JP2002214093A - Cassette for medical examination - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cassette for medical examination capable of visually confirming the states such as the number, a shape, a color or the like of a specimen housed in a cassette without removing a lid and enhancing workability or examination accuracy. SOLUTION: The cassette for medical examination is equipped with a cassette main body 1 and a lid 2. The cassette main body 1 is a square container opened upwardly and capable of housing the specimen and has a large number of through-holes 3 and the lid 2 is attached to the cassette main body in a freely detachable manner and has a large number of through-holes 7. The lid and/or the cassette main body comprise a transparent material having chemical resistance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a medical examination cassette used for preparing a microscope specimen for medical examination, and more particularly, to a method for inspecting a sample contained in a cassette without removing a lid, thereby improving workability and examination. The present invention relates to a medical examination cassette capable of improving accuracy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 17, for example, a conventional cassette of this type includes a cassette body 1 and a lid 2 made of a chemical resistant resin. The cassette body 1 is a rectangular container having an open upper surface, a large number of through-holes 3 at the bottom, and a plate-shaped recording portion 4 which is inclined toward the bottom at the outside of one short side wall. And a locking groove 5 on the inside thereof, and a locking portion 6 on the outside of the other side wall.

The lid 2 is a detachable plate-like body having a large number of through holes 7 on the plate surface, a rib 8 fitted into the cassette body along the outer peripheral surface of the back surface, and a short side. Has an inclined locking piece 9 fitted and engaged along the back surface of the recording portion 4 of the locking groove 5, and has a slightly larger size than the cassette body 1 on the other short side. It has a protruding edge portion 10 and a locking piece 11 that engages with the engaging portion 6.

In order to prepare a microscope specimen using the above-mentioned cassette, first, the collected specimen 12 is housed in the cassette main body 1, the lid 2 is attached, and the name and the like of the subject are recorded in the recording section 4. Keep it. The inclined locking piece 9 of the lid 2 engages with the locking groove 5 of the cassette body 1, and the locking piece 11 engages with the locking portion 6 of the cassette body 1 to fix the lid 2.

Subsequently, the specimen 12 is washed with water through the through holes 7 and 3, the water content of the specimen 12 is removed with alcohol, and the affinity with liquid paraffin described later is given with xylene.

Next, as shown in FIG. 18, liquid paraffin 14 is placed in a tray 13 made of stainless steel, and the specimen 12 is taken out of the cassette body 1 and placed in the liquid paraffin 14 to infiltrate the specimen 12 with liquid paraffin. Subsequently, the cassette main body 1 is placed on the step of the tray 13, and the liquid paraffin 14 is poured onto the specimen 12 until the bottom of the cassette main body 1 is immersed in the liquid paraffin 14.

After the liquid paraffin 14 has solidified, the tray 1
By removing 3, a cassette block 15 in which the paraffin 14 in which the specimen 12 is embedded is attached to the bottom of the cassette body 1 is obtained.

Next, although not shown, the cassette block 15 is placed upside down on the base of the adapter mounted on the microtome and fixed. Subsequently, the portion of the paraffin 14 in which the specimen 12 is embedded is sliced, and the sliced slice is subjected to staining and other predetermined processing to obtain a microscope specimen. The above-mentioned cassette has a single sample accommodating portion in the cassette main body, but may be divided into a plurality of small chambers by a partition wall.

[0009]

In the case of a cassette which is divided into a plurality of small chambers by a partition wall, the specimen is naturally stored in each of the small chambers. In some cases, a plurality of specimens may be accommodated. In a biopsy using an endoscope, a small piece of tissue having a diameter of only about 1 to 2 mm can be fixed on a filter paper with the mucosal surface facing up, and embedded and sliced in an appropriate direction. This leads to an increase in the diagnosis rate. In addition, the color and shape of the specimen are also important factors.

However, in the conventional cassette, since the lid is made of stainless steel, and both the lid and the cassette body are made of a chemically resistant opaque or translucent synthetic resin, the cassette is not operated during the operation. Sample cannot be confirmed, for example, including the number, shape, and color of the sample,
During work, check if samples are exchanged between adjacent chambers, if the sample is stored together with the filter paper, if the filter paper is misaligned or the sample on the filter paper is not in the proper direction Impossible or difficult to do. Thus, in the conventional cassette, the only way to confirm the state of the specimen is to take off the lid and confirm the situation, which causes a significant decrease in workability.

When a plurality of specimens are stored,
It is necessary to clearly identify each sample, and if this identification is ambiguous, the reliability of the test result will not be ensured, and it will be impossible to achieve the purpose of the test.

Further, even when the sample storage unit stores one sample in one cassette, the cutout position is displayed when a sample is prepared by slicing with a microtome. It is important that if this display is not provided, if the operator forgets or the operator is replaced, the position of the cutout cannot be easily known, and the workability of sample preparation and inspection The result will be significantly less reliable.

On the other hand, a plurality of cassettes are usually stacked in the vertical direction or arranged side by side in the horizontal direction to perform the above-described chemical treatment. However, in the case of the conventional cassette as described above, since the bottom surface of the upper or adjacent cassette and the surface of the lid of the lower or adjacent cassette are in close contact with each other, the through hole 7 of the lid 2 of the upper or adjacent cassette and the cassette The chemical solution that has passed through the through-hole 3 of the main body 1 flows into the cassette main body 1 through the through-hole 7 of the lid 2 of the lower or adjacent cassette as it is to process the sample 12, and then the lower part of the cassette main body 1 through the through-hole 3 Alternatively, the operation of flowing into the cassette main body 1 through the through hole 7 of the lid 2 of the adjacent cassette is repeated, so that the permeation of the chemical is substantially only in one direction, and the chemical liquid treatment is not necessarily sufficiently efficient. hard.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks, and allows the sample in the cassette to be checked from the transparent lid and / or the outside of the cassette main body without removing the lid during operation, thereby improving workability and inspection. The reliability of the results is remarkably improved, and furthermore, the chemical treatment is uniform and the treatment efficiency is improved by flowing the chemical not only from one direction but also from between the stacked or juxtaposed cassettes. It is intended to provide a medical examination cassette which has been completed.

[0015]

According to the present invention, there is provided a rectangular container having a cassette body and a lid, wherein the cassette body has an open upper surface and can accommodate a specimen. In a medical examination cassette having a number of through-holes, the lid being detachably attached to the cassette body, and having a number of through-holes, the lid and / or the cassette body may be made of a chemical-resistant transparent material. (1) A medical examination cassette characterized by the following features.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cassette for medical examination according to the first aspect, wherein identification marks, such as numbers and alphabets, are provided on the surface of the lid at a height of at least 0.3 mm.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the medical examination cassette according to the first or second aspect, wherein a protrusion is provided on the surface of the lid.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cassette for medical examination according to the third aspect, wherein the identification mark is provided on the surface of the raised portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the cassette body is divided into a plurality of small chambers by a partition wall, and an identification mark is provided on a surface of a lid corresponding to the small chamber. 4. The medical examination cassette according to 1.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the medical examination cassette according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the transparent material is a polypropylene resin.

In a preferred embodiment, the transparent material is a polyester resin.
It is a cassette for medical examination described in section.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is characterized in that the lid and / or the cassette main body are made of a chemical-resistant transparent material. The shape, color, location in the cassette body, and if the sample is stored together with the filter paper, the position of the filter paper, the direction of the sample on the filter paper, etc.) can be clearly seen, thereby improving the efficiency of microscope sample preparation. Another object of the present invention is to obtain high-precision inspection results while improving reliability and reliability.

Therefore, the transparent material used in the present invention is a material having resistance to chemicals used for preparing a specimen and having such transparency that the condition of the specimen can be visually recognized from the outside. Yes, for example, polypropylene resin and polyester (especially PET) resin are preferable, and polypropylene resin is particularly preferable in terms of chemical resistance and low cost.

The lid, the cassette body, or both, are made of a transparent material. When only the lid is made of a transparent material, from the outside of the lid, and when only the cassette body is made of the transparent material, from the outside of the cassette body (side wall or bottom),
When the lid and the cassette body are made of a transparent material, the state of the sample inside can be visually recognized from both the outside of the lid and the cassette body.

In the present invention, on the surface of the cassette lid,
By protruding the identification display for identifying the accommodated sample, not only the workability of sample preparation and the inspection accuracy can be improved, but also the permeability of the drug solution is improved, and the work efficiency is improved. Further, by providing the identification of the cutout when preparing the specimen by slicing with the microtome, the cutout position when slicing with the microtome can be known, and the workability and inspection accuracy can be improved.

The identification display in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can be identified or distinguished literally.
Numbers such as 1, 2, 3; alphabets such as A, B, C (a, b, c); Japanese syllabary such as i, ro, ha (i, ro, ha);
Any of symbols, such as ○, Δ, ×, etc., numbers, letters, symbols, patterns, coloring, etc. may be used.

Although the height of the identification mark is not particularly limited, it is at least 0.3 mm, preferably at least 0.3 mm.
Preferably, it is provided at a height of 5 mm. 0.3mm identification
If it is lower than this, it is difficult to visually recognize the work, errors easily occur, and the effect of improving the permeability of the chemical solution is insufficient. The identification mark itself may be formed at a height of 0.3 mm or more, but, for example, in the case of a synthetic resin, it is preferable to form a ridge of 0.3 mm or more and provide the identification mark on the surface.
Easy to mold. The identification mark provided on the surface of the ridge is
It may be provided in a projecting, engraved, or planar manner. In addition, the upper limit of the height of the identification display (including the protruding portion) cannot be unconditionally defined depending on the size of the cassette. The handling is also poor. Therefore, about 10 mm is preferable.

Further, dividing the cassette main body into a plurality of small chambers by partitioning walls is very efficient because a plurality of specimens are processed at the same time. However, as described above, when using an existing device such as a microtome,
The size of the cassette is limited by itself. Therefore, when a plurality of small chambers are provided, about 2 to 9 are preferable. If the number exceeds nine, the size of the small room becomes too small, and the size of the sample to be stored and processed is limited, which may be inconvenient.

The small chamber is formed by a partition wall. When the partition wall is protruded only in the cassette book and the lid is attached,
A small chamber may be defined by contact between the front end portion of the partition wall and the back surface of the lid, and a short partition wall is protruded on the back surface of the lid, and a tall partition wall is formed in the cassette body. When projecting, and the lid is attached, the partition small chamber may be formed by contact between the tips of both partition walls. The small chamber may be an independent space having substantially no gap, or may have a small gap such that the sample does not move to the adjacent small chamber.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing embodiments, but it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to only such embodiments.

Embodiment 1 As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cassette for medical examination of this embodiment includes a cassette body 1 and a lid 2 made of a polypropylene resin. Is a rectangular container capable of accommodating a specimen, having a large number of through-holes 3, and having a plate-shaped recording portion 4 which is inclined outward and divergent toward the bottom outside one short side wall A. In addition, it has a locking groove 5 inside thereof and a locking portion 6 outside the other side wall B.

On the other hand, the lid 2 has a large number of through holes 7 and a rib 8 which fits inside the cassette body 1 along the outer peripheral surface of the back surface. 5 has an inclined locking piece 9 fitted and engaged along the back surface of the recording unit 4, and a projection edge 10 slightly larger than the cassette body 1 on the other side,
It has a locking piece 11 that engages with the locking portion 6.

Although the microscope specimen was prepared by the above-described method using the above cassette, the specimen was visually recognized from both the outside of the lid and the cassette body without removing the lid, and the workability and the inspection accuracy were extremely good. Was.

Embodiment 2 The medical examination cassette of this embodiment is, as shown in FIG.
In the cassette shown in the first embodiment, raised portions 16 are provided in the vicinity of a square around the periphery of the lid 2, and one of the raised portions 16 a is provided with a ring-shaped identification display 17 for indicating a cutout position. . In this case, when four specimens are accommodated in the container, A,
B, C, 1, 2, 3 or the like may be attached, or the above-mentioned ring-shaped identification 17 may be removed, and A, B, C, D, 1, 2, 3, 4 and the like are provided. For example, a display is provided so that the prominence 16a is "D" or "4", and the "D" or "4" is displayed as a cutout position. do it.

When a microscope specimen is prepared using the above-mentioned cassette, as shown in FIG. 5, a space is formed between the stacked cassettes only at the height of the raised portion 16, so that the vertical direction is different from the conventional cassette. It is possible to flow and permeate a chemical solution not only from the space but also from the lateral direction through the space, and the effect of treating the sample with the chemical solution becomes uniform and efficient.

Embodiment 3 In the cassette for medical examination of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, the cassette body 1 is divided into six small chambers by a partition wall 18 in the cassette shown in Embodiment 2. , Identification sign 19 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) on the bottom surface of each compartment
Are protruded (FIG. 7). On the other hand, the rear surface of the lid 2 is
Strip ribs 8 are provided (FIG. 8), and side walls A of the ribs 8 of the lid 2 are provided.
The side 8a contacting the inner surface of the tip has a configuration in which the height is reduced and the corner of the tip is removed (FIG. 9).

Further, six raised portions 16 are provided on the periphery of the surface of the lid 2, and identification marks 17 (1, 1) are provided on the surface.
2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). The numbers 1 to 6 of the identification mark 17 correspond to the numbers 1 to 6 of the identification mark 19 of the small chamber of the cassette body 1, respectively.
Thus, the specimen accommodated in the small chamber can be identified by the identification mark 19 protruding from the bottom surface of the cassette body 1 even when the lid 2 is removed, and even when the lid 2 is attached, Identification 1 on the surface of the raised portion 16 on the surface
7, the sample contained therein can be identified,
Therefore, troubles that are forgotten, confused, or misidentified are prevented.

When a microscope specimen is prepared using the above cassette, a space having a height equal to the total height of the raised portion 16 and the identification mark 17 is formed between the stacked cassettes.
The same effect as that of the embodiment 2 (FIG. 5), that is, the inflow and permeation of the chemical solution not only from the vertical direction but also from the horizontal direction as in the conventional cassette is possible, and the effect of treating the sample with the chemical solution is uniform and uniform. It has the effect of being efficient.

As shown in FIG. 9, the side 8a of the rib 8 of the lid 2 which is in contact with the inner surface of the end of the side wall A has a reduced height and a configuration in which the corner of the end is removed.
The lid 2 can be easily and stably opened and closed with one hand, greatly improving workability.

That is, the cassette usually has tweezers in one hand and a forefinger near the point P of the lid 2 with the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG.
With the thumb placed on 0, the point P is slightly pressed with a forefinger to bend the both sides of the point P slightly upward, thereby forming the cover 2.
The locking piece 11 of the cassette body 1 is detached from the locking portion 6 of the cassette body 1, the lid 2 is removed upward, and tweezers of the other hand is operated to store the sample in the cassette body 1. Then, as described above, after performing water washing and chemical treatment, the lid 2 is removed with one hand by the same operation as described above, and the specimen 12 is taken out of the cassette body 1 with the other hand tweezers and placed in liquid paraffin. A cassette block is created.

However, in the case of a cassette not configured as described above, as shown by the two-dot chain line, the lid 2
Tip corner 8 of the rib 8 provided on the back surface of the
b catches on the side wall corner 1a of the cassette body 1 and forcibly lifts the lid 2 upward to remove it from the cassette body 1. At this time, the lid 2 comes off the wall corner 8b from the side wall corner 1a. It will jump up with the pin,
With this momentum, the sample 12 in the cassette body 1 jumps out of the cassette body 1 and ruins the valuable sample 12.

In order to avoid the above-mentioned trouble, the lid 2 is carefully removed from the cassette body 1 with both hands so that the lid 2 does not pop up, and then the sample 12 is taken out using tweezers. . Therefore, efficient work of holding the tweezers with one hand and opening the lid with the other hand is impossible, and the workability has to be greatly reduced.

Such an effect can be obtained in addition to the above-described configuration.
The height of the rib 8 fitted to the inner surface of the side wall A of the cassette main body 1 can be obtained by removing the tip portion while keeping the same height, and further, by removing the inner tip corner of the side wall A. it can. The removal of the corner portion of the tip can be performed by adding a radius to the corner portion, or making the tip portion have an inclined shape expanding from the tip portion to the root portion.

Fourth Embodiment As shown in FIG. 11, the cassette for medical examination according to the fourth embodiment differs from the cassette shown in the third embodiment in that three side walls of the cassette body 1 except for the inclined plate-shaped recording portion 4 are provided. Through hole 3
Are drilled. By adopting such a structure,
The permeability of the chemical solution is further improved.

Embodiment 5 FIG. 12 is a top view of the medical examination cassette of this embodiment, and FIG.
3 is a bottom view, FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 12, FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 12, and FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

In these figures, the cassette for medical examination of the present invention comprises a cassette body 31 and a lid 32 made of polypropylene resin.

The cassette main body 31 has a plate-shaped recording section in which three sample storage sections 33 are symmetrically arranged in the longitudinal direction and three rows are arranged symmetrically in the longitudinal direction. 34, a locking groove 35 is provided on the inside, and a locking portion 36 is provided on the other side. The sample storage unit 33 has an opening with a rounded corner at the upper surface, and a vertical cross-sectional shape of an inverted trapezoid with a rounded corner, and a large number of through holes 37.
It has. Further, a through hole 38 is provided in a frame portion around the sample storage unit 33.

On the other hand, the lid 32 is provided with three bulging portions 39 symmetrically in the longitudinal direction, each of which is provided in a row in the longitudinal direction. On the other side, a locking piece 41 for engaging with the locking portion 36 and a protruding grip portion 42 are provided.

The bulging portion 39 has an opening with a rounded corner at the upper surface, a trapezoidal vertical cross-sectional shape with a rounded corner, and a large number of through holes 43. In addition, the bulging portion 3
The through-hole 44 is provided in the frame part around 9.

In order to attach the lid 32 to the cassette body 31, as shown in FIG. 14, the locking piece 40 on one side of the lid 32 is fitted into the locking groove 35 of the cassette body 31, and The locking piece 41 on the side is engaged with the locking portion 36 of the cassette body 31 and fixed.

When the lid 32 is attached to the cassette main body 31 as described above, as shown in FIG.
And the sample accommodating portion 33 of the cassette body 31 are opposed to each other to form an independent space in which the bulging portion 39 and the sample accommodating portion 33 are united.

In FIG. 15, a projection 45 is fitted around the opening of the bulging portion 39 of the lid 32 so as to be fitted into the opening of the sample accommodating portion 33 of the cassette body 31. By arranging the inner fitting projections in this manner, the movement and loss of the sample during the chemical solution processing can be effectively prevented.

Further, a through hole 44 provided in a peripheral frame portion of the bulging portion 39 of the lid 32 and the sample accommodating portion 3 of the cassette body 31 are provided.
The through holes 38 provided in the peripheral frame portion of No. 3 are in contact with each other to form through holes, and have an effect of facilitating immersion of the cassette in the chemical solution (FIG. 14).

Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the cassette having the shape and structure as shown in the above embodiment, but can be applied to all cassettes having a lid and a cassette body. Needless to say, there is.

[0055]

As described above, the medical test cassette of the present invention allows the user to easily visually recognize the state of the sample contained in the cassette without removing the lid, thereby improving workability and test accuracy. Dramatically improved. In addition, by projecting a raised portion or an identification mark on the surface of the lid, the permeability, diffusivity, and contact with the sample during the treatment of the chemical solution are remarkably improved, and the uniform and efficient chemical solution is improved. Processing becomes possible, and workability and inspection accuracy are improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a cassette of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the length direction of the cassette of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the width direction of the cassette of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the cassette of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the cassettes of FIG. 4 are vertically stacked.

FIG. 6 is a top view showing still another embodiment of the cassette of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the cassette body of the cassette of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the lid of the cassette of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cassette of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction of the cassette of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the cassette of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a top view showing still another embodiment of the cassette of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the cassette of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 12;

FIG. 17 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional cassette.

FIG. 18 is a schematic sectional view showing a state in which a specimen is embedded in paraffin using a conventional cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cassette main body 2 Lid 3 Through-hole 4 Recording part 5 Locking groove 6 Locking part 7 Through-hole 8 Rib 9 Inclined locking piece 10 Protruding edge part 11 Locking piece 12 Sample 13 Tray 14 Paraffin 15 Cassette block 16 Raised part 17 Identification display 18 Partition wall 19 Identification display 31 Cassette main body 32 Lid 33 Sample storage section 34 Recording section 35 Lock groove 36 Lock section 37 Through hole 38 Through hole 39 Swelling section 40 Lock piece 41 Lock piece 42 Hold section 43 through hole 44 through hole 45 protrusion

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A cassette having a cassette main body and a lid, wherein the cassette main body is a rectangular container having an open upper surface and capable of accommodating a sample, having a large number of through-holes, and wherein the lid is attached to and detached from the cassette main body. A medical examination cassette, which is freely attached and has a large number of through holes, wherein the lid and / or the cassette body is made of a chemical-resistant transparent material. 2. The medical examination cassette according to claim 1, wherein an identification mark such as a number or an alphabet is protruded at a height of at least 0.3 mm on the surface of the lid. 3. The medical examination cassette according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion is provided on the surface of the lid. 4. The medical examination cassette according to claim 3, wherein the identification mark is provided on the surface of the raised portion. 5. The medical examination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cassette body is divided into a plurality of small chambers by a partition wall, and an identification mark is projected from a surface of a lid corresponding to the small chamber. cassette. 6. The medical examination cassette according to claim 1, wherein the transparent material is a polypropylene resin. 7. The medical examination cassette according to claim 1, wherein the transparent material is a polyester resin.