To provide an intraductal propelling device for continuously propelling a miniaturized device such as an endoscope within a lumen or in a duct such as the small intestine.
An intraductal propelling device includes a tube conglomerate formed by combining a plurality of tubes with one another in a manner of a braided cord and sealing one ends of the respective tubes. Ends of at least three tubes of the tube conglomerate on the opposite side from the sealed ends of the tubes are connected to a fluid pressure source, and the following steps are taken: (1) pressure from the fluid pressure source is applied to one tube of the at least three tubes; (2) another tube is pressurized and the previously pressurized tube is depressurized; (3) the steps (1) and (2) are sequentially taken for all the tubes without redundancy till returning to the first tube; and (4) the tube conglomerate is moved in a duct in the axial direction of the duct by repeating the steps (1)-(3).
KOMATA TORU
HORI TOMOYUKI
Tetsuro Shimada
Shinji Mitsuhashi
Koichi Ito
Kentaro Ito
Tatsuki Sone