Radioactive ray detecting endoscope

• US 4,995,396 A
• Filed: 12/08/1988
• Issued: 02/26/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Goodman, Jack, Yanagawa, Yutaka, Klosterman, Frank, Ishihara, Kohichiro, Takayama, Shuichi, Hibino, Hiroki, Hayashi, Masaaki, Barlow, David E., Inaba, Makoto, Hashiguchi, Toshihiko, Tagawa, Motoyuki, Tsukaya, Takashi, Sasa, Hiroyuki, Ohshima, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pfaffle, Krista M.
• Application Number:
  US07/281,426
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 128/4, 128/6, 128/24 A, 128/654, 128/656, 128/657, 128/658, 128/660.01, 128/660.07, 128/662.03, 128/662.06, 358/98
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4057 by using radiation sources located in the interior of the body A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/425 using detectors specially adapted to be used in the interior of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4258 for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4417 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities
• 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 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/161 Applications in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting apparatus for radiation diagnosis A61B6/00

Abstract

A radioactive ray detecting endoscope comprises an elongated insertable part, an ultrasonic imaging apparatus provided in the tip part of the insertable part for transmitting ultrasonic waves toward an observed part, for receiving echoes from the observed part by these ultrasonic waves, and for outputting a signal for forming an ultrasonic image and a radioactive ray detecting apparatus arrangeable in the tip part of the insertable part for detecting radioactive rays. Preferably, the observing direction of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus and the detecting direction of the radioactive ray detecting apparatus substantially coincide with each other.

Claims

1. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope comprising:

an elongated insertable part having a tip part and a rear end;

ultrasonic imaging means provided in the tip part of said insertable part and having a transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves toward an observed part and receiving means for receiving echoes, from the observed part, of the ultrasonic waves emitted from said transmitting means, said ultrasonic imaging means for outputting a signal which forms an ultrasonic image of said observed part; and

a radioactive ray detecting means arranged in the tip part of said insertable part for detecting radioactive rays.

2. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 wherein said ultrasonic imaging means has an observing direction for observing said observed part and said radioactive ray detecting means has a detecting direction for detecting said radioactive rays, the observing direction and the detecting direction substantially coinciding with each other.

3. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 2 wherein the observing direction of said ultrasonic imaging means and the detecting direction of said radioactive ray detecting means are intersecting directions of an axial direction of said insertable part.

4. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 wherein the transmitting means and the receiving means of said ultrasonic imaging means are combined in a single ultrasonic vibrator.

5. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 wherein said ultrasonic imaging means and said radioactive ray detecting means are integral with each other.

6. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 5 wherein said ultrasonic imaging means and said radioactive ray detecting means are integrally rotatable.

7. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 further comprising a first display means connected to said ultrasonic imaging means for displaying said ultrasonic image of the observed part based on the signal from said ultrasonic imaging means and a second display means connected to said radioactive ray detecting means for displaying radioactive ray information detected by said radioactive ray detecting means.

8. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 7 wherein said first display means displaying said ultrasonic image and said second display means displaying the radioactive ray information are combined in a single display device.

9. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 further comprising a treated tool channel provided within said insertable part.

10. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 9 wherein said radioactive ray detecting means is inserted through said treating tool channel and arranged in said treating tool channel in said tip part of said insertable part.

11. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 further comprising a collimator provided around said radioactive ray detecting means said collimator regulating a radioactive ray detecting direction.

12. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 11 wherein said collimator is made of a radioactive ray attenuating material having at least one radioactive ray transmitting part in a predetermined direction.

13. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 12 wherein said radioactive ray attenuating material is selected from the group consisting of lead, tungsten, stainless steel, lead glass, concrete, steel and mercury.

14. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 wherein said radioactive ray detecting means is removably fitted to the tip part of said insertable part.

15. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 wherein said radioactive ray detecting means has a plurality of radioactive ray detectors provided in the tip part of said insertable part.

16. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 further comprising an observing window being provided in said tip part of said insertable part and an optical image observing means for observing an output optical image of said observed part by receiving light returnign from the observed part through said observing window.

17. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 further comprising an illuminating window being provided in said tip part of said insertable part and an illuminating means for illuminating a visual field through said illuminating window.

18. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 16 wherein said ultrasonic observing means has an ultrasonic observing direction, said radioactive ray detecting means has a detecting direction, said optical image observing means has an optical observing direction, said ultrasonic observing direction, said detecting direction and said optical observing direction substantially coincide with one another.

19. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 18 wherein said ultrasonic observing direction, said detecting direction and said optical observing direction are intersecting directions of an axial direction of said insertable part.

20. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 16 wherein said optical image observing means comprises an image forming optical system, an eyepiece part and an image transmitting means, said image forming optical system provided in the tip part of said insertable part for receiving said light returning from the object and for forming an object image, said eyepiece part provided on the rear end of said insertable part and said image transmitting means for transmitting to said eyepiece part the object image formed by said image forming optical system.

21. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 16 wherein said optical image observing means comprise an image forming optical system for receiving said light returning from the object and for forming observed part image and said optical image observing means further comprises a solid state imaging device arranged in an image forming position of said image forming optical system.

22. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 21 wherein said radioactive ray detecting means and said solid state imaging device are integral with each other.

23. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 16 wherein said optical image observing means includes an optical imaging means for producing said output optical image and said radioactive ray detecting endoscope further comprises a first display means connected to said ultrasonic imaging means for displaying the ultrasonic image of the observed part base on the signal from said ultrasonic imaging means, a second display means connected to said radioactive ray detecting means for displaying information about the radioactive rays detected by said radioactive ray detecting means and a third display means connected to said optical imaging means for displaying the optical image with an optical image signal from said optical imaging means.

24. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 23 wherein at least two of said first display means, said second display means and said third display means are combined into a single display device.

25. A radioactive ray detecting endoscope according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means of said ultrasonic means are combined into a single ultrasonic probe.