Surgery – Endoscope – Having flexible tube structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-06
2003-09-02
Leubecker, John P. (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Endoscope
Having flexible tube structure
C600S109000, C600S130000, C600S141000, C600S151000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06612982
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fully-swallowable endoscopic system which can relieve a patient to be examined from pain, even if the endoscope is retained in the patient's body for a long time.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an endoscopy examination, in general, an insertion portion connected to an operation portion is introduced into a patient's body through his or her mouth to observe a target inner part of the body. The insertion portion of the endoscope must be sometimes inserted and retained in the body for a long time to observe the progress of a diseased part within the body or to obtain and/or record somatoscopic information of a patient under ordinary every-day living conditions. However, the insertion and retainment of the endoscope in the body through the patient's mouth causes the patient to suffer from significant pain.
To relieve pain from the patient, it is known to use a capsule type endoscope which is provided at an intermediate portion of a flexible continuous member, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-76822. A patient to be examined swallows a soft ball formed at a tip end of the flexible continuous member the night before the day of examination, so that the soft ball is discharged from the patient's anus the next day. An operator pulls or moves the tip end and the tail end of the flexible continuous member to thereby move or guide the capsule connected to the intermediate portion of the flexible continuous member.
In the capsule type of endoscope described above, the pain that the patient suffers can be eased in comparison with conventional endoscopes. However, the patient must always carry the flexible continuous member whose one end extends out of his or her mouth for more than 12 hours. Consequently, it is impossible for the patient to take a meal or speak. Under these circumstances, no substantial pain relieving effect can be expected. Moreover, it is generally difficult to control the position of the endoscope when in the form of a capsule.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fully-swallowable endoscopic system which can relieve a patient to be examined from pain.
To achieve the object mentioned above, according to the present invention, a fully-swallowable endoscopic system is provided, which includes a rod-shaped endoscope body which can be swallowed entirely by a patient to be examined so as to be placed in a body cavity, at least part of the rod-shaped endoscope body including a bendable portion which is bendable along a curve of the body cavity; and an external device provided separately from the rod-shaped endoscope body having no mechanical connection with the rod-shaped endoscope body. The rod-shaped endoscope body is provided therein with a light emitter, an observing system, a transmitter for transmitting a radio wave which carries an image formed by the observing system, and a power supplying device. The external device includes a receiver for receiving the radio wave which carries the image.
Preferably, the bendable portion includes a bending portion which can be radio-controlled to bend by an operation of the external device, and a flexible portion which bends when an external force is applied to the flexible portion. The rod-shaped endoscope body is provided therein with a radio-controlled driving device which receives a radio operational signal transmitted from the external device to bend the bending portion in accordance with the radio operational signal, and the external device includes an operational portion which is operated to transmit the radio operational signal to the radio-controlle d driving device.
In an embodiment, the rod-shaped endoscope body further includes a hard portion, wherein the hard portion and the bendable portion are arranged in that order from one of the opposite ends of the rod-shaped endoscope body in a longitudinal direction thereof, the light emitter and the observing system being positioned in the hard portion.
In another embodiment, the rod-shaped endoscope body further includes a hard portion, and the hard portion, the bending portion and the flexible portion are arranged in that order from one of the opposite ends of the rod-shaped endoscope body in a longitudinal direction thereof, the light emitter and the observing system being positioned in the hard portion.
Preferably, the radio-controlled driving device includes a plurality of drive wires made of a shape memory alloy, and a selective-heating device which selectively heats the plurality of drive wires to bend the bending portion.
The power supplying device can be in the form of a built-in battery.
In an embodiment, the external device includes a microwave transmitter for transmitting a microwave to the rod-shaped endoscope body, and the power supplying device converts the microwave into electrical current to supply the electrical current to the rod-shaped endoscope body.
Preferably, the observing system includes an objective optical system and a CCD image sensor.
Preferably, the external device includes a monitor which visually indicates the image.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a fully-swallowable endoscopic system is provided, which includes a rod-shaped endoscope body having a hard portion, a bending portion and a flexible portion which are arranged in that order, and a radio controller for manipulating the bending portion to bend by radio-control. The rod-shaped endoscope body is provided therein with a light emitter for illuminating a target inner portion of a living body, an image pick-up device for taking an image of the target inner portion illuminated by the light emitter, and a transmitter for transmitting a radio wave which carries the image taken by the image pick-up device.
Preferably, the radio controller includes a monitor and a receiver, for receiving the radio wave, wherein the image is indicated on the monitor.
In an embodiment, the radio controller further includes a second transmitter for transmitting a microwave to the rod-shaped endoscope body, and wherein the rod-shaped endoscope body is provided therein with a power supplying device which receives the microwave to convert the microwave into electrical current which is to be used as a power source of the rod-shaped endoscope body.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-160027 (filed on Jun. 7, 1999) which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be discussed below in detail with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a schematic view of an embodiment of an endoscopic system comprising a fully-swallowable endoscope body and an external device, according to the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a schematic cross sectional view of the first embodiment of the rod-shaped endoscope body, according to the present invention;
FIG. 3
is a schematic cross sectional view of the rod-shaped endoscope body shown in
FIG. 2
, taken along a different plane;
FIG. 4
is an explanatory view of the rod-shaped endoscope body shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
which is positioned in a human body, showing a state where the rod-shaped endoscope body is swallowed to reach the esophagus;
FIG. 5
is an explanatory view of the rod-shaped endoscope body shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
which is positioned between the esophagus and the stomach, showing a state where the inside of the stomach can be observed with the rod-shaped endoscope body;
FIG. 6
is an explanatory view of the rod-shaped endoscope body shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
which is positioned between the stomach and the duodenum, showing a state where the rod-shaped endoscope body further proceeds from the stomach to the duodenum;
FIG. 7
is an explanatory view of the rod-shaped endoscope body shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
which is positioned in the large intestine, showing a state where the rod-shaped endoscope body proceeds within the large intestine;
FIG. 8
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Leubecker John P.
Pentax Corporation
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