Endoscope

Details Endoscope Endoscope

2001-08-17

2002-10-29

Mulcahy, John (Department: 3739)

Surgery

Endoscope

With particular shaft cross-section

C600S130000, C600S138000, C600S156000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06471639

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an endoscope, comprising an outer shaft, in which an optical channel receiving an optical system is arranged, wherein in the outer shaft, further, a working channel for receiving a working element, at least one supply channel extending longitudinally for a medium and at least one discharge channel extending longitudinally for discharging a medium separatedly from the supply, are arranged.
Such an endoscope is distributed as a combination instrument e.g. with instrument number 27092 AM-27093 B-27093 BI by the company Karl Storz GmbH & Co., Tuttlingen.
An endoscope of the type mentioned at the outset is used in minimally-invasive surgery for carrying out operations in human or animal bodies with simultaneous visual control.
The outer shaft of such an endoscope is, thus, designed in such a way that it can also receive a working element, e.g. dissecting forceps, which can be introduced from the proximal end through the outer shaft and which is held safely during the operation. The jaw parts of such a working element then project out of the distal open end of the outer shaft and can be actuated by means of a handle at the proximal end for carrying out the operation.
In order to be able to carry out an operation through an artificially created incision as small as possible in the body surface, the requirement on such an endoscope is such that the outer shaft has a diameter as small as possible. Since during an operation with the same endoscope several different working elements are used, which may differ in their diameters, the cross section remaining in the inner part of the outer shaft for the optical channel is limited by the maximal diameter of the largest working element used. To allow an optimal visual control of the operation with a great field of view and a high image quality, it is desirable, however, to use an optical system with a cross section as large as possible. It should be mentioned here that, in the sense of the present invention by an optical system every type of image transmission systems is understood, e.g. a relay lens system, glass fiber image guide or a video cable for a distally arranged video chip.
Furthermore, in such an endoscope is at least a supply channel for a medium, e.g. an irrigation liquid, and a discharge channel separated from the supply for discharging a medium, e.g. for discharging blood, tissue rests together with the irrigation liquid fed in. Such an arrangement allows a continuous irrigation and sucking off during the operation, so that the visual control through the optics is not affected by blood or loose tissue pieces during the operation.
In the known endoscope mentioned at the outset, first of all, an inner shaft is arranged within the outer shaft, wherein within the inner shaft the optical channel and the working channel are configured for receiving the working element. The inner shaft has in its cross section an approximately triangle shape, so that between the inner side of the outer shaft and the outer side of the inner shaft a discharge channel for discharging a medium and within the inner shaft between the optical channel and the working channel for the working element, a supply channel for a medium is formed. The optical channel, in which the optical system is arranged, is formed by another optical shaft. Furthermore, two other tubular shafts of also circular cross section receiving each a light supplying system in form of optical fibers are also connected to the optical shaft receiving the optical system.
It is to be considered as disadvantageous for this known endoscope that the cross section in the inner part of the outer shaft of the optical channel is reduced by the additional inner shaft, which is necessary in this embodiment, in order to form a supply channel and a discharge channel separated from same. Another restriction of the usable space within the outer shaft is caused by the fact that the working element is also received in the inner shaft. Due to this arrangement, for the optical channel and, thus, for the optical system, only a reduced cross section is available, which results in the disadvantage mentioned before of a smaller field of view and a lower image quality.
Another endoscope of this type is known from the DE firm brochure of company Richard Wolf GmbH, Knittlingen, “Ambulanz-Dauerspül-Operations-Hysteroskop nach Grochmal” (“Ambulance permanent irrigation operation hysteroscope according to Grochmal”). In this endoscope, four tubular shafts circular in cross-section are arranged within the outer shaft. A first tubular shaft forms the channel for receiving the working element, a second tubular shaft forms the supply channel, a third tubular shaft forms the discharge channel, and a fourth tubular shaft forms the optical channel. The space remaining between the individual tubular shafts and the inner side of the outer shaft is filled up with optical fibers, which are puttied with the outer shaft.
Also in this endoscope, the space available within the outer shaft is not optimally used, as an additional inner tubular shaft is provided for receiving the working element. This tubular shaft is, however, necessary to separate the working channel from the optical fibers, so that these are not damaged when the working element is introduced. Another disadvantage of this endoscope is that the outer shaft cannot be removed from the tubular shafts arranged inside due to the optical fibers between them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,138 discloses an endoscope comprising a chambered profiled shaft received in the outer shaft, said profiled shaft contains an optical channel and at least one channel for receiving a light supplying illumination system. Between the outer shaft and the inner profiled shaft are configured two channels for supplying or discharging a medium. In one embodiment of this known endoscope the profiled shaft has a kidney-shaped outer contour. Outside of that profiled shaft there is a single supply channel for a medium. The supply channel is not separated from the discharge channel.
Further, WO 94/11052 discloses an endoscope having an inner profiled shaft in which supply and discharge channels are provided which are separated from the working channel, all the channels, however, are disposed within the profiled shaft, which completely-fills up the cross-section of the outer shaft.
It is therefore an object of the invention to improve an endoscope of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the arrangement of optical channel, working channel for receiving the working element, supply channel, discharge channel, and the channel for the illumination system guarantees an optimal exploitation of space of the interior of the outer shaft, so that the cross section available for the optical channel is as large as possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, an endoscope is provided, comprising:
an outer shaft;
an optical channel for receiving an optical system, said optical channel being arranged in said outer shaft;
at least one channel arranged in said outer shaft for receiving a light supplying illumination system;
a profiled shaft arranged in said outer shaft and having an outer contour configured substantially in kidney-shaped fashion, said profiled shaft being chambered in cross-section, said optical channel and said at least one channel for said light supplying illumination system being configured as chambers of said profiled shaft;
a working channel for receiving a working element, said working channel being arranged within said outer shaft and outside said profiled shaft and extending from a concave outer side of said profiled shaft until an opposite concave inner side of said outer shaft;
at least one longitudinal supply channel for a liquid medium, and at least one longitudinal discharge channel for discharging a medium separatedly from said supply, wherein said profiled shaft has at least two further chambers which form at least one of said at least one supply channel and said at least one discharge channel.
For providing the opti

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