Endoscope with replaceable irrigation tube

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an endoscope apparatus having irrigation means which requires little or no internal space, does not substantially enlarge the diameter of the endoscope, and which is so configured and arranged as to render the sterilization thereof relatively easy.
With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the invention is the provision of an endoscope apparatus comprising a handle assembly, and an outer tube having a distal end and a proximal end, the proximal end being fixed to the handle assembly.
The outer tube is provided with a groove in an outermost surface thereof and extending lengthwise thereof.
The apparatus further includes an irrigation tube for disposal in the groove for conducting fluid in a direction from the proximal end to the distal end.
The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.
It will be understood that the particular devices embodying the invention are shown by way of illustration only and not as limitations of the invention.
The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.