Ureteral catheter device

Abstract

A ureteral catheter device has a flexible guide tube insertible through a control body of a cystoscope into a bladder so that its forward end extends into the bladder and a small-diametered tube insertible through the control body into the guide tube so that its forward end extends through the forward end of the guide tube into a ureter. The guide tube is adapted to be inserted into the ureter with the small-diametered tube as a guide. After the small-diametered tube is withdrawn, treatment devices can be sequentially inserted for medical treatment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a ureteral catheter device through which treatment devices can be inserted into a predetermined part of the patient for ureteric catheterization, for example, taking urines from a pair of kidneys, examining the presence or absence of urethrostenosis and its extent, locating a concrement and tumor and cleaning pelvis renalis.

In effecting ureteric catheterization a ureteral cystoscope is conventionally used in combination with treatment devices such as a catheter. That is, the ureteral cystoscope is inserted through a urethra into a bladder and a catheter introduced into a side tube of the ureteral cystoscope is further inserted through the orifice of ureteral directly into a ureter, under observation through the observation section of the ureteral cystoscope, by operating a raising mechanism (lever) and various treatments are effected. In this case, various catheters or treatment devices are often required to be used sequentially according to medical treatments involved. For example, a small-diametered fiberscope is inserted into the ureter to locate any affected part of the patient and then withdrawn. In the case of lithuretria the corresponding treatment devices are sequentially inserted for medical treatment. Difficulty is often encountered in positioning the treatment device relative to the affected part of the patient and a greater amount of skill required on the side of the physician in a case where repeated treatments are necessary. Therefore, such operations are very difficult and, in addition, undue pains are also imparted to the patient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly the object of this invention to provide a ureteral catheter device capable of positioning any of treatment devices relative to the affected part of the patient with ease and accuracy and thus easily replacing one treatment device after another by a simple operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a ureteral catheter device according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a closing member;

FIG. 3 is a partial, cross-sectional view showing an operative position of the device; and

FIG. 4 is a partial view showing a final operative position of the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

There will now be explained a ureteral catheter device according to this invention by referring to the drawings.

In FIG. 1 a reference numeral 1 is a guide device or cystoscope provided with a lengthy cylindrical insert body 3, and a control body 2 connected the the base of the insert body 3 and adapted to effect various operations necessary for the cystoscope. The forward end portion of the insert body 3 is bent at a slight angle and the bent section has an observation windown 5 and an illumination window 4 at the outside. An opening 6 is provided near the bent section of the insert body 3 in a manner to align with the observation window and illumination window. The opening 6 communicates with a channel 7 provided within the insert body 3, as shown in FIG. 3. A flexible guide tube 8 and a closing member 9 are provided for insertion through the channel 7 from the side on which the control body is located. In the neighborhood of the opening 6 of the insert body 3 a raising mechanism 10 is provided to permit the forward end portion of the flexible guide tube 8 to be raised from within the opening 6 as well as to permit the angle of the raised portion of the guide tube 8 to be adjusted. The raising mechanism 10 includes a raising lever 11 one end of which is pivoted and the other end of which can swingably extend outwardly from the opening 6, and a wire 12 one end of which is connected to the raising lever 11 and the other end of which is connected to an operation knob 13 of the control body 2. The operation of the knob 13 causes the lever 11 to be raised through the wire.

Within the insert body 3 is provided an optical guide 14 having a plurality of focusing lenses 14a arranged at predetermined intervals along its lengthwise direction. One end of the optical guide 14 is optically connected to the observation window 5 and the other end of the optical guide 14 is optically connected to an eyelens 15 disposed at the control body 2. The illumination window 4 is connected to an outside light source through an optical fiber guide disposed within the insert body 3. The field of vision of the observation window 5 is illuminated by the illumination window 4 and the movement of an object can be observed from the outside through the observation window 5 and eyelens 15.

The flexible guide tube 8 may be made of synthetic resin material. The guide tube may be open at both ends or be provided with a valve mechanism at its open end. In the latter case, a small-diametered tube 16 may be inserted in an air tight manner into the guide tube 8. The tube 16 may be made of synthetic resin material and has such an outer diameter that it is slidably movable within the guide tube 8. The tube 16 has a rounded forward end, the forward portion of the tube being more flexible than the remaining portion thereof. As a result, even if this forward end is contacted with an inner wall of the human body, no wound is caused to the inner wall.

In the neighborhood of the forward end of the guide tube 8 an exhaust port 21 is provided for a fluid entering through the forward open end of the tube 8 to be discharged into the bladder.

The closing member 9 as shown in FIG. 2 is adapted to close the opening 6 when the insert body 3 of the cystoscope 1 is inserted into a bladder. The closing member has a closing section 9a, a shaft 9b slidably inserted within the body 3 and an operating section 9c.

An explanation will now be made as to how to use a catheter device.

The closing member 9 is inserted into the cystoscope 1 to close the opening 6 of the insert body 3. The insert body 3 is inserted into the urethra so that its forward end is positioned in the bladder 17. Then, the closing member is withdrawn from the cystoscope and, instead, the flexible guide tube 8 is inserted through the control body 2 into the insert guide 3 so that its forward end extends through the opening 6 into the bladder 17. The raising angle of the guide tube 8 to the cystoscope can be controlled by adjusting the raising device 10. The extent to which the guide tube extends can be controlled by adjusting the guide tube 8, by the control body 2, in its longitudinal direction. The forward end of the guide tube 8 can be located opposite to and close to the orifice 18 of a ureter 19 as shown in FIG. 3 by effecting said controls under observation through the observation window 5 and the eyelens 15. Then, the small-diametered tube 16 is inserted from the base of the guide tube 8. As shown in FIG. 3 the forward end of the tube 16 extends through the forward end of the guide tube 8 into the orifice 18 of the ureter. Then, the guide tube 8 is further inserted, as shown in FIG. 4, into the orifice 18 of the ureter with the small-diametered tube 16 as a guide and held in place. Then, the small-diametered tube 16 is withdrawn and, instead, a fiberscope and/or various treatment devices 20 are sequentially inserted in a manner to be extendible through the forward end of the guide tube into the ureter, so that necessary medical treatments can be effected.

During the treatment, when a fluid is entered through the ureter into the guide tube 8, the guide tube 8 is withdrawn a little way to permit the opening 21 of the guide tube to communicate with the bladder and the fluid is free to flow into the bladder. After a discharge of the fluid into the bladder the guide tube 8 is again inserted and the treatment device performs a necessary function without any bad influence from the filthy water.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. A ureteral catheter device comprising a cystoscope including an insert body insertible into the human body, a control body positioned outside the human body, an observation optical system for permitting the interior of a bladder to be observed outside the human body and an illumination optical system for illuminating the interior of the bladder; a flexible guide tube adapted to be inserted through the control body into the cystoscope, the forward end of said flexible guide tube being extendible through said insert body; and a flexible elongated member adapted to be removably inserted through the guide tube and extended through the forward end of the flexible guide tube into the interior of a ureter whereby said guide tube can be further inserted with the elongated member as a guide to permit its forward end to project into the interior of the ureter.

2. The ureteral catheter device according to claim 1 in which said cystoscope has means for adjusting the inclination angle of the forward end portion of the guide tube at the control body.

3. The ureteral catheter device according to claim 1 in which said elongated member is a tube having a rounded forward end, the forward end portion of the member being more flexible than the remaining portion thereof.

4. The ureteral catheter device according to claim 1 in which said guide tube has a discharge opening provided in the side wall thereof in the neighborhood of the forward end thereof.

5. A ureteral catheter device comprising a cystoscope including an insert body insertible into the human body, a control body positioned outside the human body, an observation optical system for permitting the interior of a bladder to be observed outside the human body and an illumination optical system for illuminating the interior of the bladder; a flexible guide tube adapted to be inserted through the control body into the cystoscope, the forward end of said flexible guide tube being extendible through said insert body; and a treatment device adapted to be removable inserted through the guide tube and extended through the forward end of the flexible guide tube into the interior of a ureter.