JP2001046378A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic probe having high observation performance by providing a housing formed on the bases of a bore size of a channel for insertion of a treatment implement of an endoscope with an ultrasonic vibrator transducer. SOLUTION: A balloon O-ring part 5a formed at a balloon 5 is arranged in a recessed part 11c of a first mouthpiece 11 and a balloon O-ring part 5b formed at the balloon 5 is arranged in a recessed part 12c of a second mouthpiece 12, by which the ultrasonic probe 1 with the balloon arranged with the balloon 5 nearer the operator side than the base end of a front end cap 4 is constituted. The outside diameter part of the front end cap 4 is, therefore, formed with the large diameter within a range where the cap can be inserted into the channel for insertion of the treatment implement, by which the size of a housing 15 arranged within the front end cap 4 is made larger than the size of the housing disposed at the ultrasonic probe used by mounting the conventional balloon sheath and consequently, the size of the ultrasonic vibrator transducer 15 arranged in the housing 15 is made larger.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe inserted into a treatment instrument insertion channel provided in an endoscope and guided into a body cavity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an ultrasonic probe provided with an ultrasonic vibrator at the distal end of an insertion portion has been guided endoscopically or percutaneously into a body cavity for ultrasonic diagnosis of a deep portion of the body cavity. An ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic observation device that obtain an ultrasonic image by performing radial scanning or linear scanning of ultrasonic waves for use are widely used.

[0003] The ultrasonic beam emitted from the transducer of such an ultrasonic probe is attenuated when air is present between the transducer and the observation site and cannot reach the target observation site. A sound image cannot be obtained. Therefore, in order to obtain a good ultrasonic image, it is necessary to interpose an ultrasonic transmission medium such as water, which is substantially similar to the acoustic impedance of a living body, between the transducer and the observation site.

There are the following two main methods for performing ultrasonic observation by interposing the ultrasonic transmission medium between the vibrator and the observation site.

One is a method generally called a filling method, in which water, which is an ultrasonic transmission medium, is injected into an observation site, for example, a stomach, to immerse the observation site and a vibrator of an ultrasonic probe in ultrasonic observation. The other is to arrange a balloon that expands by filling the outside of the transducer of the ultrasonic probe with water, and inject water to make the inflated balloon adhere to the observation site to perform ultrasonic observation. This is a method called a contact method.

In the balloon contact method, as shown in FIG. 13, a base 102 is provided at the open end of the outer sheath 101,
A balloon sheath 100 configured by arranging a balloon 103 that is inflatable and inflatable through this base 102 and an inner sheath that also functions as a tip cap in which an ultrasonic transducer filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium 111 is disposed. A rotatable flexible shaft 113 is inserted into the housing 112, and the housing 11 is fixed to the distal end of the flexible shaft 113.
4 and an ultrasonic probe 110 having an ultrasonic transducer 115 disposed therein, and the ultrasonic probe 110 is inserted through the balloon sheath 100 to form an ultrasonic wave on which the ultrasonic transducer 115 is disposed. The distal end of the probe 110 was covered with the balloon 103.

[0007]

However, in the above-described configuration of the balloon sheath 100 and the ultrasonic probe 110, the super sheath covered with the balloon sheath 100 via the treatment tool insertion channel provided in the endoscope is used. In order to introduce the ultrasonic probe 110 to a target site in a body cavity, the size h of the housing 114 provided with the ultrasonic transducer 115 of the ultrasonic probe 110 does not depend on the inner diameter of the treatment tool insertion channel. This depends on the inner diameter of the base 102 constituting the balloon sheath 100.

That is, the inner diameter of the base 102 is larger than the outer diameter of the base 102 formed so as to pass through the treatment instrument insertion channel.
It is formed to have a small diameter by the thickness of 02. For this reason, the size h of the housing 114 disposed in the inner sheath 112 is considerably smaller than the inner diameter of the treatment tool insertion channel of the endoscope. The size of the vibrator was also considerably smaller than the inner diameter of the treatment instrument insertion channel.

[0009] When the size of the ultrasonic transducer is reduced, the range of the ultrasonic wave emitted from the ultrasonic transducer is reduced, and the radiation range of the ultrasonic wave is widened. However, there is a problem in that the metal is deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an ultrasonic transducer having a high observation performance by providing an ultrasonic vibrator in a housing formed on the basis of the inner diameter of a treatment tool insertion channel of an endoscope. It is intended to provide an acoustic probe.

[0011]

An ultrasonic probe according to the present invention has an ultrasonic vibrator at a distal end of an insertion portion introduced into a body cavity through a treatment tool insertion channel provided in an endoscope. In the provided ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic vibrator provided in a housing rotatably disposed in a distal end cap filled with an ultrasonic medium constituting a distal end of the insertion portion, and one end fixed to the housing A shaft that is inserted and arranged in a thin and full length sheath that constitutes an insertion portion for transmitting a rotational driving force, and is located closer to the proximal end than the base end of the distal end cap in a contracted state to inject an ultrasonic medium. And an inflatable balloon that expands to cover the entire side periphery of the tip cap by being supplied through the end cap.

According to this configuration, the balloon in the deflated state is located close to the proximal end of the distal end cap without being covered with the distal end cap, so that the inner diameter of the treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope can be reduced. The ultrasonic transducer is provided in a housing disposed in a tip cap formed on the basis of the ultrasonic transducer.

In addition, by supplying an ultrasonic medium through the injection path into the balloon for ultrasonic observation, the balloon located closer to the proximal end of the distal end cap is gradually expanded and the distal end cap is expanded. Since the entire side peripheral surface is covered and closely adhered to the observation site, a good ultrasonic observation image can be obtained by emitting ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducer in this state.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an overall configuration of an ultrasonic probe, and FIG. 2 is an actual use state when performing ultrasonic observation using the ultrasonic probe. FIG. 3 shows an example of a device configuration in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the tip portion of the ultrasonic probe, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the balloon, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the connector portion of the ultrasonic probe, and FIG. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic probe 1 of the present embodiment comprises a flexible and elongated insertion portion 2 inserted into a treatment instrument insertion channel provided in an endoscope described later;
It is mainly composed of a connector section 3 provided at the base end of the insertion section 2 for mechanical and electrical connection.

The insertion portion 2 is formed of a flexible resin member such as polyethylene or polyethylpentene, which has ultrasonic permeability, on which an ultrasonic vibrator to be described later, which constitutes the distal end portion in order from the distal end side, is disposed. Formed in a substantially tubular shape having both ends opened by a tip cap 4 and a balloon member such as latex or Teflon rubber, which can be stretched and swellable and has ultrasonic transparency, which is disposed closer to the proximal end than the base end of the tip cap 4. And a flexible outer sheath 6 formed of a resin material such as an elongated and flexible fluororesin, polyethylene, polymethylpentene, or PET which is disposed on the proximal end side of the balloon 5. Have been. And
The proximal end of the outer sheath 6 is connected to the connector section 3 via a buckling member 7 which is a sheath protection member.

The connector portion 3 includes a connector main body 31 in which a rotational force transmitting portion (see FIG. 5, reference numeral 36), which will be described later, is disposed, and at least one of the tip cap 4 and the balloon 5 is superposed on a side portion. A liquid inlet 32 for supplying a sonic medium is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, an insertion portion 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is connected to a light source device and a video processor (not shown) to obtain an optical image of a body cavity and perform normal endoscope observation. The medical instrument 8 is inserted through a forceps port 81 communicating with a treatment tool insertion channel (not shown) provided at 8 and guided into the body cavity of the patient.

A liquid feeding tube 82 is attached to the liquid inlet 32 of the connector section 3 and is an ultrasonic medium stored in a syringe 83 via the liquid feeding tube 82. For example, water can be supplied into the balloon 5. By supplying water as an ultrasonic medium via the syringe 83, the balloon 5 is inflated and comes into close contact with the entire side periphery of the distal end cap 4 and the lesion 84.

The connector portion 3 of the ultrasonic probe 1
It is mechanically and electrically connected to the probe driving section 85.
Thus, the ultrasonic vibrator is rotationally driven by the transmission of the driving force from the probe driving unit 85, and the observation ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received.

An ultrasonic code 87 extends from the probe drive section 85, and is connected to an ultrasonic observation device 86. This ultrasonic observation device 8
In 6, signal processing of the echo signal received by the ultrasonic transducer is performed, and the monitor 88 connected to the ultrasonic observation device 86 is processed.
An ultrasonic diagnostic image of the observation site is displayed above.

Here, the configuration of the distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe 1 of the present embodiment and the configuration of the connector section 3 will be described. First, the configuration of the distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 3, the outer sheath 6 constituting the insertion portion 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 has a flexible shaft as a shaft for transmitting the driving force of the probe driving portion 85 as a rotational force. The shaft 13 is inserted. The flexible shaft 13 is covered by an elongated inner sheath 14 made of a flexible resin member such as fluororesin, polyethylene, polymethylpentene, and PET.

A housing 15 is fixed to the distal end of the flexible shaft 13.
5 is provided with an ultrasonic transducer 16. The housing 15 provided with the ultrasonic vibrator 16 is rotatably disposed in the internal space of the substantially cylindrical tip cap 4.

The base end of the tip cap 4 has a first base 11 made of a metal such as stainless steel or a hard resin member having an axial through hole 11a through which the flexible shaft 13 is inserted at the center. Is integrally fixed to the step portion 11b formed on the peripheral portion on the distal end side by thread binding.

A concave portion 11c in which a balloon O-ring portion 5a formed at one end of the balloon 5 is disposed is formed in a peripheral portion on the base end side of the first base 11, and a central portion of the base end surface is formed. Is provided with a projection 11d having a step portion on which the distal end portion of the inner sheath 14 is arranged and fixed with a thread.

The distal end of the outer sheath 6 is formed of a metallic or hard resin material such as stainless steel having an axial through hole 12a through which an inner sheath 14 covering the flexible shaft 13 is inserted at the center. The second base 12
Is fixed integrally to the stepped portion 12b formed on the base side peripheral portion by thread binding. And the second base 1
A concave portion 12c in which a balloon O-ring portion 5b formed at the other end portion of the balloon 5 is disposed is formed in the distal end side peripheral portion of the balloon 2.

Note that a gap is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the axial through hole 12a and the outer peripheral surface of the inner sheath 14 as an injection path for the ultrasonic medium into the balloon 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, before the balloon 5 is attached to the first base 11 and the second base 12, that is, in a natural state, the shape of the balloon 5 is determined by the balloon O-ring portions 5a and 5b.
And a balloon forming portion 5 that expands and covers the entire side peripheral surface of the tip cap 4.
d.

The balloon 5 includes the balloon forming section 5
By forming the outer diameter shape and dimensions of d in a desired state in advance, the way of expansion and the dimensions at the time of expansion change. For this reason, in the present embodiment, at least the outer diameter of the balloon forming portion 5d is larger than the outer diameter of the tip cap 4, which is the maximum outer diameter of the insertion portion 2, in advance. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter gradually decreases from the distal end to the proximal end.

Thus, the balloon 5 which expands to a large diameter can be obtained, and the inflated diameter can be varied from a small diameter to a large diameter by appropriately adjusting the amount of water injected into the balloon 5. Thus, the range of application by one balloon 5 is expanded.

The balloon O-ring portions 5a and 5b arranged in the recesses 11c and 12c have an O-ring function by continuously rounding a small-diameter portion 5c provided on the end side of the balloon 5 outward. It was formed as follows.
The balloon O-ring portions 5a, 5b thus formed
Can be detachably engaged with the concave portions 11c and 12c, and the balloon O-ring portions 5a and 5b can be attached to the concave portions 11c and 12c.
By arranging it at 12c, it is held and arranged in a watertight state.

That is, the balloon O-ring portion 5a formed on the balloon 5 is disposed in the concave portion 11c of the first base 11, and the balloon 5 is formed in the concave portion 12c of the second base 12.
By disposing the balloon O-ring portion 5b formed on the front end cap 4, the balloon 5
The ultrasonic probe 1 with a balloon which does not require a balloon sheath in which is disposed is configured.

Thus, the outer diameter of the tip cap 4 is formed to be as large as possible within a range capable of being inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel, so that the size H of the housing 15 disposed in the tip cap 4 is increased. Can be made larger than the size of a housing provided in an ultrasonic probe used by mounting a conventional balloon sheath. Therefore, the ultrasonic vibrator 16 arranged in the housing 15
Also becomes large.

In this embodiment, in order to prevent the outer diameter of the balloon forming portion 5d from being larger than the maximum outer diameter of the distal end cap 4 in this balloon arrangement state, the insertability is not impaired. The distance between the first base 11 and the second base 12 is appropriately set, and the balloon 5 is pulled in the longitudinal axis direction so as to have the same or smaller diameter as the maximum outer diameter of the tip cap 4.

Next, the configuration of the connector section 3 of the ultrasonic probe 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, a connector portion 3 is an exterior member, for example, a cylindrical connector body 3.
1 and a first connector disposed on the distal end side of the connector main body 31.
The connector forming member 33 and the first connector forming member 3
3 and a second connector forming member 34 arranged on the distal end side.

The first connector forming member 33 has an axial through hole 33a at the center thereof, through which a shaft base end 13a for transmitting the driving force from the probe driving part 85 is inserted. The base 33 of the inner sheath 14 that covers the flexible shaft 13 is disposed, and a projection 33b having a step portion that is tied and fixed is projected.

When the base end of the inner sheath 14 is tied and fixed to the projection 33b, the tip cap 4
The process is performed in a state where the ultrasonic medium 38 is filled in the inner sheath 14.

The second connector forming member 34 has an inner sheath 1 surrounding the flexible shaft 13 at the center.
4 is provided with an axial through hole 34a in which a projection 33b to which the outer sheath 4 is thread-fixed is disposed, and a step having a stepped portion in which the base end of the outer sheath 6 is arranged and thread-fixed in the center of the distal end surface. The part 34b is protruding. The proximal end of the outer sheath 6 is watertightly fixed to the projection 34b by stringing.

The liquid inlet 32 is disposed on the side of the second connector forming member 34.
And the axial through-hole 33a provided in the second connector forming member 34 communicate with each other. As a result, the through hole of the liquid inlet 32 communicates with the gap 17 formed between the inner sheath 14 and the outer sheath 6.

The first connector forming member 33 and the second connector forming member 34 are fixed in a watertight manner by, for example, an adhesive. Reference numeral 35 denotes the torque transmitting unit 3
6 is an O-ring that keeps watertight between the base end portion 13a of the shaft 6 and the axial through hole 33a of the first connector forming member 33 to prevent leakage of the ultrasonic medium into the connector body 31. , One or more. Reference numeral 37 denotes a bearing mechanism for supporting the shaft base end 13a.

The operation of the ultrasonic probe 1 configured as described above will be described. First, the operator connects the insertion portion 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 to the proximal end of the liquid-feeding tube 82 connected to the liquid inlet 32 in order to insert the insertion portion 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 through the forceps port 81 into the treatment tool insertion channel. The withdrawn syringe 83 is withdrawn. As a result, water in the gap 17 formed between the inner sheath 14 and the outer sheath 6 is sucked by the syringe 83, and the balloon 5 is in a contracted state. In this state, the insertion section 2 is inserted through the forceps port 81 of the endoscope 8, the distal end is guided into the body cavity of the patient, and the ultrasonic transducer 16 is arranged near the lesion 84, which is the observation target site.

Next, the syringe 83 is operated to inject water into the balloon 5 again. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the water stored in the gap portion 17 gradually passes through the gap between the inner sheath 14 and the axial through hole 12a of the second base 12, as indicated by the arrow, and the balloon 5 It flows inside. This causes the balloon 5 to expand. At this time, when the surgeon performs a manual operation so as to pull back the entire ultrasonic probe 1 to the proximal side, the balloon 5 supplied with the ultrasonic medium and inflated causes the entire peripheral surface on the distal end cap side toward the distal end side of the distal end cap 4. Spreads smoothly to cover. This allows the inflatable balloon 5
This prevents the lesion from being crushed due to compression of the lumen.

Then, the observation ultrasonic beam is scanned by the ultrasonic vibrator 16 with the inflated balloon 5 being in close contact with the lesion 84. Then, the ultrasonic observation image of the lesion 84 is displayed on the screen of the monitor 88, and the ultrasonic observation can be performed.

Then, by pulling back the syringe 83 connected to the liquid inlet 32, the ultrasonic medium in the balloon 5 is again sucked into the syringe 83 to contract the balloon 5, and together with the endoscope 8 or Only the ultrasonic probe 1 is removed from the body cavity.

As described above, the first arrangement in which the tip cap is disposed
A base and a second base provided with an outer sheath are provided. A balloon O-ring portion formed on the balloon is disposed in a recess formed in each base, and a balloon with a balloon positioned on the base end side of the distal end cap is provided. By configuring the ultrasonic probe, the outer diameter of the distal end cap can be formed as large as possible within a range that can be inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel. Can be set based on the inner diameter of the treatment tool insertion channel. As a result, by forming the housing as close as possible to the inner diameter of the treatment instrument insertion channel, the size of the ultrasonic transducer disposed in this housing becomes large, thereby preventing deterioration of the ultrasonic observation image. can do.

In addition, by forming the shape of the balloon forming portion of the balloon in the natural state to be larger than the outer diameter of the tip cap in advance, the balloon expands smoothly when the ultrasonic medium is supplied, and the balloon is inflated when the ultrasonic medium is supplied. The entire peripheral surface can be easily covered.

Further, when the balloons are arranged on the first and second bases, the distance between the first and second bases is adjusted so that the balloon is pulled in the longitudinal axis direction so that the tip cap can be closed. The outer diameter of the balloon forming portion formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the tip cap can be substantially the same as the maximum outer diameter of the tip cap, and can be disposed on the base end side of the tip cap.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the configuration of an ultrasonic probe according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 (a)
FIG. 7B is a view for explaining another configuration of the ultrasonic probe, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a configuration of a distal end portion of an outer sheath. FIG.
As shown in (a), the ultrasonic probe 1A of the present embodiment
Has a sheathed tip cap 40 in which the tip cap 4 and the inner sheath 14 are integrally formed. The tip cap 40 with a sheath is a flexible resin member having flexibility such as, for example, fluorocarbon resin, polyethylene, polymethylpentene, and PET, and has a tip cap portion 41 corresponding to the tip cap 4 and an inner sheath portion corresponding to the inner sheath 14. 42 are integrally formed. The distal end cap 40 with a sheath has, for example, a divided surface at a portion indicated by arrows A and B, and the divided surfaces are fixed to each other by welding or bonding in a watertight manner. Further, the tip cap portion 4
A concave portion 41a is formed in the base portion side peripheral portion of the balloon 1 for engaging and arranging a balloon O-ring portion 5a formed in the balloon 5.

A pipe-shaped base 43 made of metal such as stainless steel, for example, is disposed on the distal end side of the inner sheath portion 42 in a state of being loosely fitted to the inner sheath portion 42. A gap formed between the inner peripheral surface of the base 43 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner sheath portion 42 serves as an injection path for supplying an ultrasonic medium to the balloon 5.

The balloon 5 is provided at both ends of the base 43.
A step 43a for binding and fixing the outer sheath 6A is formed. That is, in the present embodiment, not only the outer sheath 6A but also the proximal end of the balloon 5 is fixed to the step 43a of the base 43 by binding. And
The base end of the inner sheath portion 42 is bonded and fixed to a sheath portion fixing portion 45a provided on a first connector forming member 45 constituting the connector portion 3A. The first connector forming member 45 of the present embodiment is elongated, and has an axial through hole 45b through which a shaft base end portion 13a for transmitting a driving force from the probe driving section 85 is inserted at a central portion, and a central portion at a distal end surface. A sheath portion fixing portion 45a in which the inner sheath portion 42 is disposed protrudes. Further, a claw portion 45c is provided at a base end of the first connector forming member 45 so as to be engaged with a projection 13b provided on the shaft base end 13a.

The shaft base 13a is disposed in the axial through-hole 45b, and the shaft is formed by an O-ring 35 for maintaining watertightness between the shaft base 13a and the axial through-hole 45b. Supported. The proximal end of the shaft proximal end 13a is mechanically and electrically connected to a first connection plug 48a and a second connection plug 48b which are disposed in the connector main body 47 and transmit torque and electric signals. ing. Further, the first connector forming member 4
A probe fixing rubber 49 is arranged on the outer periphery of the base end portion of the probe 5.

The proximal end of the outer sheath 6A is thread-fixed to a sheath connecting portion 46a provided on a second connector forming member 46 constituting the connector portion 3A. The second connector forming member 46 of the present embodiment has an axial through hole 46b in which the inner sheath portion 42 and the probe fixing rubber 49 disposed at the base end of the first connector forming member 45 are disposed at the center. In addition, a sheath connecting portion 46a having a stepped portion for threading and fixing the base end portion of the outer sheath 6 is provided at the center of the distal end surface.

At the proximal end of the second connector forming member 46, a proximal locking claw 46c, which is disposed to be locked to at least one distal locking claw 47a provided on the connector main body 47, has a sheath detachable. It is provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the knob 46d.

For this reason, the second connector forming member 46 and the connector main body 47 are integrated by engaging the base locking claw 46c and the distal locking claw 47a.
At this time, the probe fixing rubber 49 is compressed by the distal end surface of the connector main body 47 and the step formed in the axial through hole 46b of the second connector forming member 46 so that the inner diameter is reduced. The first connector forming member 45 is pressed and held by the deformation.

When the second connector forming member 46 is detached from the connector main body 47, the sheath detachment knob 46d is pushed outward to spread the base engagement claw 46c and the distal engagement claw 47a. The state can be released and removed.

In the present embodiment, the liquid inlet 3
2 is disposed on the side of the second connector forming member 46 similarly to the first embodiment, and is provided in the through hole formed in the liquid inlet 32 and the second connector forming member 46. And the axial through hole 46b. As a result, the through hole of the liquid inlet 32 communicates with the gap 17 formed between the inner sheath portion 42 and the outer sheath 6A.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
The distal end of the outer sheath 6A disposed on the step 43a located on the proximal side of the base 3 has a thickness t1 on the distal side which is different from the thickness t1 of the other portions.
And a relationship of φd1 <φd is set between the inner diameter d1 of the distal end and the inner diameter d of the other portions. The thickness t1 of the distal end of the outer sheath 6A is formed to have a thickness corresponding to the tensile strength in use or the like, and the thickness t of the other portions is a thickness corresponding to the compressive strength in operation or the like. Is formed.

As a result, the fixing force when the distal end portion of the outer sheath 6A is arranged and fixed on the step 43a of the base 43 is increased, and the thickness t1 of the connecting portion of the base 43 of the outer sheath 6A is made thinner. Thus, the diameter of the connecting portion can be reduced.

In this embodiment, when the outer sheath 6A is mounted on the inner sheath portion 42, the outer sheath 6A is covered from the proximal end side of the inner sheath portion 42. At this time, a second connector forming member 46 is disposed on the proximal end side of the outer sheath 6A, and a base 43 on which the proximal end portion of the balloon 5 and the distal end portion of the outer sheath 6A are disposed by thread binding on the distal end side. Is arranged. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, by forming the distal end cap portion and the sheath portion integrally with a flexible resin member, it is possible to reduce the number of hard members provided in the middle of the insertion portion and improve the insertability. Water tightness and rotation direction can be reliably regulated.

Further, the assembly of the ultrasonic probe can be improved by integrally forming the distal end cap portion and the sheath portion. Other functions and effects are described in the first section.
This is the same as the embodiment.

Instead of fixing the base end of the outer sheath 6A to the second connector forming member 46 with a string and integrally forming the outer sheath 6A and the second connector forming member as shown in FIG. 46 and 46 may be configured integrally via a relay member 50.

The relay member 50 is formed of a metal member or a hard resin member, and has a stepped portion 51a provided at one end with a base end of the outer sheath 6A. Outer sheath 6A arranged on the stepped portion 51a
Fixing rubber member 52 for pressing and fixing the second connector forming member 4, a pressing member for compressing the sheath fixing rubber member 52 and deforming the inner diameter of the sheath fixing rubber member 52 so as to have a small diameter.
6, and a pressing member 53 with a connecting portion which also serves as a connecting member provided with a screw portion 53a which is screwed and connected to 6. In addition, a screw portion 46e to be screwed to the screw portion 53a is formed at the tip of the second connector forming member 46 of the present embodiment.

For this reason, the outer sheath 6A is deformed so that the sheath fixing rubber member 52 is compressed by screwing the pressing member 53 with the connecting portion to the second connector forming member 46 so that the inner diameter becomes smaller. By making the base member 5
1 and fixed. Then, by releasing the threaded state between the pressing member with connection portion 53 and the second connector forming member 46, the compressed state of the sheath fixing rubber member 52 is released, and the outer sheath 6A can be easily removed. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the second embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, by making the outer sheath and the second connector forming member detachable via the relay member, the outer member and the second connector forming member can be freely attached to and detached from the distal end by attaching and detaching the relay member and the second connector forming member. The outer sheath to which the base is fixed can be easily attached and detached. As a result, the outer sheath to which the base is fixed can be made disposable and inexpensive.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), instead of the base member 51 shown in FIG.
1A is formed, and a second connector forming member 55 having an engagement hole 55a into which the elongated base member 51A is inserted and arranged is formed. Then, the elongate base member 51A disposed in the engagement hole 55a is fixed to a fixing screw 5 constituting a balloon adjusting means.
Fix with 6.

Reference numeral 57 denotes an O-ring for maintaining watertightness between the inner peripheral surface of the engagement hole 55a and the outer peripheral surface of the elongated base member 51A. In the present embodiment, the second connector forming member 55 and the connector main body 47 are connected and fixed by screwing. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

With the above-described structure, the extended state of the balloon 5 can be changed by adjusting the insertion amount of the elongated base member 51A into the engagement hole 55a.

In other words, when inserting the ultrasonic probe, as shown in FIG. 9 (a) showing the arrangement position of the elongated base member in the balloon extended state, the elongated base member 51A is located at the back of the engagement hole 55a. By inserting and arranging the balloon 5, the balloon 5 can be made to be in a stretched state and the insertability can be improved.
When ultrasonic observation is performed, as shown in FIG. 9B, which shows the arrangement position of the elongated base member in the balloon-relaxed state, the elongated base member 51A is positioned at the tip end side of the engagement hole 55a. Balloon 5
Can be made to have a shape close to the natural state to improve the observability.

Further, by providing the O-ring 57,
During the inspection, if necessary, the engagement hole 5 of the elongated base member 51A may be used.
By changing the extended state by changing the positional relationship with respect to 5a, it is possible to change the way in which the balloon 5 is inflated and the dimensions when inflated.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the configuration of an ultrasonic probe according to the third embodiment of the present invention. First, the configuration of the distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe 1B will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the ultrasonic probe 1B of this embodiment, a balloon in which the first base 11 and the second base 12 are integrated instead of the first base 11 and the second base 12 used in the first embodiment. A base 60 with a liquid supply hole is used.
The supply of the ultrasonic medium to the inside of the distal end cap 4 and the inside of the balloon 5 is performed via the outer sheath 6 and the base 60 with the liquid supply hole.

The base 60 with a liquid supply hole has an axial through-hole 6 serving as a liquid injection hole through which the flexible shaft 13 is inserted into the center and which supplies an ultrasonic medium into the tip cap 4.
1 is made of a metal such as stainless steel or a hard resin member having a substantially pipe shape.

A step portion 62 for binding and fixing the base end portion of the tip cap 4 and a balloon O-ring portion 5a formed on the balloon 5 are arranged on the distal end side peripheral portion of the base 60 having a liquid supply hole. A concave portion 63 is formed, and a step 64 for tying and fixing the outer sheath 6 and a balloon O-ring portion 5b formed on the balloon 5 are formed on the proximal side peripheral portion.
Are formed. At approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, at least one balloon liquid supply hole 66 as an injection path that communicates with the axial through hole 61 from the side peripheral surface and supplies the ultrasonic medium into the balloon 5 is provided in the circumferential direction. Is formed.

The distance between the concave portion 63 and the concave portion 65 is determined by the balloon forming portion 5d of the balloon 5 shown in FIG.
Is a length that prevents the outer diameter of the balloon cap from becoming larger than the maximum outer diameter of the tip cap 4, that is, the balloon forming portion 5
The distance is set so that d is extended in the longitudinal axis direction.

Next, the connector 3 of the ultrasonic probe 1B
The configuration of B will be described. As shown in FIG.
Is composed of a connector main body 31 and a connector member 71 arranged on the distal end side of the connector main body 31.

The connector member 71 has an axial through hole 72 through which a shaft base end 13a for transmitting a driving force from the probe driving unit 85 is inserted at the center, and a base of the outer sheath 6 at the center of the distal end surface. A protruding portion 73 having a step portion to which the end portion is tied and fixed is provided. The outer sheath 6 is fixed to the projection 73 in a watertight manner by string binding.

The liquid inlet 32 is disposed on the side of the connector 71, and the through hole of the liquid inlet 32 and the axial through hole 72 provided in the connector 71 are provided.
And are in communication. As a result, the liquid inlet 3
The two through holes communicate with the inner hole of the outer sheath 6. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, by arranging the balloon, the tip cap, and the outer sheath on the base having the liquid supply hole to constitute the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe can be constituted without providing the inner sheath. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified and the assemblability can be greatly improved.

Instead of arranging the base 60 with a liquid supply hole, as shown in FIG. 11, a first base 91 having stepped portions 91a at both ends for binding and fixing the balloon 5 and the tip cap 4 is provided. And a stepped portion 92a for binding and fixing the balloon 5 and the outer sheath 6 at both ends.
At least one liquid supply hole 93a serving as an injection path is provided in the middle of the base 92 which is slightly harder than the outer sheath 6 and has flexibility.
By integrally connecting and fixing the balloon 93 with the balloon liquid supply hole formed therein, the length of the hard portion at the distal end portion can be shortened and the insertability can be improved. Other configurations, operations and effects are the same as those of the third embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, in the above-described embodiment, markers 95 such as colorings having different sizes and colors are used as scales for judging the insertion distance at predetermined intervals on the outer peripheral portion or outer surface of the flexible shaft 13. Alternatively, a colored scale is provided, and the inner sheath 14 and the outer sheath 6 are provided.
Is formed of a transparent member, the insertion distance of the insertion portion 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 can be easily determined by checking the marker 95 provided on the flexible shaft 13 from outside the outer sheath 6. . Further, by providing a marker or a scale on the flexible shaft 13 located in the sheath, it is possible to arbitrarily select a material of the marker and the scale to achieve an inexpensive configuration.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Appendix] According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the following configuration can be obtained.

(1) In an ultrasonic probe provided with an ultrasonic vibrator at the distal end of an insertion section to be introduced into a body cavity through a treatment instrument insertion channel provided in an endoscope, An ultrasonic vibrator provided in a housing rotatably disposed in a distal end cap filled with an ultrasonic medium constituting a distal end portion, and an elongate and full length having one end fixed to the housing and transmitting rotational driving force; The shaft is inserted through the sheath constituting the insertion portion, and located in the contracted state closer to the proximal end of the distal end cap, and the ultrasonic medium is supplied through an injection path to supply the ultrasonic medium to the distal end cap. An inflatable balloon that expands so as to cover the entire side periphery.

(2) The ultrasonic probe according to appendix 1, wherein a maximum outer diameter of the balloon in a natural state is larger than a maximum outer diameter of the insertion portion.

(3) The ultrasonic probe according to appendix 1, wherein an outer diameter of the distal end cap is formed to have a large diameter as long as it can be inserted into a treatment instrument insertion channel of the endoscope.

(4) The ultrasonic probe according to appendix 1, wherein the balloon disposed closer to the proximal side than the base end of the distal end cap is in an expanded state.

(5) The ultrasonic probe according to appendix 4, further comprising a balloon adjusting means for changing an expanded state of the balloon.

(6) The ultrasonic probe according to appendix 1, wherein the sheath is formed of a transparent material, and the shaft is provided with equally spaced scales.

[0091]

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing an ultrasonic vibrator in a housing formed on the basis of the inner diameter of a treatment tool insertion channel of an endoscope, an ultrasonic wave having high observation performance can be obtained. A probe can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an entire configuration of an ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an apparatus configuration in an actual use state when performing ultrasonic observation using an ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a distal end portion of an ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a balloon.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a connector section of the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic probe according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the connector unit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the connector unit.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic probe according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an ultrasonic probe provided with a scale portion.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a relationship between an ultrasonic probe used in a balloon contact method and a balloon sheath according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultrasonic probe 4 ... Tip cap 5 ... Balloon 11 ... 1st base 12 ... 2nd base 13 ... Flexible shaft 14 ... Inner sheath 15 ... Housing 16 ... Ultrasonic transducer

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ultrasonic probe provided with an ultrasonic vibrator at a distal end of an insertion section introduced into a body cavity through a treatment instrument insertion channel provided in an endoscope, wherein the distal end of the insertion section An ultrasonic vibrator provided in a housing rotatably disposed in a distal end cap filled with an ultrasonic medium constituting a portion; one end fixed to the housing, an elongated and full length transmitting a rotational driving force; A shaft inserted through a sheath constituting an insertion portion; and a shaft located nearer to the proximal end of the tip cap in a contracted state and supplying an ultrasonic medium via an injection path to the side of the tip cap. An inflatable balloon that expands so as to cover the entire periphery thereof.