PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope apparatus and an endoscopic diagnosis apparatus which detect hardness of a region to be observed of a subject and display an image corresponding to the hardness without troublesome operations and special measuring instruments.SOLUTION: The endoscope apparatus emits illumination light from the distal surface of an endoscope insertion section inserted into the body of a subject, and photographs an image of the region to be observed of the subject by means of an imaging element. The endoscope apparatus has an optical fiber that extends from the distal surface of the endoscope insertion section to an imaging surface of the imaging element. The optical fiber has a stress light emitter on its distal part that is located on the distal surface side of the endoscope insertion section, and the stress light emitter is arranged so as to be exposed from the distal surface of the endoscope insertion section. When the stress light emitter is pressed onto the region to be observed, the stress light emitter emits light in an amount corresponding to the hardness of the region to be observed. The optical fiber then guides the light and the endoscope apparatus photographs an image corresponding to the amount of emitted light by using the imaging element.COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT【課題】面倒な手間や専用の測定器を要することなく、被検体の被観察領域の硬さを検出し、さらに、その硬さに対応する画像を表示することができる内視鏡装置および内視鏡診断装置を提供する。【解決手段】内視鏡装置は、被検体内に挿入される内視鏡挿入部の先端面から照明光を照射し、被検体の被観察領域の画像を撮像素子で撮像するものであって、内視鏡挿入部の先端面から撮像素子の撮像面まで延在するように敷設され、内視鏡挿入部の先端面側の先端部に応力発光体が設けられ、応力発光体が内視鏡挿入部の先端面から露出するように配置された光ファイバを備える。内視鏡装置は、応力発光体を被観察領域に押し当てた場合に、被観察領域の硬さに応じて応力発光体から発せられる光の発光量に対応する画像を、光ファイバで導光して撮像素子で撮像する。【選択図】図6
