Endoscopic instruments

Abstract

The present invention relates to an endoscopic instrument having a handle (6) and an endoscope shank (8) extending distally from the handle (6), the instrument having a spacer element (16) extending distally from the handle (6) at a peripheral region of the endoscope shank (8) and linearly mounted within the handle (6), and the present invention also relates to an endoscopic system including such an instrument.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an endoscope instrument and an endoscope system provided with such an endoscope instrument.

Background Art

[0002] An endoscope system including an endoscope and a working sleeve is known from German Patent Invention No. 102012220651. An endoscope intermediate part whose length can be adjusted in the axial direction is disposed between the endoscope and the working sleeve. Thereby, the endoscope can be positioned axially within the working sleeve. In the case of the intermediate part, there may be separate loose components that complicate assembly and handling. [[ID=十三]]

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope instrument that is easier to handle and enables axial positioning of the instrument within the working shank.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] This object is achieved by an endoscope instrument having the features specified in claim 1 and by an endoscope system having the features specified in claim 12. Preferred embodiments result from the dependent claims, the following description, and the attached drawings.

[0005] An endoscope instrument comprises a handle and an endoscope shank extending distally from the handle. The handle is designed to grasp, hold, and handle the endoscope. As is typical, the handle may include illumination connections to working channels and / or rinsing / suction connections, as well as openings, particularly viewing openings to optical elements or connections for camera systems, etc. As is known, for example, at least one working channel, a rinsing channel, an illumination device, and an image transmission system such as an optical shank are located within the endoscope shank. According to the present invention, a spacer element is provided, which extends distally from the handle in a peripheral region of the endoscope shank. That is, the spacer element is located within a peripheral region of the endoscope shank. Particularly preferably, the spacer element can be located in several peripheral regions of the endoscope shank or can surround the endoscope shank around its entire circumference. According to the present invention, the spacer element is mounted so as to be linearly movable within the handle. Here, the mounting portion is preferably located inside the handle, i.e., in the area of ​​the handle that is surrounded on the outside by a structure or wall. The spacer element is preferably connected to the handle so that, under normal use, separation of the handle and the spacer element is not required, and preferably, not possible. This simplifies the handling of the instrument due to the reduced number of individual parts. The spacer element helps to position the endoscopic instrument axially within the working shank when the endoscopic instrument is inserted into the working shank. For this purpose, the spacer element may preferably compress (press) the contact surface at the proximal end of the working shank.

[0006] Preferably, the spacer element is mounted linearly movable within the handle such that the distance of the spacer element to the distal end of the endoscope shank (in other words, the distance of the spacer element from the distal end of the endoscope shank) can vary. This means that the spacer element can move axially back and forth at the mounting portion within the handle, and as a result, the distal end of the spacer element protrudes at various distances from the handle, thereby changing the distance to the distal end of the endoscope shank. When the spacer element compresses (presses) the working shank, the distal end of the endoscope shank is positioned relative to the distal end of the working shank.

[0007] The spacer element preferably has a contact surface designed to compress (press) the proximal axial end of the working shank. More preferably, the contact surface is formed by the distal end surface of the spacer element and preferably extends perpendicularly, i.e., perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the endoscope shank. The spacer element may also preferably compress the proximal end of the working shank, where a corresponding opposing contact surface exists. The opposing contact surface is, in this case, formed, for example, by the proximal edge or end surface of the working shank.

[0008] Particularly preferably, the spacer element is designed as a spacer sleeve that circumferentially (over a wide area) surrounds the endoscope shank. For convenience, the spacer sleeve has a circular cross-section, and the intermediate axis (central axis) of the spacer sleeve extends parallel to or along the longitudinal axis of the endoscope shank. The spacer element or spacer sleeve is here linearly movable along its longitudinal axis. That is, the mounting portion in the handle is designed to allow linear movement of the spacer sleeve along its longitudinal axis. Considering the design as a spacer sleeve, the aforementioned contact surface is preferably an annular contact surface, which is formed by the distal end face of the spacer sleeve and preferably extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spacer element.

[0009] According to a further possible embodiment of the present invention, the spacer element comprises a thread (threaded portion) that engages with an opposing thread of the handle such that the spacer element is linearly movable by rotation by screwing between the thread and the opposing thread (opposing thread). Here, the thread is positioned such that its intermediate axis or axis of rotation is parallel to or along the longitudinal axis of the endoscope shank, and as a result, the spacer element can be moved back and forth parallel to the endoscope shank by rotation in the thread. If the design of the spacer element is considered as a spacer sleeve, the axis of rotation of the thread is preferably the same as the intermediate axis or longitudinal axis of the spacer sleeve, and as a result, the spacer sleeve as a whole can rotate in the thread, and here displace linearly according to the pitch of the thread.

[0010] The threads are preferably designed as internal threads inside the spacer sleeve. Thus, the threads are protected internally by the spacer sleeve. The threads can be designed as multi-start threads to achieve the greatest possible movement with minimal rotation.

[0011] The opposing threads are preferably designed as external threads on the outer circumference of the endoscope shank or on the distal portion of the handle connected to the proximal end of the endoscope shank. Here, the longitudinal axis of the opposing threads extends parallel to or along the longitudinal axis of the endoscope shank. This means that the opposing threads do not necessarily have to be concentric with respect to the longitudinal axis of the endoscope shank, but may be offset by a certain amount in the radial direction. This is particularly suitable when the endoscope shank is not led to the center of the working sleeve and / or the endoscope shank does not have a circular cross-section. The opposing threads can be positioned within the handle so as to be covered by a spacer sleeve and / or a portion of the outer wall of the handle, thereby protecting them from damage and / or contamination. Furthermore, for example, the risk of the user being injured by pinching is prevented.

[0012] In a more preferred embodiment, the spacer sleeve is provided with a gripping region on its outer circumference, preferably in the region of its distal end. Such a gripping region can be designed as a ridge (corrugated, wave-like), for example, in the form of a projection. Here, the gripping region is preferably designed as a flat portion and / or a plurality of projections and includes a portion that does not extend precisely circumferentially with respect to the rotation axis of the spacer sleeve. This allows the gripping region to grip and transmit torque onto the spacer sleeve via the gripping region for rotation at the threads. The arrangement of the gripping region at the distal end has the advantage of being able to grip the spacer sleeve well at all possible axial positions.

[0013] According to a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handle comprises a wall or wall structure surrounding a receiving space, the receiving space opening at the distal end of the handle, into which a spacer element engages or is mounted. Thus, in particular, the wall structure can reliably surround a portion of the spacer element, the portion of which is received within the handle, and within the handle, surrounds or covers the mounting area of ​​the spacer element, for example, an external thread.

[0014] The spacer element can extend from the handle through an opening in the receiving space toward the distal end of the handle, and in particular, can be moved outward from the handle to a range of varying distances depending on the axial positioning.

[0015] The spacer element is preferably linearly movable both outside and inside the receptive space, so as to protrude at various distances distally, particularly relative to the distal end of the handle. In its fully retracted position, where the spacer element is at its most proximal position, the spacer element is mostly located inside the receptive space surrounded by the wall structure, i.e., inside the handle. In the axial position of the spacer element at its most distal position, the spacer element protrudes further away from the distal end of the wall structure; that is, the spacer element is moved as far outward as possible from the receptive space.

[0016] The wall structure preferably includes openings. Here, these may preferably be multiple openings or through-openings, which are more preferably arranged to be basically uniformly distributed on the wall surface or the surface of the wall structure. Thus, a grid-like structure (grid pattern) having multiple openings is particularly preferred. The openings form perforations, which also allow the receiving space to be thoroughly rinsed (cleaned), in particular the threads to which the spacer elements are attached. The wall structure may also have a shape that allows the hand to optimally grip this area of ​​the handle.

[0017] In addition to the endoscopic instruments described above, the present invention also includes an endoscopic system equipped with such endoscopic instruments. In addition to the endoscopic instruments, the endoscopic system also includes a working shank into which the endoscopic instruments can be inserted from the distal end such that a spacer element compresses (presses) the proximal end of the working shank. The endoscopic shank is positioned within the working shank within a range of axial directions by the axial displacement of the spacer element. The further the spacer element, for example, the spacer sleeve, moves into the handle, the closer the entire handle becomes to the proximal end of the working shank, which means that the endoscopic shank and its distal end are further displaced distally relative to the working shank. Here, the distal end of the endoscopic shank can move outward from the distal end of the working shank within a range of axial directions, depending on how far outward (away from) the spacer element moves from the handle.

[0018] The present invention is described below with reference to the examples and accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a side view of the endoscopic system according to the present invention at the first position of the spacer element. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a side view of the endoscope system at the second axial position of the spacer element. [Figure 3]Figure 1 is a side view of the endoscopic instruments in an endoscopic system. [Figure 4] Figures 1 and 3 show detailed views of the distal end of the handle of the endoscopic instrument at the first axial position. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a detailed view of the distal end of the handle at the second axial position of the spacer element. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] An endoscope system described herein as an embodiment comprises a working shank (working shaft) 2 and an endoscope instrument 4, as shown in Figure 3, disposed inside the working shank. The endoscope instrument 4 comprises a handle 6 located at its proximal end and an endoscope shank (endoscope shank) 8 extending distally from the handle 6. The endoscope shank contains, as is typical, a working channel, one or more rinsing (cleaning) channels, an image transmission system, and / or, for example, an optical fiber for illumination or a light-emitting diode for illumination. The working channel opens toward the proximal end of the handle 6. An insertion opening 10 is formed at the proximal end of the handle 6, through which the instrument can be inserted into the endoscope shank 8. Furthermore, at least one rinsing (cleaning) / suction connection 12 is located on the handle and connected to a rinsing channel inside the endoscope shank 8. In this embodiment, the working shank 2 also includes a rinse / suction connection 14, which is connected to the interior of the working shank 2 such that the free space between the inner circumference (inner surface) of the working shank 2 and the outer circumference (outer surface) of the endoscope shank 8 can similarly serve as a rinse channel.

[0021] According to the present invention, the handle 6 comprises an integrated spacer element in the form of a spacer sleeve 16, the spacer sleeve 16 being able to move distally from the handle 6 over a range of motion. The spacer sleeve 16 has threads (threaded portion) 17 on its inner circumference (inner surface), the threads extending to opposing threads (opposing threaded portion) 18 on the outer circumference (outer surface) of the portion of the handle 6 that connects proximal to the endoscope shank 8. The spacer sleeve 16 has a gripping region 20 at its distal end, in which the spacer sleeve 16 can be gripped and rotated on the opposing threads 18. Here, the spacer sleeve 16 moves back and forth axially simultaneously in the direction of its rotation axis and longitudinal axis X2, depending on the direction of rotation. In this embodiment, the rotation axis and longitudinal axis X2 of the spacer sleeve 16 are offset (shifted) parallel to the longitudinal axis X of the endoscope shank 8.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 4, the portion having the opposing threads 18 is inside the receiving space 23 within the handle 6, and the receiving space 23 is surrounded or defined by the wall structure 22. The wall structure 22 includes a plurality of openings 24, and as a result, the wall structure 22 is either perforated overall or designed in the form of a grid pattern. The openings 24 enable the overall flushing of the receiving space 23, particularly hygienically cleaning the region of the opposing threads 18. The wall structure 22 is at the same time rigidly designed and has a shape such that it is possible to securely grip the handle even within this region. The receiving space 23 formed internally by the wall structure 22 opens towards the distal end. This opening is an annular gap between the inner circumference (inner peripheral surface) of the wall structure 22 and the outer circumference (outer peripheral surface) of the endoscope shank 8. The spacer sleeve 16 extends through this annular opening from the handle 6 in the distal direction parallel to the longitudinal axis X. The amount S by which the distal end 26 of the spacer sleeve 16 projects relative to the distal end 28 of the handle 6 can be changed by the axial movement of the spacer sleeve 16 by rotating the thread 17 on the opposing threads 18. The spacer sleeve 16 is arranged in the distal position where the distance S is maximum in the views according to Figs. 1, 3 and 4. In the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the spacer sleeve 16 is completely inserted into the handle, i.e., into the receiving space 23, and as a result, the distance S is minimized.

[0023] The distal end of the spacer sleeve 16 forms a contact surface 26 that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X and the longitudinal axis X2. When the endoscopic instrument 4 is inserted into the working shank 2, this contact surface 26 is in a state of compressing (pressing) the opposing contact surface formed by the proximal end of the working shank 2. Therefore, the amount by which the endoscopic shank 8 protrudes from the distal end of the working shank 2 can vary depending on the change in the distance S. When the spacer sleeve 16 is fully extended from the handle 6, i.e., when the distance S is maximum, the distal end 30 of the endoscopic shank 8 is in a position where it protrudes minimally with respect to the distal end 32, as shown in FIG. 1. In contrast, when the spacer sleeve 16 is fully moved into the handle 6, i.e., when the distance S is minimum, the distal end 30 of the endoscopic shank 8 protrudes further with respect to the distal end 32 of the working shank 2. That is, the endoscopic instrument 4 equipped with the working shank 8 is positioned (located) more distally within the working shank 2. By arranging the gripping region 20 at the distal end of the spacer sleeve 16, this region can be well-gripped at any axial position, and the axial arrangement (positioning) of the endoscopic shank 8 within the working shank 2 can be easily changed during the use of the endoscopic system by rotating the spacer sleeve 16. The claims initially filed were as follows: [Claim 1] In an endoscope instrument having a handle and an endoscope shank (8) extending distally from the handle (6), An endoscope instrument characterized in that the spacer element (16) extends distally from the handle (6) in the peripheral region of the endoscope shank (8) and is mounted within the handle (6) so as to be linearly movable. [Claim 2] The endoscopic instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer element (16) is mounted so as to be linearly movable so as to be able to change the distance of the spacer element (16) to the distal end of the endoscope shank (8). [Claim 3] The endoscopic instrument according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the spacer element (16) has a contact surface designed to be in pressure contact with the proximal axial end of the working shank (2). [Claim 4] The endoscopic instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the spacer element is designed as a spacer sleeve (16) that surrounds the endoscope shank (8) in the circumferential direction. [Claim 5] The endoscopic instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the spacer element (16) is provided with a screw thread (17), and the screw thread (17) engages with an opposing screw thread (18) within the handle (6) such that the spacer element (16) can move linearly by rotation of the screw thread (17). [Claim 6] The endoscopic instrument according to claim 5, characterized in that the screw thread (17) is designed as an internal screw thread inside the spacer sleeve (16). [Claim 7] The endoscopic instrument according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the opposing thread (18) is preferably designed as an external thread on the outer circumference of the endoscope shank (8). [Claim 8] The endoscopic instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the spacer sleeve (16) preferably has a gripping area (20) on its outer circumference in the region of its distal end. [Claim 9] The endoscopic instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the handle (6) comprises a wall structure (22), the wall structure (22) surrounds a receiving space (23) opened at the distal end of the handle (6), and the spacer element (16) engages within the receiving space (23). [Claim 10] The endoscopic instrument according to claim 9, characterized in that the spacer element (16) is linearly movable out of and into the receiving space (23) so as to protrude at various distances in the distal direction (X). [Claim 11] The endoscopic instrument according to claim 9 or claim 10, characterized in that the wall structure (22) is provided with a through-opening (24) and is preferably designed as a lattice structure. [Claim 12] An endoscope instrument (4) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, Working shank (2), An endoscope system comprising, The working shank (2) is such that the spacer element (16) compresses the proximal end of the working shank (2), and the endoscopic instrument (4) can be inserted from the distal end. Endoscopic system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 2 Working shank 4 Endoscopic instruments 6 handles 8 Endoscope Shank 10 Inlet opening 12, 14 Rinsing / Suction Connection 16 Spacer Sleeves 17 threads 18 Opposing threads 20 Grasping area 22 Wall structure 23 Receptive Space 24 Openings, perforations 26 Distal end, contact surface 28 Distal end of the handle 30. Distal end of the endoscope shank 32 Distal end of the working shank X Longitudinal axis X2 Longitudinal axis, rotational axis S distance

Claims

1. An endoscope instrument having a handle (6) and an endoscope shank (8) extending distally from the handle (6), The spacer element (16) extends distally from the handle (6) in the peripheral region of the endoscope shank (8) and is mounted within the handle (6) so as to be linearly movable. The endoscopic instrument is characterized in that the spacer element (16) has a contact surface designed to be in a state of pressure contact with the proximal axial end of the working shank (2).

2. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer element (16) is mounted so as to be linearly movable so as to be able to change the distance of the spacer element (16) to the distal end of the endoscope shank (8).

3. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer element (16) is designed as a spacer sleeve (16) that surrounds the endoscope shank (8) in the circumferential direction.

4. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer element (16) is provided with a screw thread (17), and the screw thread (17) engages with an opposing screw thread (18) within the handle (6) such that the spacer element (16) can move linearly by rotation of the screw thread (17).

5. The spacer element (16) is designed as a spacer sleeve (16) that surrounds the endoscope shank (8) in the circumferential direction. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 4, characterized in that the screw thread (17) is designed as an internal screw thread inside the spacer sleeve (16).

6. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 4, characterized in that the opposing thread (18) is designed as an external thread.

7. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 4, characterized in that the opposing thread (18) is designed as an external thread on the outer circumference of the endoscope shank (8).

8. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 3, characterized in that the spacer sleeve (16) has a gripping area (20) on its outer circumference.

9. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 3, characterized in that the spacer sleeve (16) has a gripping area (20) on the outer circumference of the spacer sleeve (16) in the distal end region of the spacer sleeve (16).

10. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that the handle (6) is provided with a wall structure (22), the wall structure (22) surrounds a receiving space (23) opened at the distal end of the handle (6), and the spacer element (16) engages within the receiving space (23).

11. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 10, characterized in that the spacer element (16) is linearly movable out of and into the receiving space (23) so as to protrude at various distances in the distal direction (X).

12. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 10, characterized in that the wall structure (22) is provided with a through-opening (24).

13. The endoscopic instrument according to claim 10, characterized in that the wall structure (22) is provided with a through-opening (24) and is designed as a lattice structure.

14. An endoscope instrument (4) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, Working shank (2), An endoscope system comprising, The working shank (2) is such that the spacer element (16) compresses the proximal end of the working shank (2), and the endoscopic instrument (4) can be inserted from the distal end. Endoscopic system.

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