1990-11-21
1992-10-20
Mancene, Gene
Surgery
Truss
Perineal
128 4, A61B 106
Patent
active
051561425
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an endoscope including a shaft carrying an optical arrangement with optical fibers arranged concentrically around the shaft.
Such endoscopes are used, in particular in the form of athroscopes, to examine and treat acute articular joint spaces, and mainly those of the knee joint. Athroscopy is a preferred and often implemented method to examine meniscus injuries.
Very often endoscopes combined with surgical instruments are not only used to observe but also to illuminate the surgery area. Endoscopes must therefore not only have superb optical parameters but must also possess excellent cold light illumination of high intensity as their distinguishing features.
The crowded construction of the endoscopes known in the art is disadvantageous as it means that only relatively small cross-sections of the optical means and the optical fibers can be chosen, in particular when irrigation channels are combined with the shaft of the endoscope.
Furthermore disadvantageous with the endoscopes known in the art is that the observation and illumination components are fixed together. In the case of the optical means of the endoscope being damaged--which can often occur during surgery--either the whole unit must be replaced or repaired. Such repairs are relatively costly and time-consuming due to the necessary but complicated disassembly involved.
Due to the development trend towards higher performance and more expensive instruments with a narrow specialized field of application the repair work can only be carried out by specialized workshops, so that the repair costs also increase continually. Often the extensive and costly maintenance work can only be carried out by the manufacturers maintenance specialists.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages of the endoscopes described above and to aim at providing an endoscope with a greater availability due to a simplification of the repair and maintenance work required.
The above and other objects are accomplished in accordance with the invention by the provision of an endoscope including: an observation component including a shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and an interior, and optical means disposed in the interior of the shaft for observing from the proximal end an object area adjacent the distal end of the shaft; an illumination component including an outer hollow cylinder, an inner hollow cylinder concentrically arranged with the outer cylinder to define a first space therebetween, and optical fibers extending longitudinally within the first space for transmitting light to illuminate the object area, the observation component being removably inserted in the inner hollow cylinder with a second space being defined between the shaft of the observation component and the inner hollow cylinder; and guidance bars extending longitudinally within the second space for guiding the shaft of the observation component and forming within the second space a suction channel and an irrigation channel separated by the guidance bars.
The invention is based on the realization that endoscopes usually consist of a combination of two different functional components, namely an observation component and an illumination component. Far-reaching consequences for the servicibility and the scope of utilization can be obtained due to the two components being separable from one another. As the separation is carried out by the two components being displaced relative to one another this can also be carried out in the operating theatre so that the observation component can be replaced immediately in the case of a defect. The cylindrical observation component can easily be pulled out of the hollow cylindrical illumination component. In this way it is possible to repair or inspect each of the components separately. In addition, numerous combinations of differently shaped observation components with differing illumination components are possible.
According to an advantageous feature of the
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patent: 4973321 (1990-11-01), Michelson
Anapliotis Emmanuel
Schich Gisbert
Effner GmbH
LaViola Frank A.
Mancene Gene
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