JP3676453B2 - Acicular ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a needle-like ultrasonic probe that directly inserts an ultrasonic transducer provided at a needle tip into a living tissue in a subject and collects an ultrasonic image of the living tissue by two-dimensional scanning of the ultrasonic wave. In particular, it is possible to suppress the influence on the living tissue by direct insertion into the living tissue, and it is possible to collect ultrasonic images of the living tissue in a short time, and to perform measurement with different measuring conditions by one insertion. The present invention relates to a needle-like ultrasonic probe capable of simultaneously collecting sound images and a method for manufacturing the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a method for diagnosing a lesion occurring in each part of a body cavity, a biopsy (biopsy) is generally performed. This is because an ultrasonic imaging device is used to draw the puncture needle to a predetermined location while depicting the lesion in the body cavity, and after capturing and collecting a part of the biological tissue of the lesion within the tip of the needle, an observation sample is prepared. The disease name is diagnosed by discrimination under an optical microscope. However, this method requires a long time for diagnosis because it is necessary to perform various treatments after the biological tissue is removed from the body, and various processing is applied to the sample. There was a problem that there was a risk of changing from the state of. In response to these circumstances, in recent years, an ultrasonic transducer that attaches an ultrasonic transducer to a puncture needle and directly punctures the lesion, examines the tissue properties of the lesion, or images surrounding living tissue Probes have been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-78299 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-9097.
[0003]
In the conventional needle-like ultrasonic probe, as shown in FIG. 1, a round rod-like shape made of a rigid material is formed on the inner side of an outer needle 1 made of a rigid material in the shape of a thin hollow pipe. And an inner needle 2 having a conical tip formed therein is inserted so that it can rotate around its axis and translate in the axial direction. Is provided, and the inner needle 2 and the outer needle 1 are inserted into a subject to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the inner needle 2 is Two-dimensional scanning of rotation and translation is performed to collect ultrasonic images of living tissue.
[0004]
A cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 shows that a groove 4 is formed in a part of the outer surface of the inner needle 2 as shown in FIG. The vessel 3 was fitted and fixed. The ultrasonic transducer 3 is based on an acoustic lens material 5 such as sapphire or silicon, and is provided with a lower electrode 7, a piezoelectric body 8, and an upper electrode 9 on one surface 6 of the acoustic lens material 5. The surface 10 is provided with a lens surface 11 formed in a concave spherical shape. Here, by driving the lower electrode 7, the piezoelectric body 8, and the upper electrode 9, an ultrasonic wave 12 is generated, and the ultrasonic wave 12 is refracted and bent by the lens surface 11, and the ultrasonic wave after the refraction is bent. The sound wave 12 ′ is focused on the focal point 13. In addition, the code | symbol 14 shows the imaging area | region obtained by the said focus 13 by rotating the inner needle 2 like arrow B similarly to FIG. 2, and the code | symbol 15 shows a test object.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a conventional needle-like ultrasonic probe, as shown in FIG. 15, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is fitted into the groove 4 formed in a part of the outer surface of the inner needle 2. Since it was only fixed, the other surface 10 of the acoustic lens material 5 in contact with the subject 15 was flat or concave with respect to, for example, a circular cross section of the member of the inner needle 2. Accordingly, when the inner needle 2 is rotated as indicated by the arrow B as shown in FIG. 2 and ultrasonic scanning is performed, the living tissue of the subject 15 may be damaged by the planar portion or the concave portion. Further, since the other surface 10 of the acoustic lens material 5 is flat or concave, absorption by the subject 15 in the path of the ultrasonic wave 12 'from the focal point 13 increases, and the sound field is disturbed. There was a thing. Therefore, the image quality of the obtained ultrasonic image may be deteriorated.
[0006]
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, since only one ultrasonic transducer 3 is provided on the outer surface in the vicinity of the distal end portion of the inner needle 2, the position of the focal point 13 is fixed to one type. Therefore, there is only one ultrasonic information in the depth direction obtained by one insertion into the subject 15. Therefore, in order to obtain a plurality of ultrasonic information on the lesioned part of the subject 15, it is necessary to repeat the insertion of the needle-like ultrasonic probe a plurality of times, which increases the burden on the patient. Furthermore, since the single ultrasonic transducer 3 uses only one center frequency fixed thereto, the image resolution of the obtained ultrasonic image is determined to be one type. Therefore, when it is desired to observe the lesioned part of the subject 15 with higher accuracy, it is necessary to exchange the ultrasonic transducer 3 having a higher center frequency for measurement several times. From this, similarly to the above, the insertion of the needle-like ultrasonic probe is repeated a plurality of times, which increases the burden on the patient.
[0007]
Furthermore, in the single ultrasonic transducer 3, as shown in FIG. 2, the inner needle 2 is rotated as indicated by an arrow B and translated as indicated by an arrow C to perform two-dimensional scanning of ultrasonic waves. 16, the inner needle 2 is rotated at a certain position as indicated by an arrow B to move the focal point 13 on the imaging region 14, and then the inner needle 2 is translated as indicated by an arrow C. It must be repeated to shift to another position and rotate again as indicated by arrow B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16B, for example, it takes time to obtain an ultrasonic image by two-dimensionally scanning the entire imaging region 14 having an area of a × b. This also increased the burden on the patient.
[0008]
Therefore, the present invention addresses such problems, can suppress the influence on the living tissue by direct insertion into the living tissue, and can collect ultrasonic images of the living tissue in a short time, It is another object of the present invention to provide a needle-like ultrasonic probe that can simultaneously collect ultrasonic images with different measurement conditions by one insertion and a method for manufacturing the needle-like ultrasonic probe.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above objective, Book The needle-like ultrasonic probe according to the invention has an outer needle formed in a thin hollow pipe shape with a rigid material, and is formed in a thin round bar shape with a rigid material and a tip portion formed in a conical shape, An inner needle inserted inside the outer needle so as to be rotatable about an axis and translated in the axial direction; an ultrasonic transducer provided on the outer surface near the tip of the inner needle, for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves; The ultrasonic transducer is provided on the same base made of an acoustic lens material. Parallel at appropriate intervals along the axial direction of the inner needle Multiple Is The plurality of ultrasonic transducers near the tip of the inner needle But Establishment Is Outside surface shape Is Formed to have the same arcuate cross section as the outer surface of the other part of the inner needle And The outer surface of the entire inner needle Is Finished with a smooth surface Is The inner needle and the outer needle are inserted into the subject and the above Multiple From ultrasonic transducer at the same time Ultrasound is transmitted and received and the inner needle is rotated and translated two-dimensionally to collect ultrasonic images of the living tissue of the subject. Made possible Is.
[0011]
Further, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are each ultrasonic transducer. Have the same center frequency, with the same upper electrode, The lens conditions for converging the generated ultrasonic waves may be the same.
[0012]
Furthermore, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are each ultrasonic transducer. Have the same or different center frequencies and comprise the same or different upper electrodes, Lens conditions to converge the generated ultrasound Are the same or different It may be a thing.
[0013]
In addition, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are each ultrasonic transducer. Have different center frequencies, with different upper electrodes, Lens conditions to converge the generated ultrasound Is different It may be a thing.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 Book It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows embodiment of the acicular ultrasonic probe by invention. This needle-shaped ultrasonic probe is a device that directly inserts an ultrasonic transducer provided at the needle tip into a living tissue in a subject and collects an ultrasonic image of the living tissue by two-dimensional scanning of the ultrasonic wave. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the outer needle 1, the inner needle 2, and the ultrasonic transducer 3 are provided.
[0017]
The outer needle 1 is a member that holds the inner needle 2 on the inside and serves as a guide when inserting into the living tissue of the subject 15. The outer needle 1 is made of a rigid material such as metal and has a small outer diameter of about 2 mm. It is formed in the shape of a hollow pipe. An inner needle 2 is inserted inside the outer needle 1. The inner needle 2 holds an ultrasonic transducer 3 to be described later on the outer surface and directly inserts into the living tissue of the subject 15. The inner needle 2 is made of a rigid material such as metal and has a small diameter of about 1 to 2 mm. The tip 16 is formed in a conical shape, and is inserted coaxially inside the outer needle 1 with a small clearance, and as shown in FIG. It is provided so as to be rotatable like B and to be translated like an arrow C in the axial direction thereof.
[0018]
An ultrasonic transducer 3 is provided on the outer surface of the inner needle 2 near the distal end portion 16. The ultrasonic transducer 3 emits an ultrasonic wave into the subject 15 and receives an echo signal reflected from the living tissue. As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is formed on a part of the outer surface of the inner needle 2. A groove 4 is formed, and is fitted and fixed in the groove 4. The ultrasonic transducer 3 is based on an acoustic lens material 5 such as sapphire or silicon, and is provided with a lower electrode 7, a piezoelectric body 8 and an upper electrode 9 on one surface 6 of the acoustic lens material 5. The surface 10 is provided with a lens surface 11 formed in a concave spherical shape. . So Then, by driving the lower electrode 7, the piezoelectric body 8, and the upper electrode 9, an ultrasonic wave 12 is generated, and this ultrasonic wave 12 is refracted and bent by the lens surface 11, and the ultrasonic wave after being refracted. The sound wave 12 ′ is focused on the focal point 13. Reference numeral 14 denotes an imaging region obtained by the focal point 13 by rotating the inner needle 2 as shown by an arrow B as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an intermediate base 17 is mounted on a part of the acoustic lens material 5, the intermediate base 17, the lower electrode 7 and the upper electrode 9 are bonded to each other by signal lines 18, and further A cable 19 is connected to the intermediate base 17 and connected to a control device (not shown).
[0019]
In such a state, the inner needle 2 and the outer needle 1 are inserted into the subject 15, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received from the ultrasonic transducer 3 into the subject 15, and the inner needle 2 is moved as indicated by the arrow B. As described above, the two-dimensional scanning is performed by rotating and translating as indicated by an arrow C, and an ultrasonic image of the living tissue of the subject 15 is collected.
[0020]
Here, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer surface shape of the portion where the ultrasonic transducer 3 is provided in the vicinity of the distal end portion of the inner needle 2 is the outer surface of the other portion of the inner needle 2. The inner needle 2 as a whole is formed to have the same arcuate cross section The outer surface of It has a smooth surface. That is, the filling material 20 is filled in the recess of the site where the lens surface 11 of the ultrasonic transducer 3 fitted in the groove 4 formed in a part of the outer surface of the inner needle 2 is provided. The outer surface shape of the material 20 is formed so as to have the same arcuate cross section as the outer surface of the other part of the inner needle 2. The filler 20 is made of a material having a sound velocity slower than that of the acoustic lens material 5 as a base member of the ultrasonic transducer 3, a low acoustic impedance, a low acoustic attenuation, and a good biological compatibility. Use.
[0021]
As a result, the inner needle 2 as a whole is finished with a round bar-like smooth surface. For example, as shown in FIG. Does not damage living tissue. Further, as is apparent from FIG. 3, since the filler 20 is formed in an arc-shaped cross section up to the vicinity of the focal point 13 of the ultrasonic wave 12 ', the ultrasonic wave is hardly absorbed by the subject 15 and the sound field is disturbed. Can be prevented. Therefore, an ultrasonic image with good image quality can be obtained.
[0022]
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the example shown in FIG. In this example, the acoustic matching layer 21 is provided on the concave spherical surface portion of the lens surface 11 formed on the acoustic lens material 5 of the ultrasonic transducer 3, and the above-described filler material 20 is filled on the outer side thereof to form the outer surface shape. The needle 2 is formed so as to have the same arcuate cross section as the outer surface of the other part of the needle 2. In this case, it is possible to further improve the image quality by improving the ultrasonic sensitivity as compared with the case of FIG.
[0023]
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another modification of the example shown in FIG. In this example, a convex spherical surface portion is provided on the inner side surface of the acoustic lens material 5 of the ultrasonic transducer 3 to form a lens surface 11, and a lower electrode 7 and a piezoelectric body 8 formed into a concave spherical surface on the upper surface of the lens surface 11. And the upper electrode 9, and the outer surface shape of the acoustic lens material 5 is formed to have the same arcuate cross section as the outer surface of the other part of the inner needle 2, and the inner needle 2 as a whole is smooth. Finished on the surface. In this case, the filler 20 shown in FIG. 3 can be omitted.
[0024]
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the example shown in FIG. In this example, an acoustic matching layer 22 is provided on the arc-shaped cross-section portion of the outer surface of the acoustic lens material 5 of the ultrasonic transducer 3, and the outer surface shape of the acoustic matching layer 22 is the outer surface of another part of the inner needle 2. Are formed to have the same arcuate cross section. In this case, the image quality can be further improved by improving the ultrasonic sensitivity as compared with the case of FIG.
[0025]
FIG. Book It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows other embodiment of the acicular ultrasonic probe of invention. In this embodiment, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers (3a, 3b, 3c) are provided on the same base made of the acoustic lens material 5 on the outer surface near the tip of the inner needle 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, the acoustic lens material 5 is used as the same base, and the lower electrode 7, the piezoelectric body 8, and the upper electrode 9 are provided on one surface on the same base, and the other surface is provided on the other surface. Ultrasonic transducers 3a, 3b, 3c each having a lens surface 11 formed in a concave spherical shape are provided. Along the axial direction of the inner needle 2 They are provided in parallel at appropriate intervals. And FIG. And FIG. 8 (a). In the example shown in FIG. 5, the piezoelectric bodies 8 are common and have the same thickness, the upper electrode 9 has the same diameter and the same diameter, and the diameter of the lens surface 11 is also the same, and the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3a. , 3b, and 3c have the same center frequency of the ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c, and the same lens conditions for converging the upper electrodes 9 and the generated ultrasonic waves of the ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c. . The center frequency is a high frequency of, for example, several tens of MHz to several hundreds of MHz, and a high resolution of about several tens of μm can be obtained.
[0026]
Since the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3a, 3b, 3c are provided in parallel in this way, the inner needle 2 is rotated as indicated by arrow B and translated as indicated by arrow C as shown in FIG. When two-dimensional scanning of ultrasonic waves is performed, as shown in FIG. 8, when the inner needle 2 is rotated as shown by an arrow B at a certain position and the focal point 13 is moved on the imaging region 14, for example, three in parallel The three focal points 13 of the ultrasonic transducers 3a, 3b, and 3c provided in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, for example, an ultrasonic image is obtained by two-dimensional scanning over the entire surface of the imaging region 14 having an area of a × b, compared to the conventional example of FIG. For example, the range formed by one rotation scanning is tripled, and the scanning time can be shortened.
[0027]
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an ultrasonic transducer showing a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. In this example, the piezoelectric bodies 8 of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c are common and have the same thickness, and the diameters D of the upper electrodes 9a, 9b, and 9c are different from each other. The diameters of the lens surfaces 11a, 11b, and 11c are different from each other. The plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3a, 3b, and 3c have the same center frequency, and the upper electrodes 9a, 9b, 9c, and The lens conditions for converging the generated ultrasonic waves are different from each other. In this case, the focal lengths L of the ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c are different from each other, and observation positions 23a, 23b, and 23c at different depths in the subject 15 can be simultaneously selected. It is possible to easily collect ultrasonic images at different observation positions 23a, 23b, and 23c at the same time without repeating insertion.
[0028]
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an ultrasonic transducer showing another modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. In this example, the thicknesses t of the piezoelectric bodies 8a, 8b, 8c of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3a-3c are different from each other, the diameter D of each upper electrode 9 is made the same, and each lens surface 11 have the same diameter, and the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3a, 3b, 3c have different center frequencies (the frequency is low when the thickness t of the piezoelectric material is thick, and the frequency is low when the thickness is thin). The lens conditions for converging the upper electrode 9 and the generated ultrasonic wave are the same. In this case, the focal length L of each of the ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c is the same, and the focal depth Δd and the azimuth resolution Δr are different for the observation positions 23, 23,. Since images can be collected simultaneously for each location, ultrasonic images with different image quality can be collected simultaneously without repeating insertion as in the prior art. As a result, the imaging position of the subject 15 is searched with the ultrasonic transducer 3a with a low frequency, and an image with better resolution is obtained with the ultrasonic transducer 3c with a high frequency, so that more accurate tissue characterization is performed. Can do.
[0029]
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an ultrasonic transducer showing still another modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. In this example, the thicknesses t of the piezoelectric bodies 8a, 8b, and 8c of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c are different from each other, and the diameters D of the upper electrodes 9a, 9b, and 9c are different from each other. In addition, the diameters of the lens surfaces 11a, 11b, and 11c are different from each other, and the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3a, 3b, and 3c have different center frequencies, respectively. The upper electrodes 9a, 9b, 9c and the lens conditions for converging the generated ultrasonic waves are different from each other. Further, the thickness T of the acoustic lens material 5 corresponding to each of the ultrasonic transducers 3a, 3b, 3c is changed to observe the inside of the subject 15 although the focal lengths of the lens surfaces 11a, 11b, 11c are different. The positions 23a, 23b, and 23c are arranged at the same depth L ′. In this case, since images with different depths of focus and azimuth resolution can be collected simultaneously for each of the observation positions 23a, 23b, and 23c at the same depth L ′ in the subject 15, insertion is performed as in the past. It is possible to collect ultrasonic images of different image quality at the same time without repeating. As a result, the imaging position of the subject 15 can be searched with the low-frequency ultrasonic transducer 3a, and an image with better resolution can be obtained with the high-frequency ultrasonic transducer 3c. In particular, in the case of ultrasonic waves having a high frequency, the absorption of the subject 15 in the living tissue is large. For example, by increasing the thickness T of the acoustic lens material 5 corresponding to the third ultrasonic transducer 3c, for example. In addition, the attenuation of ultrasonic waves by the living tissue can be reduced. As a result, an image with better resolution can be obtained, and a more accurate tissue characterization can be performed.
[0030]
12 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the example shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 10, or FIG. In this example, the acoustic lens material 5 as the same base is bent in the longitudinal direction, and arranged so that the focal points 13 of the ultrasonic waves respectively generated from the ultrasonic transducers 3a, 3b, 3c coincide with the same position. Is. 7 to 12, three ultrasonic transducers (3a to 3c) are arranged side by side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any number of two or more ultrasonic transducers may be provided.
[0031]
FIG. Book It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the ultrasonic diagnosing device provided with the acicular ultrasonic probe by invention. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a normal probe 24 that comes into contact with the body surface of the subject 15 and an ultrasonic apparatus 25 that drives the probe 24 to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves and generate an ultrasonic image. A monitor 26 that captures an image signal from the ultrasonic device 25 and displays an ultrasonic image; and a needle-like ultrasonic probe that inserts into the lesioned part 27 in the subject 15 and transmits / receives an ultrasonic wave. A needle 28, a drive mechanism 29 that performs two-dimensional rotation and translation after the inner needle 2 (see FIG. 1) of the needle-like ultrasonic probe 28 is inserted into the lesioned part 27, and the needle-like ultrasound The transmitting / receiving unit 30 drives the acoustic probe 28 to transmit / receive ultrasonic waves, and the control unit 31 controls each part of the ultrasonic device 25 and the needle-like ultrasonic probe 28.
[0032]
In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus configured as described above, the needle-like ultrasonic probe is performed while observing the tomographic image of the lesioned part 27 on the screen of the monitor 26 by the operation of the normal probe 24 and the ultrasonic apparatus 25. The inner needle 2 of the child 28 is inserted into the required part of the lesioned part 27 by the driving mechanism 29. Then, a transmission voltage is applied from the transmission / reception unit 30 to the upper electrode 9 of the ultrasonic transducer 3 shown in FIG. 3 via the cable 19 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 12 is generated. Then, the ultrasonic wave 12 is refracted and converged by the lens surface 11 of the acoustic lens material 5 to form a focal point 13 and a reflected wave from the living tissue of the subject 15 corresponding to the focal position is converted into the ultrasonic wave 12 ′. In this way, it is guided to the piezoelectric body 8 to generate a received voltage. Thereafter, the received voltage is transmitted to the transmission / reception unit 30 shown in FIG. 13 via the cable 19, and the needlepoint image is displayed on the screen of the monitor 26 via the control unit 31. In this way, while transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves from the needle-like ultrasonic probe 28, the drive mechanism 29 is operated via the control unit 31, and the inner needle 2 is moved into the imaging region 14 as shown in FIG. By performing two-dimensional scanning with rotation and translation, an ultrasonic image at the cellular level of the living tissue of the lesioned part 27 can be obtained in real time.
[0033]
FIG. Book Acicular ultrasonic probe according to the invention Manufacture It is explanatory drawing which shows a method. In this example, a case where a needle-like ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer having the structure shown in FIG. 10 is manufactured will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 14A, a plurality of lens surfaces 11, 11,... Are formed into a concave spherical surface by mechanical or chemical processing on one surface 10 using the acoustic lens material 5 before being cut into a predetermined shape as the same base. To form. For example, it is mechanically ground using a spherical polishing tool 32, or is formed by chemical processing using a photolithography process and an etching process.
[0034]
Next, as shown in FIG. 14B, the lower electrode 7 and the piezoelectric body 8a, on the one surface 6 on the opposite side of the acoustic lens material 5 in correspondence with the positions of the lens surfaces 11, 11,. 8b, 8c and upper electrodes 9, 9,... Are formed by vacuum deposition or sputtering. In parallel with this, vacuum deposition or sputtering using the acoustic matching layers 21, 21... Directly on the lens surfaces 11, 11. Or a similar thin film process, a photolithography process, and an etching process. Thereafter, the acoustic lens material 5 is cut into a predetermined shape to produce an ultrasonic transducer. In this example, a first ultrasonic transducer 3 a is fabricated on the common acoustic lens material 5 and the lower electrode 7 by the piezoelectric body 8 a and the upper electrode 9, and the first ultrasonic transducer 3 a is fabricated by the piezoelectric body 8 b and the upper electrode 9. The second ultrasonic transducer 3b is manufactured, and further, the third ultrasonic transducer 3c is manufactured by the piezoelectric body 8c and the upper electrode 9.
[0035]
Next, as shown in FIG. 14C, the intermediate base 17 is mounted on a part of the same base of the ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c, and the intermediate base 17, the lower electrode 7, the upper electrode 9, Are connected by signal lines 18, 18,..., Respectively.
[0036]
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 14 (d), an acoustic lens material as the same base of the ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c is provided in the installation groove 4 on the outer surface near the distal end portion 16 of the inner needle 2 formed in advance in a predetermined shape. 5 is fitted and fixed, and a cable 19 is connected to the intermediate base 17. And finally, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer surface portion of the inner needle 2 into which the ultrasonic transducers 3a to 3c are fitted is formed to have the same arcuate cross section as the outer surface of the other part, The outer surface of the entire inner needle 2 Finish with a smooth surface. As a result, the needle-like ultrasonic probe according to the first invention can be manufactured in a small size and a small diameter.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
Book Since the needle-like ultrasonic probe according to the invention is configured as described above, the ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is on the same base made of an acoustic lens material. Parallel at appropriate intervals along the axial direction of the inner needle Multiple The inner needle and the outer needle are inserted into the subject, and ultrasonic waves are simultaneously transmitted and received from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. As a result, the imaging range formed by one rotational scan of the inner needle is reduced. More than before The scanning time is several times wider and the scanning time for two-dimensional scanning over the entire surface of a predetermined imaging region is reduced. Than before It can be shortened. Therefore, ultrasonic images of the biological tissue of the subject can be collected in a short time, and ultrasonic images with different measurement conditions can be simultaneously collected with a single insertion. From this, the burden on the patient can be reduced. Further, the outer surface shape of the portion provided with the plurality of ultrasonic transducers in the vicinity of the distal end portion of the inner needle formed of a rigid material in the shape of a thin round bar and the distal end portion having a conical shape. The inner needle is formed to have the same arc-shaped cross section as the outer surface of the other part of the inner needle, and the outer surface of the entire inner needle is finished to a smooth surface, so that the subject can be directly inserted into the living tissue. The influence on the living tissue can be suppressed. For example, even when the inner needle is rotated in the living tissue and ultrasonic scanning is performed, the living tissue of the subject is not damaged. In addition, since it is formed of a member having an arc-shaped cross section up to the vicinity of the focal point of the ultrasonic transducer, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic field from being absorbed by the subject and prevent the sound field from being disturbed. Therefore, an ultrasonic image with good image quality can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[Figure 1] Book It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows embodiment of the acicular ultrasonic probe by invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing a state in which an inner needle is subjected to two-dimensional scanning of rotation and translation.
3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1 showing the structure of the ultrasonic transducer.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the example shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another modification of the example shown in FIG. 3;
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the example shown in FIG.
[Fig. 7] Book It is a center longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows other embodiment of the acicular ultrasonic probe of invention.
8 is an explanatory diagram showing an imaging region obtained by ultrasonic scanning of the needle-like ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 7. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an ultrasonic transducer showing a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7;
10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an ultrasonic transducer showing another modification of the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an ultrasonic transducer showing still another modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7;
12 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the example shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 10, or FIG.
FIG. 13 Book It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the ultrasonic diagnosing device provided with the acicular ultrasonic probe by invention.
FIG. 14 Book Acicular ultrasonic probe according to the invention Manufacture It is explanatory drawing which shows a method.
15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross section taken along line AA of FIG. 1, showing the structure of the ultrasonic transducer in the conventional needle-like ultrasonic probe.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an imaging region by ultrasonic scanning of a conventional needle-like ultrasonic probe.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Outer needle
2 ... Inner needle
3, 3a, 3b, 3c ... ultrasonic transducer
4 ... Groove
5 ... Acoustic lens material
7 ... Lower electrode
8, 8a, 8b, 8c ... Piezoelectric body
9, 9a, 9b, 9c ... upper electrode
11, 11a, 11b, 11c ... lens surface
13 ... Focus
14 ... Imaging area
15 ... Subject
16 ... tip
17 ... Intermediate base
18 ... Signal line
19 ... Cable
20 ... Filler
21, 22 ... acoustic matching layer
23, 23a, 23b, 23c ... observation position
28 ... acicular ultrasonic probe

Claims (4)

An outer needle formed in the shape of a thin hollow pipe with a rigid material,
An inner needle formed of a rigid material in the shape of a small-diameter round bar and having a distal end formed in a conical shape, inserted inside the outer needle so as to be rotatable about an axis and translated in the axial direction;
An ultrasonic transducer that is provided on the outer surface near the tip of the inner needle, and that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves;
In a needle-shaped ultrasonic probe equipped with
A plurality of the ultrasonic transducers are provided in parallel at an appropriate interval along the axial direction of the inner needle on the same base made of an acoustic lens material,
Outer surface shape of the portion the plurality of ultrasonic transducer is provided at the vicinity of the distal end portion of the inner needle is formed to have the same arcuate cross-section and the outer surface of the other portion of the inner needle, And the outer surface of the entire inner needle is finished to a smooth surface,
The inner needle and the outer needle are inserted into the subject, and ultrasonic waves are simultaneously transmitted and received from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, and the inner needle is rotated and translated two-dimensionally to scan the living body of the subject. Made it possible to collect ultrasound images of tissues,
A needle-like ultrasonic probe characterized by that.   The plurality of ultrasonic transducers are characterized in that each ultrasonic transducer has the same center frequency, the same upper electrode, and the same lens condition for converging the generated ultrasonic waves. The acicular ultrasonic probe according to 1.   In the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, the ultrasonic transducers have the same or different center frequencies, have the same or different upper electrodes, and have the same or different lens conditions for converging the generated ultrasonic waves. The needle-like ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein   2. The plurality of ultrasonic transducers according to claim 1, wherein each ultrasonic transducer has a different center frequency, a different upper electrode, and different lens conditions for converging the generated ultrasonic waves. The acicular ultrasonic probe as described.

Images