Treatment accessory for endoscope

Claim 1

A treatment accessory for use with an endoscope, said treatment accessory having a proximal end nearest the user and a distal end remote from a user, and said treatment accessory comprising: a treatment unit having a closed state and an open state, and biased to be in the open state; an inner tube; an outer tube coaxially positioned with respect to said inner tube and extending beyond a distal end of said inner tube when said treatment unit is in said open state; a manipulation wire slidably positioned within said inner tube, a distal end of said manipulation wire attached to said treatment unit, and said distal end of said manipulation wire being substantially at said distal end of said inner tube when said treatment unit is in said open state; a first manipulation part including a first grasping portion by which said treatment accessory is held, said first manipulation part connected to a proximal end of said manipulation wire; a second manipulation part including a second grasping portion by which said treatment accessory is held, said second manipulation part connected to a proximal end of said inner tube; a main body connected to a proximal end of said outer tube; a single connecting rod that connects said first manipulation part and said main body, said connecting rod being spaced from and parallel to an axis of said manipulation wire, exposing a proximal end of said inner tube and said manipulation wire for cleaning access in a circumferential range only excepting said connecting rod, said connecting rod and said manipulation wire being positioned on either side of an axial center line of said first grasping portion and said second grasping portion, said manipulation wire being surrounded by a rigid member for preventing buckling of said manipulation wire when said first grasping portion is operated along said axial center line; a fixing device that engages said first manipulation part and at least one of said connecting rod and said manipulating wire, said fixing device enabling attachment and detachment of said at least one of said connecting rod and said manipulation wire to and from said first manipulation part; wherein said second manipulation part is slidable along said connecting rod toward said main body, and wherein said first manipulation part, said main body, said manipulation wire, and said outer tube are interconnected so that when said first and second grasping portions are separated, said inner tube extends relative to said manipulating wire and said outer tube so that said inner tube closes said treatment accessory.