SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DEFLECTING ENDOSCOPIC TOOLS

• US 20090318797A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vision-Sciences Incorporated (2941881 Canada, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vision-Sciences Incorporated (2941881 Canada, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hadani, Ron
• Application Number:
  US12/486,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20090318797A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00082 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00098 Deflecting means for inserted tools
• 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 1/2676 Bronchoscopes
• 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

Abstract

An endoscope sheath, comprising:

• • an endoscope housing, configured for housing at least a distal end of an insertion tube of an endoscope and allowing the traversing of an endoscopic tool therethrough; and
  • a tool deflector configured for deflecting said endoscopic tool by changing a direction of movement of said endoscopic tool in relation to a direction of movement of said distal end of said insertion tube.

Claims

1. An endoscope sheath, comprising:

an endoscope housing, configured for housing at least a distal end of an insertion tube of an endoscope and allowing the traversing of an endoscopic tool therethrough; and

a tool deflector configured for deflecting said endoscopic tool by changing a direction of movement of said endoscopic tool in relation to a direction of movement of said distal end of said insertion tube.

2. The endoscope sheath of claim 1, wherein said insertion tube belongs to a bronchoscope.

3. The endoscope sheath of claim 1, wherein said endoscope housing is configured for housing the whole endoscope.

4. The endoscope sheath of claim 1, configured for being used only once.

5. The endoscope sheath of claim 1, wherein said endoscopic tool traverses said endoscope housing through at least one opening located on a surface of said endoscope housing.

6. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said at least one opening is located at a distal extremity of at least one sheath channel, said sheath channel being configured for housing at least a portion of said endoscopic tool.

7. The endoscope sheath of claim 1, wherein said tool deflector deflects said endoscopic tool in a plurality of directions.

8. The endoscope sheath of claim 1, wherein said tool deflector is located on a surface of said endoscope housing, between a point at which said endoscopic tool traverses said endoscope housing and a distal extremity of said endoscope housing.

9. The endoscope sheath of claim 1, wherein said tool deflector is located on one of:

an inner surface of said endoscope housing, and an outer surface of said endoscope housing.

10. The endoscope sheath of claim 6, wherein said at least one sheath channel is an integral part of said endoscope housing, and protrudes from said endoscope housing.

11. The endoscope sheath of claim 6, wherein said sheath channel is detachable from said endoscope housing.

12. The endoscope sheath of claim 6, wherein said tool deflector is configured to change said orientation of said endoscopic tool by moving a distal end of said sheath channel.

13. The endoscope sheath of claim 1, wherein said tool deflector is inflatable and deflects said distal end of said endoscopic tool by expanding and contracting.

14. The endoscope sheath of claim 13, further including a conduit for moving at least one fluid into and out of said tool deflector.

15. The endoscope sheath of claim 13, wherein a fluid within said tool deflector is heated to expand, and cooled to contract, thereby expanding and contracting said tool deflector.

16. The endoscope sheath of claim 8, wherein said point at which said sheath housing is traversed by said endoscopic tool is positioned such that at least one tip of said endoscopic tool is within a field of view of at least one imaging sensor attached to a distal end of said insertion tube.

17. The endoscope sheath of claim 16, wherein said at least one imaging sensor is selected from a group of an ultrasound imaging sensor, a charged couple device (CCD) sensor, and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a magnetic endoscopic imager (MEI) sensor, and a fluorescent imager.

18. An endoscope, comprising:

an endoscopic channel, traversing an insertion tube of the endoscope, and configured for housing at least one endoscopic tool; and

an inflatable tool deflector located at a distal end of said endoscopic channel, for gradually deflecting a distal end of said endoscopic tool in relation to a distal end of said insertion tube;

wherein said inflatable tool deflector is in contact with said at least one endoscopic tool, and a change in at least one property of said inflatable tool deflector causes a deflection of said distal end of said endoscopic tool, with respect to said distal end of said insertion tube, by changing a direction of movement of said distal end of said endoscopic tool in relation to a direction of movement of said distal end of said insertion tube.

19. The endoscope of claim 18, wherein the endoscope is configured for being inserted into the airways of a patient.

20. The endoscope of claim 18, wherein said property of said inflatable tool deflector is one of volume and shape.

21. The endoscope of claim 18, further comprising at least one imaging sensor, for providing an image of at least a body lumen within which said insertion tube is inserted.

22. The endoscope of claim 21, wherein said at least one imaging sensor is selected from a group of an ultrasound imaging sensor, a charged couple device (CCD) sensor, and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a magnetic endoscopic imager (MEI) sensor, and a fluorescent imaging sensor.

23. The endoscope of claim 21, wherein a distal tip of said at least one endoscopic tool housed in said endoscopic channel is within a field of view of said at least one imaging sensor, so that an image of said distal tip is provided by said at least one imaging sensor.

24. The endoscope of claim 23, configured to be connected to an image processor, which determines said orientation of said endoscopic tool, through an analysis of said image of said tip.

25. A system for generating a trajectory track of an endoscopic tool associated with an endoscope within a body lumen, comprising:

at least one imaging sensor attached to a distal end of an insertion tube of the endoscope, for generating an image of the body lumen;

a processing unit, for calculating the trajectory of the endoscopic tool based on an orientation of the endoscopic tool; and

a screen, for displaying the trajectory track on said image.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said image of the body lumen further includes a tip on a distal side of the endoscopic tool.

27. The system of claim 26, further including:

an image processing unit, for calculating said orientation of the endoscopic tool, based on said image from said at least one imaging sensor.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein said at least one imaging sensor is selected from a group of an ultrasound imaging sensor, a charged couple device (CCD) sensor, and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a magnetic endoscopic imager (MEI) sensor, and a fluorescent imaging sensor.

29. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a tool deflector, for changing said orientation of the endoscopic tool, relative to the endoscope; and

a measuring unit, for measuring at least one property of said tool deflector;

wherein said processing unit receives said measured property from said measuring unit, and calculates said orientation of the endoscopic tool, according to said property.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said tool deflector comprises at least one inflatable unit, and said measuring unit measures one or more of:

a flow of fluid into and out of said inflatable unit of said tool deflector;

a pressure of said fluid; and

a volume of said fluid within said tool deflector.

31. A system for guiding an endoscopic tool associated to an endoscope toward a target within a body lumen, comprising:

the system of claim 25, wherein said at least one imaging sensor generates said image that further includes the target; and

a tool deflector, for changing said orientation of the endoscopic tool toward the target.

32. A method for changing an orientation of an endoscopic tool associated with the endoscope, relative to a distal end of an insertion tube of the endoscope, comprising:

inserting the insertion tube into a body lumen; and

changing the orientation of the endoscopic tool by changing at least one property of an inflatable tool deflector in contact with the endoscopic tool.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said property is one of volume and shape.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

providing an image of a target within said body lumen; and

calculating the orientation of the endoscopic tool.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said calculating is performed through at least one of:

an analysis of an image of the endoscopic tool, by an image processor; and

a measurement of at least one property of at least one fluid directed to said inflatable tool deflector, and a conversion of said property into said orientation, according to calibration data.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

calculating an estimated trajectory of the endoscopic tool, based on the orientation; and

superimposing a graphical trajectory track of said trajectory on said image.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

changing the orientation of the endoscopic tool so that said graphical trajectory track crosses said image of said target;

advancing the insertion tube and/or the endoscopic tool farther into said body lumen;

observing whether said graphical trajectory track crosses said image of said target; and

changing the orientation of the endoscopic tool, if needed.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said observing is performed by a processing unit, and further including one or more of:

assigning a color to said graphical trajectory track, according to the orientation of said graphical trajectory track relative to said image of said target; and

emitting a sound, according to the orientation of said graphical trajectory track relative to said image of said target.