Abstract: A suture instrument includes a gripping portion that grips a plurality of tissue pieces by sandwiching them, and a suture needle that punctures and sutures the plurality of tissue pieces, the suture needle is supported so as to be able to move forwards or backwards relative to the gripping portion, and a direction of the forward or backward movement of the suture needle is set in a direction that intersects the tissue pieces gripped by the gripping portion.

Abstract: The medical procedure via a natural opening according to the present invention includes: adjusting the patient's body so that a target site on the anterior wall of a hollow organ faces in the direction opposite to the direction of gravitational force; introducing a liquid inflow conduit in the vicinity of the target site, and flowing liquid into the hollow organ via the liquid inflow conduit, to form a liquid holding area and a gas retaining area inside the hollow organ; introducing an observation device into the hollow organ, and confirming the position of the target site from the position of the gas retaining area; and incising while observation the target area.

Abstract: A medical procedure performed via a natural orifice comprises: inserting a puncture device from an abdominal wall side into the vicinity of a target site in a hollow organ, and protruding the distal end thereof inside the hollow organ; introducing an observation device into the hollow organ via a natural orifice of a living body, and setting a target site at the hollow organ by checking the puncture device as an indicator; and treating the target site confirmed by the observation device by using an treatment device inserted via a natural orifice.

Abstract: An endotracheal tube according to the present invention is used by being installed into a patient so as to use it together with a device having an insertion section which is inserted into the body. A portion overlapping with the device inserted into the patient is formed as a flat shape; and furthermore, an outer face portion formed along a longitudinal direction of a cross-section, of the portion formed in the flat shape contacts the device.

Abstract: An over-tube of the present invention is an over-tube which guides a device having an insertion section to be inserted into a body of a patient, when inserting the insertion section into or retracting the insertion section from the body of the patient, wherein: a gas-supplying passage is defined between an inner face of the over-tube and the device to be inserted into the over-tube; the gas-supplying passage communicates with a gas-supplying port which is provided on a proximal end side of the over-tube, and a communicating port which is formed on an over-tube insertion section and supplies a gas into a trachea of the patient; and a sealing member which surrounds the communicating port and seals between a body wall of the patient and the communicating port, is provided on a periphery of an over-tube insertion section.

Abstract: The method for accessing the abdominal cavity according to the present invention, includes: introducing a first flow path into the abdominal cavity; introducing a second flow path into the hollow organ from the natural orifice of the living body, and performing a pressure control, using the first flow path and the second flow path, so that the pressure within the hollow organ is lower than the pressure of the abdominal cavity, and forming an opening in the wall of the hollow organ from the inside of the hollow organ when the pressure within the abdominal cavity, as accomplished by pressure control, is equal to or lower than the pressure of the abdominal cavity, and inserting a device for performing a medical procedure through the opening.

Abstract: A leak test method for a medical procedure via a natural orifice includes: inflating the abdominal cavity by introducing a gas into the abdominal cavity via a conduit inserted from the abdominal cavity after closing an opening that communicates between the inside of a hollow organ and the inside of the abdominal cavity using an instrument inserted via the patient's natural orifice; monitoring no leakage between the hollow organ and the abdominal cavity of a fluid passing through the closed opening; and removing the conduit inserted into the abdominal cavity once no leakage of the fluid has been confirmed.

Abstract: The medical procedure via a natural opening according to the present invention includes: disposing a target on the body surface near a target site on the inner wall of a hollow organ; introducing a guide member into the hollow organ via a natural natural opening, guiding the guide member to the target site using the target, and confirming the target site by means of a observation device; and carrying out a procedure at the target site while observing the target site.

Abstract: A medical procedure through a natural orifice according to the present invention comprises: forming an orifice in a hollow organ by using a device inserted into the hollow organ from a natural orifice of a patient; introducing a first observation device from the orifice formed in the hollow organ into an abdominal cavity; introducing a second observation device from the orifice formed in the hollow organ into the abdominal cavity; arranging the second observation device in a position different from that of the first observation device; simultaneously or selectively displaying an image obtained from the first observation device and an image obtained from the second observation device; and performing a desired procedure in the abdominal cavity while confirming the images.

Abstract: A perforation suturing method has the steps of: inserting a needle into a wall of a hollow organ at a periphery of the perforation formed in the hollow organ, and piercing the wall; withdrawing the needle from the wall after delivery of an anchor attaching suture thread from the needle, and having the suture thread transit the wall; and tightening the suture thread so that the mated insertion points at the time of insertion of the needle into the wall approximately coincide after having the needle pierce the wall at the periphery of the perforation a plurality of times, and making surfaces of the wall where the insertion points are formed coincide with each other.

Abstract: This suturing instrument has a flexible inserted portion, which is introduced into a body cavity, and a hand operated portion, which is manipulated from outside the body by the surgeon. An anchoring member, which is attached to suture material, is housed inside the puncture needle at the end of the inserted portion. A pushing member, which pushes out the anchoring member, has a structure that enables it to be inserted into the inserted portion and the hand operated portion. Further, the puncture needle communicates with a flow path inside the hand operated portion, and a gas port for supplying flow to this flow path is provided to the hand operated portion.

Abstract: This suturing instrument has a flexible inserted portion, which is introduced into a body cavity, and a hand operated portion, which is manipulated from outside the body by the surgeon. An anchoring member, which is attached to suture material, is housed inside the puncture needle at the end of the inserted portion. A pushing member, which pushes out the anchoring member, has a structure that enables it to be inserted into the inserted portion and the hand operated portion. Further, the puncture needle communicates with a flow path inside the hand operated portion, and a gas port for supplying flow to this flow path is provided to the hand operated portion.

Abstract: A suturing method for a penetrating hole formed in a luminal organ using a suture material to close the penetrating hole according to the present invention includes the steps of: inserting a needle at a position that is removed from the open edge of the penetrating hole by a distance that is less than the thickness of the wall of the luminal organ and passing the needle through the wall; sending out from the needle an anchor affixed to the end of the suture material; placing the anchor in place by pulling the needle through the wall and passing the suture material through the wall; and tightening the suture material after passing the suturing material in the same direction through the wall at multiple sites interposing the penetrating hole.

Abstract: A method for suturing a perforation of the present invention comprises the steps of: inserting an observation device into the hollow organ and confirming a proposed incision line for incising the hollow organ; determining a position to be sutured before incising the hollow organ along the proposed incision line; and suturing the perforation by tightening up a suture thread that penetrates through the hollow organ via the position to be sutured after incising the hollow organ along the proposed incision line and performing a medical treatment in an abdominal cavity through the perforation.

Abstract: A method for suturing a perforation comprises the steps of: observing an area around the perforation from an inside of a hollow organ by an observation device inserted from a natural opening of a living body; observing the area around the perforation from a body cavity side of the hollow organ by an observation device inserted from the natural opening of the living body; thrusting a needle of a suture unit inserted from the natural opening of the living body into a tissue around the perforation of the hollow organ to make a suture thread puncture the tissue via the needle; and closing the perforation by tightening up the suture thread puncturing the tissue.

Abstract: A method for suturing a perforation formed in a hollow organ comprises the steps of: causing plural end portions of the suture thread to puncture a tissue around the perforation in the same direction as each other; connecting the end portions of the suture thread to each other; and tightening up the suture thread after connecting the end portions of the suture thread with each other.

Abstract: An anastomosis instrument that includes: a puncture needle that moves reciprocally inside a channel that is provided in an insertion portion that is inserted into a body cavity, and that protrudes from a distal end of the insertion portion so as to puncture a living body tissue; and a space retaining device that is positioned in front of a distal end of the puncture needle, and that provides a predetermined clearance between the living body tissue that is to be punctured that is loaded in the distal end of the insertion portion, and the living body tissue that is not to be punctured that is positioned further from the puncture needle than the living body tissue that is to be punctured.

Abstract: According to a treatment method of the present invention, an anterior wall of stomach and a posterior wall of stomach are pulled to each other, and a part of an inner surface of the anterior wall and a part of an inner surface of the posterior wall are joined to each other to extend an esophagus. A false esophagus is thereby formed. A part of a peritoneal cavity side of a fundus of stomach is made to perorally approach a part of a peritoneal cavity side of the false esophagus. The part of the fundus of stomach and the part of the false esophagus are perorally fixed to each other.

Abstract: An endoscopic treatment device is used with an endoscope. This treatment device includes a transmission member with a flexible structure having a distal end portion to be inserted into a body and can be operated outside the body, a push rod coupled to the distal end portion, and first and second connecting members rotatably coupled to the push rod. The treatment device further includes first and second arm members rotatably coupled to the distal end portion of the connecting member, a holding member rotatably holding the respective arm at a predetermined interval therebetween, and first and second actuating members integrally formed with the arm members and can open/close when the transmission member actuates the first and second connecting members and the first and second arm members through the push rod. This device also includes a needle mounted on at least one of the first and second actuating members.

Abstract: An over-tube for use in an endoscopic treatment in an abdominal cavity using an endoscope includes an over-tube main body which is inserted from a distal portion thereof via a natural opening in a patient's body to access the inside of the abdominal cavity from the distal portion through a lumen wall, and an internal cover which is disposed in a passage of the endoscope disposed in an inner cavity of the over-tube main body and which is extractible from a proximal portion of the over-tube main body.