Living-body tissue removing apparatus

1. An apparatus for treating a blood vessel in a living-body tissue, the apparatus comprising:

a grip portion;

an inserting portion which is connected to the grip portion, wherein the inserting portion has a base end and a front end, and the inserting portion is insertable in the living-body tissue;

an endoscope channel which is formed along a longitudinal direction of the inserting portion and into which an endoscope is insertable;

a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel provided along the longitudinal direction of the inserting portion;

a first support member having a base end and a front end and being movable to advance and return along the first channel, the front end of the first support member being connected to a blood vessel cutting portion for cutting a branch of a blood vessel to be removed;

a second support member and a third support member which are movable to advance and return along the second channel and the third channel, respectively, and which are arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the inserting portion on an opposite side of the endoscope from the first support member, each of the second and third support members having a base end and a front end, and the front ends of the second and third support members being connected to a blood vessel holding member for holding the blood vessel;

an operating portion which is provided to the grip portion and which is operable to advance and return the blood vessel holding member and the blood vessel cutting portion in the longitudinal direction of the inserting portion; and

an air feed portion which feeds gas in the inserting portion so as to discharge the gas from an opening arranged in a front end surface of the front end of the inserting portion, the opening being adjacent to an endoscope opening portion of the endoscope channel;

wherein the gas is fed to and discharged from the opening via the air feed portion;

wherein the blood vessel holding member comprises a blood vessel keeping bed provided between the second support member and the third support member at the front ends of the second and third support members, the blood vessel keeping bed being movable to travel along the longitudinal direction of the inserting portion while remaining between the second support member and the third support member and while keeping a part of the blood vessel in contact with the blood vessel keeping bed;

wherein the second support member holds the blood vessel keeping bed such that the blood vessel keeping bed advances and returns along the longitudinal direction of the inserting portion in accordance with movement of the second support member; and

wherein the third support member is movable to advance and return with respect to the blood vessel keeping bed, such that the third support member is movable to return from the blood vessel keeping bed toward the front end of the inserting portion to open a closed space for accommodating the blood vessel, the closed space being formed by the blood vessel keeping bed, the second support member, and the third support member.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blood vessel cutting portion comprises an electric knife.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blood vessel cutting portion comprises a bipolar cutter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the grip portion comprises an actuator for causing a window portion at a front end portion of the endoscope to be cleaned.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the grip portion comprises an aperture to receive an input responsive to manipulation by an operator, wherein the received input causes deposited material to be removed from a window portion of a front end portion of the endoscope.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blood vessel cutting portion has a planar shape.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blood vessel cutting portion comprises a planar bipolar cutter.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blood vessel holding member holds the blood vessel at a predetermined portion when the second support member and the third support member are simultaneously moved in the longitudinal direction, and the second support member and the third support member connected to the blood vessel keeping bed are stopped to keep the blood vessel parallel to the longitudinal direction.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the part of the blood vessel that is kept in contact with the blood vessel keeping bed is a part of the branch of the blood vessel.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blood vessel keeping bed has an arcuate surface and keeps the part of the blood vessel in contact with the arcuate surface.

11. A method for treating a blood vessel in a living-body tissue, the method comprising:

observing an inside of the living-body tissue by an observing portion provided in an inner space of an inserting portion adapted for insertion into the living-body tissue;

holding a predetermined blood vessel in the living-body tissue by a blood vessel holding portion;

cutting a branch of the predetermined blood vessel by a cutting portion, which is movable forward from a front end of the inserting portion, while holding the predetermined blood vessel by the blood vessel holding portion, wherein the blood vessel holding portion has two support members a first support member and a second support member which are movable to advance and return through two channels in the inserting portion, respectively, and wherein the predetermined blood vessel is held by the blood vessel holding portion at a position between the first and second support members while a position of the branch of the predetermined blood vessel is viewed by the observing portion; and

forming, with a gas, a space at a periphery of the predetermined blood vessel and at a periphery of the branch of the predetermined blood vessel by discharging the gas forward from a front end surface of the inserting portion when cutting the branch of the predetermined blood vessel while holding the predetermined blood vessel;

wherein the cutting of the branch of the predetermined blood vessel while holding the predetermined blood vessel is performed with the blood vessel holding portion and the cutting portion arranged on opposite sides of a longitudinal central axis of the observing portion;

wherein the blood vessel holding portion and the cutting portion advance and return substantially in parallel to a longitudinal direction of the observing portion;

wherein the holding of the blood vessel by the blood vessel holding portion is performed with a blood vessel keeping bed, which is provided between the first and second support members at front ends of the first and second support members, the blood vessel keeping bed being movable along a longitudinal direction of the inserting portion while remaining between the first and second support members and while keeping a part of the blood vessel in contact with the blood vessel keeping bed;

wherein the first support member holds the blood vessel keeping bed such that the blood vessel keeping bed advances and returns along the longitudinal direction of the inserting portion in accordance with movement of the first support member; and

wherein the second support member is movable to advance and return with respect to the blood vessel keeping bed, such that the second support member is movable to return from the blood vessel keeping bed toward the front end of the inserting portion to open a closed space for accommodating the blood vessel, the closed space being formed by the blood vessel keeping bed, the first support member, and the second support member.