A newly improved sliding tube for colonoscopy for keeping the sigmoid colon in a straight condition.

Although a sliding tube made of plastics is very effective to keep the sigmoid colon in a straight position, there is some difficulty in handling the colonoscope, being restricted by the length of the scope. For the purpose of covering the demerits of the conventional sliding tube, a new slit sliding tube which is made up of three parts was devised by us. After straightening the sigmoidal loop, the three parts of the apparatus are joined together. Then the slit sliding tube is inserted into the descending colon with safety and ease. By using the slit sliding tube, handling of the colonoscope is scarcely restricted and becomes easy. Moreover, the slit sliding tube can be used even for the shorter scopes, by which the distal parts of the colon can be more easily examined in comparison with conventional techniques.