Gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus

• US 20050085697A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Takizawa, Hironobu, Kikuchi, Akira, Segawa, Hidetake, Yokoi, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,448,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/160
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/273 for the upper alimentary canal, e.g. oesophagoscopes, gastroscopes

Abstract

A gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus includes a capsular endoscope which examines the gastrointestinal tract, a flexible tube member, a flexible string member which is inserted in the tube member, and a connecting portion which is arranged to the capsular endoscope. In the gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus, the tube member is separated from the capsular endoscope by detachably connecting the string member to the connecting portion.

Claims

1. A gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus comprising:

a capsular endoscope which examines the gastrointestinal tract;

a flexible tube member;

a flexible string member which is inserted in the tube member; and

a connecting portion which is arranged to the capsular endoscope,

wherein the tube member is separated from the capsular endoscope by detachably connecting the string member to the connecting portion.

2. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is a through-hole which is arranged to the capsular endoscope, and the capsular endoscope is detachably connected to the tube member by inserting the string member in the through-hole.

3. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion comprises a caved portion which is arranged to the capsular endoscope and a fitting member which is fit into the caved portion, and the capsular endoscope is detachably connected to the tube member by locking the string member into the caved portion with the fitting member.

4. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of the tube member is the half or less of the outer diameter of the capsular endoscope.

5. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the outer diameter of the tube member is 5 mm or less.

6. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the tube member has flexibility that it is not easily bent by tractive force of the string member inserted in the tube member.

7. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

holding means which detachably holds the end portion of the string member near the proximal end of the tube member.

8. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one tip of the string member is detachably fixed by a fixing portion arranged in the halfway of the tube member, and another end of the string member is inserted from the distal end of the tube member to the proximal end via the connecting portion arranged to the capsular endoscope.

9. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 8, wherein one tip of the string member is detachably fixed by the fixing portion arranged near the distal end of the tube member.

10. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the peripheral portion of the through-hole has a sharp portion which cuts the string member by towing the string member with force of a certain level or more.

11. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the peripheral portion of the through-hole has a thin portion which will break, or which will fall down from the peripheral portion of the through-hole by towing the string member with force of a certain level or more.

12. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the fitting member fit into the caved portion falls down from the caved portion by towing the string member with force of a certain level or more.

13. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the distal end portion of the tube member has an R-shaped chamfering portion to the outer surface of the distal end portion of the tube member.

14. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube member has, at the distal end portion thereof, a semi-spherical distal end member independent of the tube member.

15. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube member has the distal end which is softer than the proximal end of the tube member.

16. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a portion with a predetermined length on the distal end of the tube member is softer than other portion of the tube member.

17. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the tube member has the hardness which is continuously changed.

18. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube member has a fluid injecting portion for injecting the liquid or air near the proximal end of the tube member.

19. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the through-holes are arranged at apart positions, a plurality of string members inserted into the through-holes are inserted in the tube member 4, and at least one tip of the string members is pulled out from the proximal end of the tube member.

20. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of string member are individually towed or loosened, thereby oscillating the capsular endoscope.

21. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the tube member is a multi-lumen tube having the number of lumens which is the number of used string members or more.

22. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube member is a multi-lumen tube having the number of lumens which is twice or more of the number of used string members.

23. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube member is a torque tube with the high torque transmission-property, which is formed by embedding a metallic net or metallic spiral member into resin, a tube containing fluorocarbon resin with smoothness and hardness, such as Teflon®

or PTFE, or a thick resin tube.

24. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the string member has a thread with the strength although it has a thin diameter and high smoothness such as fluorocarbon resin, nylon string, thread for operation.

25. The gastrointestinal tract examining apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the string member is a thread which is soft and is easily cut such as a cotton thread, silk thread, polyester yarn, and wool thread.

26. An examining method comprising the steps of:

connecting a capsular endoscope to a flexible tube member by a flexible string member arranged in the flexible tube member;

swallowing the connected capsular endoscope;

performing the endoscope examination of a desired portion in the esophagus by towing or loosening the tube member after the capsular endoscope passes through the throat; and

separating the tube member from the capsular endoscope by pulling out the flexible string member at a desired position.

29. The examining method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of:

performing the endoscope examination with the single capsular endoscope after the step of separating the tube member from the capsular endoscope.

27. An examining method comprising the steps of:

connecting a capsular endoscope to a flexible tube member by a flexible string member arranged in the flexible tube member;

swallowing the connected capsular endoscope;

performing the endoscope examination of the esophagus by pushing or pulling the tube member after the capsular endoscope passes through the throat;

transmitting a fluid to a tube from the outside of the body, and discharging the fluid near the rear end of the capsular endoscope from the distal end of the tube member;

performing the endoscope examination of the esophagus after discharging the fluid; and

separating the tube member from the capsular endoscope by pulling the flexible string member at a desired position.

28. An examining method comprising the steps of:

connecting a capsular endoscope to a flexible tube member by a plurality of flexible string members arranged in the flexible tube member;

swallowing the capsular endoscope connected to the flexible tube member;

changing the direction of the field of view of the capsular endoscope by operating a plurality of flexible string members after the capsular endoscope passes through the cardia or throat;

separating the tube member from the capsular endoscope by pulling the flexible string member at a desired position; and

pulling only the flexible tube member to the outside of the body.