Olympus Winter Ibe Gmbh

Olympus Winter & Ibe Gmbh

Christoph Knopf

Christian Brockmann

Andreas Offt

Radiofrequency instruments such as the resectoscope described here are used in medicine for treating body tissue and in particular for removing or manipulating this tissue. A particular disadvantage of the known instruments is that an irrigation liquid is disturbed by an electrode instrument in such a way that the resulting turbulence limits the view of the operator. The invention makes available an electrode instrument by which this problem is solved. This is achieved by the fact that two electrode casing tubes run from an electrode to the proximal end region of the electrode instrument and each have a respective electrical contact, namely an active contact and a return contact.

Electrode instrument for a resectoscope, and resectoscope

A bipolar electrode instrument for use in a resectoscope and having an elongated shaft section, through which a first conductor extends, which forms a working electrode to which high-frequency current can be applied at the distal end of the electrode instrument, and a second conductor further extending through the shaft section, which forms a counter electrode in the distal end region of the electrode instrument. The working electrode and the counter electrode are spatially separated from one another in such a way that the distance between them cannot be bridged by a straight conductor which has a length of 6 mm or less. When used in a resectoscope for endoscopic surgery with a cladding tube, the electrode instrument is mounted so as to be longitudinally displaceable inside the cladding tube.

Electrode instrument and resectoscope, protected against short circuit

An electrically conductive irrigation fluid for use in bipolar resectoscopic surgery, wherein the irrigation fluid being brought into contact with the electrode of a resectoscope and tissue being coagulated and/or resected by means of the electrode surrounded by the irrigation fluid, wherein the irrigation fluid includes metal ions. Moreover, the method relates to a resectoscopy system including a resectoscope and an irrigation system that is connected to the resectoscope, the resectoscope having a handle and a tubular shaft, and the shaft including an electrode instrument that is arranged so as to be longitudinally displaceable and has in its distal end region an electrode to which high-frequency current can be applied, wherein the irrigation system includes an irrigation fluid, which can be conducted through the shaft of the resectoscope to the electrode.

Irrigation fluid for resection

A working surface of the electrode head, designed to be essentially hemispherical in shape, is made of a suitable high-temperature-resistant metal. The electrode head is supplied with power via an electrical connecting line. The rear surface of the electrode head forming the sectional surface of the hemisphere is planar and is covered with an insulating cover made of a ceramic material. The transitional region from the working surface to the rear surface does not have an edge but instead is rounded with a minimum radius of curvature, which is substantially greater than one-thirtieth of the width, which corresponds to the hemisphere diameter (=twice the radius of the hemisphere), which is the dimension of the electrode head in the direction of its maximum extent. The relatively large radius of curvature prevents the main activity of the electrode from occurring at its boundary due to excessively high local current densities.

Growing community of inventors

Luebeck, Germany

Christoph Knopf