Endoscope with expansible cuff member and operation section

Claim 1

An endoscope comprising: a flexible sheath having two ends; a control section connected to one of said two ends of the sheath; an elongated distal end section connected to the other end of the sheath and having an outer periphery; a single, unitary expansible cuff member mounted on the outer periphery of the distal end section and provided at an intermediate part of said cuff with an opening being defined by said cuff, said cuff member having a portion thereof defining a peripheral edge of said opening, said peripheral edge being sealingly fixed to the outer periphery of the distal end section so that said cuff member is sealingly engaged on said distal end section, said cuff member having an end portion on either end of said opening, said end portions being spaced longitudinally of said distal end section and sealingly fixed to the outer periphery of the distal end section; an illumination window and observation window both provided in the outer periphery of said distal end section and disposed within said cuff member; fluid passage means extending through said sheath and in said control section and said distal end section and communicating with said cuff member for conducting a fluid into said cuff member for inflation thereof, the sealing contact between said cuff and said distal end section adjacent said cuff member opening preventing fluid from escaping from said cuff member; fluid inlet means provided on said control section and communicating with said fluid passage means for conducting fluid from a source into said fluid passage means; illuminating light transmitting means extending through said sheath and in said distal end section and control section and having two end areas, one end area being optically connected to said illumination window; observation light transmitting means extending in said distal end section and through said sheath and said control section having two extremities, one extremity being optically connected to said observation window; an ocular mounted on said control section and optically connected to another extremity of said observation light transmitting means; a chamber formed in said distal end section and opening at that portion of the outer periphery of said distal end section which is disposed in the opening of the cuff member, said chamber allowing an elongated medical instrument to be extended out of the chamber and into the space between said cuff member end portions for contacting the inner surface of a body cavity in which said distal end section is located; a channel extending through said sheath and in said distal end section and said control section and having first and second ends, said first end communicating with said chamber, said channel being adapted to guide a medical instrument to said chamber; and an instrument inlet mounted on said control section and communicating with said channel second end.