flowing back to the syringe 45 side and the flexible bag portion 43 is separated from the insertion portion 1, the hood for the endoscope 40 can be recovered from the body cavity without dropping from the insertion portion 1.

  Further, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show a third embodiment of the present invention. The endoscope hood 50 in this embodiment is also composed of a hood main body 51 and a thinned portion 52. As the flexible bag 53 attached to the thinned portion 52, a circumferential direction is used. The ring-shaped member 55 having four concave portions 54 opened inwardly and a cylindrical flexible film 56 fixedly provided over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the ring-shaped member 55. Each of the recesses 54 is closed by the film 56 to constitute four pneumatic chambers. As a result, when pressurized air is supplied into each of the recesses 54, the flexible film 56 bulges and deforms inward as shown by the phantom lines in FIG.

  In order to supply pressurized air into the recesses 54 closed by the flexible film 56, the recess ring-shaped members 55 are provided with recesses 54 at positions adjacent to each other as shown by dotted lines in FIG. A communication path 57 is formed for communicating the two. In addition, an air supply port member 58 and an exhaust member 59 similar to those described in the first embodiment are mounted on the end face side portion of the thinned portion 52 of the endoscope hood 40. The air supply port member 58 and the exhaust member 59 are configured to communicate with any one of the recesses 55.

  Also with the configuration described above, the endoscope hood 50 can be shared with an endoscope having an insertion portion with a different outer diameter as in the first and second embodiments described above. Then, there are actually four locations of the flexible membrane 56 that come into contact with the hard end portion of the insertion portion, and the fluid used to bulge and deform the flexible membrane 56 inward is pressurized air. In addition, since all the recesses 54 communicate with each other through the communication path 57, an equal pressure acts on the flexible film 56. Therefore, the central axis of the insertion portion and the brass b-axis of the hood main body 51 in the endoscope hood 50 are assembled so as to surely match. An air supply port member 58 that is used when the endoscope hood 50 is attached to the insertion portion 1, a means for supplying pressurized air from the air supply port member 58, and an endoscope after the operation of the endoscope Since the configuration of the exhaust mechanism from the exhaust member 59 for removing the hood 50 from the insertion portion 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention and is a cross-sectional view of an endoscope hood attached to a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an endoscope. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 1 which shows the state which isolate | separated the insertion part and the hood for endoscopes. FIG. 3 is a right side view of the endoscope hood in the state of FIG. 2. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which shows the structure of the air supply port member for supplying a fluid to the flexible container part of the hood for endoscopes. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 4 which shows the state which is supplying the fluid from an air supply port member. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which shows the structure of the exhaust member which discharges | emits a fluid from the inside of the flexible container part of the hood for endoscopes. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the air supply port member which provided the check valve different from the check valve provided in the air supply port member of FIG. It is composition explanatory drawing of the state which mounted | wore the insertion part with the endoscope hood which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the endoscope hood showing the third embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing in the XX position of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Insertion part 2 Tip hard part 10,40,50 Endoscope hood 11,41,51 Hood body part 12,42,52 Thin part 16,30,58 Air supply port member 19 Communication path 20,31 Check Valves 21, 59 Exhaust member 21 Exhaust member 44 Fluid supply / discharge tube 45 Syringe 54 Recess 55 Ring-shaped member 56 Flexible membrane

Claims (4)

In the endoscope hood attached to the tip of the insertion portion of the endoscope,
A hood body made of a cylindrical member;
A thinned portion formed by thinning the inner peripheral surface of the base end side of the hood main body, and
And a flexible bag portion that is provided in the thinned portion and seals a distal end portion of the insertion portion by enclosing and inflating a fluid in a state where the insertion portion is inserted. Endoscopic hood characterized by that. 2. The endoscope hood according to claim 1, wherein the flexible bag portion is provided so as to form an annular shape on an inner peripheral surface of the thinned portion. 2. The endoscope hood according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the flexible bag portions are provided with a constant interval in the circumferential direction. 4. The air supply / discharge portion into the flexible bag portion is provided on an end surface of the flexible bag portion or the hood main body portion. 5. Endoscope hood.

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