Back to results
US 9,427,142 B2Granted
Balloon guided endoscopy
AssigneeSmart Medical Systems Ltd.
InventorGad Terliuc
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An endoscope assembly including an endoscope, a selectably inflatable balloon mounted onto a distal portion of the endoscope and an external tube extending alongside the endoscope and traversing the selectably inflatable balloon.
Claims15
An endoscope assembly for use with an endoscope and comprising:
- a tubular sleeve circumferentially mountable onto a distal portion of said endoscope, said tubular sleeve having a circumferential wall in which is formed a tubular passageway, said tubular passageway comprising a plurality of non-interconnected mutually longitudinally spaced relatively rigid tubular reinforcement elements configured to permit predetermined bending of said tubular passageway and to facilitate passage of an endoscope tool therethrough within said tubular passageway and outwardly of said endoscope, said plurality of non-interconnected mutually longitudinally spaced relatively rigid tubular reinforcement elements each having a length which is greater than a longitudinal spacing therebetween;
- a selectably inflatable balloon arranged to be mounted over said tubular sleeve;
- and
- an external tube having a proximal end adapted to be located adjacent a proximal end of said endoscope and a distal end adapted to be located adjacent or forward of said distal portion of said endoscope, said external tube being adapted to extend outside of and alongside said endoscope from said proximal end thereof to said distal end thereof and to extend through said tubular passageway formed in said circumferential wall of said tubular sleeve, said external tube traversing said selectably inflatable balloon by passing between said selectably inflatable balloon and said distal portion of said endoscope.
1 more element
An endoscopy method comprising:
- providing an endoscope having a distal portion;
- circumferentially mounting a tubular sleeve, having a circumferential wall in which is formed a tubular passageway, onto said distal portion of said endoscope, said tubular passageway comprising a plurality of non-interconnected mutually longitudinally spaced relatively rigid tubular reinforcement elements configured to permit predetermined bending of said tubular passageway and to facilitate passage of an endoscope tool therethrough within said tubular passageway and outwardly of said endoscope, said plurality of non-interconnected mutually longitudinally spaced relatively rigid tubular reinforcement elements each having a length which is greater than a longitudinal spacing therebetween;
- providing a selectably inflatable endoscope balloon having an external tube traversing said inflatable endoscope balloon, said external tube having a proximal end adapted to be located adjacent a proximal end of said endoscope and a distal end adapted to be located adjacent or forward of a distal end of said endoscope;
- extending said external tube outside of and alongside said endoscope from said proximal end thereof to said distal end thereof and through said tubular passageway formed in said circumferential wall of said tubular sleeve, thereby traversing said selectably inflatable balloon by passing between said selectably inflatable balloon and said distal portion of said endoscope;
- and
- mounting onto said distal portion of said endoscope said selectably inflatable endoscope balloon having said external tube traversing said selectably inflatable endoscope balloon.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.