JP2006296447A - Joint image diagnostic aid - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a joint image diagnostic aid capable of automatically and simultaneously applying loads evenly in the left/right direction to the waist part or the knee joints of a patient. <P>SOLUTION: The joint image diagnostic aid comprises a patient stool put on a bed of an image diagnostic apparatus, a garment which the patient wears on the upper half body, a pair of air-tube type actuators at least whose one end is detachably connected between the stool and the garment in such a way that the patient is held from left and right sides to generate contractive force when air is fed into the inside, an air source for feeding air to the air-tube type actuators, and a control part for controlling the air source to generate prescribed contractive force to the air-tube type actuators. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an auxiliary tool used for image diagnosis of a subject having an abnormality in the joint, and in particular, a joint that allows the weight of the subject to be loaded on the joint even when the subject is laid on a bed. The present invention relates to a diagnostic imaging aid.

  In recent years, with the aging of the population, the number of patients complaining of back pain and knee joint pain is increasing. When these patients visit a medical institution, the lower back and knees are imaged using an image diagnostic apparatus, and the patient is diagnosed by a doctor based on the obtained image, and treatment and medication are performed.

  Conventionally, when taking images of the waist and knee joints, the patient is photographed while lying on a bed, not in a standing position where weight is applied to the waist and knees. One of the reasons for this is that the diagnostic imaging apparatus is configured to image a patient lying on a bed and is not configured to image the waist and knees of a patient who is standing.

  Even if a patient with low back pain or knee joint pain is photographed while lying on the bed, it is considered difficult for a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis because the patient does not feel pain in the back or knee.

In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a diagnostic imaging aid for joints that applies a load to the waist and knee joints in the same manner as in the standing state of a patient lying on a bed.
WO 02/38050 A1

  The joint diagnostic imaging aid disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a platform part that is placed on a bed and has a belt winding mechanism on the back side of the platform, clothes that a patient wears on the upper body, and part of the clothes And a weight measuring meter for measuring a load acting on the belt when the belt is wound up.

  The use mode of this assisting tool is described in FIG. 1a of the above-mentioned document. However, in order to apply a load to the patient's hip or knee joint by using the diagnostic imaging aid for joints, the operator can adjust the knob of the belt winding mechanism. Must be rotated manually. Therefore, it is considered that a long time is required for the preparation for photographing until the load is applied to the waist and knee joints. Further, since the belt winding mechanism is provided on both the left and right sides of the patient, it is considered difficult to apply a load to the joint while simultaneously applying tension to the belt at the same time in the left and right directions.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a diagnostic imaging aid for joint that can automatically and simultaneously apply a load to a patient's lower back or knee joint at the same time. .

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a patient platform placed on a bed of an image diagnostic apparatus, a clothing worn by the patient on the upper body, and at least between the platform and the clothing so as to sandwich the patient from the left and right. A pair of air tube actuators that are detachably connected at one end and generate contraction force when supplied with air; and an air supply source that supplies air to the pair of air tube actuators simultaneously; A control unit for controlling the air supply source to generate a predetermined contracting force in the pair of air tube actuators constitutes a joint diagnostic imaging aid.

The joint diagnostic imaging aid preferably includes means for adjusting the distance between the platform and the clothes according to the height of the patient.
The air tube actuator includes a detection mechanism for detecting a contraction force, and when the detection value of the detection mechanism is output to the control unit and the output value becomes a value set in the control unit, an air supply source is provided. It is desirable to provide means for stopping the operation of the air tube and maintaining the air pressure supplied to the air tube type actuator.
Further, it is desirable that one end side of the pair of air tube actuators is detachably connected to the step or the clothes.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to apply a weight (compression force) to the subject at the same time in the left and right directions. And you can do it automatically.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a diagnostic imaging aid for joints according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a platform, which is placed on the top of a bed of an image diagnostic apparatus, for example, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus (MRI apparatus). The step 1 is a step plate 1a for receiving a patient's foot, and an actuator mounting member 1b that is fixed to both sides of the step plate 1a and keeps the step plate 1a substantially perpendicular to the bed, and an actuator that is mounted on the outer surface of the actuator mounting member 1b. It is comprised from the fixture 1c. The tread board 1a, the actuator mounting member 1b, and the actuator mounting tool 1c are made of a nonmagnetic material in order to be used at a position close to the measurement space of the MRI apparatus. Of course, for safety reasons, it is necessary to use parts made of non-magnetic materials for parts placed close to the MRI system, even if they are not part of these steps. Is to be done.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes clothes made so that the subject can wear on the upper body, for example, a vest. One end of each of the air tube type actuators 3A and 3B (3B is not shown) is fixed to both sides when the subject of the clothing 2 wears, as will be described later.

  Air tube type actuators 3A and 3B cover the outer circumference of a stretchable rubber tube with a resin net, one end has a sealing structure with a sealing tool 3a, and the air supply port into the tube at multiple ends And a sealing tool 3b provided with an exhaust port. Such an air tube actuator has been developed as an artificial muscle in recent years and disclosed in various literatures. When air is supplied into the rubber tube and the rubber tube expands and its diameter increases, The net increases in diameter with the rubber tube but contracts in length, resulting in a contraction force. The sealing tool 3a is fixed to the clothing 2 with a rivet at a hole formed in the sealing tool 3a, while one end of the compression force measuring unit 4 is connected to the sealing tool 3b. An air supply valve 3c and an exhaust valve 3d are provided at the air supply port and the exhaust port of the sealing tool 3b, respectively.

  The compression force measuring unit 4 is composed of a pressure gauge including a pressure detection element, and is configured by incorporating the pressure detection element 4a into an air cylinder including a cylinder and a plunger, for example. This detects the pressure in the cylinder when the air tube actuator is operated, and the detected value is output to the CPU in the operation unit described later, where the compression force is calculated from the diameter and pressure of the plunger in the air cylinder. It has come to be.

  A belt 5 whose length can be adjusted is connected to the other end of the compression force measuring unit 4, and a ring-shaped opening / closing stopper (hook) 6 is provided at the other end of the belt 5. Is engaged with an actuator attachment 1c provided on the actuator attachment member 1b. By using a belt that can be adjusted in length, the diagnostic imaging aid for joints can be set according to the height of the subject, and by using a ring-shaped opening / closing stop, Since 2 can be separated, it becomes easy for the subject to wear clothes.

  An air supply source 7 supplies air into the air tube actuators 3A and 3B. Specifically, the air supply source is an air compressor. The discharge port of the air compressor 7 is connected to the air supply valve 3c and the air supply valve 3d of each air tube type actuator via a distributor 8a that distributes air to both the air tube type actuators 3A and 3B by an air tube 8. Is done.

  9 is an operation unit for the diagnostic imaging aid for joints, which controls the operation of the air intake system and the exhaust system including the air compressor 7 and the exhaust system, and the compression force control, and has an internal CPU. The operation unit 9 includes a setting device that variably sets the compression force according to the body weight of the subject, and a display that displays the compression force during operation of the air tube type actuator. This operation unit 9 is connected to a power source 10 by an outlet.

  Next, the operation in the case where the joint diagnostic imaging aid configured as described above is used for knee joint imaging of the MRI apparatus will be described. When a patient with knee joint pain visits for MRI imaging, the doctor or imaging technician prepares a diagnostic imaging aid for joints, separates step 1 and clothing 2 with the above-mentioned stopper 6 part, and step 1 is an MRI device Is set on the top plate of the bed 100, the clothing 2 side is handed over to the subject, and the clothing 2 is worn by the subject. When the subject wears the clothes 2, the subject is caused to sleep on the top board and moved to a position where the foot touches the tread board 1a.

  In this state, the doctor or engineer connects the stoppers 6 of the air tube type actuators 3A and 3B to the actuator attachment 1c. Then, the length of the belt 5 is adjusted so that the slack of the air tube actuators 3A and 3B is reduced.

  Next, the doctor or engineer moves the couch top of the bed 100 in the measurement space direction of the MRI apparatus, and aligns the knee joint of the subject with the center of the measurement space. When this alignment is completed, the doctor or engineer performs MRI imaging in a state where no load is applied to the subject's knee joint. The MR image obtained at this time naturally has no load acting on the subject's knee joint, and is used for comparative interpretation with an image at the time of subsequent load action. Note that MR imaging at this time may be performed as necessary.

  Next, the power outlet of the joint diagnostic imaging aid is connected to the power source 10 and the operation unit 9 is turned on. Then, the doctor or engineer sets the compression force by operating the setting device. Various methods can be considered for setting the compression force. For example, a method in which a doctor or an engineer estimates and inputs the load acting on the knee joint under the subject's weight, or the CPU acts on the knee joint based on statistical data when the subject's weight is entered It is considered that a method of obtaining the load by calculation and setting it can be adopted.

  Next, the operation start switch of the joint diagnostic imaging tool is turned on by a doctor or an engineer. When the switch is turned on, the CPU closes the exhaust valve 3d of the air tube type actuator, opens the air supply valve 3c, and operates the air compressor 7, so that the air is in the air tube type via the air supply valve 3c. It is sent into the rubber tube of actuators 3A and 3B.

  Then, the rubber tube expands, and when the rubber tube expands, the resin net is also spread. The resin net has a function of contracting the length when it is expanded in the radial direction, and as a result, the length of the air tube actuators 3A and 3B contracts. When the air tube type actuators 3A and 3B start to contract, a tensile force acts on the clothes 2 fixed to one end thereof. The tensile force acts on the subject's upper body, mainly the shoulder, via the clothing 2, and acts as a compression force on the subject's knee joint supported by the tread 1a.

  When the air tube actuators 3A and 3B contract, the pressure in the air cinder in the compression force measuring unit 4 changes, and the changing pressure is detected by the pressure detection element 4a. The detected pressure value is output to a CPU incorporated in the operation unit 9, and is calculated as a compression force by the CPU. This compression force is obtained as the product of the pressure detection value and the plunger diameter on which the air pressure acts by software installed in the CPU memory.

  The compression force is compared with the set value, and the CPU continues to operate the air compressor 7 until the set value is reached. When the compression force reaches the set value, the CPU stops the operation of the air compressor 7. When the operation of the air compressor 7 is stopped, the intake valve 3c and the exhaust valve 3d of the air tube actuators 3A and 3B are simultaneously controlled to be “closed” by the CPU. As a result, the compression force is maintained at the set value.

  MR imaging of the subject's knee joint is performed in this compressed state. The image photographed at this time is an image in which a load is applied to the subject's knee joint, and is close to an image photographed in substantially the same state as when the subject is standing. Therefore, the cause of the pain, for example, the state where the cartilage is worn out or the state of contact between the bones is depicted on the image.

  When the MR imaging is finished, the doctor or engineer turns off the operation unit 8. As a result, the electrical system of the joint diagnostic imaging aid is turned off, the exhaust valves 3d of the air tube actuators 3A and 3B are opened, and the air in the tubes is discharged. As a result, the air tube actuators 3A and 3B return to their original length from the contracted state, and the compression force acting on the subject disappears.

  According to the present embodiment, a doctor can easily perform diagnosis by interpreting a loaded image and an unloaded image together.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using best embodiment, this invention can be variously changed in the range which does not deviate from a summary. For example, the compression force measurement unit only needs to be able to measure a value related to the compression force, and a commercially available tension gauge (tensile force measurement unit) may be applied. A measuring instrument comprising a simple measuring mechanism and measuring circuit may be incorporated.

  Moreover, although the said Example gave and demonstrated the form which controls the compression force automatically, it is also assumed that a price becomes high with this form. In this case, the automatic control of the compression force is stopped, that is, the detection and display of the compression force is not omitted. The start and stop of the compressor are controlled manually, and the supply valve and exhaust are controlled by the start and stop signals of the compressor. The valve may be controlled. Furthermore, since the relationship between the length of the air tube type actuator and the compression force can be obtained experimentally once the specifications of the air tube type actuator are determined, the air tube type actuator can be used instead of the mechanism for detecting the compression force in the above embodiment. May be used as the control parameter.

  In addition, since the above embodiment has been described as an example used in combination with an MRI apparatus, it is necessary to use a part made close to the MRI apparatus made of a non-magnetic material. If combined with an X-ray CT system, there is no need to consider it. However, since the non-magnetic structure can be applied to all modalities of the medical image diagnostic apparatus, it is considered convenient for the user because only one set of auxiliary tools applicable to the MRI apparatus is required.

The figure which shows the structure of the diagnostic imaging aid for joints of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Footrest, 2 ... Clothes, 3A, 3B ... Air tube type actuator, 4 ... Compression force measuring part 5 ... Belt, 6 ... Stopper, 7 ... Air supply source, 8 ... Air tube, 9 ... Operation unit, 10 ... Power supply

Claims (4)

  A test stand for a patient placed on the bed of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, a clothes worn by the subject on the upper body, and a space between the platform and the clothes so as to sandwich the patient from the left and right sides, and air is supplied to the inside. Then, a pair of air tube type actuators that generate contraction force, an air supply source that supplies air to the pair of air tube type actuators at the same time, and the air supply source that controls the pair of air tube type actuators are predetermined. An image diagnostic auxiliary tool for joints, comprising: a control unit that generates a contractile force.   The joint diagnostic imaging aid according to claim 1, further comprising means for adjusting a distance between the platform and the clothes according to the height of the patient.   A detection mechanism for detecting the contraction force of the air tube actuator, and when the detection value of the detection mechanism reaches a value set in the control unit, the operation of the air supply source is stopped, and the air tube actuator The joint diagnostic imaging aid according to claim 1, further comprising means for holding the air pressure supplied to the joint.   4. The joint diagnostic imaging aid according to claim 1, wherein one end of the pair of air tube actuators is detachably connected to the step or the clothes. 5.

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