JP2005319173A - Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus suitable for assisting puncture of a puncture needle into a living body. <P>SOLUTION: The ultrasonic probe 10 comprises a probe 26, a puncture needle guide member 32 with a guide hole 30 for inserting the puncture needle 28 and a support arm 34 for rotatably supporting the probe 26 to the puncture needle guide member 32. The probe 26 has an arm axis of a support arm 34 located parallel to the direction of alignment of vibrators and within a vibrator width W orthogonally crossing the direction of alignment. The probe 26 is held by the support arm 34 with the ultrasonic scanning face of the probe 26 parallel to the rotation axis of the support arm, and the support arm 34 is supported to the puncture needle guide member 32 with the rotation axis 36 parallel to a hole axis of the guide hole 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus that capture an ultrasonic image by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a subject.

  An ultrasonic probe used in an ultrasonic imaging apparatus emits ultrasonic waves to an imaging region via a probe and receives ultrasonic waves generated from the imaging region as a reflected echo signal. Then, based on the reflected echo signal output from the ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic image (for example, a tomographic image) is reconstructed and displayed by the ultrasonic imaging apparatus.

  While imaging the affected part of a subject using such an ultrasonic probe, the position of a puncture needle to be inserted into a living body is imaged. For example, when treating prostate cancer, an ultrasound image of prostate cancer is taken by inserting a cylindrical transrectal ultrasound probe with a probe attached to the tip into the living body through the insertion hole of the template. On the other hand, a treatment for freezing prostate cancer tissue is performed by inserting a plurality of puncture needles (for example, cryoprobes) each having a cryogenic local cooling section attached to the tip thereof into a living body through an insertion hole of a template (for example, Patent Document 1).

Here, the template is a plate-like shape in which a plurality of insertion holes are arranged at regular intervals, and is attached to the proximal end portion of the ultrasonic probe so that the plate surface is orthogonal to the extending direction of the ultrasonic probe. It is done. Then, the prostate cancer is frozen and necrotized by puncturing the cryoprobe in parallel with the living body through a template positioned near the body surface of the subject.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-332872 (FIG. 8)

  By the way, in Patent Document 1, since the probe is attached to the tip of the ultrasonic probe, when the ultrasonic probe is inserted into the living body, an ultrasonic image of the affected part can be displayed by the probe. . However, a part of the puncture path from the insertion position of the puncture needle to the affected area may be outside the visual field of the probe. Therefore, the operator requires skill in the puncture operation of the puncture needle, for example, by piercing the puncture needle up to the affected area with intuition so as not to damage the subcutaneous artery.

  In addition, the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the probe is also reflected by the puncture needle, but since the reflection intensity is relatively small, the image of the puncture needle is not necessarily clearly displayed in the ultrasonic image, and the ultrasonic image It is difficult to visually recognize the puncture needle.

  Furthermore, when the affected area is frozen by a cryoprobe as a puncture needle, since the ultrasonic wave is almost reflected on the frozen surface, for example, the deep part of the affected area is not always clearly displayed, and the treatment condition of the entire affected area ( For example, it becomes difficult to confirm the frozen state.

  An object of the present invention is to realize an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus suitable for supporting the insertion of a puncture needle into a living body.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention inserts a probe in which a plurality of transducers that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to and from a subject and a puncture needle that pierces the subject. A puncture needle guide member having a guide hole and a support arm that rotatably supports the probe on the puncture needle guide member. The probe has an arm axis of the support arm in the arrangement direction of the plurality of transducers. It is positioned within the transducer width that is parallel and perpendicular to the arrangement direction, and is held by the support arm with the ultrasonic scanning surface of the probe parallel to the rotation axis of the support arm. It is characterized by being supported by a puncture needle guide member in parallel with the hole axis of the guide hole.

  According to this, when the puncture needle is inserted into the living body through the guide hole, the probe can be rotated so that the hole axial direction of the guide hole is included in the scanning range of the probe. Accordingly, since the insertion path of the puncture needle is included in the visual field of the probe, the insertion process of the puncture needle can be displayed on the ultrasonic image.

  In this case, a guide hole for the puncture needle can be provided on the rotation shaft of the support arm. According to this, since the axial direction of the rotation shaft is included in the ultrasonic scanning surface, when the puncture needle is inserted into the living body through the guide hole of the rotation shaft, the insertion process of the puncture needle It can be displayed on the image. Further, since the guide hole of the pivot shaft is parallel to the guide hole of the puncture needle guide member, the puncture needle inserted into the guide hole of the pivot shaft is inserted into the guide hole of the puncture needle guide member. Parallel to the needle.

  Further, a plurality of puncture needle guide members can be connected to each other via a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the support arm. According to this, even when a plurality of puncture needles are inserted, the insertion process of the puncture needles can be visually recognized by rotating the probe for each puncture needle.

  By the way, in general, when a cryoprobe is used as a puncture needle, the cryoprobe generates minute vibrations due to filling or flowing high pressure gas, liquid nitrogen, or the like therein. Therefore, for example, an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the subject, a transmission / reception unit that supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe and receives a reflected echo signal output from the ultrasonic probe, and a transmission / reception unit A puncture needle (for example, a cryoprobe) that includes an ultrasonic image processing unit that reconstructs an ultrasonic image based on an output reflected echo signal and a display unit that displays the ultrasonic image, and freezes the living tissue of the subject. ) Is inserted into the subject, a marker image processing unit that detects a Doppler shift of the reflected echo signal output from the transmission / reception unit and reconstructs a marker image corresponding to the puncture needle based on the Doppler shift. And a marker image can be displayed superimposed on the ultrasonic image.

  That is, Doppler excursion (for example, frequency change or phase change) is included in the reflected echo signal due to vibration generated in the puncture needle. Therefore, when the detected Doppler deviation exceeds the set value, the image becomes a marker image corresponding to the puncture needle by imaging based on the Doppler deviation. Then, by displaying the marker image superimposed on the ultrasonic image, it becomes easier to visually recognize the position of the puncture needle and the insertion process. In particular, even when the puncture needle is stationary without moving in the living body, it becomes easy to visually recognize the puncture needle.

  In this case, it is desirable to detect the phase change of the reflected echo signal as the Doppler deviation. That is, when capturing a tomographic image as an ultrasonic image, a short pulse wave in the time axis direction is used as the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the probe, so it is better to detect the phase change than the frequency change of the reflected echo signal. Easy.

  On the other hand, an ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from the subject, a transmission / reception unit that supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe and receives a reflected echo signal output from the ultrasonic probe, and an output from the transmission / reception unit An ultrasonic image processing unit that reconstructs an ultrasonic image based on a reflected echo signal and a display unit that displays the ultrasonic image, and a plurality of ultrasonic probes are arranged, and an ultrasonic scan of each ultrasonic probe is performed. Each ultrasonic probe can be switched to time division and driven while different surfaces are used.

  According to this, if an ultrasonic image of the affected part surface is picked up by one ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic image of the back side of the affected part is picked up by another ultrasonic probe, even if the surface of the affected part is frozen, the affected part The overall treatment status (for example, frozen state) can be confirmed. Further, even when the puncture needle is inserted perpendicularly to the ultrasonic scanning surface of one ultrasonic probe, the insertion process of the puncture needle can be displayed by another ultrasonic probe.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus suitable for supporting the insertion of a puncture needle into a living body.

  First Embodiment A first embodiment of an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic imaging apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe 10 that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, a reflection signal output from the ultrasonic probe 10 while supplying a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe 10. An ultrasound image (based on a reflected echo signal output from the phasing adder 14, a phasing addition unit 14 that performs phasing addition of the reflected echo signal output from the transmission / reception unit 12, For example, an ultrasonic image processing unit 16 that reconstructs a tomographic image), a display unit 20 that displays a tomographic image output from the ultrasonic image processing unit 16, and a control unit 22 that controls each unit. .

  The transmission / reception unit 12 includes amplification means for amplifying the received reflected echo signal. The phasing adder 14 has analog-digital conversion means for digitizing the reflected echo signal before phasing and adding. The ultrasonic image processing unit 16 includes signal processing means for detecting a reflected echo signal and an image memory for temporarily storing an ultrasonic image. In addition, a digital scan converter (hereinafter referred to as DSC 18) that converts the ultrasonic image output from the ultrasonic image processing unit 16 into a display signal and outputs the signal to the display unit 20 is provided.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the ultrasonic probe 10 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic probe 10 is inserted through a probe 26 in which a plurality of transducers that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to and from a subject and a puncture needle 28 that pierces the subject. A puncture needle guide member 32 having a guide hole 30 and a support arm 34 that rotatably supports the probe 26 on the puncture needle guide member 32 are provided. In addition, although the example using the cryoprobe with the cryogenic local cooling part attached to the front-end | tip as the puncture needle 28 is demonstrated, the biopsy needle etc. which extract | collect a biological tissue may be used.

  The probe 26 has a convex shape in which transducer groups are arranged along a convexly curved circular arc surface, and is held by a support arm 34. The support arm 34 extends from the portion holding the probe 26 in the arrangement direction of the transducer group, and a rotation shaft 36 is provided at an end in the extending direction. The rotation shaft 36 has an axial direction parallel to the ultrasonic scanning surface of the probe 26. The ultrasonic scanning surface is an ultrasonic scanning surface formed by ultrasonic waves transmitted from each transducer. The arm axis of the support arm 34 is positioned within the transducer width W that is parallel to the transducer group arrangement direction and orthogonal to the transducer group arrangement direction. That is, the axial direction of the rotation shaft 36 of the support arm 34 is included in the ultrasonic scanning surface of the probe 26.

  The puncture needle guide member 32 has a rotating plate 32a and a clip 32b. The rotating plate 32a is supported so as to be rotatable about the axis of the rotating shaft 36, and extends in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 36 from the supported portion. An engaging portion 32c is engraved on the plate surface of the rotating plate 32a along the extending direction. The clip 32b is locked to the engaging portion 32c so as to be movable in the extending direction. A guide hole 30 having a hole axis parallel to the rotation axis 36 is formed in the clip 32b.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the rotation shaft 36 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation shaft 36 is formed by attaching a cylinder 40 to a curved portion 34 a formed on the support arm 34. The cylinder 40 is a cylindrical body in which a guide hole 42 through which the puncture needle 29 is inserted is formed, and a flange-like flange is formed at the top opening. When such a cylinder 40 is attached to the support arm 34, the hole axis of the guide hole 42 coincides with the axis of the rotation shaft 36. The curved portion 32d formed on the rotating plate 32a is hinged to the cylinder 40 fixed to the support arm 34. The rotation shaft 36 is not limited to the form shown in FIG. 3, and may be any as long as the support arm 34 and the rotation plate 32 a can be rotated relatively.

  4 is a view of the puncture needle guide member 32 of FIG. 2 as viewed from above (in the direction of the arrow X). As shown in FIG. 4, the puncture guide member 32 is formed by engaging a clip 32 b with a screw 44 on a rotating plate 32 a. The clip 32 b includes an engagement plate 46 that is engaged with the engagement portion 32 c and a movable plate 48 that is partially overlapped with the engagement plate 46. The movable plate 48 is supported so as to be rotatable around a shaft 46 a formed on the engagement plate 46. When the extending direction of the rotating plate 32a is a direction Y, a groove is formed on the front end side in the direction Y of the engagement plate 46, and a groove is also formed on the front end side in the direction Y of the movable plate 48. When the distal end side of the engagement plate 46 and the distal end side of the movable plate 48 are overlapped, the guide hole 30 is formed by the groove of the engagement plate 46 and the groove of the movable plate 48. A spring 50 as an elastic member is inserted between the base end side in the direction Y of the engagement plate 46 and the base end side of the movable plate 48. The puncture needle 28 is held in the guide hole 30 by the elastic force of the spring 50. The puncture needle guide member 32 is not limited to the form shown in FIG.

  Operations of the ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic imaging apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, the probe 26 is rotated around the rotation shaft 36 so that the hole axis direction of the guide hole 30 is included in the ultrasonic scanning range. Next, the ultrasonic emission surface of the probe 26 of the ultrasonic probe 10 is brought into contact with the body surface of the subject. A drive signal is supplied from the transmitter / receiver 12 to each transducer of the probe 26 brought into contact. In accordance with the supplied drive signal, ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the transducer group to the affected part (for example, prostate cancer) of the subject. Ultrasound generated from the affected area is received by the transducer group of the probe 26 and output as a reflected echo signal. The output reflected echo signal is subjected to amplification processing and the like by the transmission / reception unit 12 and then subjected to digitization processing and phasing addition processing by the phasing addition unit 14. Based on the reflected echo signal output from the phasing adder 14, an ultrasonic image (for example, a tomographic image) of the affected area is reconstructed. The reconstructed ultrasonic image is displayed on the display unit 20.

  Next, for example, the first puncture needle 28 is inserted into the subject through the guide hole 30 of the ultrasonic probe 10. Since the inserted puncture needle 28 is displayed on the tomographic image of the display unit 20, the puncture needle is inserted until the tip of the puncture needle 28 reaches the affected part while observing the process of inserting the puncture needle 28 on the tomographic image. To do.

  After inserting the first puncture needle 28, the probe 26 is rotated a predetermined number of times along the body surface so that the direction of the hole axis of the guide hole 42 is included in the ultrasonic scanning range. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the second puncture needle 29 is inserted into the subject through the guide hole 42. While watching the insertion process of the puncture needle 29 displayed on the tomographic image, the puncture needle is inserted until the tip of the puncture needle 29 reaches the affected area. The inserted puncture needle 29 is parallel to the puncture needle 28. The affected area is frozen by the tips of the puncture needles 28 and 29, and the frozen areas are frozen and necrosed by combining the frozen areas. The puncture needles 28 and 29 are extracted from the subject after a predetermined time has elapsed. Note that the degree of rotation of the probe 26 when the second puncture needle 29 is inserted may be appropriately adjusted in consideration of the range of the affected area, the freezing range of the puncture needle 29, and the like. Further, for example, the first puncture needle 28 may be inserted into the guide hole 42 and, for example, the second puncture needle 29 may be inserted into the guide hole 30.

  According to the present embodiment, for example, when the first puncture needle 28 is inserted into the living body through the guide hole 30, the probe axial direction of the guide hole 30 is included in the scanning range of the probe 26. 26 can be rotated. Thus, since the insertion path of the puncture needle 28 is included in the visual field of the probe 26, the insertion process of the puncture needle 28 can be displayed on the ultrasonic image.

  Further, since the axial direction of the rotation shaft 36 is included in the ultrasonic scanning surface, for example, when the second puncture needle 29 is inserted into the living body through the guide hole 42 of the rotation shaft 36, The insertion process can be displayed on the ultrasound image. Further, since the guide hole 42 is parallel to the guide hole 30 and the hole axis, the puncture needle 29 inserted through the guide hole 42 is parallel to the puncture needle 28 inserted through the guide hole 30. In other words, the puncture direction of the puncture needle 29 inserted through the guide hole 42 is mechanically restricted by the puncture needle 28 inserted through the guide hole 30.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, since the support arm 34 of the ultrasonic probe 10 is bent in the direction of the arrow X, the insertion path of the puncture needle 29 inserted through the guide hole 42 is changed to the ultrasonic scanning range. Can be further included. In short, when the insertion point of the puncture needle 29 is close to the arc surface of the probe 26, the blind spot of the insertion path of the puncture needle 29 can be reduced.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on 1st Embodiment, it is not restricted to this. For example, a plurality of puncture needle guide members 32 can be connected to each other via a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis 36 of the support arm 34. As a result, even when three or more puncture needles are inserted, the probe 26 can be rotated for each puncture needle to visually recognize the puncture process of each puncture needle. Note that the number of puncture needles may be determined in consideration of the size of the affected area and the treatment range of each puncture needle.

  In addition to prostate cancer, the present invention can be applied to a case where percutaneous cryosurgery is performed on various affected sites (for example, liver tumors and kidney tumors). In addition to the convex probe 26, a linear type or sector type can be used. However, a convex or sector probe is preferred when contacting the curved chest and abdomen.

  FIG. 6 shows a reference form in which a puncture needle is inserted through a template, and is compared with the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, when treating prostate cancer, a cylindrical transrectal ultrasonic probe 52 having a probe 50 attached to the tip is inserted into the living body through the insertion hole 54 of the template 53. . An ultrasonic image of prostate cancer is picked up by the inserted ultrasonic probe 52. On the other hand, a plurality of cryoprobes 56 as puncture needles each having a cryogenic local cooling unit attached to the tip are inserted into the living body through the insertion hole 60. The tissue of prostate cancer is frozen by the inserted cryoprobe 56.

  The template 53 is a plate having a plurality of insertion holes 60 arranged in a lattice at regular intervals, and the base end of the ultrasonic probe 52 is so that the plate surface is orthogonal to the extending direction of the ultrasonic probe 52. It is attached to the part. Then, the cryoprobe 56 is punctured in parallel into the living body through the template 53 positioned near the body surface of the subject (for example, the perineum).

  According to such a reference form, most of the puncture path of the cryoprobe 56 is outside the visual field of the probe 50. Therefore, the operator needs to pierce the cryoprobe 56 to the affected part by relying on intuition so as not to damage, for example, the subcutaneous artery. In this regard, according to the first embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the insertion path of the puncture needle 29 (for example, a cryoprobe) can be visually recognized more accurately than the reference form. Can be easily inserted.

  Second Embodiment A second embodiment of an ultrasonic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 8 is a display example for displaying a marker image of a cryoprobe. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a marker image of the cryoprobe is displayed. Therefore, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the differences will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ultrasonic imaging apparatus includes a marker image processing unit 62 that reconstructs an image based on a Doppler shift of a reflected echo signal that is output with a time shift from the phasing addition unit 14, and a marker An image synthesizing unit 66 that synthesizes (for example, superimposes) the image output from the image processing unit 62 and the ultrasonic image output from the ultrasonic image processing unit 16 is provided. The marker image processing unit 62 includes Doppler shift detection means 64 that detects Doppler shift of the reflected echo signal output from the phasing adder 14 with a time shift.

  In general, a cryoprobe as a puncture needle is connected to a cryosurgical device 65 shown in FIG. 8, and high-pressure gas and liquid nitrogen supplied from the cryosurgical device 65 flow through the inside thereof. Therefore, micro-vibration occurs in the cryoprobe due to high-pressure gas or liquid nitrogen. The vibration frequency generated in the cryoprobe is higher than that caused by body movement (for example, pulsation) of living tissue, and higher than a normal ultrasonic repetition frequency (PRF). Therefore, the reflected echo signal reflected by the cryoprobe includes a Doppler shift (for example, frequency change or phase change) caused by minute vibrations, and the Doppler shift changes irregularly and greatly.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the Doppler shift detector 64 detects the Doppler shift of the reflected echo signal. When the detected Doppler deviation exceeds a set value, an image is reconstructed by the marker image processing unit 62 based on the Doppler deviation. The reconstructed image becomes a marker image 68 corresponding to the cryoprobe. The reconstructed marker image 68 is combined with an ultrasonic image (for example, a black and white grayscale tomographic image) output from the ultrasonic image processing unit 16. The composite image is displayed on the display unit 20 via the DSC 18 as shown in FIG.

  According to this embodiment, since the marker image 68 is displayed superimposed on the ultrasonic image, the position of the cryoprobe in the living body and the insertion process can be accurately recognized. In particular, even when the cryoprobe is stationary (indwelling) without moving in the living body, it is easy to visually recognize the cryoprobe. Further, the marker image 68 is displayed in color, and the marker image 68 and the black and white tomographic image are combined and displayed, thereby making it easier to visually recognize the position of the cryoprobe.

  Further, either the frequency change or the phase change of the reflected echo signal may be detected as the Doppler deviation, but it is preferable to detect the phase change when capturing a tomographic image as an ultrasonic image. When capturing a tomographic image, a pulse wave that is short in the time axis direction is used as an ultrasonic wave transmitted from the probe 26, so that it is easier to detect a phase change than a frequency change of a reflected echo signal.

  Moreover, the ultrasonic probe 10 of the first embodiment can be used as the ultrasonic probe used in the ultrasonic imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. Moreover, the process of this embodiment is started based on the command output to the control part 22 from the cryosurgical device 65 when a cryoprobe is operated. In addition, the set value for detecting the Doppler deviation can be set as appropriate in consideration of the vibration frequency of the cryoprobe.

  In addition, when the tip of the marker image 68 is designated on the ultrasonic image displayed on the display unit 20 by a pointing device such as a mouse, the designated region is regarded as the tip of the cryoprobe and a frozen region that is normally realized around the tip is formed. Can be displayed lightly. In addition, although the example which displays the marker image 68 of a cryoprobe was demonstrated, this invention is applicable to any puncture needle which produces a vibration.

  Third Embodiment A third embodiment of an ultrasonic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A is a configuration diagram of an ultrasonic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 9B is a time chart showing the operation of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus. This embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that two ultrasonic images are acquired by two ultrasonic probes having different ultrasonic scanning planes. Therefore, the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the differences will be mainly described.

  The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the transmission / reception unit 12, the phasing addition unit 14, the ultrasonic image processing unit 16, and the DSC 18 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9A, for convenience of explanation, the two transmission / reception units 12 of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus are referred to as transmission / reception units 70 and 72, the two DSCs 18 are referred to as DSC 74 and DSC 76, and the other components are omitted for convenience. Also, ultrasonic probes 78 and 80 are connected to the transmitting and receiving units 70 and 72, respectively. The DSCs 74 and 76 are connected to the display unit 20 via the image processing unit 82.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the ultrasonic emission surfaces of the ultrasonic probes 78 and 80 are brought into contact with the body surface of the subject while making the ultrasonic scanning surfaces different from each other. Then, when a control command is output from the control unit 22 to the transmission / reception unit 70, an ultrasonic image of the affected area is acquired by the ultrasonic probe 78, the transmission / reception unit 70, and the DSC 74, as in the first embodiment. Further, when a command is output from the control unit 22 to the transmission / reception unit 72, an ultrasonic image of the affected area is acquired by the ultrasonic probe 80, the transmission / reception unit 72, and the DSC 76. The ultrasonic images output from the DSCs 74 and 76 are combined by the image combining unit 82 and then displayed side by side on the screen of the display unit 20. Each displayed ultrasonic image is obtained by imaging the same affected part from different directions. The system of the transmission / reception unit 70 and the system of the transmission / reception unit 72 are controlled by the control unit 22 by switching to time division. A time chart of this control viewed from the DSCs 74 and 76 is shown in FIG. 9B. In short, the control unit 22 mediates driving of the transmission / reception unit 70 and the transmission / reception unit 72 so that the operations of the transmission / reception unit 70 and the transmission / reception unit 72 do not overlap.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to take an ultrasonic image of the affected area from different directions. Thereby, for example, when a cryoprobe is inserted into a subject and the affected area is percutaneously frozen and treated, an ultrasonic image of the surface of the affected area is picked up by the ultrasonic probe 78 and the back side of the affected area is picked up by the ultrasonic probe 80. Can be picked up. Therefore, even when the affected area surface is frozen, it is possible to confirm the treatment condition (for example, a frozen state) of the entire affected area.

  Further, when the cryoprobe is inserted into the subject, even if the insertion direction of the cryoprobe is orthogonal to the ultrasonic scanning surface of the ultrasonic probe 78, the cryoprobe can be imaged from other directions. The process of inserting the cryoprobe can be displayed.

  The timing for switching to time division may be appropriately changed by the control unit 22, but it is desirable to shorten each time phase to be divided and switch at high speed. Thereby, since each ultrasonic image displayed on the same screen is an image of the affected area taken from different directions at almost the same time, diagnosis of the affected area is facilitated.

  FIG. 10 is another example of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 10, an ultrasonic image may be captured by two systems of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus A and the ultrasonic imaging apparatus B. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus A includes an ultrasonic probe 78, a transmission / reception unit 70, a DSC 74, and a display unit 84. Similarly, the ultrasonic imaging apparatus B includes an ultrasonic probe 80, a transmission / reception unit 72, a DSC 76, a display unit 86, and the like. Similarly to the case of FIG. 9, the ultrasonic imaging device A and the ultrasonic imaging device B are alternately switched in a time division manner and controlled by the control unit 22.

  Although the example using two ultrasonic probes has been described in the ultrasonic imaging apparatus of FIGS. 9 and 10, a plurality of ultrasonic probes may be used. Even when a plurality of ultrasonic probes are used, a plurality of transmission / reception units, DSCs, and display units may not be provided as long as each unit is controlled in a time-sharing manner according to a command from the control unit.

1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an ultrasonic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a block diagram of one Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe to which this invention is applied. The block diagram of the rotating shaft 36 of FIG. 2 is shown. It is the figure which looked at the puncture needle guide member of FIG. 2 from the upper side (arrow X direction side). It is a figure for demonstrating the usage method of the ultrasonic probe to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the reference form which punctures a puncture needle through a template. It is a block diagram of other ultrasonic imaging devices to which the present invention is applied. It is a display example which displays the marker image of a cryoprobe. It is the block diagram of the other ultrasonic imaging device to which this invention is applied, and the time chart which shows the operation | movement of an ultrasonic imaging device. It is the block diagram of the other ultrasonic imaging device to which this invention is applied, and the time chart which shows the operation | movement of an ultrasonic imaging device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic probe 12 Transmission / reception part 16 Ultrasonic image processing part 20 Display part 26 Probe 28, 29 Puncture needle 30 Guide hole 32 Puncture needle guide member 34 Support arm 36 Rotating shaft 42 Guide hole 62 Marker image process part 64 Doppler Deviation detection unit 66 Image composition unit

Claims (4)

A probe having a plurality of transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from the subject, a puncture needle guide member having a guide hole for inserting a puncture needle to be inserted into the subject, and the probe And a support arm that rotatably supports the puncture needle guide member,
The probe positions the arm axis of the support arm within the transducer width parallel to and orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the transducers, and the ultrasonic scanning surface of the probe Held by the support arm parallel to the pivot axis of the support arm,
The support arm is an ultrasonic probe which is supported by the puncture needle guide member with the rotation axis parallel to the hole axis of the guide hole.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the puncture needle guide members coupled to each other via a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the support arm. An ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the subject, a transmission / reception unit that supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe and receives a reflected echo signal output from the ultrasonic probe, and an output from the transmission / reception unit An ultrasonic image processing unit that reconstructs an ultrasonic image based on the reflected echo signal, and a display unit on which the ultrasonic image is displayed,
When a puncture needle for freezing the biological tissue of the subject is inserted into the subject, a Doppler deviation of a reflected echo signal output from the transmission / reception unit is detected, and the puncture needle is applied to the puncture needle based on the Doppler deviation. An ultrasonic imaging apparatus, comprising: a marker image processing unit that reconstructs a corresponding marker image, and displaying the marker image superimposed on the ultrasonic image. An ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the subject, a transmission / reception unit that supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe and receives a reflected echo signal output from the ultrasonic probe, and an output from the transmission / reception unit An ultrasonic image processing unit for reconstructing an ultrasonic image based on the reflected echo signal to be displayed, and a display unit for displaying the ultrasonic image, wherein a plurality of the ultrasonic probes are arranged, and each of the ultrasonic probes An ultrasonic imaging apparatus, wherein each ultrasonic probe is switched to time division and driven while different ultrasonic scanning planes are used.

Images