JP2007020814A - Ultrasonic probe apparatus and ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly reliably diagnose the uniting of a fractured bone in an ultrasonic probe apparatus transmitting/receiving ultrasonic waves to/from the bone in the lower thigh (a range from the knee to the ankle of the lower limb) in walking and ultrasonic diagnostic equipment diagnosing the state of the bone in the lower thigh by the walking based on echo signals obtained by the ultrasonic probe apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A subject performs a walking movement in a diagnosis of the uniting of the fractured bone. Then, a probe 14 is attached to the body surface of the lower thigh 40 with a dedicated metal fitting and a sticking means such as an adhesive tape and transmits/receives the ultrasonic waves to/from the fractured bone of the lower thigh 40, or a diagnosis object site. This embodiment has a regulation means regulating the bending movement of the ankle for preventing the movement on the body surface stuck with the probe 14. In concrete terms, among the regulation means are an ankle foot orthosis 20, or a hard member having a shape extending from the shin to the sole of the subject, and a stepper 80 assisting the stepping movement (walking movement) of the subject. The ankle foot orthosis 20 regulates the bending of the subject's ankle by being fixed to the subject's foot. The stepper 80 approximately fixedly retains the angle between the instep 42 and the lower thigh 40 of the subject on a movable mount 82 inclined with the raising/lowering. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe device that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the bones of the lower leg (range from the knee to the ankle of the lower limbs) during walking, and an echo signal obtained by the ultrasonic probe device. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing the state of bones of the lower leg by walking.

  In recent years, it has been proposed to use ultrasonic waves in order to diagnose the degree of restoration (degree of fusion) of a broken bone (fracture). Specifically, a load is applied to the fractured bone and an ultrasonic wave is transmitted, and the amount of change in the fractured bone due to the addition of the load is calculated based on the reflected wave (echo) reflected by the fractured bone. A diagnostician such as a doctor diagnoses the degree of healing of the fractured bone based on the calculated inclination angle, amount of change, and the like.

  Here, the load applied to the fractured bone may be a predetermined value, but is preferably a load value that can actually be received in daily life. In other words, the fracture fusion diagnosis is a diagnosis for determining whether or not an auxiliary member such as a cast or a crutch is not necessary, and in order to make such a diagnosis, the load that the fracture can receive in daily life. It is necessary to know whether or not it can withstand. Therefore, for example, it is desirable that the fusion diagnosis of the fractured bone of the lower limb (foot part below the crotch) is performed based on the inclination amount of the fractured bone or the like when the subject is actually walking.

  By the way, when performing such fracture fracture fusion diagnosis using ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves needs to be held in a fixed position with respect to the fractured bone that is the diagnosis target site. is there. Many techniques for holding an ultrasonic probe at a predetermined position have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2003-79622 A JP 2000-70264 A

  However, all of the conventional techniques can maintain the relative positional relationship with respect to the body surface of the ultrasound probe, but maintain the relative positional relationship with respect to the site to be diagnosed in the body, specifically, the fractured bone. It is not possible. That is, the human body surface (skin) does not always move in conjunction with the bone, and often only the body surface moves. When the body surface moves, the ultrasonic probe fixed to the body surface also moves, and the relative positional relationship of the ultrasonic probe with respect to the fractured bone changes.

  Since the fluctuation amount of the relative position between the ultrasonic probe and the diagnosis target part is relatively small, it can be ignored when diagnosing an organ or the like as in Patent Documents 1 and 2. However, the amount of fluctuation of the fractured bone in the diagnosis of fractured bone fusion is very small. Therefore, a slight relative displacement with respect to the ultrasonic probe also becomes a problem, and as a result, the reliability of fracture fracture fusion diagnosis is lowered.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe device that can further improve the reliability of ultrasonic diagnosis. In particular, the object is to maintain the relative positional relationship of the ultrasonic probe with respect to the fractured bone.

  The ultrasonic probe device of the present invention is an ultrasonic probe device that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the lower leg bone of a subject during walking, and transmits the ultrasonic wave to the lower leg bone of the subject. In addition, the ultrasonic probe that receives the reflected wave reflected by the bone and the ultrasonic probe are attached to the epidermis of the subject's lower leg together with the ultrasonic probe, thereby attaching the ultrasonic probe. It has an adhesion member maintained at a wearing position, and regulation means which regulates movement of the epidermis of the lower leg by regulating bending motion of the subject's ankle.

  In a preferred aspect, the restricting means includes a bent ankle fixing member made of a hard material and extending from the calf to the sole, and a fixing member for fixing the ankle fixing member to the subject's foot. In this case, it is desirable that the ankle fixing member is a short leg brace, and the fixing member is a mounting means provided on the short leg brace. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a load measuring means provided on the bottom surface of the ankle fixing member for measuring a load applied to the foot during walking.

  In another preferred aspect, the restricting means includes two movable platforms on which the feet of the subject in the standing state are placed, and alternately raising and lowering the movable platform according to the walking motion of the subject, Includes a stepping device that regulates ankle flexion movement. It is desirable that the stepping device raises and lowers the movable platform according to the walking motion of the subject. It is also desirable to have a load measuring means that is provided on the movable table and measures a load applied to the foot during walking.

  Another ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is based on an ultrasonic probe apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the bones of the lower leg of the subject during walking, and an echo signal obtained by the ultrasonic probe apparatus. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a calculation device that calculates a change amount of the bone, wherein the ultrasonic probe device transmits the ultrasonic wave to the bone of the lower leg of the subject; An ultrasonic probe that receives the reflected wave reflected by the bone, and the ultrasonic probe is attached to the epidermis of the lower leg of the subject together with the ultrasonic probe, thereby attaching the ultrasonic probe And a regulating member that regulates the movement of the epidermis of the lower leg by regulating the bending motion of the ankle of the subject.

  Here, the lower leg refers to a range from the knee to the ankle among the lower limbs. Further, the ankle bending motion refers to a dorsiflexion motion in which the ankle joint is moved to move the toe upward and a bottom flexion motion in which the toe is moved downward. Further, the walking motion includes a stepping motion of moving the lower limb at the same place in addition to the normal walking motion of moving the body forward by the movement of the lower limb.

  According to the present invention, the movement of the body surface to which the ultrasonic probe is attached is limited by restricting the bending motion of the ankle during walking. As a result, the relative positional relationship between the ultrasonic probe and the fractured bone can be maintained, and as a result, a more reliable fracture fusion diagnosis can be performed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 has a configuration suitable for diagnosing fractures of bones, particularly fractures of lower limbs. Here, the lower limb refers to a portion below the subject's crotch. In the following description, the part from the crotch to the knee is referred to as the upper thigh, the part from the knee to the ankle is referred to as the lower leg, and the part from the ankle to the toe is referred to as the foot. Also, the front part of the lower leg is called a shin and the rear part is called a calf.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is roughly divided into a main body 11 and a probe unit 12. The probe 14 of the probe unit 12 is affixed to the body surface in the vicinity of the fractured bone that is the diagnosis target site. The probe 14 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 to a fractured bone that is a diagnosis target part and receives a reflected wave in accordance with an instruction from a transmitting / receiving unit 24 described later. The received reflected wave is output as an echo signal to the transmitter / receiver 24 via the probe cable 13 connecting the probe 14 and the apparatus main body 11.

  Here, the probe 14 in the present embodiment has a configuration in which the number of vibrators is very small compared to the normal probe 14, but this is to make the probe 14 smaller and lighter. That is, at the time of bone fracture fusion diagnosis, the subject is caused to perform a walking motion so that a load is applied to the broken bone with the probe 14 attached to the body surface of the subject. At this time, in order to prevent the probe 14 from obstructing the walking movement of the subject and to prevent the displacement of the probe 14 due to its own weight, in this embodiment, the number of vibrators is reduced, and the probe 14 is reduced in size. It is lighter.

  The probe 14 is placed in close proximity to the body surface via the standoff 16. The standoff 16 functions as an acoustic matching member, and is made of a material that can transmit ultrasonic waves and has an acoustic impedance close to that of a living body. The standoff 16 of the present embodiment is a solid having elasticity that can be deformed appropriately. The standoff 16 is deformed according to the shape of the body surface and the probe 14, thereby filling a gap existing between the probe 14 and the body surface. Thereby, attenuation and reflection of the ultrasonic wave by the air between the probe 14 and the body surface can be prevented, and more efficient ultrasonic transmission / reception can be performed.

  The probe 14 and the standoff 16 are attached to the body surface by the attaching tool 18. The type of the sticking tool 18 is not particularly limited as long as the sticking tool 18 can stick the probe 14 in close proximity to the body surface in the vicinity of the fractured bone that is the diagnosis target part. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, a metal fitting that holds the probe 14 and the standoff 16 and an adhesive tape that adheres the metal fitting to the body surface are used as the attachment tool 18.

  The probe unit 12 further includes a short leg brace 20. The short leg brace 20 functions as a restricting member for restricting the bending motion of the ankle during the walking motion of the subject. As will be described in detail later, the short leg brace 20 is a hard member having a shape along the sole from the calf, specifically, a shape in which only the back half of the boot is taken out. This short leg brace 20 includes a fixing member for fixing to the lower limb of the subject, and is appropriately worn around the ankle of the subject.

  The probe unit 12 further includes a load cell 22 that functions as a load measuring unit that measures a load applied to the lower limb of the subject. The load cell 22 is provided on, for example, the bottom surface of the short leg brace 20 or a walking surface on which the subject walks, and detects a load applied to the subject by walking (specifically, the subject's own weight). Although this load cell 22 may be single, multiple may be provided.

  The apparatus main body 11 includes a transmission / reception unit 24, a signal processing unit 26, a control unit 34, a display 30 and the like as a unit. The transmission / reception unit 24 supplies a transmission signal instructing transmission of ultrasonic waves to the single transducer of the probe 14 in response to an instruction from the control unit 34. The echo signal output from the probe 14 is received and subjected to signal processing such as phasing addition, gain adjustment, and dynamic range adjustment.

  The echo signal obtained by the transmission / reception unit 24 is output to the signal processing unit 26 and the bone diagnosis unit 32. 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 echo signal subjected to the signal processing is output to the image forming unit 28.

  The image forming 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 30.

  The bone diagnosis unit 32 performs so-called echo tracking processing 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 point of the fracture, 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 bone diagnosis unit 32 stores the calculated tracking point position information in a storage unit (not shown) in association with the load value output from the load cell 22. Further, based on the position of the obtained tracking point and the load value at that time, the inclination amount of the fractured bone with respect to the load is calculated, converted into a numerical value and a graph, and output to the display 30.

  A diagnostician such as a doctor diagnoses the degree of healing of the fracture based on the ultrasonic image displayed on the display 30, the amount of inclination of the fracture with respect to the load value, and the like. The control unit 34 controls the entire apparatus body 11. An instruction from the user is input to the control unit 34 via the operation unit 36. The control unit 34 outputs a control signal to each unit constituting the main body unit 11 in accordance with the instruction from the user and controls it.

  Next, a more specific configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, particularly the probe unit 12, will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is used to perform a fusion diagnosis of a fracture of the lower limb. When performing a fusion diagnosis of a fractured leg of the lower limb, the probe 14 and the standoff 16 are attached to the body surface 70 near the subject's fractured bone, for example, the body surface 70 of the shin using the attachment tool 18. At this time, the subject is put on the short leg brace 20. And in this state, while making a test subject walk, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted / received and the fusion diagnosis of a broken bone is made.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the sticking tool 18. The sticking tool 18 in this embodiment includes a sticking metal fitting 52 and an adhesive tape 58 for sticking the metal fitting to the body surface 70. The sticking metal fitting 52 is roughly divided into a housing portion 54 that houses the probe 14 and the standoff 16 and a flange portion 56 that extends outward from the periphery of the housing portion 54. The accommodating portion 54 is a substantially box-shaped member made of a hard material such as metal, and the probe 14 and the standoff 16 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 54. A cutout 54 a for inserting the probe cable 13 is formed on one side surface of the housing portion 54. The flange portion 56 is a flat plate member that extends outward from the periphery of the housing portion 54 and is integrally formed with the housing portion 54.

  Affixing metal fitting 52 that accommodates probe 14 and standoff 16 is affixed to body surface 70 with adhesive tape 58. The shape, type, and the like of the adhesive tape 58 are not limited, but in the present embodiment, a substantially rectangular adhesive tape 58 having a through hole formed in the center is used. When performing a fusion diagnosis, the housing portion 54 of the attachment fitting 52 is inserted through the through hole, and the collar portion 56 of the attachment fitting 52 is attached to the body surface 70. As a result, the relative position of the attachment fitting 52 with respect to the body surface 70 of the subject, and thus the position of the probe 14 with respect to the body surface 70 is maintained.

  However, the sticking tool 18 demonstrated here is an example to the last, and as long as it is a member which can stick the probe 14 to the test subject's body surface 70, naturally other members may be sufficient. For example, in the present embodiment, a metal fitting dedicated to sticking is used, but the probe 14 may be stuck directly to the body surface 70 using only the adhesive tape 58 without using the metal fitting.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the short leg brace 20. The short leg brace 20 is a medical device used for assisting a walking operation or the like of a person with paralyzed movement function around the ankle, and a brace that prevents drooping of a foot (a part below the ankle) during walking. It is. As shown in FIG. 4, the short leg brace 20 is a member having a shape extending from the calf to the heel and the sole. For example, the shape is like the boots except for the front half. The short leg brace 20 is made of a hard material such as hard plastic.

  A plurality of mounting bands 62 are provided on one side of the short leg brace 20 (only one is shown in FIG. 4 for ease of viewing), and male surface fasteners are provided on the other side corresponding to the mounting band 62. Each is provided. The wearing band 62 functions as a fixing member for fixing the short leg brace 20 to the lower leg of the subject. The wearing band 62 is a belt-like member having one end fixed to the side surface of the short leg brace 20 and the other end being a free end. A female surface fastener 64 is provided at the free end of the mounting band 62, and is detachable from a male surface fastener 66 provided on the side surface of the short leg brace 20.

  When the short leg brace 20 is attached to the lower limb of the subject, the lower leg of the subject is placed on the short leg brace 20 as shown in FIG. Then, the surface fastener 64 of the wearing band 62 is attached to the surface fastener 66 provided on the other side surface of the short leg brace 20 and the state is maintained. Thereby, the short leg orthosis 20 is fixed to a test subject's leg.

  When this short leg brace 20 is worn, the bending angle of the ankle (the angle formed by the lower leg 40 and the foot 42) is fixed, and the bending operation of the subject's ankle is restricted. Accordingly, the short leg brace 20 and the wearing band 62 function as a restricting means for restricting the bending motion of the subject's ankle. The reason for restricting the bending motion of the ankle using the short leg brace 20 and the wearing band 62 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing a state of the fusion diagnosis of the broken bone 72. In the fusion diagnosis, a load is applied to the broken bone 72 by walking the subject, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted to and received from the broken bone 72 with the probe 14 attached to the body surface 70. Of the surface of the fractured bone 72, a point that receives ultrasonic waves becomes a tracking point. The main body 11 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 calculates the position of the tracking point based on the obtained echo signal, and calculates the displacement amount of the tracking point due to the load addition, and further the inclination amount of the fractured bone 72. . A diagnostician such as a doctor diagnoses the degree of fusion of the fractured bone 72 based on the calculated amount of inclination and the like. That is, the higher the degree of fusion, the smaller the amount of inclination of the broken bone 72 with respect to the load. Therefore, if the amount of inclination of the fracture 72 that occurs when a load is applied is smaller than a certain value, it can be determined that the fracture 72 has been completely cured.

  That is, in the healing diagnosis of the broken bone 72, it is necessary to accurately calculate the amount of inclination of the broken bone 72. In order to accurately calculate the amount of inclination, it is necessary that the relative positional relationship of the probe 14 with respect to the broken bone 72 is always constant, and the position of the tracking point in the broken bone 72 is not changed. However, as described above, the probe 14 is attached to the body surface 70. Therefore, although the relative positional relationship with respect to the body surface 70 is maintained, there is a problem that the relative positional relationship with respect to the fracture 72 is not maintained.

  In the fusion diagnosis, the subject is allowed to walk, and at this time, the muscles of the lower limbs expand and contract, and the body surface 70 expands and contracts according to the expansion and contraction of the muscles. As a result, there is a problem that the relative position between the probe 14 attached to the body surface 70 and the broken bone 72 is shifted. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the probe 14 and the broken bone 72 during walking. During walking, the lower limb of the subject repeats the movements of FIGS. That is, the lower leg 40 gradually tilts forward from the substantially vertical state (A), and the center of gravity moves forward (B). Subsequently, the entire lower leg 40 is lifted to release the sole from the ground, and the entire lower leg 40 is moved forward (C). Then, while projecting the lower leg 40 forward, the lower leg 40 is gradually lowered to land the foot 42 at a predetermined position (D). When the foot 42 lands, the above-described operations A to D are repeated again.

  It can be seen that the ankle 44 of the subject is appropriately bent during this walking motion. The flexion movement of the ankle 44 involves the muscles of the calf (gastrocnemius) and the muscles of the shin (anterior tibial muscle), and these muscles expand and contract during flexion of the ankle. As the muscles expand and contract, the body surface 70 of the lower leg 40 also expands and contracts. As a result, the relative positional relationship between the probe 14 attached to the body surface 70 and the broken bone 72 is shifted.

  For example, in the state (A) where the lower leg 40 is substantially vertical (A), the probe 14 attached to the body surface 70 of the shin transmits and receives an ultrasonic wave to a predetermined tracking point P. When the lower leg 40 is tilted forward (B) from this state, the muscle and the body surface 70 contract to flex the ankle so that the angle α between the lower leg 40 and the foot 42 becomes smaller, and the probe 14 and the broken bone are contracted. The relative positional relationship of 72 is shifted. As a result, the ultrasonic wave is transmitted and received at a point different from the point P where the ultrasonic wave is first transmitted and received. In other words, the position of the tracking point is shifted. Similarly, when the lifted lower leg 40 is lowered to the ground once (D), the shin muscle and body surface 70 are used to bend the ankle so that the angle α between the lower leg 40 and the foot 42 is increased. Stretch. Also in this case, the relative positional relationship between the probe 14 and the broken bone 72 is shifted, and the tracking point is displaced. As a result, the amount of inclination of the fractured bone 72 during walking could not be calculated accurately, and as a result, an accurate fusion diagnosis could not be performed.

  Here, the subject is walked to add a load to the lower limbs. Therefore, a method of adding a load by another means without walking the subject, for example, placing a weight of a predetermined weight on a stationary lower limb is also conceivable. According to this method, the expansion and contraction of the body surface can be prevented, and the relative positional relationship between the probe 14 and the broken bone 72 can be prevented from being shifted. However, the fractured bone fusion diagnosis is originally performed to determine whether or not the subject can live daily life, in other words, whether or not he / she can walk without auxiliary means such as crutches and casts. In order to perform such a diagnosis, it is necessary to apply a load equivalent to the load applied during walking to the fractured bone and to see the amount of inclination of the fractured bone at that time. Since the load applied during walking varies depending on the subject's weight, walking habit, and the like, it is difficult for a diagnostician to estimate. As a result, in order to perform a fusion diagnosis more suitable for clinical use, it is necessary to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves while walking the subject.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ankle foot orthosis 20 is used to regulate the bending motion of the ankle during walking, and consequently the movement of the body surface. As described above, the short leg brace 20 has a shape extending from the subject's calf to the sole of the subject, and this short leg brace 20 is closely fixed to the lower leg of the subject at the time of fusion diagnosis. In this case, even if an attempt is made to change the bending motion, in other words, the angle α of the foot 42 and the lower leg 40, the movement is regulated by the short leg brace 20. As a result, the movement of the body surface 70 to which the probe 14 is attached is restricted, and the relative position fluctuation between the probe 14 and the broken bone 72 is prevented. Thereby, a more accurate fusion diagnosis becomes possible.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, even when the subject is walking, the movement of the body surface 70 to which the probe 14 is attached is restricted. The positional relationship is maintained. As a result, a fusion diagnosis suitable for clinical use can be performed more accurately.

  Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which fracture diagnosis is performed using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to another embodiment. In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a stepper 80 is used in place of the short leg brace 20 as a restricting means for restricting an ankle bending motion.

  The stepper 80 includes two movable bases 82 on which two feet 42 of the subject are placed. Each movable table 82 has a rotation arm 84 extending from one end thereof, and the other end of the rotation arm 84 is connected to a rotation shaft 86. The two movable stands 82 can be moved up and down (rotating operation) alternately about the rotating shaft 86.

  As described above, the lifting / lowering operation of the movable table 82 is a rotation operation around the rotation shaft 86. Therefore, the tilt angle of the movable table 82 also changes during the lifting / lowering operation. Specifically, as described in detail later, the inclination angle changes so that the angle formed between the lower leg 40 and the movable base 82 is always substantially constant.

  The load cell 22 is provided inside the movable table 82 so that the load applied to the lower limb of the subject can be measured. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the movable table 82. The movable base 82 includes a thick base member 96, and a thin load cell mounting plate 98 is connected to the upper side of the movable base 82. A plurality of load cells 22 are fixed to the load cell mounting plate 98, and the load applied to the movable base 82, in other words, the load applied to the lower limb of the subject can be measured. On the upper side of the load cell mounting plate 98, a flat plate 100 of a size that covers the entire mounting plate 98 is placed. By providing the flat plate 100, the load applied to the movable table 82 can be evenly distributed, and the equal load can be measured by each load cell 22. Further, an anti-slip plate 102 is fixed to the upper side of the flat plate 100 to prevent slipping when the sole is installed.

  Loads measured by the plurality of load cells 22 are sent to a bone diagnostic unit 32 provided in the main body 11 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10. The bone diagnosis unit 32 calculates the load value added to the lower limb based on the load values detected by the four load cells 22.

  The stepper 80 further includes a bar 90 that allows the subject to deposit a part of the body. The bar 90 extends so as to surround the half circumference of the subject's waist. The bar 90 is supported by two poles 92 extending from the base 94 so that a subject who has lost his / her balance is leaned against. By providing such a bar 90, it is possible to prevent the subject from falling or the like, and to perform fracture fracture fusion diagnosis more safely.

  Next, FIG. 9 will be described regarding the regulation of the ankle bending motion by the stepper 80. FIG. FIG. 9 is an image diagram showing the state of the ankle when the stepper 80 is used for stepping. Similarly to the normal walking motion (see FIG. 6), the leg 40 repeats the forward tilt, the substantially vertical state, the rearward tilt, and the substantially vertical state during the stepping motion using the stepper 80 (FIGS. 9A to 9D). . On the other hand, unlike the normal walking motion, the foot 42 is always supported by the movable base 82. Therefore, unlike the normal walking motion, the foot 42 does not hang down (state shown in FIG. 6D). Furthermore, the tilt angle of the upper surface of the movable table 82 changes according to the inclination of the lower leg 40. In other words, the angle formed between the lower leg 40 and the movable base 82 is always maintained at approximately 90 degrees. Further, the foot 42 supported by the movable table 82 is also kept at an almost constant angle with respect to the lower leg 40. As a result, the bending action of the ankle is restricted, and the movement of the body surface can be reduced.

  Further, in the case of the walking motion using the stepper 80, the impact during the walking motion (stepping motion) is absorbed. That is, in the case of normal walking motion, a slight impact is received when the lifted foot 42 is landed on the floor surface. Such an impact causes a displacement of the probe 14 attached to the body surface. On the other hand, in the case of the stepper 80, the sole is always supported by the movable base 82. Therefore, even if the lifted foot is lowered, the lower leg 40 is hardly impacted. As a result, the position of the probe 14 is maintained, and as a result, more accurate fusion diagnosis is possible.

  That is, even in this embodiment using the stepper 80 as the restricting means, as in the first embodiment, walking (stepping) can be performed without bending the ankle. As a result, the relative positional relationship between the probe 14 and the broken bone 72 can be maintained, thereby enabling more accurate fusion diagnosis. Further, when such a stepper 80 is used, a walking motion (stepping) can always be performed under the same conditions. That is, the lifting amount and the depression amount of each lower leg can always be made constant. As a result, fusion diagnosis with high reproducibility can be performed any number of times.

  Note that the stepper described here is an example, and the configuration of the stepper may be appropriately changed as long as it is a stepper (stepping device) that can regulate the bending motion of the ankle. Therefore, the movable base 82 does not rotate as in the present embodiment, but may be a stepper that simply moves up and down in the vertical direction. According to such a stepper, the angle of the lower leg hardly changes during the stepping action, and as a result, the ankle bending action can be efficiently regulated.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a fusion diagnosis is performed using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that is another embodiment. In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, both the short leg brace 20 and the stepper 80 are used as the restricting means for restricting the bending motion of the ankle.

  That is, at the time of the fusion diagnosis, the subject wears the short leg brace 20 on the lower leg. Then, the subject rides on the movable base 82 of the stepper 80 in a state where the short leg brace 20 is worn, and starts a stepping action. At this time, the bending motion of the ankle is restricted by both the short leg brace 20 and the stepper 80. Therefore, the bending operation is more reliably regulated than when only one of them is used. As a result, the relative positional relationship between the probe 14 and the broken bone is more reliably maintained, and a more accurate fusion diagnosis is possible.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the ultrasonic diagnosing device which is embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the mode of the fusion diagnosis of the broken bone by an ultrasonic diagnosing device. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of a sticking tool. It is a perspective view of a short leg brace. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the probe and broken bone at the time of fusion diagnosis. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the probe and broken bone at the time of a walk. It is a figure which shows the mode of the fusion diagnosis of the fractured bone by the ultrasonic diagnosing device which is other embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of a movable stand. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the probe and broken bone at the time of stepping operation | movement with a stepper. It is a figure which shows the mode of the fusion diagnosis of the fractured bone by the ultrasonic diagnosing device which is other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 11 Main-body part, 12 Probe unit, 14 Probe, 16 Standoff, 18 Adhesive tool, 20 Short leg brace, 22 Load cell, 40 Lower leg, 42 Foot, 44 Ankle, 52 Adhesive bracket, 58 Adhesive tape, 70 body surface, 72 fractured bone, 80 stepper, 82 movable base, P tracking point.

Claims (8)

An ultrasonic probe device that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the bones of the lower leg when walking,
An ultrasonic probe that transmits the ultrasonic waves to the bones of the lower leg of the subject and receives reflected waves reflected by the bones;
By attaching to the lower skin of the subject together with the ultrasonic probe, an adhesive member for maintaining the ultrasonic probe in an adhesive position;
By regulating the bending motion of the subject's ankle, regulating means for regulating the movement of the epidermis of the lower leg,
An ultrasonic probe device characterized by comprising: The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 1,
The regulating means is
An ankle fixing member made of a hard material and bent along the sole from the calf,
A fixing member for fixing the ankle fixing member to the subject's foot;
An ultrasonic probe device characterized by comprising: The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 2,
The ankle fixing member is a short leg brace,
The ultrasonic probe apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is mounting means provided on the short leg brace. The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 2, further comprising:
An ultrasonic probe device comprising load measuring means provided on a bottom surface of the ankle fixing member and measuring a load applied to the foot. The ultrasonic probe device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The restricting means includes two movable platforms on which the feet of the subject in a standing state are placed, and regulates the bending motion of the ankle by alternately raising and lowering the movable platforms according to the walking motion of the subject. An ultrasonic probe device including a stepping device. The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 5,
The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 1, wherein the stepping device raises and lowers the movable platform according to the walking motion of the subject. The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 5, further comprising:
An ultrasonic probe device comprising load measuring means provided on the movable table for measuring a load applied to the foot during walking. An ultrasonic probe device that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the lower leg bone of the subject during walking;
Based on the echo signal obtained by the ultrasound probe device, a calculation device that calculates the amount of change of the bone;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:
The ultrasonic probe device includes:
An ultrasonic probe that transmits the ultrasonic waves to the bones of the lower leg of the subject and receives reflected waves reflected by the bones;
By attaching to the lower skin of the subject together with the ultrasonic probe, an adhesive member for maintaining the ultrasonic probe in an adhesive position;
By regulating the bending motion of the subject's ankle, regulating means for regulating the movement of the epidermis of the lower leg,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

Images