Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-21
2002-10-08
Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06461304
ABSTRACT:
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasound inspection apparatus detachably connected to an endoscope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical apparatuses for performing required inspection or diagnosis by inserting them into a body to be inspected include an endoscope for observing the inside of a body cavity and an ultrasound inspection apparatus for obtaining information about textures inside a body. An ultrasound endoscope unitarily combining the endoscope with the ultrasound inspection apparatus is also known. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-52138, a known ultrasound endoscope is formed so that an ultrasonic scanning portion having an ultrasound transducer attached thereto is arranged at a distal end portion of an insertion unit and an inclined wall surface is formed in the base side of the ultrasonic scanning portion so as to form illuminating means and observing means forming an endoscope observing structure therein. On the inclined wall surface, a treating instrument guide channel is also provided for leading out a puncture instrument, etc., for puncturing within a field of ultrasound observing vision by the ultrasound transducer.
In such a manner, using of the ultrasound endoscope enables to inspect an inner wall of a body cavity and the like, with an endoscopic observing unit by inserting the insertion unit to a predetermined position. When disease or the like is discovered by observation with the endoscope, the state of textures inside the body, etc., can be inspected by operating the ultrasound transducer so as to perform ultrasonic scanning of the portion in question. From the result of the ultrasonic scanning, when medical treatment or sampling of texture, etc., is required, an appropriate operation can be taken by inserting a puncture instrument through the guide channel under observation by the ultrasound transducer.
In the ultrasound endoscope of the type, the ultrasonic observing means is undetachably formed in combination with endoscope observing means undetachably, and it is suitable for using in the case of combining endoscopic inspection with ultrasound inspection. However, since the ultrasonic observing means is located in front of the endoscope observing means in the ultrasound endoscope, the field of view by the endoscope observing means is extremely limited. A treating instrument outlet portion is arranged at the position of the endoscopic observing means, so that operations of treating instruments are also limited. By these reasons, the ultrasound endoscope is not generally used when it is only for the endoscopic inspection.
A structure is known in that, when required, ultrasound inspection can be used in combination with endoscopic inspection without limiting the function as an endoscope. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-42231 discloses a so-called ultrasound probe inserted through an endoscope that is formed to be led into body cavities, etc., by inserting into an guide channel for inserting treating instruments of an endoscope. The ultrasonic probe of the type is formed of an ultrasonic scanning unit provided with an ultrasound transducer, a flexible cord arranged in line with the ultrasonic scanning unit, and a connector disposed at the base end of the flexible cord. The flexible cord is to be inserted through the guide channel for inserting treating instruments of an endoscope. The connector disposed at the base end of the flexible cord is formed to be detachably connected to the ultrasonic scanning unit directly or through a connecting adapter, etc. The ultrasonic scanning unit includes operating means for scanning the ultrasound transducer in a rotating direction or an axial direction.
In the ultrasonic probe inserted through the endoscope, the transducer placed in the ultrasonic scanning unit are formed of single-chip transducer so as to scan mechanically in a rotating direction or a linear direction. When large-sized transducer chip is provided by using the ultrasonic scanning unit having a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the treating instrument guide channel, from front-end of the treating instrument guide channel, the ultrasound probe is inserted thereinto.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
As ultrasound inspection systems, in general, there is an electronic scanning type in addition to a mechanical scanning type. An ultrasound transducer of the electronic scanning type formed by arranging a number of rectangular transducer chips in a row, each transducer chip forming the ultrasound transducer is sequentially actuated so as to be scanned in the arrangement direction of the transducer chips. Such the ultrasound transducer of the electronic type has an advantage as making various wave phases by controlling emission timing of each transducer chip. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-52138 discloses an ultrasound endoscope having an ultrasound transducer performing ultrasonic scanning of this type. Aside such the ultrasound endoscope formed in indivisible combination of ultrasonic observing means with endoscopic observing means, an ultrasound inspection apparatus detachable from an endoscope formed so as not to limit the original function as an endoscope, that is the ultrasound probe inserted through the endoscope as disclosed in the foregoing Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-42231, cannot be constituted as the electronic scanning type. There are such reasons for this fact as that the outer diameter of a flexible cord is limited because it is inserted into a treating instrument guide channel so that a number of wires connected to a number of transducer chips cannot be passed therethrough, and that it is extremely difficult that the ultrasound transducer is steadily held in an assembled state in an endoscope because the ultrasound transducer of the electronic scanning type is extremely larger in size and weight compared with a single-chip transducer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to expand the utility of an endoscope by detachably assembled into an endoscope with an ultrasound inspection apparatus having an electronically scanning ultrasound transducer.
It is another object of the present invention to enable one endoscope to be used for the independent inspection by the endoscope, for the combination of endoscopic inspection and ultrasound inspection, and further for the independent ultrasound inspection as well.
It is another object of the present invention to enable one ultrasound inspection apparatus to be assembled for plural endoscopes to be used.
It is another object of the present invention to enable a puncture instrument led out from a treating instrument outlet portion of an endoscope to be securely brought within a field of ultrasonic observing vision when an ultrasound inspection apparatus having an ultrasound transducer for electronically scanning is detachably connected to the endoscope.
It is another object of the present invention to enable an ultrasound transducer detachably attached to an endoscope to be intimately contacted with a body cavity's wall, etc.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, according to the present invention, there is provided an ultrasound inspection apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic scanning portion having an ultrasound transducer attached thereto in the front end side for performing ultrasonic scanning by arranging transducer chips in an array arrangement; an endoscope-placing portion disposed at a base side position of the ultrasonic scanning portion to be mounted for a distal end portion of an insertion unit of an endoscope; an endoscope-fixing portion for detachably fixing the distal end portion placed on the endoscope-placing portion; and a signal cable formed of wires extending from the base end position of the endoscope-placing portion.
When performing ultrasound inspection, a puncture in
Itoi Hiromu
Kohno Shin-ichi
Sakamoto Toshio
Tanaka Toshizumi
Yoshihara Masatoshi
Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
Imam Ali M.
Lateef Marvin M.
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