Controllable tip brush for medical use

Claim 1

A controllable tip brush for insertion into selected passages of the human body comprising a flexible probe means having an operating handle means connected to the proximal end of said probe means, said handle means including an outer cylindrical shell and a plunger axially slidably received therein, said plunger having a longitudinal passage provided therein, said probe means including a substantially inextensible fine metal core wire connected at one end with one end of said cylindrical shell and extending axially outwardly of the handle means through said longitudinal passage provided in the interior of the plunger, the other end of the core wire being joined with one end of a guide wire wound helically about the core wire along the entire length thereof, the other end of the guide wire being connected with said plunger, the adjacent turns of said guide wire being in contact with each other over substantially the entire length thereof except for a manipulative section near the end of the probe, the cross section of each turn of the guide wire in said manipulative section being reduced in size along at least one-half of the periphery thereof at one side of the probe means, whereby retraction of said core wire will cause the probe means to bend iN the direction of said one side, the other end of said guide wire beyond said manipulative section having a plurality of bristles incorporated therein, said bristles comprising a short length of filamentary material wrapped around said wire with the free ends thereof extending radially outwardly from the probe means, said handle means also including resilient friction material disposed between and in frictional contact with said plunger and the inner wall of the shell whereby the plunger will be maintained in any given position to maintain the angle of inclination of the remote extremity of the guide wire containing said bristles, one end of said plunger projecting outwardly beyond one end of said shell and adapted to enable the plunger and shell to be held in one hand and the position of the plunger relative to said shell to be changed by the fingers of said one hand.