Endoscope system, endoscope, supporting member, and method of using endoscope system

• US 8,523,762 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2008
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Satoshi, Kura, Yasuhito, Motai, Kousuke
• Primary Examiner(s): KASZTEJNA, MATTHEW JOHN
• Application Number:
  US12/114,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20080269559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 600115-116, 600170-171
• US Class Current: 600/116
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00042 for mechanical operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00071 Insertion part of the endoscope body A61B1/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00082 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00098 Deflecting means for inserted tools
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00135 Oversleeves mounted on the endoscope prior to insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00148 using anchoring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00177 for 90 degrees side-viewing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/01 Guiding arrangements therefore
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/12 with cooling or rinsing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/31 for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes, sigmoidoscopes , colonoscopes

Abstract

An endoscope system includes: an endoscope including an elongated insertion portion provided with a bendable bending portion, the insertion portion being inserted into a duodenum; and a first balloon to a fourth balloon for moving a one-side surface of a distal end portion located nearer to a distal end side than the bending portion in the insertion portion in parallel with respect to a field of view direction S of an objective lens which is a diameter direction of the insertion portion, separately from bending of the bending portion, the one-side surface being located in a circumferential direction along an insertion direction W of the insertion portion and parallel to a central axis P of the insertion portion.

Claims

1. An endoscope system comprising:

a side-view endoscope including an elongated insertion portion, the elongated insertion portion including a bendable bending portion, a flexible tube portion having flexibility and provided on a proximal end side of the bendable bending portion, and a distal end portion provided on a distal end side of the bendable bending portion, wherein the elongated insertion portion is configured to be inserted into a lumen;

four balloons which are expandable and contractable in a diameter direction of the elongated insertion portion in accordance with air feeding and air sucking by an air feeding/sucking device and which are disposed on a distal end side of the flexible tube portion, the balloons moving a one-side surface provided in the distal end portion in parallel to the diameter direction of the elongated insertion portion, separately from bending of the bending portion, the one-side surface being located in a circumferential direction of the distal end portion along an insertion direction of the elongated insertion portion and being parallel to a central axis of the elongated insertion portion; and

an expansion/contraction mechanism provided in a linked manner to the four balloons and the air feeding/sucking device, and configured to expand and contract the four balloons,

wherein;

the four balloons are disposed in the circumferential direction on the distal end side of the flexible tube portion and include;

a third balloon and a fourth balloon provided opposed to each other at line-symmetric positions with respect to a first axis passing the central axis of the elongated insertion portion and parallel to a field of view direction of an objective lens provided on the one-side surface, and

a first balloon and a second balloon provided opposed to each other at line-symmetric positions with respect to a second axis passing the central axis of the elongated insertion portion and orthogonal to the first axis, and

the expansion/contraction mechanism includes;

a first balloon conduit having one end connected to the first balloon;

a second balloon conduit having one end connected to the second balloon;

a third balloon conduit having one end connected to the third balloon;

a fourth balloon conduit having one end connected to the fourth balloon; and

a syringe including;

an introducing port for introducing air from the air feeding/sucking device,

an introducing valve for changing over whether or not to introduce the air from the air feeding/sucking device into the introducing port,

a first supply port on one end side of the syringe and a first valve,

a second supply port on an other end side of the syringe and a second valve, and

a piston movable between the one end side and the other end side,

wherein, the first valve is connected with an other end of the first balloon conduit and an other end of the fourth balloon conduit, and the first valve changes over an air supply direction to supply the air inside the syringe to either the first balloon conduit or the fourth balloon conduit, and the second valve is connected with an other end of the second balloon conduit and an other end of the third balloon conduit, and the second valve changes over an air supply direction to supply the air in the syringe to either the second balloon conduit or the third balloon conduit,

wherein the balloons are configured such that;

in a state where the field of view direction of the objective lens and a protruding direction of a treatment instrument protruded from an aperture formed on the one-side surface coincide with each other by fixing a bending angle of the bendable bending portion, and in a state where the air supply direction is changed over to the first balloon conduit by the first valve, the air supply direction is changed over to the second balloon conduit by the second valve, the introducing valve is opened, and the piston is positioned in the syringe in the center between the one end side and the other end side of the syringe, when the air is supplied from the air feeding/sucking device to the first balloon and the second balloon via the introducing port, the syringe, the first supply port, the second supply port, the first balloon conduit, and the second balloon conduit, the first and second balloons expand in the diameter direction, and

when the piston moves inside the syringe toward the one end side in a state where the introducing valve is closed, the air inside the second balloon is moved into the first balloon, via the second balloon conduit, the syringe, and the first balloon conduit, and thereby the second balloon contracts in the diameter direction and the first balloon expands in the diameter direction interlockingly with the contraction, thereby moving the one-side surface in parallel to a position close to a papilla with respect to the field of view direction of the objective lens by utilizing the expansion of the first balloon, while making the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction coincide with each other, and

in a state where the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction of the treatment instrument protruded from the aperture formed on the one-side surface coincide with each other by fixing a bending angle of the bendable bending portion, and in a state where the air supply direction is changed over to the fourth balloon conduit by the first valve, the air supply direction is changed over to the third balloon conduit by the second valve, the introducing valve is opened, and the piston is positioned in the syringe in the center between the one end side and the other end side of the syringe, when the air is supplied from the air feeding/sucking device to the third balloon and the fourth balloon, via the introducing port, the syringe, the first supply port, the second supply port, the third balloon conduit and the fourth balloon conduit, the third and fourth balloons expand in the diameter direction, and

when the piston moves inside the syringe toward the one end side in a state where the introducing valve is closed, the air inside the third balloon is moved into the fourth balloon via the third balloon conduit, the syringe, and the fourth balloon conduit, and thereby the third balloon contracts in the diameter direction and the fourth balloon expands in the diameter direction interlockingly with the contraction, thereby moving the one-side surface in parallel to the position close to the papilla with respect to the field of view direction of the objective lens by utilizing the expansion of the fourth balloon, while making the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction coincide with each other.

2. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein:

the second balloon is disposed, in the circumferential direction on the distal end side of the flexible tube portion, on a side close to the papilla along the field of view direction, and the first balloon is disposed on a side separate from the papilla, and

when the second balloon contracts and the first balloon expands, the one-side surface is moved in parallel toward a side close to the papilla along the field of view direction to a position close to the papilla, to push up an upper side of the papilla by a distal end of the treatment instrument.

3. The endoscope system according to claim 1, wherein:

the third balloon is disposed, in the circumferential direction on the distal end side of the flexible tube portion, on one end side of a direction orthogonal to a field of view direction of the objective lens and the fourth balloon is disposed on the other end side of the direction orthogonal to the field of view direction of the objective lens, and

when the third balloon expands and the fourth balloon contracts, or when the fourth balloon expands and the third balloon contracts, the one-side surface is moved in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the field of view direction to a position close to the papilla.

4. A side-view endoscope comprising:

an elongated insertion portion including;

a bendable bending portion;

a flexible tube portion having flexibility and provided on a proximal end side of the bendable bending portion; and

a distal end portion provided on a distal end side of the bendable bending portion,

wherein the elongated insertion portion is configured to be inserted into a lumen; and

four balloons disposed on a distal end side of the flexible tube portion, the balloons being expandable and contractable in a diameter direction of the elongated insertion portion in accordance with air feeding and air sucking by an air feeding/sucking device, and moving a one-side surface provided in the distal end portion in parallel to the diameter direction of the insertion portion, separately from bending of the bending portion, the one-side surface being located in a circumferential direction along an insertion direction of the elongated insertion portion and being parallel to a central axis of the elongated insertion portion,

wherein the four balloons are disposed in the circumferential direction of the distal end side of the flexible tube portion and the four balloons include;

a third balloon to which one end of a third balloon conduit is connected and a fourth balloon to which one end of a fourth balloon conduit is connected, the third and fourth balloons being provided opposed to each other at line-symmetric positions with respect to a first axis passing the central axis of the elongated insertion portion and parallel to a field of view direction of an objective lens provided on the one-sided surface; and

a first balloon to which one end of a first balloon conduit is connected and a second balloon to which one end of a second balloon conduit is connected, the first and second balloons being provided opposed to each other at line-symmetric positions with respect to a second axis passing the central axis of the elongated insertion portion and orthogonal to the first axis,

wherein an other end of the first balloon conduit and an other end of the fourth balloon conduit are connected to a first valve of a syringe, the syringe including an introducing port for introducing air from the air feeding/sucking device, an introducing valve for changing over whether or not to introduce the air from the air feeding/sucking device into the introducing port, a first supply port on one end side of the syringe and the first valve, a second supply port on the other end side of the syringe and a second valve, and a piston movable between the one end side and the other end side, and an other end of the second balloon conduit and an other end of the third balloon conduit are connected to the second valve of the syringe,

wherein the balloons are configured such that,

in a state where the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction of the treatment instrument protruded from an aperture formed on the one-side surface coincide with each other by fixing a bending angle of the bendable bending portion and in a state where an air supply direction is changed over to the first balloon conduit by the first valve, an air supply direction is changed over to the second balloon conduit by the second valve, the introducing valve is opened, and the piston is positioned in the syringe in the center between the one end side and the other end side of the syringe, when the air is supplied from the air feeding/sucking device to the first balloon and the second balloon via the introducing port, the syringe, the first supply port, the second supply port, the first balloon conduit, and the second balloon conduit, the first and second balloons expand in the diameter direction, and

when the piston moves inside the syringe toward the one end side in a state where the introducing valve is closed, the air inside the second balloon is moved into the first balloon, via the second balloon conduit, the syringe, and the first balloon conduit, and thereby the second balloon contracts in the diameter direction and the first balloon expands in the diameter direction interlockingly with the contraction, thereby moving the one-side surface in parallel to a position close to a papilla with respect to the field of view direction of the objective lens by utilizing the expansion of the first balloon, while making the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction coincide with each other, and causing the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction of the treatment instrument protruded from the aperture formed on the one-side surface to coincide with each other before and after the movement of the one-side surface, and

in a state where the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction of the treatment instrument protruded from the aperture formed on the one-side surface coincide with each other by fixing a bending angle of the bendable bending portion, and in a state where the air supply direction is changed over to the fourth balloon conduit by the first valve, the air supply direction is changed over to the third balloon conduit by the second valve, the introducing valve is opened, and the piston is positioned in the syringe in the center between the one end side and the other end side of the syringe, when the air is supplied from the air feeding/sucking device to the third balloon and the fourth balloon, via the introducing port, the syringe, the first supply port, and the second supply port, the third balloon conduit, and the fourth balloon conduit, the third and fourth balloons expand in the diameter direction, and

when the piston moves inside the syringe toward the one end side in a state where the introducing valve is closed, the air inside the third balloon is moved into the fourth balloon via the third balloon conduit, the syringe, and the fourth balloon conduit, and thereby the third balloon contracts in the diameter direction and the fourth balloon expands in the diameter direction interlockingly with the contraction, thereby moving the one side surface in parallel to the position close to the papilla with respect to the field of view direction of the objective lens by utilizing the expansion of the fourth balloon, while making the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction coincide with each other, and causing the field of view direction of the objective lens and the protruding direction of the treatment instrument protruded from the aperture formed on the one-side surface to coincide with each other before and after the movement of the one-side surface.