JP2014008378A - Probe and endoscope system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a probe capable of obtaining necessary lighting even when it is brought into contact with or close to biological tissue.SOLUTION: A probe 11, which is a probe for obtaining light radiated from a measuring object region by radiating light to the measuring object region in a lumen, includes: a long exterior tube 50; and illuminating fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 stored in the exterior tube to guide the illuminating light for observation. The tip part of the exterior tube 50 is provided with a light transmitting part formed of light transmissive material, the tip faces of the illuminating fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 are disposed at positions retreated from the tip of the exterior tube 50 in the axial direction of the exterior tube 50, and the illuminating light emitted from the tip parts of the illuminating fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 is radiated from the side of the exterior tube 50 through the light transmitting part.

Description

  The present invention provides a probe for inspecting the presence or absence of a lesion such as cancer and its progress by irradiating light to a measurement target site in a lumen and acquiring radiation emitted from the measurement target site. The present invention relates to an endoscope system using the same.

  In recent years, a method of observing a body lumen with an electronic endoscope has been widely used. Since this diagnostic method directly observes the body tissue, it does not require excision of the lesion and has the advantage that the burden on the subject is small. Recently, in addition to a so-called video scope, diagnostic devices and ultrasonic devices utilizing various optical principles have been proposed and some of them have been put into practical use. In this way, introducing a new measurement principle or combining a plurality of measurement principles has been performed.

  In addition, it is known that by observing and measuring the fluorescence from the body tissue and the fluorescent material applied or injected into the tissue, information that cannot be obtained simply by looking at the image of the body tissue is known. Yes. There has also been proposed a fluorescence image endoscope system that applies this technique to acquire a fluorescence image and displays it by overlapping with a normal visible image. Such a system is highly promising because it leads to early detection of malignant tumors.

  On the other hand, a method for determining the state of a body tissue by acquiring fluorescence intensity information without forming a fluorescence image is also known. In many of these methods, fluorescence is acquired without using an image sensor mounted on an electronic endoscope.

  Probes (diagnostics) for making a fluorescence diagnosis include those that reach the body via the forceps channel of the endoscope, and those that are integrated with the endoscope.

  Such a probe is generally composed of a first optical fiber group that guides laser light (or non-laser light) that irradiates a body tissue and a second optical fiber group that guides light generated from the body tissue. Or it is configured to play both roles with a single fiber group.

  As a conventional technique related to an endoscope, when observing a body cavity wall from a relatively short distance, a technique for preventing a decrease in illuminance distribution of illumination light in the central portion of the observation region has been proposed (for example, Patent Documents). 1). In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the light guide provided at the distal end portion of the insertion portion to be inserted into the body cavity is arranged in the radial direction of the insertion portion with respect to the optical axis of the imaging unit that images the site in the body cavity. It is provided so as to form a predetermined angle in the outer direction.

  As another conventional technique, by using a wide beam having a large divergence angle and a straight beam having a small divergence angle, an appropriate amount of illumination light is irradiated according to the distance from the imaging position to the observation object. There is known a technique that enables imaging (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In the technique described in Patent Document 2, when a distant object is observed, an image focused on the distant observation object is picked up by strengthening a straight beam, whereas when a distant object is observed, a wide beam By picking up an image, an image focusing on a nearby observation object is captured.

JP 2006-20804 A JP 2011-11007 A

  By the way, at the time of optical measurement using a probe, it is necessary to turn off the observation illumination of the endoscope. This is because the illumination of the endoscope becomes noise at the time of optical measurement of a living tissue and causes a decrease in measurement accuracy and a measurement failure. Therefore, at the time of optical measurement, turn off the illumination of the endoscope once, turn on the illumination of the endoscope again after the measurement is completed, and then turn off the illumination of the endoscope again after specifying the next measurement location. Therefore, a complicated procedure of performing optical measurement is required.

  As a method for omitting this complicated procedure, there is a method in which the probe itself has an illumination function. Specifically, an illumination fiber is installed in the probe in addition to the excitation optical fiber and the receiving optical fiber. With this configuration, illumination light can be emitted from the tip of the probe. Since the probe is connected to the endoscope system including the measurement light source, the illumination light source, and the detector (spectrometer) outside the body, the user can easily control to turn off the illumination light immediately before the start of the optical measurement. be able to.

  However, the configuration in which the probe itself has an illumination function has the following problems. In many cases, optical measurement using a probe is performed by bringing the probe into contact with or close to a living tissue. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the probe 100 is pressed against and contacted with the biological tissue 110, the distal end portion of the probe 100 is buried in the flexible biological tissue 110, and thus emitted from the distal end portion of the probe 100. The illumination light 120 will illuminate the living tissue 110 locally. Therefore, the illumination light 120 does not function as illumination for illuminating the living tissue 110 in a wide range, and there is a problem that it is difficult to specify a location where optical measurement is performed next.

  The techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are techniques for emitting illumination light from the distal end portion of the endoscope toward the front, and even if this technique is applied, the above problem cannot be solved.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a probe and an endoscope system that can obtain necessary illumination even when it is brought into contact with or close to a living tissue.

The probe according to the present invention comprises:
A probe that irradiates light to a measurement target site in a lumen to acquire light emitted from the measurement target site,
A long outer tube,
An illumination fiber that guides illumination light for observation, housed in the outer tube,
A light transmissive portion formed of a light transmissive material is provided at the distal end portion of the outer tube,
The distal end surface of the illumination fiber is disposed at a position retracted in the axial direction of the exterior tube from the distal end of the exterior tube, and illumination light emitted from the distal end portion of the illumination fiber is transmitted through the light transmission portion. Radiated from the side of the outer tube.
An endoscope system according to the present invention includes:
The probe includes an endoscope main body having a channel through which the probe is inserted.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a probe and an endoscope system that can obtain necessary illumination even when contacting or approaching a living tissue.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the endoscope system in this Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the front-end | tip part of the endoscope main body in this Embodiment. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the part near the front-end | tip part of the probe in this Embodiment. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the part near the front-end | tip part of the probe in the modification of this Embodiment. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the part near the front-end | tip part of the probe in the other modification of this Embodiment. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the part near the front-end | tip part of the probe in the further another modification of this Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the probe in the modification shown in FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the part near the front-end | tip part of the probe in the other modification of this Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the problem of a prior art.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
[Configuration of Endoscope System 1]
An endoscope system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an endoscope main body 2, an endoscope control device 3, and a diagnostic device 4. The endoscope body 2 includes a flexible long introduction portion 21 formed so as to be able to be introduced into a body lumen, an operation portion 22 provided at a proximal end portion 21a of the introduction portion 21, and an operation portion. And a cable 23 that connects the introduction unit 21 and the endoscope control device 3 through the communication device 22 in a communicable manner.

  The introduction portion 21 has flexibility that can be easily bent according to the curvature of the lumen when entering the inside of the lumen over substantially the entire length thereof. In addition, the introduction part 21 has a mechanism (not shown) that can bend a certain range (operable part 21c) on the tip part 21b side at an arbitrary angle in accordance with the operation of the knob 22a of the operation part 22.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the introduction unit 21 includes a camera CA, a light guide LG, a forceps channel CH, an air / water supply nozzle (not shown), and the like.

  The light guide LG guides the illumination light (visible light) emitted from the illumination light source 31 of the endoscope control device 3 to the distal end portion 21b, and emits the illumination light from the distal end portion 21b.

  The camera CA is an electronic camera provided with a solid-state imaging device, images an area illuminated with illumination light emitted from the light guide LG, and transmits the imaging signal to the endoscope control device 3.

  The forceps channel CH is a lumen having a diameter of, for example, 2.6 [mm] formed in the introduction portion 21 so as to communicate with the introduction port 22b formed in the operation portion 22. Various devices for observing the lesion, diagnosing the lesion, performing surgery on the lesion, and the like can be inserted into the forceps channel CH. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the presence or absence of a lesion such as cancer is detected by optical measurement of irradiating light to a measurement target site in a lumen and acquiring radiation emitted from the observation target site. A probe 11 that can be inspected for its progress can be inserted. At the time of optical measurement, the probe 11 protrudes from the forceps channel CH by about 30 [mm] at the maximum.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the probe 11 is a long flexible tubular member extending from the probe base end portion 11a to the probe tip end portion 11b. The probe 11 is connected to the diagnostic device 4 via a connector 46 provided at the probe base end portion 11a.

[Configuration of Diagnostic Device 4]
Next, the configuration of the diagnostic device 4 will be described. The diagnostic device 4 includes an illumination light source 41a that generates illumination light for observation, a measurement light source 41b that generates measurement light for measurement, a spectrometer 42, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 43, and a storage device 45. An input device 5 and a monitor 7 are connected to the diagnostic device 4.

  The input device 5 inputs a user instruction to the diagnostic device 4. In the present embodiment, the input device 5 is configured by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a switch, or the like. The monitor 7 receives the image data output from the diagnostic device 4 and displays various images.

  The illumination light source 41a emits illumination light for observation when an instruction to execute the process of illuminating the observation target site in the lumen is input to the input device 5. When the probe 11 is introduced into the lumen by being inserted into the forceps channel CH, the probe 11 guides the illumination light emitted from the illumination light source 41a and emits it to the observation target site.

  The measurement light source 41b emits excitation light such as xenon light when an instruction to execute processing for inspecting a living tissue of a measurement target site (for example, a lesion) in a lumen is input to the input device 5. When the probe 11 is introduced into the lumen by being inserted into the forceps channel CH, the probe 11 guides the excitation light emitted from the measurement light source 41b and emits the measurement light to the measurement target site. Further, the probe 11 receives radiated light from the measurement target part as biological information of the measurement target part and guides it to the spectroscope 42 of the diagnostic device 4. In the present embodiment, the method of measuring the measurement target site is to irradiate the measurement target site with light of a predetermined wavelength as excitation light, receive fluorescence emitted from the measurement target site as a result of irradiating the excitation light, Fluorescence spectroscopy is applied to obtain the spectrum necessary for diagnosis.

  The spectroscope 42 performs spectrum analysis on the radiated light from the measurement target portion guided by the probe 11. The CPU 43 diagnoses the presence or absence and type of a lesion in the measurement target site in the lumen based on the spectrum analysis result by the spectroscope 42. Then, the CPU 43 causes the monitor 7 to display the diagnosis result image by outputting the diagnosis result image data indicating the diagnosis result to the monitor 7. The user can evaluate the extent of the lesion and the degree of illness by looking at the diagnostic result image displayed on the monitor 7.

  The storage device 45 is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like built in the diagnostic device 4. The storage device 45 stores a diagnosis result by the CPU 43 and the like. Note that the storage device 45 does not have to be built in the diagnostic device 4, and may be, for example, an external device attached to the diagnostic device 4, or may exist on the communication network. good.

[Configuration of Endoscope Control Device 3]
Next, the configuration of the endoscope control device 3 will be described. The endoscope control device 3 is a device for controlling illumination and photographing of the endoscope main body 2 in response to an operation from an operator, and includes an illumination light source 31, a video processing unit 32, and a CPU 33. An input device 6 and a monitor 8 are connected to the endoscope control device 3.

  The input device 6 inputs a user instruction to the endoscope control device 3. In the present embodiment, the input device 6 is configured by a keyboard, a mouse, a switch, or the like, for example. The monitor 8 receives the image data output from the endoscope control device 3 and displays various images.

  The illumination light source 31 supplies the illumination light to the light guide LG by emitting illumination light to illuminate the observation target site in the lumen.

  The video processing unit 32 receives an imaging signal from the endoscope body 2, performs predetermined signal processing on the imaging signal, and outputs the processed signal to the monitor 8 as an endoscope video signal. Thereby, an endoscopic video based on the endoscopic video signal is displayed on the screen of the monitor 8. That is, when an observation target region in the lumen is imaged, the image is displayed on the monitor 8. The CPU 33 controls the operation of the illumination light source 31 and the video processing unit 32.

[Configuration of Probe 11]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a portion near the tip of the probe 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the probe 11 includes a long cylindrical outer tube 50, a fiber end fixing member 52, an excitation fiber 54 as a measurement optical fiber that guides measurement light (excitation light here), and a receiving optical fiber 56. , 58, 60, 62 and illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70. The probe 11 includes an optical filter that selectively transmits or blocks excitation light, and a lens that optically controls the emission of measurement light from the excitation fiber and the reception of radiation emitted from the measurement target site. You may have.

  The outer tube 50 includes a transparent tube 50a (light transmitting portion of the outer tube 50) that is located at the distal end portion of the outer tube 50 and is formed of a light transmissive material, and a black opaque tube 50b, for example. The transparent tube 50a is formed of a flexible material. The opaque tube 50b is formed of a material harder than the transparent tube 50a.

  The excitation fiber 54 emits excitation light emitted from the measurement light source 41b of the diagnostic apparatus 4 to the measurement target site. The exit surface of the excitation fiber 54 coincides with the distal end surface of the probe 11 in the axial direction of the probe 11 (the direction of arrow A in the figure).

  The receiving optical fibers 56, 58, 60, 62 are arranged outside the excitation fiber 54 in the radial direction of the probe 11, and the fluorescence emitted from the measurement target site due to the excitation light emitted from the excitation fiber 54, Fluorescence generated from the drug injected into the subject is received as emitted light. The light receiving surfaces of the receiving optical fibers 56, 58, 60, 62 coincide with the distal end surface of the probe 11 in the axial direction of the probe 11. When a method other than fluorescence spectroscopy is used as the measurement method for the measurement target region, the emitted light from the measurement target region may be scattered light or Raman scattered light.

  The illumination fibers 64, 66, 68 and 70 are arranged outside the receiving optical fibers 56, 58, 60 and 62 in the radial direction of the probe 11, and observe the illumination light for observation emitted from the illumination light source 41 a of the diagnostic device 4. The light is emitted toward the target part. The exit surfaces (front end surfaces) of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 are spaced apart from the rear end of the transparent tube 50 a by the front end side of the outer tube 50 and from the front end of the outer tube 50 in the axial direction of the probe 11. It arrange | positions inward in d (for example, 5-30 [mm]). Each distal end surface of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 is in a position retracted in the axial direction from the distal end of the exterior tube 50, and the light of the exterior tube 50 is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the exterior tube 50. It arrange | positions in the position which overlaps with the transparent tube 50a which comprises a permeation | transmission part. The illumination light 80 emitted from the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 passes through the transparent tube 50 a toward the outside of the probe 11. The illumination light 80 emitted from the distal ends of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 is emitted through the transparent tube 50 a that is a light transmission portion of the exterior tube 50, so that illumination light is emitted from the side surface of the exterior tube 50. Is emitted. The predetermined interval d is preferably set to be less than the interval (for example, 30 [mm]) at which the probe 11 protrudes from the forceps channel CH during optical measurement. This is because the illumination light 80 transmitted through the transparent tube 50a in the forceps channel CH is absorbed and diffused by the inner wall of the forceps channel CH. The length m in the axial direction of the fiber end fixing member 52 is preferably as short as possible from the viewpoint of widening the illuminable range, but taking into account the ease with which the tip of the probe 11 is buried by the biological tissue to be measured. The length m may be set to be long to some extent. In this case, the predetermined distance d may be set from the position on the proximal end side by a length m from the distal end of the probe 11. The illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 are not bonded to the outer tube 50 and the receiving optical fibers 56, 58, 60, 62 on the distal end side of the probe 11, so that at least the radial direction of the probe 11 is relative to them. It is movable in the direction of arrow B in the figure.

  The fiber end fixing member 52 is provided at the distal end portion of the probe 11 and fixes the distal end portion of the excitation fiber 54 and the distal end portions of the receiving optical fibers 56, 58, 60, 62. By this fiber end fixing member 52, the excitation fiber 54 and the receiving optical fibers 56, 58, 60 and 62 are positioned so that they cannot move in the radial direction of the probe 11. The fiber end fixing member 52 has an annular shape and is formed of an opaque member such as metal or zirconia. Since the fiber end fixing member 52 is opaque, the portion of the distal end portion of the transparent tube 50a that contacts the fiber end fixing member 52 may not be transparent. However, from the viewpoint of facilitating manufacturing, it is a transparent member up to the end. It is preferable to constitute the transparent tube 50a.

[Effects of the present embodiment]
As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, the probe 11 is a probe that irradiates light on a measurement target site in a lumen and acquires light emitted from the measurement target site, and is a long exterior. A tube 50 and illumination fibers 64, 66, 68 and 70 that guide the illumination light for observation, housed in the outer tube 50, are provided. The distal end portion of the exterior tube 50 is provided with a light transmission portion formed of a light transmissive material, and the distal end surfaces of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 are arranged in the axial direction of the exterior tube 50 from the distal end of the exterior tube 50. Illumination light that is disposed at the retracted position and is emitted from the distal ends of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 is radiated from the side surface of the outer tube 50 through the light transmission portion.

  According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the illumination light 80 is emitted from the side surface of the probe 11. Therefore, it is possible to illuminate the inside of the lumen in a wider range. Also, for example, when the tip of the probe 11 is pressed against and contacted with the living tissue before optical measurement, the illumination light 80 is applied to the living tissue. Without being buried, the living tissue can be illuminated over a wide area. Therefore, necessary illumination can be obtained even when the probe 11 is brought into contact with or close to the living tissue.

  In the present embodiment, the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68 and 70 are movable in at least the radial direction of the probe 11. Therefore, a member for fixing the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 is not necessary, and the configuration of the probe 11 is simplified. Furthermore, when the probe 11 is bent during optical measurement, the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 are not broken, and the flexibility of the transparent tube 50a can be maintained as it is.

  In the present embodiment, a flexible transparent tube 50 a is used at the distal end portion of the outer tube 50. Therefore, when the living tissue is pushed with excessive pressure using the probe 11, it is avoided that the pushing force is locally applied to the living tissue due to the bending of the probe 11, and the perforation of the living tissue is prevented. Can do. Further, an opaque tube 50b that is harder than the transparent tube 50a is used on the proximal end side of the probe 11. Therefore, at the time of optical measurement using the probe 11, the insertion property of the endoscope body 2 into the forceps channel CH is improved and the probe 11 is buckled on the proximal end side of the probe 11 and various fibers are caused by the buckling. It can be prevented from breaking.

[Modification in the present embodiment]
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a translucent tube 50c that diffuses while transmitting the illumination light 80 emitted from the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 is used instead of the transparent tube 50a. You may do it. For example, the translucent tube 50c is a milky white tube such as a polyethylene tube or a PTFE tube. With this configuration, when illuminating a living tissue, the illumination light 80 can be distributed uniformly over a wide range.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the 2nd transparent member which is provided in the front-end | tip part of the probe 11 and permeate | transmits the illumination light 80 radiate | emitted from the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 to the front end surface side of the probe 11 is provided. Also good. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, instead of the fiber end fixing member 52, at least a part provided with a light guide part 52a for guiding illumination light in the axial direction of the probe 11 may be used. . The light guide unit 52a is formed of a transparent resin such as acrylic or polycarbonate, for example. With this configuration, the illumination light 80 emitted from the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 to the distal end side of the probe 11 is also emitted from the distal end surface of the probe 11 via the light guide portion 52 a of the fiber end fixing member 52. Therefore, the illumination light 80 that illuminates the living tissue can be increased. As a configuration example when the light guide portion 52a is provided on at least a part of the fiber end fixing member 52, a configuration in which a transparent large-diameter annular member is fitted or joined around a small-diameter opaque annular member, an opaque annular Examples include a configuration in which through holes or through grooves parallel to the axial direction of the probe 11 are provided in a plurality of parts of the member, and the holes or grooves are filled with a transparent material, and the entire fiber end fixing member 52 is formed of a transparent material. . When the fiber end fixing member 52 is made of an opaque material and a transparent material, it is easy to suppress the incidence of unnecessary light during measurement while increasing illumination light during observation. Further, when the entire fiber end fixing member 52 is made of a transparent material, the illumination light can be increased, and the manufacture is easy.

  In the above embodiment, the plurality of illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 are configured to include at least one set of illumination fibers whose emission surfaces are located at different positions in the axial direction of the probe 11. You may do it. In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the exit surfaces of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 are located at different positions in the axial direction of the probe 11. With this configuration, it is possible to eliminate light distribution unevenness in the living tissue as much as possible for the illumination light 80 emitted from the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70. The illumination fibers 64 and 68 near the tip of the probe 11 illuminate the vicinity of the front of the probe 11 brightly, and the illumination fibers 66 and 70 away from the tip of the probe 11 illuminate a wide area. Therefore, the illumination intensity distribution in a wide range can be controlled by finely setting the position of the exit surface of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70. In the configuration of FIG. 6, as described in the configuration of FIG. 5, a fiber end fixing member 52 having a light guide portion 52 a at least partially may be used. Since the probe 11 itself has a small diameter (for example, a diameter of 2.6 [mm]), the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, 70 are bent and the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68 in the axial direction of the probe 11 are bent. , 70 does not change greatly, and the change in the positional relationship due to bending can be almost ignored.

  FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the probe 11 shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 54 a denotes an end surface of the excitation fiber, that is, an exit surface of the excitation light in the excitation fiber 54. Reference numeral 56a denotes an end face of the light receiving optical fiber, that is, a light receiving surface of the radiated light in the light receiving optical fiber 56. Reference numeral 90 denotes a tube connecting member that is formed of, for example, a stainless steel member and connects the transparent tube 50a and the opaque tube 50b. The tube connection member 90 is not shown in FIGS. The transparent tube 50a and the opaque tube 50b may be bonded to the tube connecting member 90, or the inner diameters of both tubes may be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the connecting portion of the tube connecting member 90. The tube connecting member 90 may be press-fitted into both tubes.

  In the above embodiment, the probe 11 may be provided with a second illumination fiber that is accommodated in the outer tube 50 and emits the illumination light 80 from the distal end surface of the probe 11. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, the illumination fibers 64 and 68 are extended to the distal end surface of the probe 11 as a second illumination fiber. With this configuration, the illumination light 80 can be directly emitted from the distal end portion of the probe 11 and emitted from the vicinity of the distal end portion of the probe 11 to increase the illumination light 80 that illuminates the living tissue. Moreover, since the illumination light 80 is emitted from the side surface of the probe 11 by the illumination fibers 66 and 70, the living tissue can be illuminated over a wide range.

  FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a modification of the configuration shown in FIG. That is, in the configuration shown in FIG. 8B, the illumination light 80 is easily emitted from the side surface of the probe 11 by the illumination fibers 66 and 70. Specifically, the fiber end fixing member 52 is formed in a tapered shape whose width is increased toward the distal end side of the probe 11. Also, the illumination fibers 66 are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces 64a and 68a of the illumination fibers 64 and 68 (that is, the outer peripheral surface of the probe located immediately inside the illumination fiber between the probe tip and the rear end of the transparent tube). , 70 is formed by a known plating process (for example, a mirror processing process with reflection like a mirror) to reflect the illumination light 80 emitted from the light source 70 to the transparent tube 50a side. Furthermore, the emission surfaces 66a and 70a of the illumination fibers 66 and 70 are inclined cut surfaces (diffusion surfaces) so that light is easily emitted toward the transparent tube 50a. Here, it is configured such that light is easily emitted to the transparent tube 50a side by configuring the oblique cut surface to face the receiving optical fiber side. Note that any one or two of these configurations may be employed. Further, in the configuration of FIG. 8, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the tip surfaces of the plurality of illumination fibers may be located at different positions in the axial direction. You may make it vary with the position of an axial direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the emission surfaces of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 are positioned closer to the distal end side of the probe 11 than the rear end portion of the transparent tube 50 a in the axial direction of the probe 11 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the exit surfaces of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 may be positioned on the rear end side of the probe 11 with respect to the rear end portion of the transparent tube 50 a in the axial direction of the probe 11. However, from the viewpoint of increasing the amount of illumination light 80 that passes through the transparent tube 50 a and is emitted to the outside of the probe 11, the emission surfaces of the illumination fibers 64, 66, 68, and 70 are in the axial direction of the probe 11. It is preferable that the transparent tube 50a is positioned closer to the distal end side of the probe 11 than the rear end portion.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the probe 11 is inserted into the body mainly through the endoscope body 2 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the probe 11 may be inserted into the body alone. Further, the function of the probe 11 is incorporated into a confocal endoscope that is a type of endoscope that irradiates an observation target site in a lumen with laser light and receives the reflected light for imaging. May be used. A distal end portion of the confocal endoscope that integrates such a probe function is provided with a tubular distal end protruding portion (confocal scan portion) that functions as the probe 11. The endoscope body has a forceps channel, an air / water supply nozzle, a light guide, an electronic camera, and the like.

  In addition, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example of actualization in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist or the main features thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endoscope system 2 Endoscope main body 3 Endoscope control apparatus 4 Diagnostic apparatus 5,6 Input apparatus 7,8 Monitor 11 Probe 11a Probe base end part 11b Probe front end part 21 Introduction part 21a Base end part 21b Front end part 21c Operation possible part 22 Operation part 22a Knob 23 Cable 31, 41a Illumination light source 32 Image processing part 33, 43 CPU
41b Measurement light source 42 Spectrometer 45 Storage device 46 Connector 50 Outer tube 50a Transparent tube 50b Opaque tube 50c Translucent tube 52 Fiber end fixing member 52a Light guide portion 54 Excitation fiber (measurement optical fiber)
54a Excitation fiber end face 56, 58, 60, 62 Receiving optical fiber 56a Receiving optical fiber end face 64, 66, 68, 70 Illuminating fiber 64a, 68a Outer peripheral face 66a, 70a Emission face 80 Illuminating light 90 Tube connection member CH Forceps channel LG Light guide CA camera

Claims (9)

A probe that irradiates light to a measurement target site in a lumen to acquire light emitted from the measurement target site,
A long outer tube,
An illumination fiber that guides illumination light for observation, housed in the outer tube,
A light transmissive portion formed of a light transmissive material is provided at the distal end portion of the outer tube,
The distal end surface of the illumination fiber is disposed at a position retracted in the axial direction of the exterior tube from the distal end of the exterior tube, and illumination light emitted from the distal end portion of the illumination fiber is transmitted through the light transmission portion. Probe radiated from the side of the outer tube.   The probe according to claim 1, wherein a tip surface of the illumination fiber is disposed at a position overlapping the light transmission portion when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the exterior tube.   The probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a tip portion of the outer tube is a translucent tube that diffuses the illumination light while transmitting.   The probe according to claim 1, wherein the illumination fiber is movable at least in a radial direction of the probe. A measurement optical fiber that is housed in the outer tube and irradiates measurement light toward the measurement target site; and
A receiving optical fiber that is received in the outer tube and receives radiation emitted from the measurement target site; and
A fixing member that fixes the tip of the measurement optical fiber and the tip of the receiving optical fiber at the tip of the probe; and
The probe according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member includes a light guide portion that transmits light in an axial direction of the exterior tube. A plurality of the illumination fibers;
The probe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of illumination fibers include at least one set of illumination fibers whose emission surfaces are located at different positions in the axial direction of the probe.   The probe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a second illumination fiber that is accommodated in the outer tube and emits illumination light for observation from a distal end surface of the probe.   The probe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a distal end portion of the outer tube is formed of a flexible material.   An endoscope system comprising: the probe according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and an endoscope body having a channel through which the probe is inserted.

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