JP2006305047A - Ultrasound treatment system and ultrasonic diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ultrasonic treatment system and a ultrasonic diagnostic system which have a sufficient movable area for irradiating an optional section with ultrasonic waves from a narrow acoustic window in a temporal region. <P>SOLUTION: The ultrasonic treatment system is provided with: an ultrasonic probe holding means for holding an ultrasonic probe 1; and a movement fixing means which holds the ultrasonic probe holding means and which three-dimensionally moves and fixes the ultrasonic probe holding means to a position to be irradiated of a patient. The ultrasonic probe holding means is provided with a means for rotating the ultrasonic probe 1 with the axial direction of the ultrasonic probe as a center. The ultrasonic probe holding means is provided with a spring mechanism for pushing the ultrasonic probe out to the side of the patient. The movement fixing means is provided with a means for linearly moving the ultrasonic probe holding means; and a means for rotate-moving the ultrasonic probe holding means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic treatment apparatus for treating a lesioned part by radiating ultrasonic waves transcranially from an ultrasonic transducer in the body and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing a lesioned part. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic therapy apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a movable fixing mechanism suitable for holding an ultrasonic probe while fixing the direction in an arbitrary direction.

Ultrasound therapy equipment that treats lesions by transcranial ultrasound emission from an ultrasound transducer in the body is about to be used to dissolve cerebral thrombi in the hyperacute phase or acute phase immediately after the onset of cerebral infarction Yes. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus diagnoses the lesion. It is necessary to hold and fix a transducer or the like that irradiates ultrasonic waves so that an ultrasonic irradiation beam strikes an irradiation target such as an affected part or a lesioned part. The device for that purpose is a head fixing part. In the conventional head fixing unit, one-dimensional blood flow information has been acquired by a dedicated ultrasonic probe as a fixture of the ultrasonic blood flow measurement device. (For example, Patent Document 1)
JP 10-328189 A

  This ultrasonic apparatus is for fixing a dedicated ultrasonic probe, and generally has no function for holding and diagnosing an ultrasonic probe such as a sector array probe used in ultrasonic diagnosis. Moreover, since the ultrasonic probe cannot be moved three-dimensionally, the ultrasonic probe could not be installed at an appropriate position.

  Therefore, the present invention has a mechanism for holding a therapeutic ultrasonic probe, a commonly used diagnostic ultrasonic probe, or an ultrasonic probe incorporating a therapeutic / diagnostic transducer, and has an acoustic window with a narrow temporal region. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic therapy apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a sufficient movable range of an ultrasonic probe so that an ultrasonic wave can be irradiated to an arbitrary site.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ultrasonic probe holding means for holding an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic probe holding means in an ultrasonic treatment apparatus for performing treatment by irradiating a subject with therapeutic ultrasonic waves. And a moving and fixing means for fixing the ultrasonic probe holding means to the irradiation position of the subject by three-dimensional movement. The ultrasonic probe holding means includes means for rotating the ultrasonic probe around the axial direction of the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe holding means includes a spring mechanism that pushes the ultrasonic probe toward the subject. The movement fixing means includes means for linearly moving the ultrasonic probe holding means and means for rotating the ultrasonic probe holding means. The movement fixing means is fixed to a headband type, headphone type, or pillow type fixing unit that fixes the head of the subject. In an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that performs diagnosis by irradiating a subject with diagnostic ultrasound, an ultrasound probe holding unit that holds an ultrasound probe, and the ultrasound probe holding unit are held at an irradiation position of the subject. Fixing means for moving and fixing the ultrasonic probe holding means in three dimensions.

  Specifically, in an ultrasonic therapy apparatus for a blood vessel in a cranium, an ultrasonic probe fixing tool for a head for fixing an ultrasonic probe to a head, an attachment part for holding a probe, and a joint for supporting the attachment part And a fixed part that holds the joint part on the head. In addition, the fixing portion that holds the joint portion on the head portion is configured by a pillow-type fixing member that is arranged on the bed and fixes the head portion and the attachment portion that holds the probe. In addition, the fixing portion that holds the joint portion on the head is constituted by a headband type fixing device having a structure in which the fixing portion is wound around the head and fixed. The fixing part that holds the joint part on the head is composed of a headphone-type fixing device that is sandwiched from both sides around the top of the head. In the fixed part of the ultrasonic probe fixture for the head, there is a means to replace the attachment that fixes the probe, and by replacing it with a unique attachment that matches the ultrasonic probe of different shape, not only ultrasonic therapy It can be applied to cerebral blood flow measurement and intracranial diagnosis. In the fixing part of the ultrasonic probe fixing tool, it is provided with a slide fixing means for parallelly fixing the attachment part up and down, left and right and back and forth, a rotation holding means, and a means for fixing at an arbitrary angle, or a flexible arm, etc. By providing a means for freely fixing the attachment position using, intracranial ultrasonic diagnostic treatment can be performed from an arbitrary position and angle. In the ultrasonic probe fixture, the connection part between the head fixing part and the joint part can be shared by using the headphone type, the headband type, and the pillow type in common.

  In the present invention, ultrasonic treatment and ultrasonic diagnosis with high accuracy can be performed by fixing an ultrasonic probe in close contact with the head.

  A block diagram of an ultrasonic therapy apparatus applied to the present invention is shown in FIG. An ultrasonic probe 1 that emits therapeutic ultrasonic waves and diagnostic ultrasonic waves to a subject, a therapeutic transmission unit 2 that supplies a therapeutic drive signal to the ultrasonic probe 1, and a diagnostic probe for the ultrasonic probe 1. An image pickup unit 3 that supplies a drive signal and picks up an ultrasonic tomographic image (hereinafter referred to as a tomographic image) based on a reflected echo signal output from the ultrasonic probe 1, and an image picked up by the image pickup unit 3 It comprises a display unit 4 as means for displaying a tomographic image, a control unit 5 for controlling each unit, and the like.

  In this ultrasonic therapy apparatus, in order to degenerate (for example, coagulation necrosis) the living tissue in the treatment area, therapeutic ultrasonic waves are continuously emitted to the treatment area for several seconds (for example, 2 to 10 seconds). . Further, in order to denature the living tissue over the entire affected area, therapeutic ultrasonic waves are sequentially emitted to a plurality of treatment areas. Considering the influence on the healthy living tissue around the affected area, the treatment ultrasound emission interval is set to be relatively long. In addition, the thrombus may be continuously irradiated with weak ultrasonic waves for a long time (maximum 60 minutes).

  The ultrasound probe 1 includes a plurality of transducers for transmitting and receiving diagnostic ultrasound between a treatment probe 6 in which a plurality of transducers for emitting therapeutic ultrasound to a subject are arranged and a subject. A diagnostic probe 7 is arranged. The therapeutic probe 6 and the diagnostic probe 7 are integrally formed side by side, but may be laminated. It is only necessary to know the relative position of the therapeutic probe 6 and the diagnostic probe 7. The therapeutic probe 6 and the diagnostic probe 7 use convex type transducers in which a plurality of transducers are arranged one-dimensionally, but are not limited to this, for example, linear type or sector type It may be a thing. The therapeutic wave transmitting unit 6 includes a therapeutic pulse generating unit 8 that generates a therapeutic driving signal, a therapeutic delay unit 9 that performs focus processing on the driving signal output from the therapeutic pulse generating unit 8, and a therapeutic unit Amplifying means 10 for amplifying the drive signal output from the delay means 9 and outputting it to each transducer of the treatment probe 6 is provided.

  The tomographic imaging unit 3 includes a diagnostic pulse generator 11 that generates a diagnostic drive signal, a diagnostic delay unit 12 that performs focus processing on the drive signal output from the diagnostic pulse generator 11, and a diagnostic delay Amplifying means 13 is provided for amplifying the drive signal output from means 12 and outputting it to each transducer of diagnostic probe 7 via transmission / reception separating means 14. Further, the amplifier 15 for receiving and amplifying the reflected echo signal output from the diagnostic probe 7 via the transmission / reception separating means 14 and the phase of the reflected echo signal amplified by the amplifier 15 are phased. A phasing means 16 for adding, and an image processing means 17 for reconstructing a tomographic image based on the reflected echo signal output from the phasing means 16 and outputting it to the display unit 4 are provided. The image processing means 17 has an image memory 18 for temporarily storing the reconstructed tomographic image.

  The control unit 5 that controls each unit is controlled by an input signal of the console 19, and controls each unit according to the input signal.

  The present invention is an ultrasonic therapeutic apparatus for performing a safe treatment that is stably held for a long time by obtaining a high degree of fixation of the ultrasonic probe 10 with respect to the head during cerebral thrombolysis therapy. A headphone type, a headband type, and a pillow type were applied to fix the head. The attachment part that holds the ultrasonic probe 1 is connected to the head fixing part by using a flexible arm or the like, and the skull probe 7 and the treatment probe 6 attached to the attachment part are used for the cranial head. An arbitrary cross section can be ultrasonically scanned from a narrow acoustic window. Moreover, it was set as the structure which can be shared respectively with an attachment part and a head fixing | fixed part.

  Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The head fixing part includes a headband type shown in FIG. 2, a headphone type shown in FIG. 3, and a pillow type shown in FIG.

  In addition, the attachment part for holding the ultrasonic probe 1 has a disc shape as shown in FIG. 5 and a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. Further, an adjuster arm 39 having the shape shown in FIG. 4 is applied to the headband and headphone type for connection between the head holding portion and the attachment portion. As the pillow mold, left and right slide bars 82, vertical slide bars 83, and front and rear slide bars 84 having the shape shown in FIG. In addition, a flexible arm shown in FIG. 13 was applied for common use. Note that the attachment part can be shared by a headband type, a headphone type, and a pillow type.

  First, the headband head holder according to the first embodiment will be described. In FIG. 2, the headband-type head holding tool includes a temporal ultrasound probe fixing unit 30 that supports the temporal region of the subject, a forehead pressing unit 31 that supports the forehead, and a occipital pressing unit 32 that supports the occipital region. , The head top holding portion 33 that supports the head top portion, and a belt that couples each.

  The belt is pressed against the subject's head via the forehead presser 31, the occipital presser 32, and the crown presser 33. The belt 340 connects the forehead presser 31 and the top presser 33. The belt 341 and the belt 342 respectively connect the left and right temporal ultrasonic probe fixing portions 30 at the top of the head, cross at the top of the head, and press the top of the head pressing portion 33 against the head. The belt 343 connects the left and right temporal ultrasonic probe fixing portions 30 at the frontal portion, and presses the frontal portion pressing portion 31 against the head at the frontal portion. The belt 344 couples the left and right temporal ultrasound probe fixing parts 30 at the back of the head and presses the back of the head holding part 32 against the head at the back of the head. In this way, the top of the head is pressed by the belt 340, the belt 341, and the belt 342, and the periphery of the head is pressed by the belt 343 and the belt 344.

  Each presser can be fixed to the head according to the size of the head by fastening each belt with an adhesive tape or string (not shown). At first, it is tightened loosely and tightened with fine adjustment so that the temporal ultrasonic probe fixing part 30 is fixed at a suitable position.

  The temporal ultrasonic probe fixing portions 30 are provided on the left and right side heads, and the adjuster arm 39 can be fixed to either the left or right side head. A sliding screw 35 that can move back and forth (in the z-axis direction) is attached to the temporal ultrasonic probe fixing portion 30. When this screw 35 is tightened, it is fixed to the temporal ultrasonic probe fixing portion 30. To slide the screw 35 in the z-axis direction, loosen the screw 35 and slide it. Actually, the screw 35 is slid to the upper part of the temple of the temporal region, and the screw 35 is tightened and fixed.

  The headphone head fixing part shown in FIG. 3 is also fixed to the head in the same manner as the headband head holder. The headphone unit 70 combines the left and right temporal ultrasound probe fixing units 30 at the top of the head and presses them against the head. The principle of the headphone unit 70 is the same as that of music headphones. Since the headphone unit 70 is smaller than the size of the head, the left and right temporal ultrasound probe fixing units 30 can be pressed from the side surfaces using elastic force. The headphone unit 70 is provided with a size adjusting unit (not shown) that expands and contracts the entire length of the headphone unit 70 and can be adjusted to the size of the head.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the adjuster arm 39 is provided with a vertically long opening 390 so that the adjuster arm 39 can move up and down (in the y-axis direction). A screw is passed through the opening 390, and the adjuster arm 39 is fixed to the temporal ultrasonic probe fixing unit 30 using the screw 35. The adjuster arm 39 is sandwiched and fixed between the head of the screw 35 and the temporal ultrasonic probe fixing portion 30. The movement in the z-axis direction is realized by sliding the screw 35, and at the same time, the movement in the y-axis direction is realized by moving the adjuster arm 39.

Thus, by attaching an attachment that holds the ultrasonic probe 1 to the tip of the adjuster arm 39, a rectangular movable area such as the hatched portion in FIG. In this embodiment, since both the y-axis direction and the z-axis direction have a movable range of 5 cm, a movable area of 25 cm ² can be provided. This movable area is a sufficient range for adjustment applied to the temple.

  The attachment 37 is attached to the adjuster portion 391 at the tip of the adjuster arm 39 via the ball joint portion 36. The ball joint portion 36 is pressed and fixed to the adjuster portion 391 by using a bar having two rectangular grooves for receiving the ball. By tightening the knob 41, the ball joint portion 36 is fixed at four points. The knob 41 is provided with a known screw mechanism.

  Then, by loosening the knob 41, the ball joint portion 36 freely moves linearly within the rectangular groove and rotates. When moving linearly, the left and right movement (x axis) can be realized by the two rectangular grooves provided as the ball receiving portions of the adjuster portion 391 and the ball joint portion 36. Since one part of the ball of the ball joint portion 36 has entered the groove, the y-axis direction and the z-axis direction are fixed. Therefore, the ball joint portion 36 can move the attachment 37 only in the x-axis direction without moving the attachment 37 in the y-axis direction and the z-axis direction. The ball joint portion 36 has a movable range of 3 cm in the x-axis direction.

In addition, the rotation movement (β axis, γ axis) can be realized by the two rectangular grooves provided as the ball receiving portions of the adjuster portion 391 and the ball joint portion 36 in the same manner as the left and right movements. . The ball of the ball joint portion 36 is rotated around the axis of the ball joint portion 36 (β axis), and the center point of the ball is rotated as the center (γ axis). Therefore, according to the inclination angle of the head of the subject, the attachment 37 can be rotated to fit the head. The rotation of the β axis has a movable range of 360 degrees, and the rotation of the γ axis has a movable range of 150 degrees.
After these adjustments are completed, the ball joint portion 36 is fixed to the adjuster arm 39 by tightening the knob 41.

  An attachment 37 for fixing the ultrasonic probe 1 is shown in FIG. The ultrasonic probe case 38 is provided with a mechanism (not shown) for pressing the ultrasonic probe 1 from the side, and the ultrasonic probe 1 is fixed to the ultrasonic probe case 38. As a pressing mechanism, for example, the ultrasonic probe 1 is pressed and fixed by tightening a screw, or an elastic rubber is installed inside the ultrasonic probe case 38 to fix the ultrasonic probe 1.

  The tip of the ultrasonic probe case 38 has a disc shape and is inscribed in the ring of the attachment 37. A knob 40 is attached to the ring break of the attachment 37 so that the ultrasonic probe case 38 can be fixed. The ultrasonic probe 1 fixed to the ultrasonic probe case 38 is fixed to the attachment 37 side by tightening the knob 40. The knob 40 is provided with a known screw mechanism.

  Then, by loosening the knob 40, the ultrasonic probe 1 can be rotated about the axial direction of the probe (α axis). Therefore, the irradiation cross section of the probe of the ultrasonic probe 1 can be changed with respect to the head of the subject. This rotation of the α axis has a movable range of 360 degrees.

  Next, an operation procedure for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, the adjuster arm 39 is moved in the y-axis direction and the z-axis direction using the screw 35 and the opening portion 390, and fixed to the temporal ultrasonic probe fixing portion 30 (S100). Then, using the ball joint portion 36 and the opening portion 391, the attachment 37 is moved in the x-axis direction, rotated in the β-axis and γ-axis directions, and fixed to the adjuster arm 39 (S101). The position of the ultrasonic probe 1 is confirmed with respect to the head of the subject (S102). If the ultrasonic probe 1 does not fit to the head of the subject, S100 and S101 are performed again to fit. If the ultrasonic probe 1 is fitted to the head of the subject, the ultrasonic probe 1 is rotated in the α-axis direction and fixed to the attachment 37 (S103). Then, the head is irradiated with ultrasonic waves at a fixed position, and the ultrasonic tomogram or Doppler image obtained from the received signal is used for confirmation (S104). If the treatment site including the blood flow is not clearly displayed in the ultrasonic tomogram or Doppler image, S104 is performed again, the ultrasonic probe 1 is rotated in the α-axis direction, and the treatment site is clearly displayed. Readjust until you read. When the treatment site is clearly displayed, the setting is completed. Although not shown in this flowchart, if the ultrasonic tomographic image is not clear due to the influence of bones such as temples, the process may be repeated from S100 or may be set from the temples on the opposite side.

  Next, as a second embodiment, an example in which a pillow-type head fixing portion as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 12 is applied will be described. The difference from the first embodiment is that the head is fixed by the head fixing portion 81, the attachment for fixing the ultrasonic probe 1 is attached to the head fixing portion 81, and the position is adjusted.

  The head fixing portion 81 has a recess sufficient to cover the head. A relatively elastic material is applied to the surface of the head fixing portion 81. For example, a substance on sponge or rubber is applied. The head and neck are fixed by this depression, and it becomes difficult for the subject to rotate the head around the neck. The head fixing part 81 may fix the forehead part with a band (not shown). By fixing the forehead, the fixation of the head is further strengthened.

  The side surface of the head fixing portion 81 includes a left / right slide bar 82, an upper / lower slide bar 83, and a front / rear slide bar 84. A probe fixing unit 50 for fixing the ultrasonic probe 1 is installed at the center of the front / rear slide bar 84.

  When it is desired to move in the x-axis direction, the knob 87 is loosened, the left and right slide bars 82 are moved in the x-axis direction, and the knob 87 is tightened and fixed. When moving in the y-axis direction, the knob 85 and the knob 86 are loosened, the front / rear slide bar 84 is moved in the y-axis direction, and the knob 85 and the knob 86 are tightened and fixed. When it is desired to move in the z-axis direction, the knob 86 is loosened, the vertical slide bar 83 is moved in the z-axis direction, and the knob 86 is tightened and fixed. The knob 85, the knob 86, and the knob 87 are provided with a known screw mechanism.

  Since the front / rear slide bar 84 is fixed to the knob 85 and the knob 86, it is desirable to fix the upper / lower slide bar 83 after the front / rear slide bar 84 is moved and fixed by the knob 85. As described above, the probe fixing unit 50 can be freely operated in the left / right / front / rear and up / down directions (x axis, y axis, z axis). Note that the knob 85 need only be slid without being installed, and in that case, positioning in the y-axis direction and the z-axis direction can be performed only with the knob 86.

  Next, the probe fixing unit 50 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the ultrasonic probe 1 is held by the triaxial attachment 51 from the left and right. FIG. 10 is an external view, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view when viewed from above. A knob 54 is attached to the cut end of the ring 52 so that the three-axis attachment 51 can be fixed. The ultrasonic probe 1 fixed to the triaxial attachment 51 is fixed to the triaxial attachment 51 side by being attached to the knob 40. The knob 54 is provided with a known screw mechanism.

  The spherical portion of the three-axis attachment 51 is inscribed in the ring 52 of the ultrasonic probe case, and is a mechanism (α axis, β axis, γ axis) that can freely rotate and tilt. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the ring 52 of the probe case has two ring-shaped protrusions having different diameters. The protrusion on the distal end side of the ultrasonic probe 1 has a larger diameter, and the protrusion on the rear side has a smaller diameter. The spherical three-axis attachment 51 is fixed by these two ring-shaped protrusions. The interval between the two rings is about 0.5 to 1 cm.

  Further, the diameters of the two protrusions may be the same. In that case, the midpoint of the two protrusions passes through the center of the sphere of the spherical triaxial attachment 51, and the rigidity of the triaxial attachment 51 with respect to the ring increases.

  When the ultrasonic probe 1 is to be rotated or tilted, the knob 54 is loosened and adjusted. Since the triaxial attachment 51 is spherical and the ring 52 partially sandwiches the spherical triaxial attachment 51, it can be rotated in the α-axis direction. In addition, the inclination in the β-axis and γ-axis directions can be adjusted simultaneously. The rotation of the α axis has a movable range of 360 degrees, and the inclination of the β axis and the γ axis both have a movable range of 90 degrees. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe 1 can be tilted within a range of 90 degrees.

  The ring 53 has a ring shape having substantially the same diameter as the ring 52, and is connected to the ring 52 via a spring 55 and four anti-rotation slide poles 56. The ring 52 and the ring 53 have a hole through which the slide type pole 56 is passed, and the slide type pole 56 has projections having a size that does not pass through the hole (not shown). In the initial state, the extension of the spring 55 is supported by the protrusion of the sliding pole 56. Further, since there are four sliding poles 56 and springs 55, the rings 52 and 53 can be prevented from freely rotating. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe 1 is a mechanism that slides in the expansion and contraction direction of the spring but does not rotate. The expansion and contraction of the spring is about 1 cm, and the ultrasonic probe 1 can be adjusted by this expansion and contraction. Although not shown, both the ring 52 and the ring 53 are fixed to the slide bar 84 via a fixture.

  In this way, by having six axes of x axis, y axis, z axis, α axis, β axis, and γ axis, it is possible to irradiate ultrasonic waves to any part in the skull, and furthermore, by holding spring 53, Since a certain tension is applied to the temporal region from the surface of the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe and the temporal region can be reliably adhered.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the head fixing portion 81 can be expanded and contracted in the arrow direction. The expansion / contraction mechanism can be realized even if a spring (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface of the head fixing portion 81, or the head fixing portion 81 itself is an elastic body (not shown). Therefore, it is possible to provide the head fixing portion 81 suitable for the head size. In addition, by making the shape of the bottom surface of the head fixing portion 81 a semicircular shape, the fixing tool rotates in accordance with the rotation of the patient's neck, and the pillow-type fixing tool with less burden on the patient is obtained.

  The operation procedure of the second embodiment is almost the same as the operation procedure of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Each slide bar is moved in the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction, and the tilts in the β-axis and γ-axis directions are adjusted simultaneously (S101, S102). The position of the ultrasonic probe 1 is confirmed with respect to the head of the subject (S102). If the ultrasonic probe 1 does not fit to the head of the subject, S100 and S101 are performed again to fit. Then, the ultrasonic probe 1 is rotated and fixed in the α-axis direction (S103). Then, the head is irradiated with ultrasonic waves at a fixed position, and the ultrasonic tomogram or Doppler image obtained from the received signal is used for confirmation (S104). In the ultrasonic tomogram or Doppler image, the treatment site including the blood flow is not clearly displayed, or S104 is performed again, and the ultrasound probe 1 is rotated in the α-axis direction to clearly display the treatment site. Readjust until.

  As a third embodiment, a flexible arm is applied as shown in FIG. The difference from the second embodiment is that the head fixing portion 81 is provided with a flexible arm. The end portion of the flexible arm is fixed to a part of the head fixing portion 81 applied in the second embodiment. The ultrasonic probe 1 is installed at the other end. The ultrasonic probe 1 uses the probe fixing unit 50 described above in the second embodiment.

  The flexible arm has four shafts and three spherical joints that connect the four shafts. The joints serve as axes, and each has a structure that rotates and moves. Fix the three joints individually or at the same time. When each joint part is fixed, the joint part on the head fixing part 81 side is fixed, and the joint part on the ultrasonic probe side is finally finely adjusted and fixed.

  Therefore, since the ultrasonic probe 1 can move three-dimensionally, the ultrasonic probe 1 can be brought into close contact with the head freely by being connected via the head fixing portion 81. By holding the spring 53, a constant tension is applied to the temporal region from the surface of the ultrasonic probe, so that the ultrasonic probe and the temporal region can be securely adhered to each other. In addition, since there are a plurality of joint portions, the ultrasonic probe 1 can be installed in the temple of the head, avoiding the head face of the subject.

  In addition, the flexible arm can be installed on the crown holding part 33 or the headphone part 70 of the first embodiment. In this case, since the head of the subject is integrated with a headband or headphones, the ultrasonic probe 1 is fixed to the head of the subject via the flexible arm.

  In the above description, the ultrasonic therapy apparatus is specialized. However, the first to third embodiments may be applied to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Equipped with attachments according to the shape of various ultrasonic probes, and by replacing them, not only ultrasonic therapeutic probes, transcranial Doppler ultrasonic probes, various ultrasonic probes (e.g. linear, convex etc.) and various measurements Other general ultrasonic probes such as a blood vessel can be fixed to the temporal region, and a highly accurate diagnosis can be made in intracranial blood flow monitoring. That is, the present invention is also applied to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in which the therapeutic wave transmission unit 2 and the therapeutic probe 6 which are the components of the treatment in FIG. 1 are omitted. In that case, the ultrasonic probe 1 is configured only by the diagnostic probe 7 and is displayed on the display unit 4 via the tomographic image capturing unit 3. The procedure is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. Since it is repeated, it is not specifically described here. Thus, by applying to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, diagnostic efficiency can be raised and a highly accurate diagnosis can be performed.

  Although the headphone type, the headband type, and the pillow type are shown in the above embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 1 may be fixed in a shape that covers the entire head like a swimming cap.

  Further, regarding the probe fixing portion 50, an elastic body on rubber may be applied instead of the spring 55. Instead of the four sliding poles 56, five or more may be applied as a cylindrical shape. Further, three or more rings that allow the sliding pole 56 to pass therethrough may be provided. This is effective because the rigidity increases as the number of sliding poles and rings increases.

  In the present invention, the ultrasonic probe 1 is closely attached to the temple of the head. However, the ultrasonic probe 1 may be applied not only to the head but also to ultrasonic treatment and ultrasonic diagnosis of limbs and internal organs.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to irradiate an ultrasonic wave to an arbitrary cross section from a narrow acoustic window on the temporal region without imposing a burden on an operator or a patient. It becomes possible to perform cerebral infarction treatment and cerebral blood flow monitoring for a long time. For headphone type and headband type, the posture can be changed such as lying down and sitting, so the fixed type is stable for pillow type, so reliable ultrasonic treatment and ultrasonic diagnosis are possible. Can be provided.

The figure which shows the whole block diagram by this invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the headband type fixing tool by this invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the headphone type fixing tool by this invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the joint part of the attachment by this invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the ultrasonic probe fixing tool by this invention. The figure which shows the movement area | region of the connection probe in the headband type fixing tool by this invention. FIG. 4 shows steps according to the present invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the pillow type fixing tool by this invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the joint part of the pillow-type fixing tool by this invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the triaxial attachment part by this invention. The figure which shows the cross section of the triaxial attachment part by this invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the pillow type fixing tool by this invention. The figure which shows embodiment of the connection of the flexible arm and attachment part by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic probe, 2 therapeutic wave transmission part, 3 imaging part, 4 display part, 5 control part, 30 side head ultrasonic probe fixing | fixed part, 37 attachment, 39 adjuster arm, 52 ring, 53 ring, 81 head Fixed part, 84 Slide bar

Claims (6)

  In an ultrasonic therapy apparatus for performing treatment by irradiating a subject with therapeutic ultrasound, an ultrasonic probe holding means for holding an ultrasonic probe, and holding the ultrasonic probe holding means at an irradiation position of the subject An ultrasonic therapy apparatus comprising: a movement fixing unit that fixes the ultrasonic probe holding unit by moving three-dimensionally.   2. The ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic probe holding means includes means for rotating the ultrasonic probe around the axial direction of the ultrasonic probe.   The ultrasonic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic probe holding unit includes a spring mechanism that pushes the ultrasonic probe toward the subject.   The ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement fixing means includes a means for linearly moving the ultrasonic probe holding means and a means for rotating the ultrasonic probe holding means.   The ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement fixing unit is fixed to a headband type, headphone type, or pillow type fixing unit that fixes the head of the subject.   In an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that performs diagnosis by irradiating a subject with diagnostic ultrasound, an ultrasound probe holding unit that holds an ultrasound probe, and the ultrasound probe holding unit are held at an irradiation position of the subject. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a fixing unit that moves the ultrasonic probe holding unit three-dimensionally and fixes the ultrasonic probe holding unit.

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