JPS646817Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope device.

Until now, when observing organs using an endoscope, the surface of the organ was mainly observed using an observation optical system made of optical fibers, etc., but with the advancement of ultrasonic tomography, , efforts have been made to obtain tomographic images of organs non-invasively. This technology uses the function of an endoscope to scan a certain range of organs with ultrasound generated from an ultrasound transducer, amplify and display the reflected echoes, and identify abnormal areas within the organ using acoustic reflections. This is an attempt to examine the differences.

As an example of a device utilized in such a technique, there has conventionally been one in which an ultrasonic transducer with an oil-filled balloon attached to the outer periphery is provided at the tip of an endoscope.

However, the reason why an oil-filled balloon is attached to an ultrasound transducer is to bring the balloon into close contact with the surface of an organ and improve the acoustic characteristics of ultrasound echoes. There was a problem that good ultrasonic echoes could not be obtained due to separation or air being mixed into the oil.

In addition, because the relative position of the ultrasound transducer and the endoscope is fixed, the field of view of the endoscope and the area scanned by the ultrasound transducer are different, resulting in a difference between the surface of the scanned area and the tomographic image. It was not possible to make a correspondence. In other words, it is not possible to know in which part of the organ the abnormality is located.

Furthermore, when attempting to bring the ultrasonic transducer into close contact with the scanning site as much as possible, there is a problem that, especially in the case of a small-diameter endoscope, the rigidity is insufficient and it is difficult to use as a reference for operation.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it improves the acoustic characteristics of ultrasonic echoes, correlates the surface of the scanned region with tomographic images, and provides an ultrasonic wave that is easy to operate. The object of the present invention is to obtain a sonic endoscope device, and for this purpose, the present invention is characterized in that a small-diameter endoscope and an ultrasonic guide having an angle mechanism are inserted into and out of a guide tube such as a urethane tube.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of an ultrasonic endoscope device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an ultrasound guide taken out of the device of FIG. 1 indicates the endoscope, 2 indicates the ultrasound guide, and 3 indicates the guide tube as a whole.

The endoscope 1 of the device of the present application is particularly intended for devices that do not have an internal introduction tube such as a forceps guide tube and have a small diameter, such as a biliary scope. Although it can make small turns in response to the complex curvature of the body cavity, it has relatively low rigidity. In such an endoscope 1, 4 is a light guide,
The illumination light generated from the light source 5 is passed from the handle part 6 to the guide part 7.
through the tip 8 to illuminate the surface of the body cavity.
Reference numeral 9 denotes an image guide constituting the observation optical system, which is composed of a bendable optical fiber bundle, and guides an image of the body cavity surface from the tip 8 to the eyepiece portion 10 of the handle 6 through the guiding portion 7. , the operator can observe the image or take a picture with a camera (not shown).

Further, 11 is an angle wire, 12 is a pulley around which the angle wire 11 is wound, and 13 is an angle dial.
It is designed to be operated in one direction or two directions. The endoscope 1 is also provided with an air pipe and a water pipe for cleaning and expanding the body cavity, but these are not shown.

As shown in FIG.
An ultrasonic head 14 at the tip, an angle section 15 and a guide section 16 following it, and an operating section 1 at the rear.
Consists of 7. The ultrasonic head 14 includes an ultrasonic transducer 18, a lens body 19, and a backing material 20 inside.
These are molded together. Then, on the outer surface of the ultrasonic transducer 18 opposite to the wave transmitting/receiving surface, a marker 2 consisting of a different color or a notch is provided.
1 is attached, and as will be described later, it is possible to visually check through the observation optical system of the endoscope 1, that is, the image guide 9 and the eyepiece unit 10, that the wave transmitting/receiving surface is in close contact with the surface of the body cavity. That's what I do.

The part following the ultrasonic head 14 is an angle part 15 consisting of a bridge body or a joint ring, and this angle part 15 is bent by a well-known combination of a wire 22, a pulley 23 and a dial 24, The direction of the sonic head 14 is controlled. By providing the ultrasound guide 2 with the angle mechanism in this way, the ultrasound guide 2 can be moved in and out from the guide tube 3 and the ultrasound head 14 can be brought into close contact with the surface of the body cavity. Moreover, the ultrasonic head 1 can be mounted using the guide tube 3 as a so-called fixed reference.
4 in close contact with each other, and as a result, it is possible to obtain much better ultrasonic echoes than those using conventional oil-filled balloons.

A lead wire 25 is connected to the ultrasonic transducer 2, and the lead wire 25 is connected to the oscillation circuit 2 externally through the operating section 17 provided with the dial 24.
6, is led to an amplifier circuit 27 and a display means 28. The oscillation circuit 26 applies excitation power to the ultrasonic transducer 18 to transmit ultrasonic waves, and the amplifier circuit 27 amplifies the received ultrasonic echo and sends it to the display means 28. It is. The display means 28 is composed of a cathode ray tube or a camera, and displays a tomographic image of the organ. It can be observed in association with the image. That is, the operator visually observes the position where the ultrasound head 14 is brought into contact with the body cavity surface by the angle mechanism of the ultrasound guide 2 using the observation optical system of the endoscope 1, and also uses the observation optical system of the endoscope 1 Check to make sure that the wave transmitting/receiving surface of the ultrasound head 14 hits the surface of the body cavity accurately, that is, without deviation in the rotational direction.
Next, by looking at the tomographic image shown on the display means 28, it is possible to know the shape of the abnormal site within the organ.

The guide tube 3 into which the small-diameter endoscope 1 and the ultrasonic conductor 2 are inserted and retracted is made of a flexible synthetic resin tube such as a urethane tube. It makes it easier to insert the endoscope 1 and the ultrasound guide 2 into the body cavity, and it does not damage the body cavity or cause pain to the patient even if it is repeatedly inserted and removed. Since it has appropriate rigidity, this guide tube 3 can be used as a reference for angle operation of the ultrasound guide 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the endoscope 1 and the ultrasound guide 2, which have been inserted together, are pressed against the surface of the body cavity by the guide tube 3, and the ultrasound guide is moved with the tip opening of the guide tube 3 as a reference. 2 by adjusting the angle to bring the transmitting and receiving wave surface into close contact with the surface.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. After operating the angle mechanism of the endoscope 1 and inserting the endoscope 1 together with the guide tube 3 into the body cavity, The ultrasound guide 2 is inserted through the tube 3, and the ultrasound head 14 of the ultrasound guide 2 is sent out from the opening at the tip of the guide tube 3. Then, while observing the surface of the body cavity through the observation optical system such as the image guide 9 and the eyepiece unit 10, the location where ultrasonic tomography is to be performed is determined. Thereafter, the angle mechanism of the ultrasound guide 2 is operated to bring the wave transmitting/receiving surface of the ultrasound head 14 into close contact with the surface of the body cavity. At this time, the guide tube 3 serves as the reference point for the operation of the ultrasound guide 2, and the location where tomography will be performed can be visually observed in advance through the observation optical system of the endoscope 1. Moreover, when the ultrasound head 14 is brought into close contact with the surface of the body cavity, it is possible to check whether the wave transmitting/receiving surface of the ultrasound head 14 is correctly hitting the body cavity by looking at the marker 21 of the ultrasound head 14. . When the wave transmitting/receiving surface is properly in close contact with the surface of the body cavity, the echoes from the abnormal area 29 are also sensitively received by the ultrasonic transducer 18 as described above, and the electrical signals are amplified via the lead wire 25. The signal is sent from the circuit 27 to the display means 28 and stored in a cathode ray tube or camera. Then, it becomes possible to accurately diagnose the abnormal region 29 based on the tomographic image associated with the surface of the body cavity.

As described above, according to the ultrasonic endoscope device according to the present invention, the guide tube, such as the urethane tube,
By allowing a thin endoscope with at least an observation optical system and an ultrasound guide with a marker and an angle mechanism to be inserted in and out, the acoustic characteristics of ultrasound echoes can be improved, and the scanning area can be improved. This has the effect of associating the surface of the image with the tomographic image, and also making it easier to operate the device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of an ultrasonic endoscope apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an ultrasound conductor, and FIG. 3 is an operational explanatory diagram. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Endoscope, 2... Ultrasonic guide, 3... Guide tube, 4... Light guide, 5... Light source, 6... Handle part, 7... Guide part, 8... Tip part, 9... Image guide, 11... Angle wire, 12... Pulley, 13... Angle dial, 14... Ultrasonic head, 15... Angle section, 16... Guide section,
17...Operation unit, 18...Ultrasonic mover, 21...
Marker, 22...Wire, 23...Pulley, 24
... Dial, 26 ... Oscillation circuit, 28 ... Display means, 29 ... Abnormal part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] an endoscope having at least an observation optical system and an introduction tube that passes from the handle through the guide section and is open at the tip;
The ultrasonic head is inserted into and out of the introduction tube of the endoscope, and is placed at the tip so that the scanning surface faces the insertion direction.A marker is provided on the back surface of the ultrasonic head, and the direction of the ultrasonic head can be changed by bending the head. An ultrasonic endoscope apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic guide having a mechanism at its rear end; and a guide tube through which the endoscope and the ultrasonic guide are inserted in and out.