Lumen passability checking device, lumen passability checking method, and method of manufacturing lumen passability checking device

• US 8,439,851 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Chiba, Atsushi, Yokoi, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Sean P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stout, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US12/544,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20090312787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 600/593, 600/587
• US Class Current: 600/593
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/168 Fluid filled sensor housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting

Abstract

A lumen passability checking device includes: an expandable and shrinkable outer casing that contains a predetermined fluid, is expanded by a pressure of the contained fluid, and forms an external diameter substantially equal to that of a capsule medical device to be inserted into a body of a subject; and a shape manipulating unit that flows out the fluid contained in the outer casing to shrink-deform the outer casing. The outer casing is shrink-deformed by flowing out the fluid, while maintaining a state of being integrated with the shape manipulating unit.

Claims

1. A lumen passability checking device comprising:

an expandable and shrinkable outer casing that contains a predetermined fluid, is expanded by a pressure of the contained fluid, and forms an external diameter equal to that of a capsule medical device to be inserted into a body of a subject; and

a shape manipulating unit that flows out the fluid contained in the outer casing to shrink-deform the outer casing, the shape manipulating unit comprising;

a structure connected to the outer casing in a state of being inserted into an opening part of the outer casing, and having an external diameter smaller than that of the capsule medical device, and

a dissoluble unit arranged on an external surface of the structure and dissolved by a predetermined substance in the body of the subject,

wherein;

the structure is an elastic member arranged in the dissoluble unit and having a through hole through which the fluid is injected,

the dissoluble unit closes the opening part of the outer casing, and releases closure of the opening part when the dissoluble unit is dissolved by the substance in the body,

along with releasing of the closure of the opening part, the outer casing flows out the fluid via the opening part to be shrink-deformed, and

the outer casing is shrink-deformed by flowing out the fluid, while maintaining a state of being integrated with the shape manipulating unit.

2. The lumen passability checking device according to claim 1, wherein the outer casing has a capsule shape the same as that of the capsule medical device.

3. The lumen passability checking device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a colorless and transparent liquid or gas.

4. A method of manufacturing a lumen passability checking device for checking a lumen passability of a capsule medical device to be inserted into a body of a subject, the method comprising:

arranging at an opening part of an expandable and shrinkable outer casing, a dissoluble unit that can be dissolved by a substance in the body of the subject, in which a structure formed with an openable and closable through hole and having an external diameter smaller than that of the capsule medical device is arranged,

closing the opening part of the outer casing,

inserting a duct member into the through hole of the structure,

injecting a fluid into the outer casing via the duct member,

expanding the outer casing by a pressure of the fluid, and

setting an external diameter of the outer casing to an external diameter equal to that of the capsule medical device.

5. The method of manufacturing a lumen passability checking device according to claim 4, wherein the structure is an elastic structure having the through hole that is closable by an elastic force.