Lesion detecting system

• US 7,500,951 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Kawano, Hironao, Uchiyama, Akio, Takizawa, Hironobu, Homan, Masatoshi, Segawa, Hidetake
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Long V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Selkin; Saurel J
• Application Number:
  US11/036,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20050159642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 600/309, 600/347, 600/348, 600/350, 600/353, 600/424, 600/427, 600/476, 128/899, 422/57, 422/58, 604/891.1
• US Class Current: 600/309
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00094 Suction openings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00156 using self propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/06 with illuminating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0038 Devices for taking faeces samples; Faecal examination devices anal receptacles A61F5/451
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0045 Devices for taking samples of body liquids devices for taking blood samples A61B5/15

Abstract

A capsule medical apparatus includes a reaction plane on which one or more kinds of reacting substance reacting with an internal substance in the body to be examined are fixed, wherein the reacting substance is chemical reacting substance or biochemical reacting substance, and an analyzer detects and analyzes the substance reacted with the reaction plane or a trace of the reaction outside of the body to be examined.

Claims

1. A capsule medical device comprising:

a capsule enclosure with an exterior surface;

a reaction plane on an interior surface within the exterior surface, the reaction plane having one or more types of reactive substances that bind in a specific manner to an internal bodily substance, the capsule enclosure containing an opening in the exterior surface for bodily fluid to contact the reaction plane;

an exposure controller for controlling exposure of the reaction plane to the bodily substances; and

an internal driver for moving the interior surface holding the reaction plane relative to the exterior surface.

2. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein the reacting substance fixed on the reaction plane is an antibody that specifically reacts with an antigen such as a tumor marker and a blood component.

3. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein the reacting substance fixed on the reaction plane is protein that reacts with an internal substance such as a tumor marker and a blood component.

4. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein the reaction plane is provided on the outer surface of the capsule medical device.

5. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein the reacting substance on the reaction plane is a magnetic antibody which is fixed to the reaction plane by a magnetic substance.

6. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein the capsule medical device has a reclosable lid serving as the exposure controller.

7. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein a time indicator is provided on the reaction plane.

8. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein the capsule medical device includes an image pickup device, an image-forming optical system that forms an image of a subject in the image pickup device and an image accumulating section that accumulates data of biological information obtained by the image pickup device.

9. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein a filter for filtering bodily fluids is provided between the reaction plane and the outer surface of the capsule medical device.

10. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein the capsule medical device includes a cleaning section for cleaning the reaction plane having reacted with bodily fluids.

11. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, wherein the capsule medical device has at least one of a sucking section that sucks bodily fluids and a discharging section that discharges bodily fluids.

12. The capsule medical device according to claim 1, further comprising a preserving section in which a part of the reaction plane that is not exposed in the exposure controller is filled with a preservative fluid.

13. The lesion detecting system according to claim 1, wherein the reaction part is removably provided to the capsule medical apparatus.

14. The capsule medical device according to claim 4, wherein the capsule medical device includes an image pickup device, an image-forming optical system that forms an image of a subject in the image pickup device, and an image accumulating section that accumulates data of biological information obtained by the image pickup device.

15. The capsule medical device according to claim 14, wherein the image pickup device periodically captures images.

16. The capsule medical device according to claim 14, wherein the capsule medical device has a transmitter that transmits data of biological information.

17. The capsule medical device according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic substance is a permanent magnet.

18. The capsule medical device according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic substance is a magnetic film.

19. The capsule medical device according to claim 6, wherein multiple reclosable lids each serving as the exposure controller are provided on the outer surface of the capsule medical device.

20. The capsule medical device according to claim 8, wherein the image pickup device and the exposure controller are cooperatively controlled by a control circuit when capturing images.

21. The capsule medical device according to claim 8, wherein the capsule medical apparatus-device has a transmitter that transmits data of biological information.

22. The capsule medical device according to claim 20, wherein the image pickup device captures images periodically.

23. The capsule medical device according to claim 9, wherein the filter is made of a material that biological substances do not adhere to and coagulate in.

24. A lesion detecting method, comprising the steps of:

providing a capsule medical device, the capsule medical device comprising;

a capsule enclosure with an exterior surface;

a reaction plane on an interior surface within the exterior surface, the reaction plane having one or more types of reactive substances that bind in a specific manner to an internal bodily substance, the capsule enclosure containing an opening in the exterior surface for bodily fluid to contact the reaction plane;

an exposure controller for controlling exposure of the reaction plane to the bodily substances; and

an internal driver for moving the interior surface holding the reaction plane relative to the exterior surface;

swallowing the capsule medical device;

causing the reaction plane to react in a living body;

collecting the capsule medical device that is excreted from the body; and

analyzing the reaction plane of the collected capsule medical device.

25. The lesion detecting method according to claim 24, wherein the step of causing the reaction part to react in the body to be examined is:

a step of causing reaction between a fixing section that a chemical reacting substance or biochemical reacting substance is fixed provided on the reaction part and an internal substance.

26. The lesion detecting method according to claim 24, wherein the step of causing the reaction part to react in the body to be examined includes one or more cycles of the steps of:

exposing the fixing section that a chemical reacting substance or biochemical reacting substance is fixed provided on the reaction part so as to react with an internal substance; and

causing reaction between an exposed part and an internal substance.

27. The lesion detecting method according to claim 24, wherein the step of causing the reaction part to react in the body to be examined includes one or more cycles of the steps of:

exposing the fixing section that a chemical reacting substance or biochemical reacting substance is fixed provided on the reaction part so as to react with an internal substance;

causing reaction between an exposed part and an internal substance; and

cleaning the fixing section after reaction.

28. The lesion detecting method according to claim 24, wherein the step of causing the reaction part to react in the body to be examined includes one or more cycles of the steps of:

exposing the fixing section that a chemical reacting substance or biochemical reacting substance is fixed provided on the reaction part so as to react with an internal substance;

causing reaction between an exposed part and an internal substance; and

causing reaction between the fixing section after reaction and a preservative substance.

29. The lesion detecting method according to claim 24, wherein the step of causing the reaction part to react in the body to be examined includes one or more cycles of the steps of:

exposing the fixing section that a chemical reacting substance or biochemical reacting substance is fixed provided on the reaction part so as to react with an internal substance;

sucking an internal substance to the fixing section; and

causing reaction between an exposed part and an internal substance.

30. The lesion detecting method according to claim 24, wherein the step of analyzing includes the steps of:

bonding labeled molecules to reacting molecules on the reaction part;

cleaning unbonded labeled molecules;

measuring an amount of bonded labeled molecules; and

performing a diagnosis based on a measurement result thereof.

31. The lesion detecting method according to claim 24, wherein the analyzing step comprises a step of cleaning the reaction part.

32. The lesion detecting method according to claim 26, wherein the analyzing step comprises a step of detecting a position where the reaction part reacted in the body.

33. The lesion detecting method according to claim 32, wherein the analyzing step further comprises a step of calculating a time when the detected position reacted in the body.

34. A lesion detecting system comprising:

a capsule medical device comprising a capsule enclosure with an exterior surface, a reaction plane on an interior surface within the exterior surface, the reaction plane having one or more types of reactive substances that bind in a specific manner to an internal bodily substance, the capsule enclosure containing an opening in the exterior surface for bodily, fluid to contact the reaction plane, an exposure controller for controlling exposure of the reaction plane to the bodily substances, and an internal driver for moving the interior surface holding the reaction plane relative to the exterior surface; and

an analyzer for detecting and analyzing the substance reacted with the reaction plane or a trace of the reaction outside of the body to be examined.