ELECTROSURGICAL HANDHELD DEVICE, AND CONTACT BODY FOR AN ELECTROSURGICAL HANDHELD DEVICE

Abstract

In known electrosurgical handheld devices, a strengthening tube is firmly connected to a working element or a main body. Before the strengthening tube is connected to the main body, a contact body has to be pushed over the strengthening tube. For this purpose, the contact body has a corresponding bore. When the contact body is replaced for maintenance reasons or because of defects, the strengthening tube has to be removed with difficulty from the main body in order to be able to withdraw the contact body from same. The invention makes available an electrosurgical handheld device and a contact body which is able to be manipulated and maintained in a particularly simple and also time-efficient manner. This is achieved by the fact that a contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device has a slit parallel to a continuous bore and also parallel to a longitudinal axis of the handheld device.

Claims

1. A contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device, a resectoscope, for receiving an optical guide, for fastening a grip unit, and for coupling at least one electrical contact of an electrode instrument of the handheld device, wherein the contact body has a slit parallel to a continuous bore for receiving the optical guide and also parallel to a longitudinal axis of the handheld device.

2. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slit extends from an outer wall of the contact body as far as the bore, wherein the tubular optical guide can be guided through the slit into the bore.

3. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slit has two side walls, which are parallel or enclose an angle, or in that the side walls have a triangular cross section, wherein two corners of the side walls lie directly opposite and parallel to each other.

4. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cross section of the contact body has an annular, preferably circular or oval shape, wherein the slit constitutes an opening in the shape.

5. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plane extending parallel and centrally between the side walls intersects a central axis of the bore.

6. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a width of the slit is less than the diameter of the bore.

7. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bore has a diameter of 3 mm to 6 mm, and the slit has a width of 3 mm to 4 5 mm, wherein the diameter is slightly greater than a diameter of the tubular optical guide.

8. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a ratio between a width of the slit, and a diameter of the bore is 0.6 to 0.9.

9. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact body is a slide for an active or passive resectoscope.

10. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact body is made of plastic.

11. The contact body for an electrosurgical handheld device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact body has at least one receptacle for a contact of the electrode instrument, and this receptacle is connected to at least one plug socket, in particular in that a plug socket is integrated in the contact body.

12. An electrosurgical handheld device, with an electrode instrument which at a distal end has an electrode and at a proximal end has at least one electrical contact with a grip unit consisting of a first gripping means and a second gripping means, with a tubular shaft which is coupled with a proximal end to the first gripping means, with an optical guide for receiving an optical unit, and a contact body through which the optical guide can be guided, the second gripping means can be fastened, and in which the at least one electrical contact of the electrode instrument can be latched and/or electrically contacted, wherein a contact body as claimed in claim 1.

Description

[0025] A preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a resectoscope,

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a working element,

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an optical guide,

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a contact body, and

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a view of an end face of the contact body according to FIG. 4.

[0031] A possible illustrative embodiment of an electrosurgical handheld device, namely a resectoscope 10, is depicted highly schematically in FIG. 1. The resectoscope 10 has a working element 11 (see also FIG. 2) on which an elongate, tubular shaft 12 can be fastened. This shaft 12 is indicated by hatching in FIG. 1 and is fastened with a proximal end to a main body 13 of the working element 11.

[0032] The working element 11 has, in addition to the main body 13, a grip unit 14. This grip unit 14 has a first gripping means 15 and a second gripping means 16. While the first gripping means 15 is arranged fixedly on the main body 13, the second gripping means 16 is assigned to a contact body 17 in the illustrative embodiment of the working element 11 shown here. It is conceivable that the second gripping means 16 is screwed firmly on the contact body 17. For this purpose, the contact body 17 has a corresponding bore 31 in a wall.

[0033] The contact body 17 is guided slidingly on a tubular optical guide 18. For this purpose, the contact body 17 has a bore 19 whose diameter is slightly greater than a diameter of the optical guide 18. Since the contact body 17 can move to and fro on the optical guide 18 along a longitudinal direction of the resectoscope 10 or a longitudinal axis of the shaft 12, the contact body 17 is also designated as a slide.

[0034] While the optical guide 18 is connected with a distal end to the main body 13 or an inner tube 22 via an adapter 38 (FIG. 3), an optical guide plate 20 is fastened at a proximal end of the optical guide 18. The tubular optical guide 18 extends through the optical guide pate 20, such that the optical guide 18 is accessible from the proximal direction.

[0035] The second gripping means 16 and the contact body 17 are connected to the optical guide plate 20 via a spring element 21. This spring element 21 can be a tension spring.

[0036] Starting from the main body 13, an inner tube 22 extends in the distal direction. This inner tube 22 can also extend in the proximal direction through the main body 13 and be connected to the optical guide 18. It is equally conceivable that the inner tube 22 and the optical guide 18 are formed in one piece, or that the optical guide 18 extends distally through the main body 13.

[0037] An electrode instrument 23 extends parallel to the inner tube 22. This electrode instrument 23 is guided through the main body 13 and with at least one proximal contact is mechanically and releasably coupled in a receptacle 27 to the contact body 17. In the contact body 17, a latching mechanism can be provided which can be released and fixed via a button 39 (FIGS. 4 and 5). The latching mechanism locks the at least one proximal end or the contact of the electrode instrument 23 in the contact body 17. The button 39 or the latching mechanism can be spring-preloaded and can be easily operated with one finger.

[0038] At a distal end, the electrode instrument 23 has an electrode 24. An electrical RF voltage can be applied to this electrode 24. The diseased tissue can be manipulated or cut by means of a plasma that forms at the electrode 24. For this purpose, the operator moves the second gripping means 16, having a thumb ring 25, relative to the first gripping means 15. For stabilizing the electrode instrument 23, the latter can be guided on the inner tube 22 by guides 26.

[0039] For applying RF voltage to the electrode 24, the receptacle 27 of the proximal contact of the electrode instrument 23 can be electrically contacted. For this purpose, the contact body 17 has at least one plug socket 28 (FIGS. 4 and 5). This plug socket 28 is in electrical contact with at least one part of an inner wall of the receptacle 27. By way of a plug (not shown here), the contact body 17 can thus be connected by a cable to an RF generator.

[0040] For performing the intervention, a rod-like optical unit 29 is guided through the inner tube 22 or optical guide 18. A distal end (not visible here) of this optical unit 29 is directed in the direction of the electrode 24, so that the operator has a view of the manipulation of the tissue. This optical unit 29 can be a rod lens system or an optical fiber. As is shown in FIG. 1, an eyepiece 30 or a camera is located at the proximal end of the optical unit 29.

[0041] In the manufacture of the working element 11, the assembly of the contact body 17 proves particularly awkward. It was hitherto the case that the optical guide plate 20 was first welded to the optical guide 18, then the contact body 17 was plugged onto the optical guide 18, and then the optical guide 18 was firmly connected by the distal end to the main body 13 or the inner tube 22. For replacement or for maintenance of the contact body 17, these steps had to be repeated in reverse.

[0042] The contact body 17 shown here has a slit 32 (FIG. 4). This slit 32 extends parallel to the bore 19 from an end face 33 to the opposite end face 34 of the contact body 17. The slit 32 is designed in such a way that it extends from an outer wall 35 as far as the bore 19 (FIG. 5). The interior of the bore 19 is thus extended.

[0043] In the illustrative embodiment of the slit 32 shown in FIG. 5, it has two parallel side walls 36, 37. The distance between these two side walls 36, 37, i.e. the width of the slit 32, is less than the diameter of the bore 19. Provision is made in particular that a ratio between the width of the slit 32 and the diameter of the bore 19 is 0.6-0.9, preferably 0.7-0.8, in particular 0.76.

[0044] By virtue of the extension of the bore 19 through the slit 32, it is possible to clip the contact body 17 onto the optical guide 18. For this purpose, the tubular optical guide 18 is guided through the slit 32 into the bore 19. It is conceivable here that an external diameter of the optical guide 18 or the distance between the two side walls 36, 37 deforms for a short time and in a reversible manner. After the assembly of the contact body 17, the gripping means 16, the spring element 21 and the electrode instrument 23 can then be connected to the contact body 17. If necessary, the aforementioned components of the working element 11 can be quickly and easily released from the contact body 17, in order then to withdraw the contact body 17 from the optical guide 18 for maintenance purposes.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0045] 10 resectoscope

[0046] 11 working element

[0047] 12 shaft

[0048] 13 main body

[0049] 14 grip unit

[0050] 15 first gripping means

[0051] 16 second gripping means

[0052] 17 contact body

[0053] 18 optical guide

[0054] 19 bore

[0055] 20 optical guide plate

[0056] 21 spring element

[0057] 22 inner tube

[0058] 23 electrode instrument

[0059] 24 electrode

[0060] 25 thumb ring

[0061] 26 guide

[0062] 27 receptacle

[0063] 28 plug socket

[0064] 29 optical unit

[0065] 30 eyepiece

[0066] 31 bore

[0067] 32 slit

[0068] 33 end face

[0069] 34 end face

[0070] 35 outer wall

[0071] 36 side wall

[0072] 37 side wall

[0073] 38 adapter

[0074] 39 button