Surgery – Endoscope – With guide means for body insertion
Patent
1997-01-10
1999-03-16
Flanagan, Beverly M.
Surgery
Endoscope
With guide means for body insertion
604271, A61B 104
Patent
active
058822941
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a medical instrument and, in particular, to an endoscopic instrument having a manipulator according to the generic part of claim 1.
STATE OF THE ART
In a number of cases, it is necessary to move two, in particular, medical instruments precisely toward each other respectively one instrument part relative to the basic instrument. An example of this is moving tongs in a work channel of an endoscope shaft. Further examples are moving a laser fiber or a guide wire in a catheter or a flexible thin or ultra thin endoscope relative to the handpiece.
Known manipulators have a guide channel on which at least one driving wheel respectively driving roller and at least one guide wheel, preferably guide wheel whose perimeter area can be brought to engage with the outer contour of an instrument part in such a manner that this instrument part can be moved forward and backward in direction of its longitudinal axis to the manipulator. By way of illustration, manipulators for the relative movement of two instruments in direction of their longitudinal axis can be designed in such a manner that an (inner instrument) is inserted partially in a work channel of the other instrument (outer instrument).
In practice, it is frequently necessary to operate, i.e., move, instruments with different diameters successively in an endoscope or catheter. Furthermore, flexible endoscopes may have, i.a., due to fabrication tolerances, at least small variations in the outside diameter, which is quite detrimental to non-slip, preferably friction-free handling using known manipulators.
A manipulator which would permit handling instruments, preferably instruments parts having greatly different diameters has hitherto been unknown in the medical technology field.
Manipulators, like the aforedescribed ones, are moreover only suited for use in medicine in certain circumstances, because they are not easy to sterilize due to their complicated construction.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a manipulator for moving an instrument part in relation to a basic manipulator body, preferably for the relative movement of two instruments which permits handling, preferably moving instruments having different diameters and, moreover, which is easy to sterilize.
A solution to this object according to the present invention is set forth in claim 1 hereto. Further improvements of the present invention, which can partly be viewed as independent inventions, are the subject matter of claim 2.
According to the present invention, an instrument having a manipulator is created which is distinguished by, for adaption to the different outside diameters, at least one of the wheels being moveable at least in the direction perpendicular to the guide channel and/or the outer contour of at least one of the wheels being provided with an elastic coating.
The moveability of at least one of the wheels respectively the rollers perpendicular to the moving direction also permits moving instruments, preferably instrument parts having greatly different diameters forward and backward successively with one and the same manipulator in the work channel of an instrument, by way of illustration an endoscope shaft.
If, on the other hand, it is only necessary to compensate fabrication variations in the outside diameters of, for instance, ultra thin flexible endoscopes for reliable and non-slip moving it suffices to design the perimeter of at least one of the wheels, preferably rollers elastically.
Invented further improvements respectively embodiments are set forth in claim 2 and the following claims.
The invented manipulator can, of course, be provided with multiple wheels, preferably rollers, for instance three rollers, for moving and guiding the instrument part to be moved, because particularly three rollers ensure reliable "straight guidance". The particularly simple embodiment described in claim 2 is a manipulator having two wheels positioned opposite each other.
In order to avoid slippage and/or
REFERENCES:
patent: 1984663 (1934-12-01), Tatham
patent: 4616648 (1986-10-01), Simpson
patent: 5078658 (1992-01-01), Legg
patent: 5259587 (1993-11-01), D'Alessio et al.
Barki Gerard
Storz, deceased Karl
Flanagan Beverly M.
Karl Storz GmbH & Co.
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