Endoscope apparatus for inside wall of blood vessel

An endoscope apparatus for an inside wall of a blood vessel comprising:

• (a) a side view endoscope including a main body portion, a flexible insert portion extending from said main body and a distal end constitutional portion disposed at a distal end of said insert portion, said insert portion being capable of being inserted into said blood vessel, said distal end constitutional portion being provided at a peripheral surface thereof with an illuminating window and an observing window, a light guide for transmitting an illuminating light to said illuminating window and an image guide for transmitting an imaging light which is made incident to said observing window being inserted into said insert portion, thereby enabling to observe the inside wall of the blood vessel located in a radial direction of said distal end constitutional portion;
• (b) a balloon for enclosing said distal end constitutional portion, at least a part of said balloon which covers said illuminating window and said observing window being transparent;
• (c) a flexible insert tube extending along said insert portion, an internal space of the distal end of said insert tube being in communication with a space between said balloon and said distal end constitutional portion;
• (d) fluid feeding means connected to a basal end portion of said insert tube and adapted to feed a fluid to said balloon through said insert tube;
• (e) said insert tube and said balloon being integrally continuous with each other thereby constituting a balloon catheter, said insert portion of said side view endoscope being inserted into said insert tube, a sealing being provided between said balloon catheter on the basal side and said side view endoscope, and a space formed between said insert tube and said insert portion serving as a flow passage for guiding the fluid to said balloon;
• (f) said balloon being transparent over its entire periphery, and said insert portion and distal end constitutional portion of said side view endoscope being rotatable with respect to said balloon catheter about an axis of said insert portion and said distal end constitutional portion;
• and
• (g) said distal end constitutional portion including an extending shaft portion disposed on a more forward side rather than said illuminating window and said observing window and projecting in an axial direction, and said balloon being provided at its distal end with a shaft receiving portion for rotatably receiving said extending shaft portion.