JPH1043205A - Light emitting ureter probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and accurately grasp the position of an ureter to prevent damage of the ureter by providing a light guide fiber inserted in an ureter with a light emitting part adapted to emit light in the ureter. SOLUTION: This light emitting ureter probe comprises a light source 1 arranged outside the body, and a light guide fiber which is formed by a core layer and a clad layer and connected to the light source 1. The light guide fiber 2 has two forward end parts 2a, 2a branching off in the midway thereof so as to be inserted in the crotch ureter through the urethra. A groove 4a is provided in the clad layer 4 for forming the forward end part 2a, whereby light guided to the forward end part 2a leaks out through the groove 4a. Thus, in the case of inserting the probe in the ureter, the ureter can emit light to be seen from the outside of the body so that the position of the ureter can be grasped accurately.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a luminal ureteral probe which is used in abdominal surgery with a laparoscope or the like, and which emits light so that the position of the ureter can be grasped from outside the body to prevent damage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, endoscopes that can be inserted into a body cavity to observe internal organs and the like and perform various medical treatments using a treatment tool inserted as necessary have been widely used.
In addition, with the advent of endoscopes capable of performing surgery due to further advances in technology, surgery can be performed without greatly incising the diseased part, and it has become possible to reduce patient pain.

[0003]

By the way, in such an operation using an endoscope, a doctor inserts treatment tools into the body cavity from outside the patient while looking at the image inside the body obtained through the endoscope. To perform this operation. In this case, erroneous operation of the treatment tools may cause damage to blood vessels and organs. In addition, during abdominal surgery,
Attention to the ureter is also necessary. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, a method that can easily grasp the positions of the blood vessels, the ureters, and the like even from an endoscopic image is desired. However, although the position of blood vessels can be determined from outside the body by using a contrast agent, it is difficult to determine the position of the ureter from outside the body. It is the current situation that the operation is performed.

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present invention makes it possible to easily and accurately grasp the position of the ureter, which is difficult to grasp especially from outside the body and is easily damaged during abdominal surgery with a laparoscope. An object of the present invention is to provide a luminescent ureteral probe for preventing ureteral damage.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a luminous ureteral probe according to the present invention comprises a light source arranged outside the body, a core layer and a cladding layer, connected to the light source and passing through the urethra. And a light guide fiber that is inserted into the ureter. The light guide fiber is provided with a light emitting unit that emits light in the ureter. In the light emitting ureter probe of the present invention, the light emitting portion is a groove formed in the cladding layer, and the area of the groove gradually increases from the light source side of the light guide fiber toward the tip. It is also characterized by.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a luminal ureteral probe according to the present invention. The light-emitting ureteral probe of the present invention includes a light source 1 disposed outside the body, and a light guide fiber 2 composed of a core layer and a clad layer and connected to the light source 1. Further, the light guide fiber 2 is formed with a tip part 2a which is divided into two parts from the middle so that it can be inserted into both ureters via the urethra.
Light is emitted from a. Here, in order to smoothly insert into the urethra and the ureter, the outer diameter of the light guide fiber 2 is configured to be 1.4 to 4.5 mm, and the outer diameter of the distal end portion 2a is configured to be in the range of 1 to 3 mm. Is desirable. The detailed configuration of the tip 2a will be described later.

Furthermore, the inside of the body cavity has a reddish color, and if the color of light emitted from the distal end portion 2a of the light guide fiber 2 is red, it may be difficult to recognize the light emission when viewed from outside the body. . In order to be able to distinguish red light emission from outside the body, strong light from the light source 1 must be guided to the light guide fiber 2. Therefore, in order to make it easy to recognize even light emitted from the ureter and to easily identify even weak light emission from outside the body, the color of light emitted from the distal end portion 2a of the light guide fiber 2 is green. It is preferred that For this purpose, it is preferable to arrange a green filter at the light emitting portion of the light source 1.

Next, the configuration of the distal end portion of the light guide fiber according to the light emitting ureter probe of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the configuration of the distal end portion 2a of the light guide fiber 2 according to the light emitting ureter probe of the present invention.
The tip 2a includes a core layer 3 and a cladding layer 4 formed around the core layer. The cladding layer 4 has a groove 4a. For this reason, light guided to the distal end portion 2 a by totally reflecting the core layer 3 of the light guide fiber 2 from a light source (not shown) leaks from the groove 4 a of the cladding layer 4.
Therefore, when the light emitting ureter probe configured as described above is inserted into the ureter, the ureter appears to emit light from outside the body, so that the position of the ureter can be accurately grasped even from outside the body. The groove 4 formed in the cladding layer 4 at the tip 2a
a is preferably formed so as to gradually expand from the light source side (not shown) toward the tip. This is because if the widths of the grooves 4a are all the same, more light is leaked toward the light source side and the amount of light leaking toward the tip becomes smaller, so that the light goes to the deeper part of the ureter. The more difficult it is to determine from outside the body. The groove 4a
By forming helically, visibility is further improved.

At the tip 2a of the light guide fiber 2 shown in FIG. 2, the light leaks in one direction, but if the groove 4a is formed in the cladding layer 4 as shown in FIG. , 3
Light leaks in the direction, and when inserted into the ureter, the position of the ureter can be more clearly understood from outside the body.

FIG. 4 is a view showing another example of the configuration of the tip 2a. Here, a ring-shaped groove 4a is formed in the cladding layer 4 at an interval of 10 to 20 mm at the tip 2a, and light guided from the light source (not shown) to the core layer 3 leaks through the groove 4a. I have. In the tip 2a shown here, the groove 4a is formed so that its area gradually increases from the light source side (not shown) of the tip 2a toward the tip for the same reason as in the example shown in FIG. Have been.

Further, the distal end 2a of the light guide fiber 2 of the light emitting ureteral probe according to the present invention may be configured as shown in FIG. That is, the clad layer 4 at the tip portion 2a shown here has a large number of fine particles 5 such as metal powder embedded therein. Since the fine particles 5 partially reach the core layer 3, they are not shown. A part of the light guided from the light source to the core layer 3 hits the minute object 5 and is scattered and emitted from the cladding layer 4. Therefore, the tip 2a shown in FIG.
Also have the same effects as those shown in FIGS. At the tip 2a shown in FIG. 5, a minute hole is simply provided without embedding the minute object 5 in the cladding layer 4, and air or water is taken into the hole when the hole is actually inserted into the ureter. With such a configuration, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

In the case where the minute objects 5 or minute holes are arranged at a constant density, the size of the minute objects 5 or minute holes is increased toward the tip of the tip 2a. In the case where the size of the holes is made constant, if these densities are made higher toward the tip of the tip 2a, a constant brightness can be obtained from any position of the tip 2a. As a matter of course, the size and density of the minute object 5 or minute hole may be changed simultaneously.

[0014]

As described above, the luminal ureteral probe of the present invention can be used in the case of abdominal surgery using a laparoscope.
Since the position of the ureter can be easily and accurately grasped even from outside the body, it is possible to prevent the ureter from being damaged by a laparoscope.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing the entire configuration of a luminescent ureteral probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a configuration of a distal end portion of a light guide fiber according to the light emitting ureter probe of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a configuration of a distal end portion of a light guide fiber according to the light emitting ureter probe of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a distal end portion of a light guide fiber according to the light emitting ureter probe of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a distal end portion of a light guide fiber according to the light emitting ureteral probe of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light source 2 Light guide fiber 2a Tip part 3 Core layer 4 Cladding layer 4a Groove 5 Minute object

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A light source disposed outside the body, and a light guide fiber comprising a core layer and a clad layer, connected to the light source and inserted into the ureter via the urethra. A light emitting ureter probe, wherein a light emitting portion for emitting light in the ureter is provided. 2. The ureter probe according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting portion is a groove formed in the cladding layer. 3. The luminal ureteral probe according to claim 2, wherein the area of the groove formed in the cladding layer gradually increases from the light source side to the tip of the light guide fiber. .