CAPSULE MEDICAL APPARATUS AND MEDICAL SYSTEM

• US 20090253999A1
• Filed: 04/06/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: KATAYAMA, Miho, AOKI, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 9,232,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/565
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/02 Instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; needle locating or guiding means A61B17/3403; samplers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/26; sampling or preparing biological specimens G01N33/48
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0283 with vacuum aspiration, e.g. caused by retractable plunger or by connected syringe A61B10/025, A61B10/0266 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/04 Endoscopic instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/06 Biopsy forceps , e.g. with cup-shaped jaws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/733 arranged only on one side of the patient, e.g. under a table
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0238 Optical sensor arrangements for performing transmission measurements on body tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/162 Capsule shaped sensor housings, e.g. for swallowing or implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters

Abstract

A capsule medical apparatus includes a tissue obtaining unit that obtains a tissue from a body site of a subject; a detecting unit that detects a state of the tissue obtaining unit that varies depending on whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue; an output unit that outputs information representing whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue; and a control unit that determines whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue based on the state of the tissue obtaining unit, which is detected by the detecting unit, and causes the output unit to output the information representing whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue.

Claims

1. A capsule medical apparatus comprising:

a tissue obtaining unit that obtains a tissue from a body site of a subject;

a detecting unit that detects a state of the tissue obtaining unit that varies depending on whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue;

an output unit that outputs information representing whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue to outside of the subject; and

a control unit that determines whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue based on the state of the tissue obtaining unit, which is detected by the detecting unit, and causes the output unit to output the information representing whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue.

2. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

if the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue, the control unit causes the output unit to output information representing that the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue, and

if the tissue obtaining unit does not succeed in obtaining a tissue, the control unit causes the tissue obtaining unit to perform a tissue obtaining operation again.

3. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the state of the tissue obtaining unit represents whether there is a tissue that is obtained by the tissue obtaining unit, and

the detecting unit is a photosensor that optically detects whether there is a tissue that is obtained by the tissue obtaining unit.

4. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the state of the tissue obtaining unit represents a position of a member of the tissue obtaining unit that vary with a tissue obtaining operation of the tissue obtaining unit;

and

the detecting unit is a proximity sensor that detects a position of a member of the tissue obtaining unit.

5. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the state of the tissue obtaining unit represents a pressure of the obtaining unit that varies with a tissue obtaining operation of the tissue obtaining unit, and

the detecting unit is a pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the tissue obtaining unit.

6. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the state of the tissue obtaining unit represents an electric resistance of the tissue obtaining unit that varies depending on whether there is a tissue that is obtained by the tissue obtaining unit, and

the detecting unit is an electrode sensor that detects the electric resistance of the tissue obtaining unit.

7. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the tissue obtaining unit includes

a sucking unit that sucks a tissue from the body site;

a housing unit that houses therein the tissue sucked by the sucking unit; and

an excising unit that operates due to a pressure of the tissue sucked into the housing unit by the sucking unit, and excises the tissue and separate the tissue from outside of the housing unit.

8. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit is a transmitting unit that transmits the information that represents whether the tissue obtaining unit succeeds in obtaining a tissue to a receiving unit arranged outside the subject.

9. A medical system comprising:

a capsule medical apparatus that is introduced into a subject, performs a series of obtaining operations for obtaining a tissue from a body site of the subject, and transmits successful/unsuccessful information that represents whether a tissue is successfully obtained to outside the subject;

a receiving unit that receives the successful/unsuccessful information transmitted from the capsule medical apparatus;

a display unit that displays the successful/unsuccessful information; and

a first control unit that controls the series of obtaining operations, receives the successful/unsuccessful information via the receiving unit, and causes the display unit to display the successful/unsuccessful information.

10. The medical system according to claim 9, wherein

the capsule medical apparatus transmits an operation state information that represents a progress of the series of obtaining operations to the outside the subject,

the receiving unit receives the operation state information transmitted from the capsule medical apparatus, and

the first control unit receives the operation state information via the receiving unit, generates virtual images corresponding to the progress of the series of obtaining operations represented by the operation state information, and causes the display unit to display the virtual images.

11. The medical system according to claim 9, further comprising an operation unit that performs an operation for controlling the first control unit based on information displayed by the display unit.

12. The medical system according to claim 10, wherein

the capsule medical apparatus includes

a tissue obtaining unit that obtains a tissue from the body site of the subject by performing the series of obtaining operations;

a plurality of detecting units that detect the progress of the series of obtaining operations of the tissue obtaining unit;

a transmitting unit that transmits the operation state information to the receiving unit; and

a second control unit that determines the progress of the series of obtaining operations based on detection results from the detecting units, and causes the transmitting unit to transmits the operation sate information that represents the progress state determined by the second control unit.

13. The medical system according to claim 12, wherein each of the detecting units includes

a distance sensor that detects a distance that the tissue obtaining unit moves;

and

a contact sensor that detects that the tissue obtaining unit contacts with the tissue.

14. The medical system according to claim 12, wherein the virtual images includes

a virtual outline image that represents an outline of the capsule medical apparatus,

a virtual treatment-unit image that represents the tissue obtaining unit, and

a virtual tissue image that represents the tissue.