Abstract: An endoscope includes an insertion portion that is inserted into a subject, and a suction channel that suctions a liquid along with a crushed calculus. The suction channel includes a channel main body, which is inserted in the insertion portion, and a small-diameter channel portion that is provided on a distal end side of the channel main body and has an inner diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the channel main body. The suction channel is configured to satisfy the relational expression R1/R2>1.27, where R1 represents the inner diameter of the channel main body and R2 represents the inner diameter of the small-diameter channel portion.

Abstract: Method of removing a calculus, such as a kidney stone, from within the calyx involves inserting the distal end portion of a medical tube into the calyx, positioning the distal end portion of the medical tube within a region of the calyx, such as the inferior calyx, while referring to a radiolucent image showing the distal end portion, pumping fluid into the calyx through the lumen of the medical tube, and draining the calculus from inside the calyx through the gap between the inner wall of the calyx and the outer circumferential surface of the distal end portion of the medical tube.

Abstract: An electrode unit of the invention includes: an electrode including one end and another end, the other end including a free end; and an electrode supporting portion that supports the one end of the electrode. The electrode is disposed in a second plane that is different from a first plane in which the electrode supporting portion is moved to advance or withdraw when the electrode supporting portion is moved to advance or withdraw in a direction along a longitudinal axis of the electrode supporting portion, and the electrode is supported by the electrode supporting portion via a flexed portion projecting from the first plane to the second plane.

Abstract: A medical endoscopic device for crushing urinary stones having an insertion portion including an optical window, an illumination window, a laser fiber, an elongate internal channel, and a procedure tube coaxially and movably disposed inside the elongate internal channel is disclosed. The distal end of the procedure tube is comprised of a distal tip portion having a diameter larger than that of the attached elongate portion. The distal tip portion of the tube also includes openings for flushing the fragments of the urinary stones and the like. The washed out fragments are suctioned through the opening between the inner diameter surface of the elongate internal channel and the outer peripheral surface of the tube and the distal tip portion may be used to scrape out the contaminated fragments of the urinary stones within the elongate internal channel.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an endoscope that acquires an image of a subject and a processor. The processor acquires position and posture information of the endoscope, estimates a three-dimensional shape of the subject based on the image and the position and posture information, generates, based on the position information, a cross section crossing a trajectory on which the endoscope passed, and determines an erroneous estimation portion based on a shape characteristic of the three-dimensional shape on the cross section.

Abstract: An electrode unit which performs treatment on tissue in a subject by using a high frequency current under observation with an endoscope includes: two electrode support members disposed in a separated manner in a direction along a predetermined axis; a base part extending along an axis intersecting with the predetermined axis, and having a distal end coupled with proximal ends of the two electrode support members; and an electrode having both ends supported by the two electrode support members, wherein the electrode includes an exposed portion in a region which overlaps with at least one of the two electrode support members when viewed from a second direction which is opposite to a first direction in which the two electrode support members are pushed against the subject during use of the electrode unit, the exposed portion being exposed only in the second direction.

Abstract: An electrode unit comprises: an electrode supporting member provided with a pair of distal end rigid members surfaces of which are covered by an electrically insulating material; a treatment electrode configured with electrode bodies arranged in respective distal end portions of the pair of distal end rigid members and protruding downward respectively from the pair of distal end rigid members, and a spanning portion that spans respective lower end portions of the electrode bodies; and a detection sensor arranged on respective proximal end sides of the pair of distal end rigid members and configured to detect a contact state between the pair of distal end rigid members and tissue.

Abstract: An electrode unit includes: an electrode supporting member provided with a pair of distal end rigid members, surfaces of which are covered by an electrically insulating material, and an elastic region having lower bending rigidity than bending rigidity of each of the pair of distal end rigid members; an electrode configured with electrode bodies respectively protruding downward from the pair of distal end rigid members of the electrode supporting member and a spanning portion that spans between respective lower end portions of the electrode bodies; and an operation member provided in a proximal end rigid member, and configured to move relative to the proximal end rigid member to cause the electrode to move in a direction in which the electrode protrudes relative to the distal end rigid members.

Abstract: An electrode unit configured to resect or coagulate tissue inside a subject by using a high-frequency current, including: an electrode supporting portion provided with a pair of distal end rigid portions surfaces of which are covered by an electrically insulating material, and an elastic region portion having lower bending rigidity than bending rigidity of each of the pair of distal end rigid portions, the elastic region portion being provided on a proximal end side of each of the pair of distal end rigid portions; and an electrode configured with electrode bodies respectively protruding downward from the pair of distal end rigid portions and an installation portion that installs respective lower ends of the electrode bodies.

Abstract: An endoscope includes an insertion portion including a first conduit for delivering a fluid, and a second conduit for suctioning a fluid. A distal end opening of the second conduit may have an opening area larger than an opening area of a distal end opening of the first conduit, and in the second conduit, an inside diameter on a distal end side may be smaller than an inside diameter on a proximal end side. In a calculus collecting method, fluid can be delivered into the subject from the first conduit, and fluid can be suctioned into the second conduit. Intermittently, fluid delivery from the first conduit may be stopped so that fluid can be delivered through the second conduit.

Abstract: A navigation system includes an alignment unit configured to generate corrected position information in which position information of a viewpoint of an endoscope that is inserted in a subject is aligned with a three-dimensional image of a luminal organ, a determination unit configured to determine performance/non-performance of observation of a branch conduit based on the corrected position information, a target setting unit configured to set one unobserved conduit as a first target region based on a distance between the position information of the current viewpoint and the unobserved conduit, and a navigation information generation unit configured to generate navigation information for the first target region.

Abstract: A medical equipment system includes an image pickup information storage unit configured to store images and image pickup position information by associating the images and the image pickup position information with each other; a unit configured to calculate an image pickup position in 3D information on a luminal organ during image acquisition; a control unit configured to calculate a current image pickup position or image pickup area of the image pickup system in the 3D information; and an image processing unit configured to acquire images at image pickup positions overlapping the current image pickup position or image pickup area from storage results of the image pickup information storage unit and arrange the images based on a predetermined criterion on a region by region basis.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes an endoscope that acquires an image of a subject and a processor. The processor acquires position and posture information of the endoscope, estimates a three-dimensional shape of the subject based on the image and the position and posture information, generates, based on the position information, a cross section crossing a trajectory on which the endoscope passed, and determines an erroneous estimation portion based on a shape characteristic of the three-dimensional shape on the cross section.

Abstract: A medical apparatus includes a model-image generating section configured to generate a model image obtained by modeling a shape of an inside of a subject, a coordinate calculating section configured to detect a three-dimensional position of a feature point of the inside of the subject, set a polar coordinate on the basis of a position of the feature point, and calculate an arbitrary three-dimensional position of the inside of the subject according to the polar coordinate, and an image generating section configured to show the arbitrary three-dimensional position of the inside of the subject on the model image on the basis of one angle component among components of the polar coordinate calculated by the coordinate calculating section and a value obtained by correcting the one angle component according to another angle component.

Abstract: A medical instrument includes an insertion portion, first transmitting coils, second transmitting coils, a signal control unit, a position detection unit, a memory, and a position estimating unit. The signal control unit controls the first transmitting coils to transmit magnetic fields during a first predetermined period and controls the second transmitting coils to transmit magnetic fields during a second predetermined period. The position detection unit detects positions of the first transmitting coils during the first predetermined period and detects positions of the second transmitting coils during the second predetermined period. The memory stores the positions of the first transmitting coils. The position estimating unit estimates a shape of the insertion portion based on the positions of the second transmitting coils and the positions of the first transmitting coils stored in the memory.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes a portion configured to acquire a position of an objective optical system provided in an insertion portion of an endoscope; a portion configured to position the position of the objective optical system on three-dimensional image information about a subject; a portion configured to generate angle-of-view display information related to a picked-up image picked up by an image pickup system including the objective optical system; an instruction portion configured to output an instruction signal; and an image processing portion configured to create an overlapped image obtained by overlapping the angle-of-view display information at a position on the three-dimensional image information corresponding to the position of the objective optical system at a time point of inputting the instruction signal.

Abstract: A medical apparatus includes a model-image generating section configured to generate a model image obtained by modeling a shape of an inside of a subject, a coordinate calculating section configured to detect a three-dimensional position of a feature point of the inside of the subject, set a polar coordinate on the basis of a position of the feature point, and calculate an arbitrary three-dimensional position of the inside of the subject according to the polar coordinate, and an image generating section configured to show the arbitrary three-dimensional position of the inside of the subject on the model image on the basis of one angle component among components of the polar coordinate calculated by the coordinate calculating section and a value obtained by correcting the one angle component according to another angle component.

Abstract: A navigation system includes an alignment unit configured to generate corrected position information in which position information of a viewpoint of an endoscope that is inserted in a subject is aligned with a three-dimensional image of a luminal organ, a determination unit configured to determine performance/non-performance of observation of a branch conduit based on the corrected position information, a target setting unit configured to set one unobserved conduit as a first target region based on a distance between the position information of the current viewpoint and the unobserved conduit, and a navigation information generation unit configured to generate navigation information for the first target region.

Abstract: A medical equipment system includes an image pickup information storage unit configured to store images and image pickup position information by associating the images and the image pickup position information with each other; a unit configured to calculate an image pickup position in 3D information on a luminal organ during image acquisition; a control unit configured to calculate a current image pickup position or image pickup area of the image pickup system in the 3D information; and an image processing unit configured to acquire images at image pickup positions overlapping the current image pickup position or image pickup area from storage results of the image pickup information storage unit and arrange the images based on a predetermined criterion on a region by region basis.