JPS6129737B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for examining a body cavity, which is used for examining the prostate gland and the like.

Ultrasonic diagnostic devices that emit ultrasonic pulses into the body and receive the reflected waves to obtain tomographic images of the inside of the body are becoming popular, but in recent years there have been attempts to use such devices for examination and diagnosis inside body cavities. is being done. For example, an ultrasonic probe is inserted into the rectum to examine the prostate, or an ultra-small ultrasonic probe attached to the tip of a catheter is inserted into the heart or aorta.

A typical example of the former type of prostate examination is an examination method using an electronic scanning ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-85982. This uses an ultrasound probe with multiple ultrasound transducers arranged lengthwise at the insertion point into the body cavity, which is inserted into the rectum and ultrasound pulses are electronically scanned in the rectal direction. By doing so, a tomographic image of the prostate is obtained over a range approximately equal to the size (scanning range) of the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface.

In this case, it is actually difficult to examine the entire prostate gland at once using only the range of the ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving surface of the ultrasound probe, so the insertion depth of the ultrasound probe must be adjusted. or change its rotation angle. Electronic scanning ultrasound diagnostic equipment can obtain tomographic images in real time, so
The method used is to manually adjust the insertion depth and rotation angle of the ultrasonic probe and visually determine the position of the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface. However, since this method relies on the inspector's intuition to determine the position of the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface, the examination requires skill, and the final diagnosis is also prone to errors due to misjudgment of the position. On the other hand, if we use a method in which the ultrasonic probe is rotated by a motor as in conventional PPI scanning, the rotation angle can be accurately determined using a potentiometer linked to the motor. The equipment becomes large and expensive.

On the other hand, in the latter examination of the heart and aorta,
The ultrasonic probe consists of a disc-shaped ultrasonic transducer attached to the side of the catheter tip, and can be scanned manually at the catheter's proximal end or mechanically by an automated device. , obtain a tomographic image. However, in this method, scanning involves adjusting the insertion depth and rotation angle of the ultrasound probe, so precise control of these and detection of the ultrasound transmission/reception wavefront are important. Furthermore, since high-speed scanning is difficult due to the danger it poses to the subject, tomographic images cannot be obtained in real time. Therefore, as a scanning method, electronic scanning using a plurality of ultrasonic transducers (array transducers) is desirable.

This invention has been made in view of the above points, and is an object in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged along the length of a part inserted into a body cavity, and a tomographic image is obtained by electronic scanning. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe for intracorporeal examination that can easily determine the position of the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface, that is, its insertion depth and rotation angle, without using a complicated and large-scale device. shall be.

Hereinafter, this invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples.

1 and 2 are an external view and a sectional view along the length direction of an ultrasound probe for intracorporeal examination according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this ultrasonic probe consists of a cylindrical insertion section 1 that is inserted into a body cavity, and a grip section 2 that is integrally and coaxially provided at the base of the insertion section 1. It's summery. In the insertion section 1, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers (array transducers) 3 are arranged in a line along the length direction A thereof. Lead wires 4 are individually led out from these ultrasonic transducers 3 for supplying drive pulses to these transducers and for extracting reflected wave signals received by these transducers. The cable 4 is led out from the grip 2 as a single cable 5, and is connected to a main body of an electronic scanning ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown).

Now, here, an insertion depth scale 6 is provided on the circumferential surface of the insertion portion 1 along the length direction A thereof.
The scale 6 may be provided over the entire circumference of the insertion portion 1, or may be provided only on the surface 1' opposite to the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface where the ultrasonic transducer 3 is located.

On the other hand, a rotation angle scale 7 is provided on the circumferential surface of the grip portion 2 along the circumferential direction B thereof. The scale 7 may also be provided all around the circumferential surface of the grip portion 2, or may be provided only on the surface opposite to the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface. The scale passing through the opposite side (perpendicular to the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface) is the reference position (for example, 0°).
It is desirable that the display be such that the

When two types of scales 6 and 7 are provided, the position of the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface can be easily and correctly determined, which is extremely useful for inspection and diagnosis inside the body cavity. That is, when this ultrasonic probe is inserted into the rectum and used for prostate examination, the insertion depth of the insertion section 1, that is, the obtained tomographic image, can be determined by reading the value on the scale 6 at the anus position. Above, you can easily see how deep the organs such as the prostate and internal urethral meatus are shown from the anus. Furthermore, since it is possible to know to what position in the rectum the tip of the insertion section has reached, it is possible to prevent accidents such as damage to the rectal wall due to over-insertion of the insertion section 1.

Also, according to the scale 7, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is
Since it is possible to see in which direction the ultrasound waves are being transmitted and received, it is easy to determine which angle of the prostate abnormality (enlargement or tumor) that appears on the tomographic image is located from the midline of the body. can be done.

As described above, according to the present invention, ultrasonic waves generated by an array transducer can be The position of the transmitting/receiving wave surface can be accurately and easily determined without the need for complicated equipment or special skill, greatly contributing to improving the quality and efficiency of examinations and diagnosis, as well as improving safety against ultrasound. be able to.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are an external view and a sectional view of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Insertion section, 2... Grip section, 3... Ultrasonic transducer, 6... Insertion depth scale, 7... Rotation angle scale.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an ultrasonic probe for intrabody cavity examination in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are disposed longitudinally in an insertion portion into a body cavity, an insertion depth scale is provided in the length direction on the circumferential surface of the insertion portion. 1. An ultrasonic probe for intracorporeal examination, characterized in that a rotation angle scale is provided in the circumferential direction of a circumferential surface of a grip part integrally provided at the proximal end of the insertion part.