| abstract |
Provided is a soft endoscope which can be used in conjunction with an MRI. The soft endoscope (20) comprises a flexible insertion portion (22) to be inserted into the observation region (11) of an MRI apparatus (10). The insertion portion (22) includes an inner tube (71) made of a resin, a triple helical tube (72) covering the inner tube (71), and an outer tube (73) made of a resin and covering the triple helical tube (72). The triple helical tube (72) includes a first helical band (721) helically wound on the outer circumference of the inner tube (71), a second helical band (722) helically wound in the opposite direction on the outer circumference of that first helical band (721), and a third helical band (723) helically wound, in the direction opposed to the second helical band (722), on the outer circumference of the second helical band (722). The first to third helical bands (721, 722 and 723) are made of a material of low susceptibility such as phosphor bronze or a copper-silver alloy. |