Surgical endoscope

Details Surgical endoscope Surgical endoscope

1999-03-19

2001-04-17

Dvorak, Linda C. M. (Department: 3739)

Surgery

Endoscope

With particular operating handle design

C600S106000, C600S164000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06217511

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a surgical endoscope with a shaft and a main body mounted proximally to the shaft, an operative duct for passing a surgical instrument through the body, and optics extending through the endoscope.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Endoscopes of this type are held and guided by the surgeon in the fingers of one hand when performing surgery. The fingers seize the endoscope by its main body.
The surgeon must manually move the endoscope in order, for example, to insert it into an aperture in a patient's body. This insertion entails rotating, pivoting, pushing and pulling the endoscope which is furthermore required to exactly follow the surgeon's manual guidance to prevent injury to the patient's tissue or vessels.
As a result, absolutely reliable gripping contact between the fingers of the guiding hand and the endoscope must be assured. The surgeon's other hand holds the proximal end of an operative tool inserted into the endoscope's operative duct and, by driving that tool, performs specific functions at the site of surgery.
Endoscopes of this type are used in particular in the form of ureteroscopes. The surgeon must insert the ureteroscope through the patient's urethra, pass it through the bladder space and then guide the ureteroscope through the ostium into the ureter. The described path is traversed while rotating, pivoting and pushing the ureteroscope. Reliable gripping contact between the fingers of the guiding hand and the ureteroscope must be assured to preclude injuring delicate tissue, for instance the bladder or ureter, by unintended ureteroscope displacements.
Conventional endoscopes incur the substantial drawback of lacking dedicated gripping surfaces. Such endoscopes are seized at arbitrary sites, almost anywhere on the main body which, however, does not allow secure and convenient gripping. Truly safe handling cannot be achieved. Because the main body is seized in a more or less unconstrained manner, there may follow undesired actuation of functional elements such as valves, switches or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope of the type discussed above which provides for reliable gripping contact between the fingers and the endoscope's main body, thereby securely holding and guiding the endoscope.
The endoscope of the invention is fitted with a thumb-grip and a finger-grip. Accordingly, the endoscope no longer is seized just anywhere on the main body, but rather it is seized at sites dedicated to the thumb and fingers. In this manner, the endoscope may be held conveniently and without fatigue. The invention allows firm gripping in order to also absorb or exert high forces. Because of the reliable finger action on the dedicated gripping surfaces, the danger of erroneous actuations caused by spuriously driving valves, switches or the like is reduced.
In an especially advantageous embodiment, the thumb grip is situated above the endoscope axis, allowing the surgeon to hold the endoscope by a large area. This ergonomic design prevents premature fatigue, for instance, of the surgeon's arm.
In an advantageous manner, providing a second finger grip allows still more reliable gripping of the endoscope. The endoscope is held between the fingers of one hand, for instance, between the index and the middle fingers of one hand and the thumb of the same hand. In other words, the endoscope is held at three points.
In a further embodiment, providing fiber optics extending transversely to the main body, and using the fiber optics as the second finger grip allows saving one component which lowers costs.
In a further advantageous embodiment, an ocular or camera adapter projects obliquely from the main body and the thumb grip is mounted at an acute angle therebetween. An ergonomically advantageous gripping position is secured to prevent the thumb from being wedged into the angle apex.
By situating the thumb grip in the ocular, the instrument insertion along the proximal endoscope axis can be made very short and thereby the endoscope can be made shorter and more easily handled.


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