Abstract: A surgical instrument for holding a suturing needle comprises an operating section, an insert section having an insert-section distal end extension at a distal end of an insert section body, a clamping portion, a rotatable holder portion, a receiving member having a first contact surface, and a transmitting member having a second contact surface. The insert section body has an inner bore along a first axis in a longitudinal direction. The insert-section distal end extension has a rotation-allowing groove on an inner peripheral surface of an inner bore provided along a second axis at a predetermined angle with respect to the first axis. The rotatable holder portion is allowed to be passively rotatable about the second axis under an external force applied to the suturing needle when a gap is formed between the transmitting member and the receiving member.

Abstract: A surgical instrument of the present invention comprises an insertion unit; an operating unit provided on one end of the insertion unit; a treatment unit provided so as to protrude from the other end of the insertion unit; a first shaft member for transmitting turning force to the treatment unit in conjunction with the turning operation of a turning operation member provided on the operating unit; and a second shaft member for transmitting opening/closing force to the treatment unit in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of an opening/closing member provided on the operating unit.

Abstract: A surgical gripper includes a gripping section opened/closed to grip an object to be gripped and an operation section which opens/closes the gripping section, wherein the gripping section is configured to be opened/closed by the operation section to take a gripping mode of gripping the object to be gripped so that treatment is performed by the object to be gripped, an adjusting mode of gripping the object to be gripped by a gripping force lower than that of the gripping mode so that an arrangement of the object to be gripped is adjusted while the object to be gripped is held, and a releasing mode of releasing the object to be gripped.

Abstract: A surgical instrument comprises: a treatment unit provided at one end of the insertion unit, capable of turning about one axis, and comprising a clamping section capable of opening and closing action; an operation unit provided at the other end of the insertion unit; a turn force transmission mechanism and transmitting a turn force as a force to turn the treatment unit; an opening and closing force transmission mechanism and transmitting an opening and closing force as a force to open and close the clamping section; and a common operation mechanism, provided in the operation unit, which can generate the turn force transmitted by the turn force transmission mechanism and which can also generate the opening and closing force transmitted by the opening and closing transmission mechanism.

Abstract: In a surgical instrument, a treatment portion continuously provided at a distal end of an insert section has a needle holding member made of an elastic body capable of holding a needle when the needle is pierced into the elastic body.

Abstract: To wind a rubber strip material around a forming drum, a rubber strip material S extruded from a die 2 of an extruder 1 is spirally wound by an applicator 6 and formed around the forming drum 5 which is being rotated. In the forming operation, the peripheral speed Vd of the forming drum 5 is set lower than the extrusion speed Ve of the rubber strip material S from the die 2 of the extruder 1, that is, to a peripheral speed of 0.6 to 0.95 times the extrusion speed Ve and preferably to a peripheral speed about 0.9 times the extrusion speed Ve. With this arrangement, the rubber strip material stretched by die swelling can be contracted, a tire structural member can be formed around the forming drum with high accuracy at all times independently of the kind of the rubber strip material, and workability as well as shape stability after the rubber strip material is formed can be enhanced.

Abstract: A surgical instrument of the present invention comprises an insertion unit; an operating unit provided on one end of the insertion unit; a treatment unit provided so as to protrude from the other end of the insertion unit; a first shaft member for transmitting turning force to the treatment unit in conjunction with the turning operation of a turning operation member provided on the operating unit; and a second shaft member for transmitting opening/closing force to the treatment unit in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of an opening/closing member provided on the operating unit.

Abstract: An optical imaging apparatus has an optical scanning probe configured to irradiate low-coherence light onto a subject and to perform photo-reception of light scattered at the subject, and an observation device adapted to construct a cross-section image of the subject based on information from the light received through the optical scanning probe. The optical scanning probe is detachably connected to the observation device.

Abstract: Before performing observation with an optical scanning probe using a low-coherence light source and the like, a shutter is inserted in a reference light side optical path to create a state wherein interference light does not occur, in which state a reference member is set to a focal position of a converging optical system such that the output of a light detector is maximal by moving the reference member by a driving device at an observation light optical path side of an optical scanning probe, following which the shutter is opened, and the position of a mirror at the reference light side is moved and set such that the output of the light detecting means is maximal, thereby enabling the optical scanning observation apparatus to be set to a state of suitable optical properties, easily and smoothly.

Abstract: A surgical instrument comprises: a treatment unit provided at one end of the insertion unit, capable of turning about one axis, and comprising a clamping section capable of opening and closing action; an operation unit provided at the other end of the insertion unit; a turn force transmission mechanism and transmitting a turn force as a force to turn the treatment unit; an opening and closing force transmission mechanism and transmitting an opening and closing force as a force to open and close the clamping section; and a common operation mechanism, provided in the operation unit, which can generate the turn force transmitted by the turn force transmission mechanism and which can also generate the opening and closing force transmitted by the opening and closing transmission mechanism.

Abstract: A surgical instrument of the present invention comprises: an insertion unit, an operation unit provided at the proximal end side of the insertion unit, and a treatment unit provided at the other end of the insertion unit and having a clamping unit that can rotate about one axis and can perform an opening and closing action and a bending action. The operation unit comprises: an opening and closing lever for performing the operation of opening and closing the treatment unit, an angle variation dial for performing the operation of bending the treatment unit, and a rotation dial for performing the operation of rotating the treatment unit. The angle variation dial and rotation dial are provided within the operation range of the same operation finger.

Abstract: There is disclosed a living tissue harvesting apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, comprising a sheath which can be inserted in a body through a cut skin portion, an endoscope inserted through the sheath, a cutting device which is disposed at the sheath and which can cut a living tissue, and a holder which is disposed at the sheath to hold a harvesting object tissue in the body and which includes a press discharge portion to press-discharge the harvesting object tissue in a direction detached from the cutting device, wherein the holder includes a hook portion to catch the living tissue in a position disposed opposite to the cutting device, and the cutting device and hook portion can move with respect to each other.

Abstract: A surgical gripper includes a gripping section opened/closed to grip an object to be gripped and an operation section which opens/closes the gripping section, wherein the gripping section is configured to be opened/closed by the operation section to take a gripping mode of gripping the object to be gripped so that treatment is performed by the object to be gripped, an adjusting mode of gripping the object to be gripped by a gripping force lower than that of the gripping mode so that an arrangement of the object to be gripped is adjusted while the object to be gripped is held, and a releasing mode of releasing the object to be gripped.

Abstract: In a surgical instrument, a treatment portion continuously provided at a distal end of an insert section has a needle holding member made of an elastic body capable of holding a needle when the needle is pierced into the elastic body.

Abstract: There is disclosed a living tissue harvesting apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, comprising a sheath which can be inserted in a body through a cut skin portion, an endoscope inserted through the sheath, a cutting device which is disposed at the sheath and which can cut a living tissue, and a holder which is disposed at the sheath to hold a harvesting object tissue in the body and which includes a press discharge portion to press-discharge the harvesting object tissue in a direction detached from the cutting device, wherein the holder includes a hook portion to catch the living tissue in a position disposed opposite to the cutting device, and the cutting device and hook portion can move with respect to each other.

Abstract: On the side at hand of an optical probe, a whole rotation transfer connector rotates while being supported by a ball bearing and a slide bearing and, therefore, rotation is transferred to a flexible shaft. The relative position between the flexible shaft and an optical sheath is changed in accordance with the amount of screwing of a sheath stopping member on the side at hand into an outer cylinder by an external thread portion and an internal thread portion. When the optical sheath is moved furthermore, the flexible shaft is elongated due to elastic deformation because the length of the flexible shaft is regulated by the interval between a locking part of a locking member at the tip and a shaft stopping member. A tip housing is made to contact with the locking member while tension is applied to the flexible shaft by the rear end surface in the direction of the side at hand.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a surgical therapeutic instrument includes an insertion unit, a treating unit that is arranged at one end of the insertion unit to be extended in the extending direction at a predetermined angle to the axial direction of the insertion unit, and an operation unit that is arranged at the other end of the insertion unit. The operation unit includes a rotating operation unit to rotate the treating unit, and an opening/closing operation unit to open/close the treating unit. The treating unit includes two pinching members having planar portions, is rotatable in accordance with the rotating operation, and can move at least one of the two pinching members in the direction substantially orthogonal to the plane of the planar portion in accordance with the opening/closing operation.

Abstract: An endoscope is configured such that the position of the distal end of a treatment tool can be fine-adjusted when inserting and withdrawing the treatment tool into/from a treatment tool channel in the endoscope. For example, the treatment tool is inserted into the treatment tool channel of the endoscope and moved forward by a driving motor. When the distal end of the treatment tool projects from the treatment tool channel at the distal end of the endoscope, the forward movement is stopped, and the treatment tool is moved forward by manual operation. A method of manual operation includes the steps of rotating a dial and moving the treatment tool forward slowly. When in manual operation, the treatment tool is preferably released from any static torque of the motor.

Abstract: An optical imaging apparatus has an optical scanning probe configured to irradiate low-coherence light onto a subject and to perform photo-reception of light scattered at the subject, and an observation device adapted to construct a cross-section image of the subject based on information from the light received through the optical scanning probe. The optical scanning probe is detachably connected to the observation device.

Abstract: A flexible shaft driven to rotate is inserted through a transparent sheath having pliability. By a fiber inserted through the inside thereof, low-coherence light is guided and is made to exit to a living-body tissue side which is an observation target through a lens and a prism forming an exit and entrance portion at the tip portion. Subsequently, the light reflected on the living-body tissue side is guided in order to produce an image. In that case, a positioning member for keeping the exit and entrance portion and the living-body tissue at a proper distance is formed at the tip portion of the sheath or the tip portion of an endoscope through which an optical probe is inserted and, therefore, a stable tomogram image can be produced.