An endoscope includes: an operating portion; an insertion tube that has a central axis; a bendable tube that is bendable in a curvature direction orthogonal to the central axis, the bendable tube including a plurality of bendable tube pieces that are arrayed along the central axis, adjacent bendable tube pieces being connected to each other by a pair of connection portions, the pair of connection portions being arranged line-symmetric with respect to the curvature direction; a distal end rigid portion that is provided on a distal end side of the bendable tube; and a wire having a first end connected to the operating portion, and a second end connected to either the bendable tube or the distal end rigid portion.

The disclosure provides a diagnosis and treatment integrated soft medical robot for gastrointestinal endoscopy, including a robot body, a camera, illumination devices, a flexible dielectric elastomer actuator, air cylinders, linear motors, a controller and external hoses. Wherein the robot body is a multichannel hose, and includes a central channel and circumferential channels, the central channel is configured to accommodate conducting wires and signal wires, the circumferential channels include at least three microfluid channels. The front end of each microfluid channels is a sealed end, a rear end of each of the microfluid channels is an open end. The open end of each microfluid channels communicates with an end opening of a flow channel of one air cylinder. The linear motors control fluid pressures in the microfluid channels by driving piston rods of the air cylinders so that the robot body steers through being driven by fluid. The camera performs real-time image acquisition. The controller controls the flexible dielectric elastomer actuator to capture a target. The disclosure realizes the real-time image acquisition on a digestive tract, particularly a lesion, and can integrally and fast complete diagnosis and treatment.

Provided is an ultrasonic endoscope with which it is possible to improve a brush cleanability of a communication path. A distal end portion (44) of an ultrasonic endoscope (10) includes: a balloon attachment portion (152) for attachably and detachably attaching a balloon (60) to the distal end portion (44), the balloon attachment portion (152) including a first balloon groove (154) that is provided over an outer periphery of the distal end portion at least on a proximal end side of an ultrasound oscillator (92); and a communication path (90) for supply or suction of a fluid with respect to an inner space of the balloon (60). An entrance and exit way (91) of the communication path (90) is formed to be diagonally inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis of an insertion portion (12). The first balloon groove (154) includes a shallow groove portion (158) that is formed to have a groove depth smaller than other portions in a circumferential direction of the distal end portion (44), and the entrance and exit way (91) of the communication path (90) is provided in an internal region of the distal end portion (44) where the shallow groove portion (158) is formed.

The endoscope has an insertion portion, an imaging unit, and a member formed in a given dimension. The insertion portion has an apical portion, an actively curvable portion, and a treatment device channel. The actively curvable portion is located on the proximal side of the apical portion. The treatment device channel is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the insertion portion. The insertion portion is formed of resin. One or more radiopaque members, formed of knowns dimensions, are coated on a surface of the insertion portion or placed in, buried or covered laterally in the insertion portion. The X-ray transmittance of the radiopaque members is different from the X-ray transmittance of the resin forming the insertion portion.

A bending piece of a bending portion for endoscope is provided with: an annular wall portion; a plurality of wire inserting portions in which the wall portion has a first wall thickness; thin wall portions having a second wall thickness thinner than the first wall thickness; and a thick wall portion that is a part of the wall portion different from the thin wall portions between the plurality of wire inserting portions around a longitudinal axis, the thick wall portion formed to have a third wall thickness that is equal to or less than the first wall thickness and is thicker than the second wall thickness.

An endoscope or the like that prevents crosstalk between multiple light-emitting parts is provided. An endoscope includes: an observation window that is disposed at a distal end of an insertion part; a plurality of first light-emitting parts that are disposed around the observation window; a second light-emitting part that is disposed between the first light-emitting parts and emits light at a bandwidth different from a bandwidth of light emitted by the first light-emitting parts; and a light-shielding body that is disposed between one of the first light-emitting parts and the second light-emitting part.

Borescopes and related methods that are configured to preclude or minimize imaging in hazy and/or smoky conditions. In some embodiments, the borescope may comprise a shaft made up, at least in part, of a material that is electrically non-conductive material and/or thermally non-conductive, and a tip positioned at a distal end of the shaft. The tip may comprise at least one light source, such as an LED or array of LEDS, configured to deliver electromagnetic radiation in which no more than about 20% of the total spectral output is in the infrared spectrum. The electromagnetic radiation delivered from the at least one light source may comprise a spectrum having at least one of a local maximum and a global maximum between about 450 and about 495 nm. The at least one light source may be configured to deliver between about 20 and about 75 lumens of visible light.

An imaging catheter and an imaging device relate to a technical field of medical devices. The imaging catheter includes a metal wire tube, a tip and a retaining ring. A metal wire exposed at one end of the metal wire tube forms a conductive end, which is electrically connected with the tip so as to allow the metal wire to be used as a conductive medium to lead static electricity out of the tip, thereby reducing effects of static electricity on a photographing assembly at the tip, and the harm of static electricity to human body. The retaining ring covers the conductive end and is connected with the tip, so as to make the metal wire tube fixedly connected with the tip.

A vaginal examination device includes a hollow cylindrical body having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the hollow body is partitioned into two or more channels; one or more inner channels, wherein the inner channels allow insertion and removal of examination modules; one or more extendable blades, wherein the blades are attached to the distal end of the body; one or more levers at the proximal end of the body configured to actuate the one or more extendable blades; and one or more handles at the proximal end of the body. Also provided are methods of self-performing pelvic examination using a vaginal examination device.

The present invention relates to the technical field of endoscopes, and discloses a confocal endoscope with a fixing device. The confocal endoscope includes an insertion tube, a flexible tube, a plurality of airbag assemblies, and a pressure supply assembly, where the flexible tube is slidably sleeved on the insertion tube, a plurality of containing units are formed in an outer wall of the flexible tube in an axial direction and are distributed in the axial direction of the flexible tube at intervals, each containing unit includes a plurality of containing grooves evenly distributed in a circumferential direction of the flexible tube, and the outer wall of the flexible tube is concaved inwards to form the containing grooves; the airbag assemblies and the containing units are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence mode, each airbag assembly includes a plurality of elastic airbags, the elastic airbags and the containing grooves are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence mode, and the elastic airbags are connected to inner walls of the containing grooves; the pressure supply assembly is selectively communicated with the elastic airbags of one or more airbag assemblies and configured to inject fluid media with certain pressure into the elastic airbags. According to the present invention, the insertion tube can be prevented from jittering.