JP2005131127A - Insertion support apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To evade complicated connecting work and to easily execute a desired processing at a target moving place. <P>SOLUTION: In an apparatus 3 for a medical office or an apparatus 5 for inspection, various kinds of peripheral equipment required for support can be installed in the state of connecting respective corresponding connection cables to a plurality of connection terminals (USB terminals 41 and 41b, a monitor terminal 42, a panel terminal 43, a foot switch terminal 44, an operation signal terminal 45, a video input/output terminal 46, an inlet 47 and a LAN port 48) provided on a back surface. The transmission and reception of video signals and data signals inputted and outputted between a support apparatus body 1 and the apparatus 3 for the medical office or the apparatus 5 for the inspection and power supply from the apparatus 2 for the medical office or the apparatus 5 for the inspection are achieved by an electrical connection by fitting one connector part 31 provided on the apparatus 3 for the medical office or the apparatus 5 for the inspection to one connector part provided on the support apparatus body 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an insertion support apparatus that supports insertion of an endoscope.

  In recent years, diagnosis based on images has been widely performed. For example, by taking a tomographic image of a subject with an X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) apparatus or the like, three-dimensional image data is obtained in the subject, and the 3D image data is obtained. Diagnosis of an affected area has been performed using dimensional image data.

  In the CT apparatus, by continuously feeding the subject in the body axis direction while continuously rotating the X-ray irradiation / detection, a helical continuous scan (helical scan) is performed on the three-dimensional region of the subject. A three-dimensional image is created from tomographic images of successive slices of a three-dimensional region.

  One such 3D image is a 3D image of the lung bronchi. The three-dimensional image of the bronchus is used to three-dimensionally grasp the position of an abnormal part suspected of lung cancer, for example. In order to confirm the abnormal portion by biopsy, a bronchoscope is inserted and a biopsy needle, biopsy forceps, or the like is taken out from the distal end portion and a tissue sample is taken.

As in the bronchus, in the body ducts with multi-stage branches, when the location of the abnormal part is close to the periphery of the branch, it is difficult to reach the target site correctly in a short time, For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-135215, etc., a three-dimensional image of a conduit in the subject is created based on image data of a three-dimensional region of the subject, and along the conduit on the three-dimensional image. By obtaining a route to a destination point, creating a virtual endoscopic image of the duct along the route based on the image data, and displaying the virtual endoscopic image, a bronchoscope A device for navigating to a target site has been proposed.
JP 2000-135215 A

  In a device for navigating a bronchoscope to a target site (hereinafter referred to as an insertion support device), it is placed in a medical office room to generate a virtual endoscopic image, or an examination to assist during actual examination. Although it is arranged in a room, since there is a problem in terms of cost when arranging a plurality of insertion support devices in each room, the insertion support device is generally moved according to the purpose.

  However, in the moved insertion support apparatus, since it is necessary to separate and connect each peripheral device each time, there is a problem that the preparation work becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an insertion support device capable of avoiding complicated connection work and easily performing a desired process at a target moving place. .

  An insertion support apparatus according to the present invention includes a portable first device unit that has a single first connection connector and processes a support image that supports insertion of an endoscope, and the single first connection connector. And a plurality of second device units having a plurality of connection means connectable to a plurality of peripheral devices.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid complicated connection work and to easily perform desired processing at a target moving place.

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

  1 to 17 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the insertion support device, FIG. 2 is a first external view showing the appearance of the support device main body of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 is a second external view showing the appearance of the main body of the support apparatus in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a view showing the installation status when the main body of the support apparatus in FIG. 1 is moved, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the connection of the inspection apparatus, FIG. 6 is a first external view showing the appearance of the medical station apparatus or inspection apparatus in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is an external view of the medical station apparatus or inspection apparatus in FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the bronchus supported by the insertion support device of FIG. 1, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an insertion support screen generated by the insertion support device of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display form of a monitor that displays an endoscope image from the endoscope apparatus of FIG. 11, and FIG. 11 is a modification of the insertion support screen of FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main body of the support apparatus in FIG. 1, FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing unit of the main body of the support apparatus in FIG. 12, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the inspection apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a modification of the medical station apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 17 is for the inspection of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the modification of an apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the insertion support apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a support apparatus main body 1 that is portable and movable, a medical station apparatus 3 that can be connected to the support apparatus main body 1 and is disposed in a medical station 2, and a support The apparatus main body 1 includes an inspection apparatus 5 that can be freely connected and disposed in the examination room 4. The combination of the support apparatus main body 1 and the medical station apparatus 3 or the combination of the support apparatus main body 1 and the inspection apparatus 5 Functions are to be built.

  The medical office device 3 is connected to an operation device 6 composed of a keyboard and a pointing device (trackball, mouse, etc.) and a monitor 7 for displaying an insertion support image or the like.

  In addition, the inspection device 5 inputs an operation device 8 including a keyboard and a pointing device (trackball, mouse, etc.), an endoscope device 9 for performing an endoscopic inspection, and signals necessary for the endoscopic inspection. Are connected to a foot switch 10, a monitor 11 for displaying an endoscopic image from the endoscope apparatus 9, and a monitor 12 for displaying an insertion support image or the like. A touch panel 13 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in order to capture CT image data, which is three-dimensional image data generated by a well-known CT apparatus (not shown) that captures an X-ray tomographic image of a patient as a subject, in the front surface of the support apparatus body 1. For example, an MO (Magnetic Optical) disk, a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a medium loading unit 21 for loading a portable storage medium such as a flash memory into the apparatus, and an LED 22a for displaying the state of the apparatus 22b, USB terminals 23a and 23b, which are general-purpose interfaces to which various peripheral devices can be connected, and a handle 24 for gripping during transportation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, on the back surface of the support apparatus main body 1, there is a connector portion 25 to be fitted when connecting to the medical office device 3 or the inspection device 5, and the back surface protruding height of the connector portion 25 is 3 Four leg portions 26a, 26b, and 26c are provided. As shown in FIG. 4, when the handle portion 24 is gripped and moved by the three leg portions 26a, 26b, and 26c, the support device main body 1 is placed on the floor 27. The connector unit 25 can be stably placed on the floor 27 with the back surface of the support apparatus main body 1 downward without contacting the floor 27 when placed on the floor 27 or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, on the bottom surface of the support device main body 1, foot portions are provided at the four corners so that the support device main body 1 is stably placed on a later-described installation base portion of the medical office device 3 or the examination device 5. 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a connector part 31 that engages with the connector part 25 of the support apparatus main body 1 is provided on the front surface of the medical office apparatus 3 or the inspection apparatus 5, and the support apparatus main body 1 is installed from the lower front surface. The base part 32 is extended, and the side cross-sectional shape of the installation base part 32 in the extending direction is substantially L-shaped.

  In addition, the vertical portion 35 perpendicular to the installation base portion 32 having the connector portion 31 incorporates a power source and interface portion (I / F portion) described later. A power switch 33 is provided for controlling on / off of the power. Guide members 34a and 34b are provided at both ends of the installation surface of the support device main body 1 which is the upper surface of the installation table 32, and the guide members 34a and 34b are connected to the foot portions 28c and 28b of the support device main body 1 as shown in FIG. When the support device main body 1 is moved by the installation base 32 so that 28d is along, and the back surface of the support device main body 1 is brought into contact with the front surface of the medical device 3 or the test device 5, the foot portions 28c and 28d are guided. Left and right movement is restricted by the members 34a and 34b, the fitting position between the connector part 25 and the connector part 31 is forcibly corrected, and the connector part 25 and the connector part 31 can be easily fitted together.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a USB terminal 41 a and a spare USB terminal 41 b for connecting to the operation device 8, a monitor terminal 42 connected to the monitor 12, and a touch panel 13 are connected to the back of the inspection device 5. Panel terminal 43, foot switch terminal 44 connected to the foot switch 10, operation signal terminal 45 for transmitting and receiving an operation signal from the endoscope apparatus 9, and video signal from the endoscope apparatus 9 A video input / output terminal 46 for outputting the video signal to the monitor 11, an inlet 47 for connecting a power cord (not shown), a LAN port 48 connectable to a hospital LAN (not shown), etc. And foot portions 49a, 49b, 49c, and 49d are provided at the four corners so that the inspection cart (not shown) is stably disposed on the bottom surface.

  Although not shown, the panel terminal 43, the foot switch terminal 44, the operation signal terminal 45, and the video input / output terminal 46 are not necessary on the back of the medical office device 3, so the USB terminal 41a, the spare USB terminal 41b, the monitor Only the terminal 42, the inlet 47, and the LAN port 48 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the route from the proximal end to the periphery of the bronchi 50 passes through a plurality of branch points. Therefore, in this embodiment, the bronchi 50 is connected to the medical station device 3 arranged in the medical station 2 before the examination. The support apparatus main body 1 is set, and the insertion support route 53 is set by designating the insertion support start point 51 and the biopsy site 52 that is the insertion support end point.

  Specifically, a CT examination is performed on a patient who is a subject in advance using a CT apparatus, and CT image data that is three-dimensional image data of the subject obtained by the CT examination is captured. An MPR image (multi-section reconstructed image: not shown) is generated from the acquired CT image data, and a biopsy which is an insertion support start point 71 and an insertion support end point on the MPR image using the operation device 6 and the monitor 7 The part 52 is designated. Thereby, the insertion support route 53 is set based on the CT image data.

  When the insertion support route 53 is set, an insertion support screen 54 as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the monitor 7 of the medical office 2.

  The insertion support screen 54 includes a VBS image display area 55 for displaying a VBS image image 55a that is a virtual endoscopic image constructed from CT image data, and VBS image images 55a at all branch points of the insertion support route 53. And a branch thumbnail VBS image area 56 displayed as branch thumbnail VBS images 56 (a) to 56 (j). A VBS image image 55a corresponding to a branch point where a live image is located is a VBS image display area 55. Is displayed.

  On the insertion support screen 54, the frame of the same branch thumbnail VBS image as the VBS image 55a displayed in the VBS image display area 55 is displayed in a thick frame or in color, and can be distinguished from other branch thumbnail VBS images. Can easily recognize which branch point the VBS image 55a displayed in the VBS image display area 55 is.

  The surgeon can perform a simulation related to the insertion of the endoscope before the examination using the insertion support screen 54.

  The insertion support route 53 set in the medical office 2 and the frame image data of the VBS image 55a of the insertion support route 53 are stored in a hard disk, which will be described later, of the support device main body 1. During the inspection, the support device main body 1 is moved to the examination room 4, By connecting the support apparatus main body 1 and the inspection apparatus 5, the insertion support screen 54 is displayed on the monitor 12 and utilized as navigation information for insertion of an endoscope during actual inspection.

  When the insertion of the endoscope is started, an endoscope image 57 as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the monitor 11. On the insertion support screen 54 of the monitor 12, as shown in FIG. The live endoscope image may be displayed in the endoscope live image display area 58 in which the actual live endoscope image is superimposed on the screen and parallel to the VBS image display area 55.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the support apparatus body 1 includes a portable storage medium 60 such as an MO (Magnetic Optical) disk, a CD-R or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a flash memory loaded in the medium loading unit 21. CT image data capturing unit 61 that captures CT image data that is three-dimensional image data generated by the CT apparatus, CT image data storage unit 62 that stores CT image data captured by the CT image data capturing unit 61, and CT An MPR image generation unit 63 that generates an MPR image (multi-section reconstructed image) based on the CT image data stored in the image data storage unit 62, and a route setting screen that includes the MPR image generated by the MPR image generation unit The support route to the bronchi of the endoscope device 9 As a virtual image generating means for generating a continuous VBS image of the route set by the route setting unit 64 based on the CT image data stored in the route setting unit 64 and the CT image data storage unit 62 A VBS image generation unit 65, a VBS image storage unit 66 that stores the VBS image generated by the VBS image generation unit 65, and an insertion support screen 54 are generated, and the route setting screen and the insertion support screen 54 are displayed on the monitor 12 or 7. An information processing unit 67 to be displayed and an LED driver 68 for driving the LEDs 22a and 22b are provided.

  Transmission / reception of video signals and data signals input / output between the support apparatus main body 1 and the medical station apparatus 3 or the inspection apparatus, and power supply from the medical station apparatus 3 or the inspection apparatus are performed by the medical station apparatus 3 or This is achieved by electrical connection by fitting one connector portion 31 provided in the inspection device 5 and one connector portion 25 provided in the support device main body 1.

  For example, the MPR image generation unit 63, the route setting unit 64, the VBS image generation unit 65, and the information processing unit 67 are realized by a one-chip CPU 70, and the CT image data storage unit 62 and the VBS image storage unit 66 are a hard disk 69. Built on top.

  The information processing unit 67 controls each unit, and transmits and receives video signals and various data signals to and from the medical station apparatus 3 or the inspection apparatus 5 via the connector unit 25.

  The support apparatus main body 1 is supplied with power from the medical station apparatus 3 or the examination apparatus 5 via the connector unit 25.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the information processing unit 67 of the support apparatus main body 1 includes a video signal processing function 71, a memory control function 72, an HDD control function 73, an image output function 74, a USB I / F function 75, and an LED drive function. 76, at least a PinP function 77, an operation device control function 78, a foot switch control function 79, an endoscope switch control function 80, a CD-R drive function 81, an MO drive function 82, a DVD drive function 83, a flash memory drive Various functions such as a function 84 are provided.

  Note that the PinP function 77 is not necessary when the configuration has two monitors as shown in FIG. 1, and is necessary when there is only one monitor.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the medical station device 3 outputs a video signal from the support device main body 1 input via the connector unit 31 to the monitor 7, and sends an operation signal from the operation device 6 to the connector unit 31. And an I / F unit 91 that outputs power to the support apparatus main body 1 and a power source 92 that supplies power to the support apparatus main body 1 via the connector unit 31.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the inspection device 5 includes the I / F unit 91, a power source 92, and a buffer unit 93. The buffer unit 93 includes a distribution circuit that outputs a video signal from the endoscope apparatus 9 to the I / F unit 91 and also outputs a video signal from the endoscope apparatus 9 to the monitor 11.

The I / F unit 91 of the inspection apparatus 5 is
(1) The video signal from the support device main body 1 input via the connector unit 31 is output to the monitor 12 (2) The operation signal from the touch panel 13 is output to the support device main body 1 via the connector unit 31 ( 3) An operation signal from the foot switch 10 is output to the support apparatus body 1 through the connector unit 31. (4) An operation signal from the operation apparatus 8 is output to the support apparatus body 1 through the connector unit 31 (5). A signal relay function such as outputting a video signal and an operation signal from the endoscope apparatus 9 to the support apparatus body 1 via the connector unit 31 is performed.

  The endoscopic device 9 includes a CCU (camera control unit) 101 and a bronchial endoscope 102. The CCU 101 performs endoscopic processing by performing signal processing on a bronchial endoscopic image captured by the bronchial endoscope 102. It outputs to the apparatus 5 for an inspection as a mirror image. Further, the CCU 101 operates data indicating the operation state of the bronchoscope 102 (for example, release operation data for recording a still image, an insertion amount detection device for detecting the insertion amount of the insertion portion of the bronchoscope 102 (not shown). Z: An insertion amount detection data, etc., of an apparatus that is arranged at the proximal end portion of the insertion portion of the bronchoscope 102 and configured to detect an amount of movement of the outer surface of the insertion portion is output to the inspection device 5 To do.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the medical station apparatus 3 or the inspection apparatus 5 includes a plurality of connection terminals (USB terminals 41a and 41b, monitors provided with connection cables on the back of various peripheral devices necessary for support. The terminal 42, the panel terminal 43, the foot switch terminal 44, the operation signal terminal 45, the video input / output terminal 46, the inlet 47, and the LAN port 48 (see FIGS. 7 and 15) can be installed. Thus, transmission / reception of video signals and data signals input / output between the support apparatus main body 1 and the medical station apparatus 3 or the inspection apparatus 5 and power supply from the medical station apparatus 3 or the inspection apparatus 5 are for medical stations. This is achieved by electrical connection by fitting one connector portion 31 provided in the apparatus 3 or the inspection device 5 and one connector portion 25 provided in the support apparatus main body 1. Since, along with avoiding troublesome connecting work, it is possible to easily perform desired operations in the desired location.

  In this embodiment, the CPU 70 that implements the MPR image generation unit 63 and the VBS image generation unit, and the hard disk 69 that performs the CT image data storage unit 62 and the VBS image storage unit 66 are provided in the same apparatus. Yes. Therefore, even when image processing is performed at any place in the medical office 2 or the examination room 4, image processing can be performed by an apparatus having a certain processing capability.

  In the medical office apparatus 3 or the examination apparatus 5, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a rechargeable battery 200 may be used instead of the power source 92, and this battery 200 is connected via the AC adapter 201. Thus, trickle charging is possible, and necessary power can be supplied to each unit in parallel with charging. By using the battery 200 instead of the power source 92, the movement of the medical station apparatus 3 in the medical office and the movement of the inspection apparatus 5 in the examination room 4 are facilitated.

[Appendix]
(Supplementary Item 1) According to Claim 1 or 2, wherein electric power is supplied to the first device unit and the second device unit from a power supply unit provided in the second device unit. The insertion support apparatus according to the description.

(Additional Item 2) The insertion support device according to Additional Item 1, wherein the power supply unit is a rechargeable battery.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the insertion assistance apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. First external view showing the external appearance of the support device main body of FIG. 2nd external view which shows the external appearance of the assistance apparatus main body of FIG. Fig. 1 shows the installation status when the support device body in Fig. 1 is moved. The figure explaining the connection of the main body of the support apparatus of FIG. FIG. 1 is a first external view showing the external appearance of the medical office apparatus or inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 2nd external view which shows the external appearance of the apparatus for medical offices of FIG. 1, or the apparatus for a test | inspection The figure explaining the structure of the bronchus which the insertion assistance apparatus of FIG. 1 supports The figure which shows the insertion assistance screen which the insertion assistance apparatus of FIG. 1 produces | generates The figure which shows the display form of the monitor which displays the endoscopic image from the endoscope apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the modification of the insertion assistance screen of FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the support apparatus body of FIG. The block diagram which shows the function structure of the information processing part of the assistance apparatus main body of FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the apparatus for medical offices of FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the inspection apparatus of FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the modification of the apparatus for medical offices of FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the modification of the apparatus for an inspection of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Support apparatus main body 3 ... Medical office apparatus 5 ... Inspection apparatus 21 ... Medium loading part 22a, 22b ... LED
23a, 23b, 41a, 41b ... USB terminals 25, 31 ... connector portion 42 ... monitor terminal 43 ... panel terminal 44 ... foot switch terminal 46 ... operation signal terminal 47 ... inlet 48 ... LAN port 60 ... storage medium 61 ... CT image data Capture unit 62 ... CT image data storage unit 63 ... MPR image generation unit 64 ... Route setting unit 65 ... VBS image generation unit 66 ... VBS image storage unit 67 ... Information processing unit 68 ... LED driver 69 ... Hard disk 70 ... CPU
Attorney Susumu Ito

Claims (3)

A portable first device unit having a single first connection connector and processing a support image for supporting insertion of an endoscope;
A plurality of second device sections having a single second connection connector connectable to the single first connection connector and having a plurality of connection means connectable to a plurality of peripheral devices; An insertion support apparatus comprising: The single first connection connector is provided on the back surface of the first device unit,
The insertion support device according to claim 1, wherein the single second connection connector is provided on a front surface of the second device unit. The second device section includes a mounting section on which the first device section is mounted when the single first connection connector and the single second connection connector are connected. Item 3. The insertion support device according to Item 2.

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