JP2006230912A - Sticking device and ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sticking device capable of simply positioning an ultrasonic probe and provide ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. <P>SOLUTION: This sticking device 14 for sticking the probe 12 to the body surface comprises a sticking metal fixture 40, and a magnet sheet 46. The magnet sheet 46 is provided with an adhesive property in its bottom to be stuck to the body surface. Its upper face retain magnetic force. Its approximate center is provided with an opening part 46a for exposing the body surface to the outside by a moving range of the probe 12 in positioning the probe. The sticking metal fixture 40 is provided with a storage part 42 for storing the probe 12 and a standoff 18, and a flange part 44 extending outward from the storage part 42. The flange part 44 is attracted to the magnet sheet 46 by the magnetic force to retain the position of the storage part 42. When positioning, the probe 12 is moved with the storage part 42 against the magnetic force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an attaching apparatus for attaching an ultrasonic probe to a body surface of a subject, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an ultrasonic probe attached to a body surface.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that transmits an ultrasonic wave to a diagnostic target part inside a subject and acquires the state of the diagnostic target part based on an echo signal obtained at that time is widely known. . In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, diagnosis is performed by bringing an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves into contact with or close to a body surface in the vicinity of a region to be diagnosed.

  By the way, in recent years, in ultrasonic diagnosis, there is a demand for acquiring not only a temporary state of a region to be diagnosed but also a change with time and a change before and after applying some load to the subject. In order to satisfy such a demand, it is necessary to hold the position of the ultrasonic probe in a fixed state. However, it has been difficult to hold the ultrasonic probe in a predetermined position by a human hand.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic probe device including a holding unit that holds an ultrasonic probe and holding legs provided on the outer periphery of the holding unit. The holding leg can be freely deformed according to the body surface shape of the subject. Then, the position of the ultrasonic probe is held by sticking this holding leg to the surface of the subject with an adhesive tape or the like. Patent Document 2 discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that covers a probe main body with a probe holder and fixes the probe holder to a subject. A planar fastener is attached to the probe holder. Further, a surface fastener is also provided on the upper surface of the adhesive tape attached to the subject. The probe is fixed to the subject by the adsorption force of the two planar fasteners. In recent years, a method has been proposed in which a small ultrasonic probe is used, and the ultrasonic probe is attached to the surface of the subject body with an adhesive tape or the like to hold the position.

Japanese Patent No. 2664562 JP-A-5-305082

  However, the above technique has a problem that the attaching operation of the ultrasonic probe is complicated and positioning is difficult. For example, in the ultrasonic probe device of Patent Document 1, after positioning the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe is attached to the body surface with an adhesive tape. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe is supported with one hand and the adhesive tape is attached with the other hand. The sticking operation of the adhesive tape is complicated, and the position of the ultrasonic probe is liable to occur during the sticking operation. When misalignment occurred, the adhesive tape was peeled off, and it was necessary to reposition and attach the adhesive tape, which required further labor for the operator.

  With the technique of Patent Document 2, the attaching operation itself is simple, but positioning of the ultrasonic probe is difficult. That is, in the technique of Patent Document 2, an adhesive tape provided with an opening for penetrating the ultrasonic probe is previously attached to the body surface, and a probe presser is mounted on the adhesive tape with a planar fastener. ing. The opening of the adhesive tape has a space for a probe and a jelly to be sent around the probe. Therefore, it is necessary to stick the adhesive tape in an appropriate position in advance so that the opening through which the probe passes is in an appropriate position. However, in general, an appropriate position is often determined while the ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with the body surface and ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received. Therefore, it is difficult to determine an appropriate position of the ultrasonic probe and attach the adhesive tape before making the ultrasonic probe face the body surface.

  Such inaccuracy of positioning reduces the accuracy of ultrasonic diagnosis. This is a particularly serious problem when a minute displacement of the diagnosis target part is important. For example, when diagnosing the degree of fusion of a fractured bone, it may be performed based on the amount of bone displacement when a load is applied. In this case, the site to be diagnosed is a bone, but the amount of displacement is often very small. In order to diagnose such a minute displacement, it is important that the ultrasonic probe is previously positioned and held at an appropriate position.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sticking apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can more easily position an ultrasonic probe.

  The sticking device of the present invention is a sticking device for sticking an ultrasonic probe to the body surface of a subject, and is stuck to a body surface around the sticking position of the ultrasonic probe. And a first member that exposes a body surface corresponding to a moving range of the ultrasonic probe at the time of positioning of the ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface to expose the ultrasonic probe. A second member that mounts the container on the first member with the ultrasonic probe facing the body surface exposed from the first member, And a second member detachably attached to a desired position of the member.

  In a preferred aspect, when an acoustic matching member having ultrasonic wave permeability and elasticity is disposed between the ultrasonic probe and the body surface, the depth of the container is The ultrasonic probe disposed on the body surface via the acoustic matching member is smaller than the protruding height of the ultrasonic probe in the unloaded state from the first member, and the opening width of the container is in the unloaded state. It is larger than the cross-sectional shape of the acoustic matching member.

  In another preferred aspect, the first member and the second member are detachable from each other by magnetic force. And said 1st member is a magnet sheet provided with adhesiveness on the pasting surface stuck on said body surface, and provided with magnetic force on the mounting surface on which the second member is worn, said second member, It is desirable that the flange member is made of a magnetic material and extends outward from the periphery of the container.

  In another preferable aspect, the first member includes an adhesive surface on the surface to be bonded to the body surface, and includes a planar fastener on a mounting surface to which the second member is mounted, and the second member. Comprises a planar fastener corresponding to the planar fastener. The second member preferably includes a flange member extending outward from the periphery of the container and a planar fastener fixed to the bottom surface of the flange member.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is attached to an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a diagnostic part inside a subject, and a body surface around the diagnostic part, A first member that exposes a body surface corresponding to a moving range of the ultrasonic probe at the time of positioning of the ultrasonic probe; and an ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe that exposes the ultrasonic probe. A second member that mounts the container on the first member with the ultrasonic probe opposed to a body surface exposed from the first member; And a second member detachably attached to a desired position.

  According to the present invention, since the mounting position of the container relative to the first member can be changed, the ultrasonic probe can be positioned by appropriately moving the container after the container is mounted on the first member. . Thereby, the ultrasonic probe can be positioned more easily.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is suitable for continuously diagnosing a specific site to be diagnosed for a certain period of time. In the following, a case in which a fractured bone fusion (bonding) diagnosis is performed will be described as an example.

  The probe 12 is an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and nine single transducers are arranged in a 3 × 3 array. Each single transducer transmits an ultrasonic wave and receives a reflected wave in accordance with an instruction from a transmission / reception unit 24 described later. The received reflected wave is output to the transmitter / receiver 24 as an echo signal via the probe cable 13 that connects the probe 12 and the apparatus main body 22.

  Here, the probe 12 has a configuration in which the number of vibrators is extremely smaller than that of a normal probe, in order to reduce the size and weight of the probe. That is, at the time of bone fusion diagnosis, the subject is caused to exercise so that a load is applied to the fracture site with the probe 12 attached to the body surface of the subject. At this time, in order to prevent the probe 12 from hindering the movement of the subject and to prevent the displacement of the probe 12 due to its own weight, in this embodiment, the number of vibrators is reduced, and the probe 12 is reduced in size. It is lighter.

  The probe 12 is disposed opposite to the body surface via a standoff 18. The stand-off 18 is a medium that transmits ultrasonic waves, and is a solid having a predetermined elasticity. The probe 12 is stuck to the body surface via the standoff 18 by the sticking tool 14. As will be described in detail later, the sticking tool 14 includes a magnet sheet that is stuck to the subject and a sticking metal fitting that is detachable from the magnet sheet and accommodates the probe 12 and the standoff 18.

  The holder 16 holds the relative positional relationship between the attached probe 12 and the diagnosis target part (bone), and includes a contact plate that contacts the body surface of the subject, and the contact plate. And a belt member to be held. The abutment plate limits the movement of the body surface by abutting against the body surface around the sticking position. Then, by limiting the movement of the body surface, the relative positional relationship between the attached probe and the diagnosis target part (bone) is maintained. The specific configuration of the holder will also be described in detail later.

  The apparatus main body 22 is configured by unitizing a transmission / reception unit 24, a signal processing unit 26, a control unit 32, a display 34, and the like. In response to an instruction from the control unit 32, the transmission / reception unit 24 supplies a transmission signal that instructs the single transducer of the probe 12 to transmit ultrasonic waves. The echo signal output from the probe 12 is received and subjected to signal processing such as phasing addition, gain adjustment, and dynamic range adjustment.

  The signal processing unit 26 is a circuit that performs necessary processing on the received signal, and performs signal processing for forming the B mode, signal processing for forming the M mode, and the like according to the display mode. The signal processing unit 26 performs a so-called echo tracking process in which a bone surface portion is extracted from the obtained echo signal and tracking is performed. Specifically, the position of the tracking point is detected from the amplitude of an echo signal obtained by transmitting an ultrasonic wave to a specific bone point, that is, a so-called tracking point. For this echo tracking process, a well-known technique, for example, a technique detailed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-298205 can be used.

  The output processing unit 28 performs coordinate conversion from the transmission / reception coordinate system to the display coordinate system, interpolation processing, and the like on the echo signal to form ultrasonic image data. The formed ultrasonic image data is output to the display 34. The output processing unit 28 also converts the position of the obtained tracking point, that is, the surface position of the bone into a numerical value or a graph and outputs it to the display. The control unit 32 controls the entire apparatus main body unit 22. An instruction from the user is input to the control unit 32 via the operation unit 30. The control unit 32 outputs a control signal to each unit constituting the apparatus main body unit 22 according to the instruction from the user and controls it.

  Next, the sticking tool 14 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the probe 12 and the standoff 18 are set on the sticking tool 14 in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the sticking tool 14. Here, the standoff 18 functions as an acoustic matching member, and is made of a material capable of transmitting ultrasonic waves and having an acoustic impedance close to that of a living body. The standoff 18 in the present embodiment is a solid with elasticity. Therefore, the shape can be deformed by pressing. The standoff 18 prevents attenuation and reflection of ultrasonic waves due to air between the probe 12 and the body surface 50, and performs efficient ultrasonic wave transmission / reception between the probe 12 and the body surface 50. Arranged.

  The sticking tool 14 includes a magnet sheet 46 attached to the body surface of the subject and a sticking metal fitting 40 that is detachable from the magnet sheet 46. The magnet sheet 46 is made of a sheet-like permanent magnet, and is made of a magnetic material such as iron, nickel, cobalt, or the like. The magnet sheet 46 is formed to be relatively thin and is flexible enough to be deformable according to the body surface shape of the subject. Therefore, it is possible to make close contact with the body surface of the subject. An adhesive tape is attached to the back surface of the magnet sheet 46. Due to the viscosity of the adhesive tape, the magnet sheet 46 is stuck and held on the body surface. A rectangular opening 46 a is provided at the approximate center of the magnet sheet 46. The opening 46a is provided to expose a part of the body surface to the outside from the magnet sheet 46, and the probe 12 and the standoff 18 are disposed in the exposed body surface area and the exposed area. The exposed area exposed by the opening 46a is wider than the wave transmitting / receiving surface of the probe 12, and has a size that allows the positions of the probe 12 and the standoff 18 to be adjusted within the exposed area.

  The magnet sheet 46 does not have to be a permanent magnet as a whole, and only a part thereof may be a permanent magnet and the other part may be formed of a non-magnet member. Therefore, for example, a laminate made of an adhesive sheet, a sheet-like elastic body, a sheet-like permanent magnet, or the like may be used. The magnet sheet 46 is preferably disposable that is discarded every time it is used, but only the adhesive tape may be replaced and used continuously every time it is used. Alternatively, the adhesive tape may be attached from above the magnet sheet without providing the adhesive tape on the back surface of the magnet sheet 46. Furthermore, in this embodiment, only one magnet sheet is used, but a plurality of magnet sheets may be used. That is, a plurality of substantially rectangular magnet sheets with no openings may be prepared, and the exposed area may be formed by surrounding the periphery of the position where the probe 12 is attached with the plurality of magnet sheets.

  The sticking metal fitting 40 is made of a hard magnetic material such as iron. The affixing bracket 40 includes an accommodating portion 42 that accommodates the probe 12 and the standoff 18, and a flange portion 44 that extends outward from the periphery of the accommodating portion 42. The accommodating part 42 is a box-shaped member having an open bottom. However, a cutout 42 a for pulling out the probe cable 13 extending from the probe 12 is provided on one of the four sides of the accommodating portion 42. The width and depth of the accommodating portion 42 are substantially the same as the width and depth of the probe 12, and when the probe 12 is accommodated, there is almost no gap in the left-right direction. The depth of the accommodating portion 42 is determined in relation to the thicknesses of the probe 12 and the standoff 18, which will be described later.

  The flange portion 44 extends from the lower end of the accommodating portion 42 in the outer horizontal direction. The flange portion 44 is integrally formed with the housing portion 42 and is also made of a magnetic material (for example, iron). The housing portion 42 is attached to the magnet sheet 46 by attaching the flange portion 44 to the magnet sheet 46 by magnetic force. And the probe 12 and the standoff 18 accommodated in the accommodating part 42 are stuck on the body surface. Therefore, the magnet sheet 46 functions as a first member adhered to the body surface, and the collar portion 44 functions as a second member attached to the first member. In the present embodiment, the eaves portion 44 has a flat plate shape extending in the horizontal direction, but naturally, it may have a different shape, for example, a curved shape according to the body surface shape of the subject. Further, the collar portion 44 may be made elastic or flexible by forming the collar portion 44 thin or using a special metal material (for example, a laminated material of sheet-like iron material). Moreover, in this embodiment, although the 1st member (magnet sheet | seat 46) stuck on the body surface is formed with a magnet, the 2nd member (hook part 44) with which a 1st member is mounted | worn is formed with a magnetic body. Of course, this may be reversed. That is, the magnet sheet 46 may be a sheet-like iron material, and the flange portion 44 may be formed of a permanent magnet. Moreover, you may form both the magnet sheet | seat 46 and the collar part 44 with a permanent magnet.

  Next, the detailed dimension of the accommodating part 42 and the standoff 18 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view when the probe 12 and the standoff 18 are arranged on the body surface 50. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the standoff 18 and the amount of deformation are drawn larger than the actual size for easy understanding. As will be described in detail below, when the probe 12 is attached to the body surface, the magnet sheet 46 is attached to the body surface in the vicinity of the diagnosis target region, and the body surface 50 is exposed through the opening 46a of the magnet sheet 46. The probe 12 and the standoff 18 are disposed in the exposed area 52. The probe 12 and the stand-off 18 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 42 of the attaching metal fitting 40, and the flange portion 44 formed integrally with the accommodating portion 42 is attached to the magnet sheet 46 by a magnetic force, whereby the probe 12 Is pasted.

  FIG. 4 shows a state immediately before the attachment and before the flange portion 44 and the magnet sheet 46 are attached. In this state, the stand-off 18 receives almost no load and is not elastically deformed. At this time, a gap is easily generated between the standoff 18 and the body surface 50, and between the standoff 18 and the probe 12, and air 54 may be interposed therebetween. In particular, air 54 tends to be interposed between the body surface 50 and the standoff 18 which are not flat. Such air attenuates or reflects the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the probe 12, and as a result, efficient transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves is hindered. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the dimensions of the standoff 18 and the accommodating portion 42 are determined so that such a gap can be prevented. Specifically, the depth d of the accommodating portion 42 is smaller than the height h of the standoff 18 and the probe 12 protruding from the magnet sheet 46 in the no-load state. Further, the surface area w of the stand-off 18 (illustrated with a width w in FIG. 4) is smaller than the opening area m of the accommodating portion 42 (illustrated with a width m in FIG. 4). That is, the standoff 18 has a larger thickness and a smaller area than the accommodating portion 42. As a result, a gap is generated between the standoff 18 and the side surface of the accommodating portion 42.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the attaching metal fitting 40 having such a size when the magnet sheet 46 is mounted. When the sticking metal fitting 40 is attracted to and attached to the magnet sheet 46 by the magnetic force, pressure is applied to the probe 12 and the standoff 18 accommodated in the accommodating portion 42. Under this pressure, the standoff 18 is elastically deformed. This elastic deformation spreads in the gap direction, that is, in the side surface direction of the accommodating portion 42 and is compressed in the thickness direction. As a result, the gap between the standoff 18 and the container is filled. Further, the standoff 18 and the body surface 50, and the standoff 18 and the probe 12 are also brought into close contact with each other by pressing by magnetic attraction, and the gap existing therebetween is filled with the standoff 18. As a result, reflection and attenuation of ultrasonic waves can be prevented, and ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received efficiently.

  Next, the detailed dimension of the magnet sheet 46 and the collar part 44 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic top view when the probe 12 and the standoff 18 are arranged on the body surface. In the drawing, for the sake of easy understanding, the outline of the magnet sheet 46 is indicated by a thick solid line, the outline of the collar portion 44 is indicated by a broken line, and the arrangement position of the accommodating portion 42 and the like is indicated by shading.

  When the probe 12 is attached to the body surface, the probe 12 and the standoff 18 are arranged in the exposed region 52 where the body surface is exposed by the opening 46 a of the magnet sheet 46 together with the accommodating portion 42. And the position is hold | maintained because the collar part 44 is adsorb | sucked to the magnet sheet 46 by magnetic attraction. As will be described in detail later, the accommodating portion 42 and the like are appropriately moved within the exposed region 52 so that the probe 12 is in an appropriate position. Therefore, depending on the case, the accommodating part 42 may be arrange | positioned in the edge part of the exposed area 52, ie, the peripheral edge vicinity of the opening part 46a. The flange 44 and the opening 46a are set to dimensions that can maintain a sufficient holding force in this case as well. In other words, each of the four flange portions 44 extending from the four sides of the accommodating portion 42 has a size that can be magnetically attracted to the magnet sheet 46. Specifically, the length n of the flange portion 44 (the length from the root (the storage portion 42 side) to the tip of the flange portion 44) is obtained by subtracting the width m of the storage portion 42 from the width l of the opening 46a. It is larger than the value (n> lm). The distance p from the periphery of the opening 46 a to the end of the magnet sheet 46 is preferably greater than the length n of the flange 44. With this size, the position of the accommodating portion 42 can always be held by the four flange portions 44 even if the accommodating portion 42 is located at the end of the exposed region 52. As a result, the displacement of the probe 12 can be prevented more reliably.

  Since the size of the opening 46a is related to the degree of freedom of position correction after provisional positioning, the size is set according to the diagnosis target region, the shape of the probe 12 to be used, and the like. That is, when attaching the probe 12, first, the probe 12 is roughly arranged in the exposed region 52 as a tentative decision. Then, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted in that state, and the position is corrected so as to be an accurate position based on the obtained ultrasonic image. This position correction is performed by moving the probe 12 together with the accommodating portion 42 within the exposed region 52. Therefore, the larger the exposed area 52, the wider the range in which the position can be corrected. On the other hand, if the exposed region 52 is too large, the overall size of the sticking tool 14 is increased, and the provisional determination range is widened. As a result, there is a problem that subsequent position correction takes time. Therefore, the width of the exposed region 52, in other words, the size of the opening 46a is set according to the diagnosis target site, the shape of the probe 12 to be used, and the like.

  Next, the flow when sticking the probe 12 with the sticking tool 14 will be described. When attaching the probe 12 to the body surface 50, first, the magnet sheet 46 is attached to the body surface 50 in the vicinity of the site to be diagnosed (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The attaching position of the magnet sheet 46 may be approximately. Specifically, an appropriate arrangement position of the probe 12 may be included in the exposed region 52 where the body surface is exposed to the outside by the opening 46 a of the magnet sheet 46. Subsequently, the standoff 18 and the probe 12 are disposed together with the attachment metal fitting 40 in the exposed region 52 where the body surface is exposed. The arrangement positions of the stand-off 18 and the probe 12 may be approximately, and are not necessarily an appropriate arrangement position, that is, a position where ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the diagnosis target site. The standoff 18 and the probe 12 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 42 of the sticking metal fitting 40. Then, the flange portion 44 integrally formed with the housing portion 42 is attached to the magnet sheet 46 by magnetic force, whereby the probe 12 is attached and the position thereof is maintained.

  However, at this time, the position of the probe 12 is roughly determined and is a so-called provisional state. Therefore, in order to confirm whether or not the position of the probe 12 is appropriate, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the probe 12 toward the inside of the subject in this state. At that time, based on the obtained echo signal, it is determined whether or not an ultrasonic wave can be transmitted to the site to be diagnosed. When ultrasonic transmission can be performed with respect to the site to be diagnosed, that is, when the probe 12 is disposed at an appropriate position, ultrasonic transmission is continued as it is to perform ultrasonic diagnosis. On the other hand, when it is determined that the position of the probe 12 is inappropriate, the position is corrected. The position correction is performed by moving the attachment fitting 40 together with the probe 12 and the standoff 18 while viewing the tomographic image obtained from the echo signal. The attachment metal fitting 40 is attached to the magnet sheet 46 by magnetic force. Therefore, the mounting position can be easily corrected by applying a force greater than the magnetic force. Also during this movement, the attachment fitting 40 is attracted to the magnet sheet 46. In other words, the probe 12 is held during the movement. Therefore, the operator can use both hands for position correction without worrying about dropping of the probe 12 or the like. As a result, the probe 12 can be disposed at an appropriate position easily and reliably. And if the probe 12 can be arrange | positioned in an appropriate position, an ultrasonic wave will be transmitted as it is and an ultrasonic diagnosis will be performed.

  Next, the holder 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the holder 16, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the holder 16. The holder 16 is roughly classified into a contact plate 60 that contacts the body surface around the attachment position of the probe 12 (attachment tool 14), and a belt member 62 that holds the contact plate 60. . The contact plate 60 is a substantially rectangular flat plate made of a hard material. An opening 60a for exposing the body surface to the outside is provided at substantially the center of the contact plate 60. The sticking tool 14 is attached inside the opening 60a. The opening 60 a has a sufficiently larger area than the probe 12 and the sticking tool 14 (magnet sheet 46), and a gap is formed between the sticked probe 12 and the sticking tool 14. It has become. The abutment plate 60 is abutted against a body surface around the sticking tool 14 by a belt member 62 described later. Then, by this contact, the surrounding body surface is pressed, and the movement of the skin on the body surface is restricted. That is, as is well known, the body surface of the subject is covered with skin, and this skin has elasticity. Therefore, the position is likely to change according to the movement of muscles and the like, and the position of the sticking tool 14 attached according to the change in the position of the skin also changes. In this case, the relative positional relationship between the probe 12 and the site to be diagnosed (bone in this embodiment) located inside the subject varies. Such a change in relative positional relationship causes a decrease in reliability of ultrasonic diagnosis. Therefore, in this embodiment, the contact plate 60 presses the skin around the sticking tool 14 to limit the movement of the skin around the sticking tool 14. As a result, the relative positional relationship between the probe 12 and the site to be diagnosed can be maintained, and as a result, highly reliable ultrasonic diagnosis is possible.

  The contact plate 60 is fixed to the back surface of the belt member 62, and the belt member 62 is wound around the subject. Due to the tightening force generated by this winding, the contact plate 60 contacts the body surface of the subject and is held in that state. The belt member 62 includes a cover portion 64 that covers the contact plate 60 and a plurality of elastic bands 68 connected thereto. The cover part 64 is made of a material having flexibility that can be deformed according to the shape of the body surface of the subject, for example, a cloth. The cover portion 64 has a size enough to cover the entire contact plate 60. An opening 64a is formed at the center. The cover portion 64 is used by being wound around the subject, and a plurality of elastic bands 68 are fixed to one end in the winding direction. Further, a female surface fastener 66 is provided at the other end, and is detachable from one end of the elastic band.

  The elastic band 68 is a band member made of a material having elasticity and flexibility, for example, rubber. One end of the elastic band 68 is fixed to one end of the cover part 64. In addition, a male planar fastener (not shown) is provided at the other end of the elastic band 68 and is detachable at a desired position in the planar fastener 66 of the cover portion 64. By using such a detachable structure with a planar fastener, the inner diameter of the belt member 62 can be freely adjusted, and the body surface shape of the subject can be flexibly handled.

  In addition, the form of the holder 16 demonstrated here is an example, and as long as the body surface of the periphery of the sticking tool 14 stuck on the body surface can be pressed, naturally, another structure and shape may be sufficient. Further, when the skin movement is small, for example, when performing an ultrasonic diagnosis with the subject stationary, the ultrasonic diagnosis may be performed without using the holder 16.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 10 performs a fusion diagnosis of the lower leg bone of the subject 11. When performing bone union diagnosis, first, the holder 16 is mounted in the vicinity of the site to be diagnosed to limit the movement of the surrounding skin. In that state, subsequently, the probe 12 is attached to the body surface. As described above, first, the magnet sheet 46 is attached to the body surface, and the probe 12 is disposed on the exposed portion where the body surface is exposed by the opening 60a of the magnet sheet 46. The arrangement position of the probe 12 may be roughly determined temporarily, and can be easily performed by the operator. At this point in time, since the flange portion 44 of the attachment metal fitting 40 is already attracted to the magnet sheet, the position of the probe 12 is maintained. Therefore, the operator can correct the position by using both hands without worrying about the positional deviation or dropping of the probe 12.

  The position correction is performed while transmitting ultrasonic waves inside the subject. The apparatus main body 22 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 forms a tomographic image inside the subject based on an echo signal obtained during ultrasonic transmission. The operator determines whether or not the probe 12 is in an appropriate position based on this tomographic image. If the probe 12 is not in an appropriate position, the probe 12 is moved to an appropriate position together with the attachment fitting 40. Since the sticking metal fitting 40 and the magnet sheet 46 are adsorbed by a magnetic force, the positions of the probe 12 and the sticking metal fitting 40 can be easily corrected by applying a force larger than the magnetic force. Then, when the probe 12 reaches an appropriate position, the position correction is finished and the ultrasonic diagnosis is started.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, the probe 12 that is stuck and used can be easily positioned, and as a result, the reliability of ultrasonic diagnosis can be improved.

  Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the sticking tool 14 according to another embodiment, and FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the sticking tool 14. The sticking tool 14 is characterized in that the probe 12 is stuck by the adsorption force of the planar fastener. Here, the planar fastener is a set of a cloth-like member having a substantially linear standing leg member on one side and a cloth-like member having an engaging member that can be engaged with the standing leg member on one side. Refers to the fastener. Below, a set of cloth-like members constituting this planar fastener are referred to as a female side fastener and a male side fastener, respectively.

  The sticking tool 14 of this embodiment includes a female side fastener 70, a sticking metal fitting 40, and a male side face fastener 72 fixed to the bottom surface of the flange 44 of the sticking metal fitting 40. The female side fastener 70 has an adhesive tape fixed to the back surface thereof and can be attached to the body surface of the subject. And when mounting | wearing on a body surface, the flexibility of the grade which can be deform | transformed according to a body surface shape is provided. A rectangular opening 70 a is provided at the approximate center of the female side fastener 70. The opening 70a is provided to expose a part of the body surface to the outside from the female side fastener 70, like the opening 64a of the magnet sheet 46 in the previous embodiment. The probe 12 and the standoff 18 are arranged in the exposed body surface area and the exposed area. The exposed area exposed by the opening 70a is wider than the wave transmitting / receiving surface of the probe 12, and has a size that allows the positions of the probe 12 and the standoff 18 to be adjusted within the exposed area.

  As in the previous embodiment, the affixing bracket 40 is composed of a housing portion 42 that houses the probe 12 and the standoff 18 and a flange portion 44 that extends from the lower end of the housing portion 42 in the outer horizontal direction. Moreover, the dimension of this sticking metal fitting 40 is substantially the same as that of the previous embodiment. That is, the depth of the accommodating portion 42 is smaller than the protruding height at which the probe 12 and the standoff 18 protrude from the female side fastener when the probe 12 and the standoff 18 are not loaded. Further, the opening area of the accommodating portion 42 is substantially the same as the cross-sectional area of the probe 12 and is larger than the cross-sectional area of the standoff 18. On the other hand, unlike the previous embodiment, the length of the collar portion 44 may be slightly shorter. That is, the length of the collar portion 44 may be smaller than the length obtained by subtracting the width of the accommodating portion 42 from the width of the opening 70 a of the female side surface fastener 70. As will be described in detail below, the male side fastener 72 is in direct contact with the female side fastener 70. Therefore, it is not necessary that the four flanges 44 are always positioned above the female side surface fastener 70. Moreover, in this embodiment, you may form the affixing metal fittings with nonmagnetic materials, for example, metals, such as aluminum, and nonmetals, such as a plastic.

  The male side fastener 72 is fixed to the bottom surface of the collar portion 44, and a planar fastener that is detachably attached to the female side fastener 70 is provided on the bottom surface. The male side fastener 72 has a larger area than the attaching metal fitting 40, and an opening 72a is provided at the approximate center thereof. The opening 72 a is provided at a position corresponding to the opening of the accommodating portion 42, so that the probe 12 and the standoff 18 can pass therethrough. In this embodiment, the female side fastener 70 functions as a first member that is attached to the body surface of the subject, and the heel portion 44 and the male side surface fastener 72 fixed to the heel portion 44 function as a second member. To do.

  It should be noted that the suction force of the female side and male side fasteners 70 and 72 need not be uniform, and there may be a portion with a weak suction force (weak suction portion) and a portion with a strong suction force (strong suction portion). . As will be described in detail below, in the present embodiment as well, after the position of the probe 12 is provisionally determined within the exposed region, the probe 12 is moved together with the affixing metal fitting 40 to correct the position. At that time, if the hook-and-loop fasteners 70 and 72 have a strong adsorbing force on one surface, it is necessary to peel both of them with a strong force each time they move, which is troublesome. Therefore, only a part, for example, only the very periphery of the sticking metal fitting 40 is a weakly adsorbing part with a weak adsorbing force and the other is a strong adsorbing part with a strong adsorbing force. When correcting the position, only the weakly adsorbed part is adsorbed. Specifically, the strong adsorption part of the male side fastener 72 is lifted from the female side fastener 70 or is adsorbed with another surface fastener. Then, a force stronger than the suction force of the weak suction portion is applied to move the probe 12 and the attachment fitting 40 and the like to a desired position. When the desired position is reached, the strong adsorption portions may be adsorbed together to obtain a strong holding force. It should be noted that the strength of the surface fastener can be changed by changing the shape, material, density, and the like of the standing member and the engaging member.

  Next, a flow of sticking the probe 12 to the body surface using the sticking tool 14 will be briefly described. When the probe 12 is attached to the body surface of the subject, first, the female side fastener 70 is attached to the body surface near the diagnosis site of the subject. This sticking position may be approximately, and the appropriate position of the probe 12 should just be contained in the opening part 70a. Subsequently, the probe 12 and the standoff 18 are disposed in the exposed region in a state where the probe 12 and the standoff 18 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 42. This arrangement position may also be approximate. At this point, part or all of the male side fastener 72 is attached to the female side fastener 70. Then, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted to the inside of the subject, and the suitability of the position of the probe 12 is determined based on the ultrasonic image obtained at that time. At this time, since the probe 12 is held by the adsorption of the hook-and-loop fasteners 70 and 72, the operator can check the ultrasonic image without worrying about the positional deviation or dropping of the probe 12.

  When the position of the probe 12 is inappropriate, the probe 12 and the attachment metal fitting 40 are moved within the exposed region so as to be an appropriate position. This movement may be performed by peeling off the male side fastener 72 from the female side fastener 70, or when the suction force of the double-sided fasteners 70, 72 is small, the male side fastener 72 may be moved while being adsorbed. In any case, the female side fastener 70 once attached to the body surface is not peeled off from the body surface until final positioning is completed. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize the pain of the subject that occurs when the adhesive tape or the like is peeled off. When the probe 12 reaches a desired position, the entire surfaces of the hook-and-loop fasteners 70 and 72 are attracted to each other, and the positions of the probe 12, the standoff 18, and the attachment metal fitting 40 are maintained.

  As described above, also in this embodiment, the probe 12 can be easily positioned, and as a result, ultrasonic diagnosis with higher reliability can be performed more easily.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the magnetic force and the surface fastener were illustrated as an adsorption | suction means of a 1st member and a 2nd member, as long as a 2nd component becomes detachable in the desired position of a 1st member. Of course, other mounting means may be used. For example, a plurality of hooks, buttons, hooks, etc. may be used.

1 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the sticking tool in this embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the sticking tool of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sticking tool just before probe sticking. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the sticking tool in a probe sticking state. It is an image figure at the time of seeing a sticking tool from the upper surface. It is a perspective view of the holder in this embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the holder of FIG. It is a figure which shows the mode of the bone union diagnosis with this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is a perspective view of the sticking tool in other embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the sticking tool of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 11 Subject, 12 Probe, 14 Sticking tool, 16 Holder, 18 Standoff, 22 Apparatus main body part, 24 Transmission / reception part, 26 Signal processing part, 28 Output processing part, 30 Operation part, 32 Control part, 34 indicator, 40 sticking metal fitting, 42 accommodating part, 44 collar part, 46 magnet sheet, 50 body surface, 52 exposed area, 70 female side fastener, 72 male side fastener.

Claims (7)

An attachment device for attaching an ultrasonic probe to the body surface of a subject,
The ultrasonic probe is attached to the body surface around the position where the ultrasonic probe is attached, and the body surface corresponding to the moving range of the ultrasonic probe when the ultrasonic probe is positioned is exposed to the outside. A first member;
A container for exposing the ultrasonic probe by exposing an ultrasonic wave transmission / reception surface;
A second member that mounts the container on the first member with the ultrasonic probe facing the body surface exposed from the first member, and is attached to and detached from a desired position of the first member A second member that can be freely attached;
The sticking apparatus characterized by having. The sticking device according to claim 1,
When an acoustic matching member having transparency and elasticity with respect to ultrasonic waves is disposed between the ultrasonic probe and the body surface,
The depth of the container is smaller than the protruding height in the unloaded state from the first member of the ultrasonic probe disposed on the body surface via the acoustic matching member,
The sticking apparatus, wherein the opening size of the container is larger than a cross-sectional shape of the acoustic matching member in an unloaded state. The sticking device according to claim 1 or 2,
The sticking apparatus, wherein the first member and the second member are detachable from each other by magnetic force. The sticking device according to claim 3,
The first member is a magnet sheet provided with adhesiveness on an attachment surface attached to the body surface, and provided with magnetic force on an attachment surface on which the second member is attached,
Said 2nd member consists of a magnetic body, and is an eaves member extended outside from the circumference | surroundings of a container, The sticking apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The sticking device according to claim 1 or 2,
The first member is provided with an adhesive property on an attachment surface to be attached to the body surface, and a surface fastener is provided on an attachment surface on which the second member is attached,
Said 2nd member is provided with the planar fastener corresponding to the said planar fastener, The sticking apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The sticking device according to claim 5,
The second member is
An eaves member extending outward from the periphery of the container;
A surface fastener fixed to the bottom surface of the flange member;
A sticking apparatus comprising: An ultrasound probe that transmits and receives ultrasound to and from the diagnostic site inside the subject;
A first member that is affixed to a body surface around the diagnostic region, and that exposes the body surface for a moving range of the ultrasound probe at the time of positioning of the ultrasound probe;
A container for exposing the ultrasonic probe by exposing the ultrasonic wave transmission / reception surface;
A second member that mounts the container on the first member with the ultrasonic probe facing the body surface exposed from the first member, and is attached to and detached from a desired position of the first member A second member that can be freely attached;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

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