Endoscope Sheath Cap Oblique Water Spray for Stone Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
In minimally invasive surgical treatments for calculi, broken calculi often remain attached to the calculus point due to close connection, hindering operation effectiveness and increasing patient pain, as existing endoscope sheath caps fail to effectively flush out pulverized stones.
Innovation Solution
A sheath cap with a housing collar and coaxially fixed cylinder, featuring parallel instrument and water spray channels, including a water spray channel oblique hole that sprays water to the lateral front side, enhancing the separation of broken calculi from the calculus point through multi-angle washing and vortex formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional endoscope introducer sheath is used for lithotripsy, then the holmium laser can be introduced to pulverize stones, but the broken calculi remain attached to the calculus point and are difficult to expel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces oblique water spray channels that spray water at angles (5°-85° relative to the axial direction) to create multi-dimensional washing coverage. This angular dimension addition allows water to reach the calculus point from multiple directions, effectively separating broken calculi from the calculus point surface, thereby improving both separation reliability and extraction efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes hydraulic principles by introducing water spray channels (both axial and oblique) that deliver water flow to the calculus point. The water flow creates washing and flushing effects that separate broken calculi from the calculus point, enabling their expulsion through natural orifices or stone baskets, thus resolving the attachment problem
2Device complexity
If water is sprayed axially only, then the structure is simple, but the broken calculi are difficult to separate from the calculus point
Solution Approach 1:
The water spray system is segmented into multiple independent channels: axial water spray channels and oblique water spray channels. Each channel serves a specific washing function, with oblique channels providing angular washing coverage that complements the axial channels, achieving comprehensive calculus point coverage while maintaining structural modularity
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the sheath cap are equipped with water spray channels having different orientations and characteristics. The oblique water spray channels are specifically positioned and angled to target the calculus point from lateral directions, providing localized washing quality that differs from the axial channels, thereby enhancing overall washing effectiveness without requiring complete structural redesign
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The designed sheath cap effectively increases the probability of broken calculi separation and removal, reducing patient pain and improving treatment efficacy by facilitating clear image transmission and efficient stone extraction during lithotripsy operations.
Implementation Method 1
a water flow entering from the endoscope introducer sheath can be simultaneously sprayed to the front and the side of a calculus point in front of the sheath cap
Implementation Method 2
the front water flow and the side water flow of the sheath cap interact with each other to form a vortex, and the broken calculi is further separated from the calculus point under the influence of the vortex
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
Disclosed are a sheath cap and an endoscope introducer sheath with the sheath cap. The sheath cap comprises a housing collar (1) and a cylinder (2) which is coaxially fixed on an inner surface of one end of the housing collar (1), wherein the cylinder (2) is internally provided with instrument channel straight holes (15, 16) and a water spray channel straight hole (3) which are parallel to an axial direction of the cylinder, and the sheath cap is provided with a water spray channel oblique hole (4), which is in communication with the water spray channel straight hole (3) and can spray water to the lateral front side of the sheath cap. By designing the form of a combined hole structure combining the water spray channel straight hole (3) and the water spray channel oblique hole (4) in the sheath cap, a water flow entering from the endoscope introducer sheath can be simultaneously sprayed to the front and the side of a calculus point in front of the sheath cap, such that broken calculi at the calculus point are subjected to multi-angle washing, thereby increasing the probability of separation between the broken calculi and the calculus point, and ensuring the washing effect of the water flow on the broken calculi.