Surgery – Endoscope – With means for indicating position – depth or condition of...
Patent
1996-04-18
1999-05-04
Leubecker, John P.
Surgery
Endoscope
With means for indicating position, depth or condition of...
600103, 600129, A61B 1005
Patent
active
058998519
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for reproducing an image of a poorly accessible location, for example in a living body, comprising a substantially cylindrical image pick-up unit to be arranged at the location and an image display means connected to the image pick-up unit.
Such devices, generally known in for example medical technology, are used for instance to reproduce images from inaccessible places of a living body. Such image pick-up units are herein pushed into the often narrow channels in a body, which channels may for example be formed by veins or arteries or intestines for example, so that the dimensions of such an image pick-up unit have to be very small, for example with a transverse dimension in the order of magnitude of a few millimetres.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In respect of the usually substantially circular section of such channels such image pick-up units are likewise usually given a cylindrical form. With these cylindrical image pick-up units there is therefore the danger that they will rotate on their axis. When these image pick-up units rotate inside the channel, the image hereby picked up will likewise be transmitted to the image display means rotated relative to the horizontal. When no clear reference to the horizontal is present in the image, as is mostly the case when picking up images inside a body, the orientation of the image reproduced on the image display means is unknown.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Resulting herefrom is therefore an image for which the transmitted information is incomplete.
When the displayed image is used in performing an operation, dangerous situations can therefore arise. It is thus possible for instance that, as a result of the inaccurate display, an incision which is intended to extend between two intestines extends transversely along the intestines.
In such applications it is known for example to have water drip in front of the camera so that a reference relative to the vertical, and therefore automatically also relative to the horizontal, is obtained. This is awkward however and nothing like possible in all situations.
Attempts are also made, for example with the help of an assistant, to continuously maintain the position of the image pick-up unit on the basis of a known position.
Another typical manner is to reciprocally move an endoscope in which a camera is situated. From the movement on the screen resulting herefrom the deviation of the angle relative to the horizontal can be determined. Correction can take place by rotation of the camera.
The object of the present invention is to provide such a device, wherein the above stated problems are avoided.
This object is achieved in that the image pick-up unit is provided with indication means for indicating the rotation position of the image pick-up unit on its axis relative to the horizontal.
As a result of these steps it is possible to give an indication of the horizontal, or for example the vertical, on the image reproduced on the image display means, so that the orientation of the displayed image is known, or by processing the displayed image or by turning the image display means such that the orientation of the displayed image corresponds with the actual orientation.
The invention will subsequently be elucidated with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a partly broken away view of a first embodiment of an image pick-up unit arranged in a channel in the body;
FIG. 2 is a partly broken away enlarged perspective view of the image pick-up unit depicted in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of an image pick-up unit according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of an image pick-up unit according to the present invention; and
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a reproducing device which is provided with a correction device according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the situation depicted in FIG. 1 a channel 1 is shown which is formed for example by a blood vessel in a human body. Situat
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Leubecker John P.
Saturnus A.G.
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