Ultrasound endoscope

• US 20040082883A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujinon Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kohno, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,318,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00096 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/005 Flexible endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array

Abstract

A rigid tip end section which is connected to an angle section at the fore distal end of an insertion instrument of an ultrasound endoscope is housed in a casing which can be split into a main casing and a separable head block to facilitate maintenance and service of internal component parts of the rigid tip end section. An ultrasound transducer is accommodated in a front side portion of the main casing, while endoscopic observation means including an illumination means and an optical image pickup means are fitted in an inclined wall rising obliquely upward on the rear side of the ultrasound transducer. An outlet opening of a biopsy channel outlet passage is located between the ultrasound transducer and the endoscopic observation means. The main casing is adapted to accommodate the ultrasound transducer and its wiring, while the separable head block is adapted to accommodate at least part of component parts of the endoscopic observation means. The main casing and the separable head block are joined with each other through joint wall portions provided along split lines at the opposite lateral sides and at the front side thereof. A foremost one of angle rings of the angle section is detachably fitted on base end portions of the main casing and separable head block to retain these parts in a fixedly connected state.

Claims

1. An ultrasound endoscope having a rigid tip end section connected to a fore end of an angle section at the distal end of an insertion instrument for accommodating an ultrasound transducer along with endoscopic observation means including an illumination means and an optical image pickup assembly unit;

said ultrasound transducer being accommodated in a front portion of a generally tubular casing of said rigid tip end section, said endoscopic observation means being fitted in a sloped wall section provided on said casing on the rear side of said ultrasound transducer and inclined obliquely upward in the rearward direction, and an outlet opening of a biopsy channel outlet passage being opened in said casing at a position between said endoscopic observation means and said ultrasound transducer;

characterized in that;

said casing of said rigid tip end section is separable into a main casing adapted to accommodate entire parts of said ultrasound transducer and a separable head block adapted to accommodate at least part of component parts of said endoscopic observation means and separably joined with said main casing;

joining wall portions are provided along longitudinal split lines at opposite lateral sides of said main casing and said separable head block as well as along a transverse split line provided on the rear side of said ultrasound transducer;

a foremost ring member of angle rings in said angle section is removably fitted on a circular ring fitting surface provided around joined base end portions of said main casing and said separable head block; and

a fore end of an outer skin layer of said angle section is extended forward beyond said ring fitting surface and fixedly anchored on a circular outer skin layer anchor surface provided around joined base end portions of said main casing and said separable head block on the front side of said ring fitting surface.

2. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said biopsy channel outlet passage is inclined obliquely upward in the forward direction toward an outlet opening on said rigid tip end section, a connector pipe from a biopsy channel tube is fitted and gripped in a rear end portion of said biopsy channel outlet passage formed by joining upper and lower semi-circular grooves provided on said separable block and said main casing, respectively.

3. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 2, wherein both of sais biopsy channel outlet passage and said connector pipe are arcuately bent at an axially intermediate portion.

4. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 2, wherein said separable head block is adapted to accommodate said illumination means and optical image pickup assembly unit of said endoscopic observation means.

5. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 2, wherein said illumination means has a light guide fitting hole formed by joining semi-circular grooves provided on said separable head block and said main casing, respectively, a diffuser lens is fitted in a lens fitting hole provided on said main casing at a front end of said light guide fitting hole.

6. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said optical image pickup assembly unit of said endoscopic observation means has a lens tube of an optical objective lens system, said lens tube of said objective lens system being fitted in a sloped lens tube fitting hole provided on said rigid tip end section, said lens tube fitting hole being inclined upward in the forward direction and formed by joining upper and lower semi-circular grooves provided on said separable head block and said main casing of said rigid tip end section.

7. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 6, wherein said lens tube of said optical image pickup assembly unit is locked in position in said lens tube fitting hole by stopper projections and notches provided in corresponding positions on said lens tube and said semi-circular groove on the side of said main casing.

8. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said main casing and said separable head block are securely fixed with each other by the use of screws.

9. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said main casing and said separable head block are joined with each other and securely fixed relative to each other by screws threaded thereinto through said foremost ring member of said angle section.

10. An ultrasound endoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said main casing and said separable head block are joined with each other through seal material.