Medical device

An image-acquiring medical device insertable into a body lumen to acquire images inside the body lumen, the image-acquiring medical device comprising:

• a shaft main body portion possessing a distal end at one end of the shaft main body portion and a proximal end at an opposite end of the shaft main body portion, the shaft main body including two lumens extending throughout a length of the shaft main body portion from the distal end of the shaft main body portion to the proximal end of the shaft main body portion, the two lumens of the shaft main body being separated from one another along the length of the shaft main body portion by a wall, the two lumens in the shaft main body comprising an image acquiring lumen and a guide wire lumen for receiving a guide wire;
• a proximal portion of the shaft main body including a first shaft proximal portion, in which a portion of the image acquiring is disposed, and a second shaft proximal portion, in which a portion of the guide wire lumen is disposed, the first shaft proximal portion and the second shaft proximal portion being bifurcated;
• a shaft distal portion connected to the distal end of the shaft main body, the shaft distal portion possessing an open distal end and an open proximal end, the shaft distal portion including a lumen that extends from the open proximal end of the shaft distal portion to the open distal end of the shaft distal portion, the open proximal end of the shaft main body communicating with both the guide wire lumen and the image acquiring lumen so that a guide wire is guidable along the guide wire lumen in the shaft main body and along the lumen in the shaft distal portion while extending distally beyond the open distal end of the shaft distal portion and proximally beyond a proximal end of the second shaft proximal portion;
• a first hub portion interlocked with the first shaft proximal portion in an airtight manner and a second hub portion interlocked with the second shaft proximal portion in an airtight manner;
• a drive shaft rotatably positioned in the image acquiring lumen and axially movable in the image acquiring lumen, the drive shaft possessing a distal end;
• a transducer unit configured to acquire images, the transducer unit being fixed to the distal end of the drive shaft so that axial and rotational movement of the drive shaft results in axial and rotational movement respectively of the transducer unit;
• and
• a hub casing encircling at least a part of the first hub portion, at least a part of the second hub portion and a part of the shaft main body positioned immediately distal of the first and second hub portions.

A method comprising:

• inserting a guide wire into a lumen in a living body, the guide wire possessing a distal end and an opposite proximal end, the guide wire being introduced into the lumen in the living body such that the proximal end of the guide wire remains outside the living body;
• introducing the proximal end of the guidewire into an open distal end of a medical device, the medical device comprising:
• a shaft main body portion provided with a guide wire lumen and an image acquiring lumen that both extend along an entire length of the shaft main body, the guide wire lumen and the image acquiring lumen being separated from one another by a wall;
• a proximal portion of the shaft main body portion comprising a first shaft proximal portion in which a portion of the image acquiring lumen is disposed and a second shaft proximal portion in which a portion of the guide wire lumen is disposed, the first shaft proximal portion and the second shaft proximal portion being bifurcated;
• a shaft distal portion positioned distal of the shaft main body portion, the shaft distal portion including a common lumen in which the image acquiring lumen and the guide wire lumen converge, the shaft distal portion including an open distal end constituting the open distal end of the medical device into which the proximal end of the guidewire is introduced;
• a first hub portion interlocked with the first shaft proximal portion in an airtight manner and a second hub portion interlocked with the second shaft proximal portion in an airtight manner;
• a hub casing covering at least a part of the first shaft proximal portion, at least a part of the second shaft proximal portion, at least a part of the first hub portion, and at least a part of the second hub portion;
• moving the medical device along the guide wire while guiding the proximal end of the guide wire through the common lumen in the shaft distal portion and into the guide wire lumen in the shaft main body portion;
• continuing to move the medical device along the guide wire to guide the proximal end of the guide wire into the guide wire lumen in the second shaft proximal portion, and to guide the proximal end of the guide wire through the second hub portion so that the proximal end of the guide wire is positioned proximally beyond a proximal end of second hub portion;
• and
• moving an imaging unit in a distal direction in the image acquiring lumen by axially moving a driving shaft possessing a distal end to which the imaging unit is fixed, the moving of the imaging unit in the distal direction in the image acquiring lumen causing the imaging unit to enter the common lumen in the shaft distal portion.