Medical device

Abstract

To provide a technique that makes a distal end of a long body inserted to a sheath difficult to relatively move to a side where a distal end is located along an axial direction of the sheath with respect to a proximal end of the sheath when bending operation of the sheath is performed.SOLUTION: A medical device 1 includes a sheath 10 and a long body. The sheath 10 is configured such that bending operation of at least a part thereof can be performed. The sheath 10 includes a lumen capable of storing at least a part of the long body. The sheath 10 includes a prevention part that prevents a distal end of the long body from relatively moving to a side where a distal end is located with respect to a proximal end of the sheath along an axial direction of the sheath 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to medical devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an endoscope including a camera module with an imaging element at the tip of a camera shaft, and a catheter (hereinafter also referred to as a "sheath") through which the camera shaft can be inserted. The camera module and sheath are configured to be separable from each other. The imaging element, which is inserted into the body together with the catheter and exposed from the tip of the catheter, captures images of diagnostic and treatment areas within the body. After use, the camera module can be removed from a typical single-use sheath and reused in other sheaths of the same type. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 191989 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The sheath included in the endoscope described in Patent Document 1 and the like is sometimes bent. Specifically, the sheath is bent by pulling a pull wire fixed to the distal end region of the sheath. In this case, the sheath is compressed in the axial direction, and the distal end of an elongated body, such as a camera module, inserted into the sheath is likely to move along the axial direction of the sheath relative to the proximal end of the sheath toward the distal end. When the distal end of the elongated body moves along the axial direction of the sheath relative to the proximal end of the sheath toward the distal end, the operability of the elongated body may be reduced.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology that makes it difficult for the tip of an elongated body inserted into a sheath to move relative to the base end of the sheath along the axial direction of the sheath toward the side where the tip is located, when the sheath is bent. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A medical device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a sheath, at least a portion of which is configured to be bendable, and an elongated body, wherein the sheath has a lumen capable of accommodating at least a portion of the elongated body, and the sheath further comprises a suppression section that suppresses relative movement of the tip of the elongated body along the axial direction of the sheath toward the side where the tip is located relative to the base end of the sheath.

[0007] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the expression of the present disclosure into a method, device, system, etc., are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The medical device disclosed herein can make it difficult for the tip of the elongated body inserted into the sheath to move relative to the base end of the sheath on the side where the tip is located along the axial direction of the sheath when the sheath is bent. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a medical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the distal end region of the medical device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the distal end surface of the medical device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of the cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 2 in a state where the camera module shown in FIG. 1 is not housed in the camera lumen shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a partial area including the tip of the camera module. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 1 is housed in the camera lumen shown in FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an enlarged part of the cross section along BB in FIG. 2. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views of the sheath illustrating a first forming step of the suppressing portion. [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the sheath illustrating a second forming step of the suppressing portion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to preferred embodiments and drawings. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present disclosure, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the present disclosure. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted where appropriate. The scale and shape of each part shown in each drawing are set for convenience to facilitate explanation and should not be interpreted as limiting unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, when terms such as "first" and "second" are used in this specification or claims, unless otherwise specified, these terms do not indicate any order or importance, but are intended to distinguish one configuration from another. Furthermore, some components that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted from each drawing.

[0011] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a medical device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The medical device 1 is, for example, an endoscope, and is used to capture images of the inside of a living body, specifically, the bile duct, pancreatic duct, etc. The medical device 1 includes a sheath 10 and a camera module 30 as an elongated body.

[0012] The sheath 10 is a long tubular member. Examples of materials for the sheath 10 include flexible materials such as resin. The length of the sheath 10 is, for example, 200 mm to 4800 mm. A handle 20 is connected to the base end (proximal end) of the sheath 10. A camera module 30 is disposed with its tip exposed from the tip (distal end) of the sheath 10. Hereinafter, for the medical device 1 and each of the components constituting the medical device 1, the direction along the axis of the sheath 10 will be referred to as the "axial direction," the direction perpendicular to the axis will be referred to as the "radial direction," and the direction around the axis will be referred to as the "circumferential direction." Furthermore, for the medical device 1 and each of the components constituting the medical device 1, the side along the axial direction where the tip is located relative to the base end of the sheath 10 will be referred to as the "tip side," and the side where the base end is located relative to the tip of the sheath 10 will be referred to as the "base side." In addition, in the medical device 1 and each of the components that make up the medical device 1, of the two radial sides, the side away from the axis is referred to as the "radially outer side" and the side facing the axis is referred to as the "radially inner side".

[0013] Although details will be described later, the camera module 30 includes a long camera shaft 32 and a camera head 31 at the tip of the camera shaft 32 (see FIG. 5). The camera head 31 includes an imaging element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor. The sheath 10 is inserted into the duodenum from the mouth or the like, and is then inserted into the common bile duct and pancreatic duct through the papilla of Vater facing the duodenum. In this state, the camera head 31 of the camera module 30, which is located near the tip of the sheath 10, captures images of the inside of the common bile duct and pancreatic duct.

[0014] The sheath 10 can be intentionally bent by pulling a pull wire 56 (see FIG. 4) fixed to the distal region 10A, which will be described later. The sheath 10 is configured to be bendable within a desired range by varying the hardness (e.g., Shore D hardness) of the resin constituting the sheath 10 along the axial direction. The distal region 10A is a region extending a predetermined distance from the distal end of the sheath 10, for example, a region extending 50 mm from the distal end of the sheath 10 toward the proximal end.

[0015] The handle 20 is operated by a doctor, etc. A camera head 31 of the camera module 30 can be disposed near the tip of the sheath 10, and the imaging range of the camera module 30 can be changed as desired by operating the handle 20.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a side view schematically showing the distal region 10A of the medical device 1 with the camera head 31 disposed near the distal end of the sheath 10. Fig. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the distal end surface of the medical device 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the distal end surface 15 of the sheath 10 has a substantially circular camera lumen 13, a treatment tool lumen 17, and two fluid lumens 14. The camera lumen 13, the treatment tool lumen 17, and the two fluid lumens 14 each extend toward the proximal end within the sheath 10.

[0017] A small-diameter, long camera shaft 32 is inserted into the camera lumen 13. The camera head 31 forms the tip of the camera module 30 and includes an image sensor 34. The image sensor 34 is connected to an external power source, computer, etc. by a conductor that passes through the inside of the camera shaft 32 and through the inside of a cable 35 that extends from the connecting member 50 shown in FIG. 1 to the outside on the base end side.

[0018] A treatment tool such as forceps is inserted into the treatment tool lumen 17. The fluid lumen 14 supplies air, water, etc. to a diagnostic site or a treatment site.

[0019] 2, the tip of the camera head 31 may be disposed distally of the distal end surface 15 of the sheath 10. The tip of the camera head 31 may be disposed at a position coinciding with the distal end surface 15 of the sheath 10, or at a position closer to the base end than the distal end surface 15 of the sheath 10. The above-mentioned "state in which the tip of the camera module 30 is exposed from the tip of the sheath 10" includes cases in which the tip of the camera head 31 is disposed at any of a position distal to the distal end surface 15 of the sheath 10, a position coinciding with the distal end surface 15 of the sheath 10, and a position closer to the base end than the distal end surface 15 of the sheath 10.

[0020] 2, the sheath 10 includes, in a distal region 10A, a distal tip 11 and a pull wire anchor 12, in that order from the distal end. The distal ends of four pull wires 56 are fixed to the pull wire anchor 12.

[0021] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheath 10 has four pull wire lumens 18 proximal to the pull wire anchor 12. A pull wire 56 is housed in each of the four pull wire lumens 18, and the tips of the four pull wires 56 are fixed to the pull wire anchor 12. Therefore, when any of the pull wires 56 is pulled proximally, the pull wire anchor 12 is pulled proximally at the position where the tip of that pull wire 56 is fixed. As a result, the sheath 10 is compressed in the axial direction at positions corresponding to the pull wires 56 pulled proximally, enabling bending of the sheath 10. When bending the sheath 10, the sheath 10 is compressed axially as a whole, including positions other than the positions corresponding to the pull wires 56 pulled proximally. Therefore, when bending the sheath 10, the tip of the camera module 30 inserted in the camera lumen 13 of the sheath 10 is likely to move relatively distally. Here, the relative movement of the tip of the camera module 30 means that the relative positional relationship between the tip of the camera module 30 and the sheath 10 changes, and the camera module 30 itself does not need to move.

[0022] The sheath 10 includes a suppression section that suppresses the relative movement of the tip of the camera module 30 serving as an elongated body toward the tip of the sheath 10. Specifically, in the suppression section, when the camera module 30 is not inserted into the camera lumen 13, the area of ​​the camera lumen 13 in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the sheath 10 (hereinafter also referred to as the "first plane") is smaller than the area of ​​the camera module 30 in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the camera module 30 (hereinafter also referred to as the "second plane"). As a result, even if the tip of the camera module 30 attempts to move relatively toward the tip when the sheath 10 is bent, the camera module 30 comes into contact with the inner surface of the sheath 10 that forms the camera lumen 13, making it difficult for the tip of the camera module 30 to move relatively toward the tip.

[0023] In this specification, suppressing the relative movement of the tip of the camera module 30 toward the tip side means making it difficult for the tip of the camera module 30 to move relative to the tip side, and may include making it impossible for the tip of the camera module 30 to move relative to the tip side. In this embodiment, it is sufficient for the suppression unit to at least reduce the amount of relative movement of the tip of the camera module 30 toward the tip side when the sheath 10 is bent. The suppression unit of the sheath 10 will be described in detail below.

[0024] The position of the suppression unit is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, disposed in at least a portion of the distal region 10A of the sheath 10. Here, "at least a portion of the distal region 10A" may be only a portion of the distal region 10A, or the entire distal region 10A. By disposing the suppression unit in at least a portion of the distal region 10A of the sheath 10, it is possible to more effectively suppress relative movement of the distal end of the camera module 30 toward the distal end, compared to when the suppression unit is disposed closer to the base end than the distal region 10A.

[0025] In this embodiment, the suppression unit is disposed in the distal tip 11 shown in Fig. 2. As described above, the sheath 10 is bent by pulling the pull wire anchor 12 toward the proximal end. Therefore, by disposing the suppression unit in the distal tip 11, which is located closer to the distal end than the pull wire anchor 12, it is possible to more effectively suppress relative movement of the distal end of the camera module 30 toward the distal end.

[0026] Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross section taken along line BB in Fig. 2. The cross section in Fig. 5 is a cross section of the sheath 10 in the first plane when the camera module 30 is not housed in the camera lumen 13. Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of only a portion of the cross section of the sheath 10 in the first plane, including the camera lumen 13.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, when the camera module 30 is not housed in the camera lumen 13 of the sheath 10, the area of ​​the camera lumen 13 in the first plane of the suppression section is defined as a first area S1. In the suppression section of the sheath 10, the inner surface 66 that constitutes the camera lumen 13 includes a groove 68. Although FIG. 5 only shows the groove 68 in the first plane, the groove 68 may be formed to extend in the axial direction. When the groove 68 is formed to extend in the axial direction, the groove 68 may extend in the axial direction at the same position in the circumferential direction, or may extend in the axial direction while changing its position in the circumferential direction. The suppression section is located in the range in the axial direction where the groove 68 is formed.

[0028] In this embodiment, the sheath 10 includes, at least in the suppression portion, a tube 62 that constitutes the camera lumen 13 and a low-melting-point portion 64 that is a portion surrounding the tube 62 and has a melting point lower than that of the tube 62. The tube 62 includes a fluororesin such as PFA (perfluoroalkoxyalkane). The low-melting-point portion 64 includes a thermoplastic elastomer, for example. In other words, the sheath 10 includes at least an inner layer formed of the tube 62 and an outer layer that includes the low-melting-point portion 64.

[0029] The sheath 10 may also include the tube 62 and the low melting point portion 64 in areas other than the suppression portion. The sheath 10 may also include the tube 62 and the low melting point portion 64 throughout the entire axial area.

[0030] Fig. 6 is a side view schematically showing a partial region including the tip of camera module 30. Fig. 7 is a cross-section of camera module 30 in a second plane along line CC in Fig. 6. The area of ​​camera module 30 in the second plane is defined as second area S2. When camera module 30 is not housed in camera lumen 13 of sheath 10, first area S1 is smaller than second area S2 in the suppression section.

[0031] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 2. The cross section in FIG. 8 is a cross section of the medical device 1 in the first plane in a state in which the camera module 30 is housed in the camera lumen 13. Like FIG. 5, FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of only a portion including the camera lumen 13. As shown in FIG. 8, when the camera module 30 is inserted into the camera lumen 13 of the sheath 10 in the suppression section, the inner surface 66 constituting the camera lumen 13, particularly the groove portion 68, is deformed, thereby housing the camera module 30 in the camera lumen 13. In detail, compared to the state in FIG. 5 in which the camera module 30 is not housed in the camera lumen 13, in the state in FIG. 8 in which the camera module 30 is housed in the camera lumen 13, the groove portion 68 is in an open state. In other words, the gap of the groove portion 68 is wider in the state in FIG. 8 than in the state in FIG. 5.

[0032] 8, the sheath 10 compresses the periphery of the camera module 30 radially inward due to elastic deformation (restoring force). This increases the frictional force between the inner surface 66 of the sheath 10 and the camera module 30, suppressing relative movement of the camera module 30 toward the distal end. At this time, the frictional force between the inner surface 66 of the sheath 10 and the camera module 30 can also suppress relative movement of the camera module 30 toward the proximal end.

[0033] When the camera module 30 is removed from the state in which the camera module 30 is inserted into the sheath 10 at the restraining portion, the sheath 10 returns to the state shown in Fig. 5. That is, the groove portion 68 is closed. It is assumed that the medical device 1 will be in a state in which the camera module 30 is inserted into the sheath 10 at the restraining portion before the sheath 10 and camera module 30 are inserted into the body.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6 , the camera module 30 may include an expanded diameter section 36. The expanded diameter section 36 is a part of the outer surface of the camera module 30. The outer diameter of the expanded diameter section 36 is larger than the outer diameter of the camera module 30 distal to the expanded diameter section 36. When the camera module 30 attempts to move distally, the expanded diameter section 36 comes into contact with the inner surface 66 of the sheath 10, which forms the camera lumen 13, at the suppression section, thereby suppressing the relative movement of the camera module 30 distally. At this time, the distal end of the camera module 30 is located near the distal end of the sheath 10. The expanded diameter section 36 is located in a portion of the axial direction of the camera shaft 32 and may extend to any position on the proximal end side. For example, the expanded diameter section 36 may be located from a position 4 mm from the distal end of the camera module 30 to a position 24 mm from the distal end of the camera module 30. The expanded diameter section 36 may be formed by providing a covering member around the components constituting the camera shaft 32. The covering member may include, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer.

[0035] First area S1 of camera lumen 13 in the suppression portion is smaller than the area of ​​camera lumen 13 in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of sheath 10 at a position other than the suppression portion. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the cross-sectional shape of inner surface 66 that constitutes camera lumen 13 in the suppression portion is approximately circular except for groove portion 68.

[0036] The second area S2 of the camera module 30 at the position of the expanded diameter portion 36 is larger than the area of ​​the camera module 30 in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction at a position other than the expanded diameter portion 36. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the cross-sectional shape of the camera module 30 at the position corresponding to the suppression portion is substantially circular, and the outer diameter of the camera module 30 at the position corresponding to the suppression portion is larger than the inner diameter of the inner surface 66 of the suppression portion, for example, 0.97 mm.

[0037] The camera module 30 does not necessarily have to include the expanded diameter portion 36. That is, the second area S2 of the camera module 30 may be substantially constant over the entire axial direction. In this case, the second area S2 is larger than the first area S1 over the entire axial direction.

[0038] Next, an example of a method for forming the suppression portion of the sheath 10 will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the sheath 10 illustrating a first step of forming the suppression portion. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the sheath 10 illustrating a second step of forming the suppression portion. Figures 9 and 10 show only a portion of the cross section of the sheath 10, including the camera lumen 13. As shown in Figure 9, a rod-shaped member 80 having an outer diameter smaller than that of the camera lumen 13 is inserted into the camera lumen 13. The rod-shaped member 80 is inserted, for example, from the distal end side of the camera lumen 13, and is positioned at a position where the suppression portion is to be formed.

[0039] The sheath 10 is heated in the state shown in Fig. 9. Specifically, the sheath 10 is heated to a temperature higher than the melting point of the low-melting-point portion 64 and lower than the melting point of the tube 62. As a result, the low-melting-point portion 64 melts, but the tube 62 hardly melts. When the sheath 10 is shrunk in this temperature environment, part of the tube 62 becomes folded, and a groove 68 is formed on the inner surface 66 of the sheath 10, as shown in Fig. 10.

[0040] If it is not necessary to change the inner diameters of other lumens such as the treatment tool lumen 17 and the fluid lumen 14, the sheath 10 may be heated while a rod-shaped member (not shown) having an outer diameter similar to the inner diameters of these other lumens is inserted into the other lumens. This allows the diameter of only the desired lumen to be reduced.

[0041] By removing the rod-shaped member 80 from the state shown in Figure 10, the state becomes as shown in Figure 5. In this way, the suppression portion can be formed in the sheath 10.

[0042] As described above, in the suppression section of the sheath 10, the inner surface 66 constituting the camera lumen 13 has been described as including the groove 68. Here, although only one groove 68 is shown in each figure, multiple grooves 68 may be present. Furthermore, the inner surface 66 constituting the camera lumen 13 does not necessarily have to include the groove 68. For example, even if the groove 68 is not formed on the inner surface 66, when the camera module 30 is housed in the camera lumen 13, the inner surface 66 may stretch along the circumferential direction of the camera lumen 13, and the sheath 10 may compress the periphery of the camera module 30 radially inward due to elastic deformation (restoring force). This increases the frictional force between the inner surface 66 of the sheath 10 and the camera module 30, suppressing relative movement of the camera module 30 toward the distal end.

[0043] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above. The above-described embodiments merely illustrate specific examples of implementing the present disclosure. The content of the embodiments does not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure, and many design modifications, such as changing, adding, or deleting components, are possible within the scope of the concept of the present disclosure defined in the claims. A new embodiment with design modifications will combine the effects of the combined embodiments and modifications. In the above-described embodiments, content that allows such design modifications is emphasized by using notations such as "in this embodiment" or "in this embodiment," but design modifications are also permitted even in content without such notation. Any combination of components included in each embodiment is also valid as an aspect of the present disclosure. Hatching on cross sections in the drawings does not limit the material of the hatched object.

[0044] The embodiments may be specified by the following items.

[0045] [1st item] a sheath (10) configured to be at least partially bendable; an elongated body; The sheath (10) has a lumen (13) capable of accommodating at least a portion of the elongated body. The sheath (10) further includes a suppressing portion that suppresses relative movement of the distal end of the elongated body along the axial direction of the sheath (10) toward the side where the distal end is located with respect to the proximal end of the sheath (10). Medical devices (1).

[0046] According to the medical device (1) of the first aspect, when the sheath (10) is bent, the distal end of the elongated body housed in the lumen (13) of the sheath (10) can be prevented from moving toward the distal end relative to the sheath (10). Therefore, when the sheath (10) is bent, the distal end of the elongated body inserted into the sheath (10) is less likely to move toward the distal end relative to the sheath (10), thereby improving the operability of the elongated body.

[0047] [Second item] The suppression portion is disposed in at least a part of a distal end region (10A) which is a region extending from the distal end of the sheath (10) to a predetermined distance. Medical devices as described in item 1 (1).

[0048] According to the medical device (1) of the second aspect, it is possible to suppress the distal end of the elongated body from moving distally relative to the sheath (10) within the distal region (10A) of the sheath (10). Therefore, compared to a case where the suppression unit is disposed closer to the base end than the distal region (10A), it is possible to more effectively suppress the distal end of the elongated body housed in the lumen (13) of the sheath (10) from moving distally relative to the sheath (10) when the sheath (10) is bent.

[0049] [3rd item] In the restraining portion, the lumen (13) can accommodate at least a part of the elongated body by deformation of the sheath (10); In the suppression section, when the elongated body is not housed in the lumen (13), the area (S1) of the lumen (13) in a first plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the sheath (10) is smaller than the area (S2) of the elongated body in a second plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the elongated body. A medical device as described in item 1 or 2 (1).

[0050] According to the medical device (1) relating to the third aspect, when the elongated body is inserted into the lumen (13) of the sheath (10) in the suppression section, the sheath (10) deforms to expand the area of ​​the lumen (13) in accordance with the shape of the elongated body, thereby accommodating at least a portion of the elongated body. Therefore, the sheath (10) in the suppression section compresses the elongated body accommodated in the lumen (13) from the periphery with its restoring force, thereby increasing the frictional force and making it difficult for the tip of the elongated body to move toward the tip side.

[0051] [4th item] In the restraining portion, the sheath (10) includes a groove (68) on the inner surface (66) that defines the lumen (13). Medical devices as listed in item 3 (1).

[0052] According to the medical device (1) relating to the fourth item, when the elongated body is accommodated in the lumen (13) of the sheath (10) in the suppression section, the groove portion (68) is deformed and the area (S1) of the lumen (13) is expanded, so that an appropriate frictional force can be applied when the elongated body moves toward the tip side of the sheath (10).

[0053] [Item 5] At least in the restraining portion, the sheath (10) includes a tube (62) that forms the lumen (13) and a portion having a melting point lower than that of the tube (62). Medical devices as described in paragraph 3 or 4 (1).

[0054] According to the medical device (1) of the fifth aspect, the suppression portion can be easily produced by utilizing the fact that the portion having a lower melting point than the tube (62) melts at a temperature lower than that of the tube (62).

[0055] [Item 6] The elongated body is a camera module (30) including a long camera shaft (32) and an imaging element (34) at the tip of the camera shaft (32). A medical device (1) according to any one of items 1 to 5.

[0056] The medical device 1 according to the sixth aspect can be an endoscope having a camera module 30 as the elongated body. Therefore, when the sheath 10 is bent, the camera module 30 inserted into the sheath 10 is less likely to move relative to the distal end of the sheath 10, thereby enabling stable imaging by the camera module 30. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1...medical device, 10...sheath, 10A...tip region, 30...camera module, 32...camera shaft, 34...imaging element, 62...tube, 66...inner surface, 68...groove portion

Claims

1. a sheath configured to be at least partially bendable; an elongated body; the sheath has a lumen capable of accommodating at least a portion of the elongated body; the sheath further includes a suppression portion that suppresses relative movement of the distal end of the elongated body toward the distal end of the sheath along the axial direction of the sheath relative to the proximal end of the sheath. Medical equipment.

2. The suppression portion is disposed in at least a part of a distal end region, which is a region extending from the distal end of the sheath to a predetermined distance. The medical device of claim 1.

3. In the suppression section, the lumen can accommodate at least a portion of the elongated body by deformation of the sheath, In the suppression section, when the elongated body is not housed in the lumen, an area of ​​the lumen in a first plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the sheath is smaller than an area of ​​the elongated body in a second plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the elongated body. The medical device of claim 1.

4. In the suppression section, the sheath includes a groove on an inner surface that forms the lumen. The medical device according to claim 3.

5. At least in the suppression portion, the sheath includes a tube that configures the lumen and a portion having a melting point lower than that of the tube. The medical device according to claim 3.

6. The elongated body is a camera module including a long camera shaft and an imaging element at the tip of the camera shaft. A medical device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images