Patent ID: 7625336
Filing Date: 2009-12-01
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An electronic endoscope system used for observing living tissues inside a body cavity, comprising: an illuminating apparatus having a white light source emitting white light and an excitation light source that emits excitation light having a predetermined wavelength, the living tissues emitting autofluorescence when irradiated with the excitation light; an electronic endoscope, which includes: an insertion part configured to be inserted into the body cavity; a light guide configured to guide the white light and the excitation light to a distal end of the insertion part via the insertion part; an imaging device configured to receive an optical image and output image signals corresponding to the received optical image; an image forming system configured to form the optical image of the living tissues illuminated with each of the white light and the excitation light on the imaging device; an operating part provided at a rear anchor of the insertion part; and a plurality of operable members arranged at the operating part; a display device; an image processing system that receives the image signals outputted from the imaging device, the image processing system obtaining a normal image when the living tissues are illuminated with the white light and a fluorescence image when the living tissues are irradiated with the excitation light; and a control system configured to control the whole of the electronic endoscope system, wherein the control system assigns a function to one of the plurality of operable members for switching between a normal mode for observing the normal image and a fluorescence mode for observing the fluorescence image, and wherein the control system assigns different functions between the normal mode and fluorescence mode to at least one of the others of the plurality of operable members.