Patent ID: 7318806

Claim:
An ultrasound endoscope having a rigid tip end section connected to a fore end of an angle section at the distal end of an insertion instrument for accommodating an ultrasound transducer along with endoscopic observation means including an illumination means and an optical image pickup assembly unit; said ultrasound transducer being accommodated in a front portion of a generally tubular casing of said rigid tip end section, said endoscopic observation means being fitted in a sloped wall section provided on said casing on the rear side of said ultrasound transducer and inclined obliquely upward in the rearward direction, and an outlet opening of a biopsy channel outlet passage being opened in said casing at a position between said endoscopic observation means and said ultrasound transducer: wherein: said casing of said rigid tip end section is separable into a main casing adapted to accommodate entire parts of said ultrasound transducer and a separable head block adapted to accommodate at least part of component parts of said endoscopic observation means and separably joined with said main casing to form a cover over an opening provided in said main casing behind said ultrasound transducer and through part of said sloped wall section; said head block is joined with said main casing at joining wall portions provided on said main casing and said separable head block at opposite sides of said optical endoscopic observation means; a foremost ring member of angle rings in said angle section is removably fitted on base end portions of said main casing and said separable head block; and a fore end of an outer skin layer of said angle section is extended forward beyond said foremost ring member and fixedly anchored on a circular outer skin layer anchor surface provided around joined base end portions of said main casing and said separable head block.