JP2007202799A - Ultrasonic diagnostic system and load device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately apply a predetermined load to hard tissue such as a bone. <P>SOLUTION: An eccentric conical cam 14 is shaped to gradually change in distance between a rotating shaft and a side along the direction of the rotating shaft, so that the eccentric conical cam 14 is slid in the direction of the rotating shaft, thereby displacing a compression element 12 in the elongation direction. The eccentric conical cam 14 is shaped to change in distance between a rotating shaft and a side along the direction of the rotating shaft, so that the eccentric conical cam 14 is rotated around the rotating shaft, thereby displacing the compression element 12 in the elongation direction. In a load device 10, by the slidig motion and rotary motion of the eccentric conical cam 14, the contact point of the side of the eccentric conical cam 14 and one end of the compression element 12 is moved to thereby displace the compression element 12 in the elongation direction so that load is applied to the hard tissue from the other end. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic system and a load device used for diagnosis of hard tissue such as bone.

  In order to diagnose bone metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis, determination of easy fracture, and quantitative diagnosis of bone healing after fracture treatment, simple and quantitative measurement of mechanical properties such as bone strength is desired. Yes.

  Evaluation of bone formation and bone union greatly depends on X-ray photographs, but it is difficult to quantitatively diagnose bone strength with X-ray photographs. Although a strength test of a sample bone to be measured is known as a conventional method for measuring bone strength, a sample bone removal operation is required and is invasive. Further, as a method for measuring bone mass and bone density, use of general-purpose X-ray CT, a DXA (dual energy absorption measurement method) apparatus, and the like have been put into practical use. However, these are merely means for measuring bone mass, and bone strength cannot be evaluated. Moreover, it cannot be said that it is noninvasive in the point which irradiates an X-ray.

  Other attempts to quantitatively evaluate bone strength include a strain gauge method in which a strain gauge is attached to an external fixator and the strain of the fixator is measured, and vibration that evaluates the natural frequency by applying external vibration to the bone. Examples of the existing method include a wave method and an acoustic emission method for detecting a sound wave generated from a bone having yield stress. However, these methods still have problems in terms of the limitation of applicable treatment methods, the need to invade bones, and evaluation accuracy.

  Against this background, the inventors of the present application have proposed an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that non-invasively and quantitatively evaluates the mechanical characteristics of bone (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-152079 A

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in Patent Document 1 forms a plurality of ultrasound beams on a bone, acquires a plurality of echo signals corresponding to each ultrasound beam, and corresponds to the bone surface for each echo signal. A surface point to be identified is specified, and characteristic information reflecting the mechanical characteristics of the bone is generated based on a plurality of surface points obtained from a plurality of echo signals. Then, the mechanical characteristics of the bone when an external action is exerted on the bone are evaluated. This is an epoch-making technique that allows non-invasive and quantitative evaluation of bone mechanical properties in vivo from surface point data on the bone surface based on echo signals.

  The inventors of the present application have further studied the technique for further improving the epoch-making technique described in Patent Document 1 and evaluating the mechanical characteristics of hard tissues such as bones with higher accuracy. In particular, the technology for applying a load to hard tissue has been improved.

  The present invention has been made in such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for accurately applying a predetermined load to hard tissue.

  In order to achieve the above object, a load device according to a preferred aspect of the present invention is a load device that applies a load to a hard tissue, and includes a side surface that extends in the direction of the rotation axis and surrounds the rotation axis. A rotating member having a shape in which the distance from the side surface is changed along the rotation axis direction, and a shape in which the distance between the rotating shaft and the side surface is changed in the rotation direction; A rod-shaped member that makes an end contact, and by moving a contact point between the side surface of the rotating member and one end of the rod-shaped member, the rod-shaped member is displaced along the extension direction thereof, and is moved from the other end. A load is applied to the hard tissue.

  In the above aspect, for example, the rotating member is moved with respect to the rod-shaped member to move the contact point between the side surface of the rotating member and one end of the rod-shaped member. A load can be applied to the hard tissue, for example, by the rotating member pushing the rod-shaped member along the extending direction thereof. Therefore, in the said aspect, the load corresponding to the shape of the side surface of a rotation member and the motion state of a rotation member can be applied, and it becomes easy to apply a predetermined load correctly with respect to a hard tissue.

  In a preferred aspect, the load device includes a slide unit that slides the rotating member along a rotation axis direction thereof, and the sliding member is slid by the sliding unit to perform a predetermined amount of displacement for a predetermined time. Only the rod-shaped member is displaced along its extending direction. In a preferred aspect, the load device includes a rotating unit that rotates the rotating member about a rotation axis thereof, and the rotating member rotates the rotating member by the rotating unit, so that the amount of displacement varies periodically. The rod-shaped member is displaced along its extending direction.

  In order to achieve the above object, a load device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a load device that displaces a rod-like compressor along its extension direction and applies a load to a hard tissue by the compressor. , An eccentric conical cam for displacing the compressor, a compressor whose one end is in contact with a side surface of the eccentric conical cam, a slide mechanism for sliding the eccentric conical cam along its rotational axis direction, and an eccentric conical cam for its rotational shaft A rotation mechanism that rotates about the center of the eccentric cone cam, and the contact point between the side surface of the eccentric cone cam and one end of the compressor is moved by at least one of the sliding movement and the rotation movement of the eccentric cone cam. The compressor is displaced along its extending direction, and a load is applied to the hard tissue from the other end.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic diagnostic system according to a preferred aspect of the present invention is an ultrasonic diagnostic system including the load device and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the aspect, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Is configured to form a plurality of ultrasonic beams on the bone to which a load is applied by the load device, specify a bone surface point for each ultrasonic beam, and to obtain a plurality of surface points obtained from the plurality of ultrasonic beams. On the basis of this, it is characterized in that a change in the shape of the bone accompanying a load is measured.

  In a preferred aspect, the ultrasonic diagnostic system applies a load to the bone by displacing the compressor for a predetermined time by a predetermined amount of displacement by sliding the eccentric conical cam of the load device. The accompanying change in bone shape is measured by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Thereby, the elasticity of a bone can be evaluated from the relationship between the amount of load applied to the bone and the amount of bone shape change.

  In a preferred aspect, the ultrasonic diagnostic system applies a load to the bone by displacing the compressor by a displacement amount that periodically changes by rotating the eccentric cone cam of the load device, and the load is applied. The shape change of the bone accompanying the measurement is measured by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Thereby, the viscoelasticity of the bone can be evaluated from the followability of the shape change of the bone with respect to the load applied to the bone.

  The present invention makes it possible to accurately apply a predetermined load to hard tissue such as bone. For example, a predetermined amount of load can be applied to the hard tissue, or a load that changes periodically can be applied.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a load device according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration thereof. The load device 10 according to the present embodiment is a device that applies a load to a hard tissue such as bone by displacing the rod-like compressor 12 along its extending direction.

  The compressor 12 is attached to the apparatus main body 26 so that it can be displaced along the extending direction. The load device 10 includes an eccentric cone cam 14 that displaces the compressor 12, and one end of the compressor 12 is in contact with a side surface of the eccentric cone cam 14. The eccentric cone cam 14 is mounted on the slide plate 20 in a rotatable state.

  The slide plate 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 26 via a roller, and is slid by rotating the plate slide screw 18 which is a feed screw. The plate slide screw 18 is rotated by a motor or an operator's hand. The slide plate 20 is provided with a slide amount measurement scale 24 for measuring the slide amount, and the operator can know the slide amount with this scale. In this way, the eccentric conical cam 14 is slid along the rotation axis direction by the slide plate 20.

  Further, the eccentric conical cam 14 is rotated around the rotation axis by the cam rotation mechanism 16 on the slide plate 20. The cam rotation mechanism 16 is rotated by a motor or an operator's hand.

  The eccentric conical cam 14 has a shape in which the distance between the rotating shaft and the side surface is gradually changed along the rotating shaft direction. Therefore, by sliding the eccentric conical cam 14 in the direction of the rotation axis, the position of the side surface in contact with one end of the compressor 12 is gradually changed, and the compressor 12 is displaced along the extending direction. A method of applying a load by the sliding motion of the eccentric cone cam 14 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  The eccentric conical cam 14 has a shape in which the distance between the rotation shaft and the side surface is changed along the rotation direction. Therefore, by rotating the eccentric conical cam 14 around the rotation axis, the position of the side surface in contact with one end of the compressor 12 changes periodically, and the compressor 12 is displaced along the extending direction. A method of applying a load by the rotational movement of the eccentric cone cam 14 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  As described above, the load device 10 of the present embodiment sets the contact point between the side surface of the eccentric cone cam 14 and one end of the compressor 12 by at least one of the sliding motion and the rotational motion of the eccentric cone cam 14. By moving, the compressor 12 is displaced along its extending direction, and a load is applied to the hard tissue from the other end.

  The load device 10 is provided with a compressor up-and-down mechanism 22 for setting an initial position of the compressor 12.

  FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the compressor vertical mechanism 22. The adjustment cylinder 30 includes a disk-shaped handle portion 30a and a cylindrical body portion 30b. By rotating the handle portion 30a along the circumference, a body portion 30b connected to the handle portion 30a is also provided. Rotate. As for the adjustment cylinder 30, the trunk | drum 30b is inserted in the cylindrical holder 34. As shown in FIG.

  Inside the holder 34, the holder 34 and the adjustment cylinder 30 (body part 30 b) are screwed together, and the adjustment cylinder 30 slides up and down with respect to the holder 34 by rotating the adjustment cylinder 30. Then, the compressor 12 penetrating the adjustment cylinder 30 slides up and down following the movement of the adjustment cylinder 30. Thus, by rotating the handle portion 30a of the adjustment cylinder 30, the compressor 12 slides in the vertical direction.

  The holder 34 is fixed by a holding machine 32. A contact mechanism between the holder 34 and the holder 32 is provided with a safety mechanism for preventing an excessive load from being applied. That is, a plunger 42 that protrudes toward the holder 34 is provided inside the holder 32, and the plunger 42 is inserted into a receiving hole 44 provided inside the holder 34. The receiving hole 44 is provided with a tapered surface. When the holder 34 is moved in the vertical direction with a force of a predetermined amount or more, the plunger 42 is detached from the receiving hole 44 and the holder 34 is detached from the holding machine 32.

  For this reason, when the compressor 12 is displaced downward and a load is applied to a hard tissue such as a bone, when the load amount becomes a predetermined amount or more, the holder 34 is moved upward with a force of the predetermined amount or more via the adjustment cylinder 30. The holder 34 is detached from the holding machine 32. In this way, the load by the compressor 12 is released and an excessive load is prevented.

  Incidentally, in FIG. 2, a safety mechanism is provided at the contact portion between the holder 32 and the holder 34. For example, the compressor 12 has a double cylindrical structure, and one of the two cylindrical contact portions has a cylindrical shape. Alternatively, the plunger 42 may be provided, and the receiving hole 44 may be provided in the other cylinder. Thereby, when a reaction force more than necessary is applied to the compressor 12, the contact portions of the two cylinders may be detached to prevent an excessive load from being applied.

  A load cell 36 for measuring the load amount is attached to the tip of the compressor 12. The load cell 36 is provided in the load cell holder 38. The load cell holder 38 wraps the tip of the compressor 12 with the load cell 36 inside. The load cell 36 is fixed to a load cell holder 38, and the load cell holder 38 and the compressor 12 slide with each other along the vertical direction. Therefore, when the compressor 12 is displaced downward and a load is applied to the bone or the like via the load cell holder 38, the load is transmitted to the load cell 36 between the compressor 12 and the load cell holder 38. As a result, the load cell 36 A load applied to a bone or the like is measured.

  Next, how to apply a load by the load device of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a view for explaining how to apply a load by the sliding motion of the eccentric cone cam. FIG. 3 shows a load device (reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1) and a load target. In addition, in FIG. 3, the apparatus main body (code | symbol 26 of FIG. 1) of a load apparatus is abbreviate | omitting illustration.

  When applying a load by a sliding motion, first, the eccentric conical cam 14 is rotated and fixed at the position of the maximum radius. That is, the rotation of the eccentric cone cam 14 is fixed in a state where the position where the distance (radius) between the cam rotation shaft and the side surface is maximum is directed to the compressor 12 side. The eccentric cone cam 14 is provided with a cam position detection hole 56, and the cam position detection sensor 52 detects the cam position detection hole 56 and turns on the cam position confirmation lamp 54. At the position of the maximum radius, two cam position detection holes 56 are provided, and when the two cam position confirmation lamps 54 corresponding to these two holes are lit, the position of the maximum radius can be confirmed. .

After the eccentric cone cam 14 is fixed at the position of the maximum radius, the position of the compressor 12 is adjusted by the compressor vertical mechanism 22. As a result, the other end of the compressor 12 is brought into contact with the load target while the one end of the compressor 12 is in contact with the side surface of the eccentric cone cam 14 at the radius r ₁ . At this time, if it is necessary to apply a load to the load object in advance, the position of the compressor 12 is fixed by operating the compressor vertical mechanism 22 while confirming the load value displayed on the load cell output unit 64.

After fixing the position of the compressor 12, the slide plate moving handle 62 is operated to slide the slide plate 20 leftward. As a result, the eccentric conical cam 14 attached on the slide plate 20 slides leftward together with the slide plate 20 in a state where the eccentric cone cam 14 is rotationally fixed at the position of the maximum radius. Then, the eccentric cone cam 14 is slid until the side surface at the radius r ₂ of the eccentric cone cam 14 reaches the position of the compressor 12. Thereby, the compressor 12 is displaced toward the load object by a distance (r ₂ −r ₁ ), and the load object is pressurized with a stroke of (r ₂ −r ₁ ).

Then, after applying a load to the load object for a predetermined time with a stroke of (r ₂ −r ₁ ), the slide plate moving handle 62 is operated to slide the slide plate 20 to the right, and the eccentric cone cam 14 and the compressor the contact point 12 returns to the position of the radius _{r 1.}

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the displacement of the compressor due to the sliding motion of the eccentric cone cam. FIG. 4 shows a graph in which the horizontal axis is the time axis and the vertical axis is the displacement of the compressor, and the compression when the eccentric cone cam is slid at the position of radius r _{1 and} the position of radius r ₂ is shown. The displacement of the child is shown.

In other words, moving the slide plate until it reaches the position of the radius r ₂ from the state in which the compression element is in contact at the position of radius r ₁ of the eccentric conical cams, only the slide plate a predetermined time at the position of radius r ₂ is fixed Then, the displacement of the compressor when the slide plate is moved until the contact point between the eccentric cone cam and the compressor returns to the position of the radius r ₁ is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sliding movement of the eccentric cone cam makes it possible to apply a load by accurately displacing the compressor by a predetermined displacement amount for a predetermined time.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining how to apply a load due to the rotational motion of the eccentric cone cam. FIG. 5 shows the load device and the load object as in FIG.

  When applying a load by rotational movement, first, the eccentric conical cam 14 is rotated and fixed at the position of the minimum radius. That is, the rotation of the eccentric cone cam 14 is fixed in a state where the position where the distance (radius) between the cam rotation shaft and the side surface is the minimum is directed toward the compressor 12. The eccentric cone cam 14 is provided with only one cam position detection hole 56 at the position of the minimum radius, which is detected by the cam position detection sensor 52 and only one cam position confirmation lamp 54 is lit. Thus, the position of the minimum radius can be confirmed.

  After the eccentric cone cam 14 is fixed at the position of the minimum radius, the position of the compressor 12 is adjusted by the compressor vertical mechanism 22. As a result, the other end of the compressor 12 is brought into contact with the load target while the one end of the compressor 12 is in contact with the side surface of the eccentric conical cam 14. At this time, if it is necessary to apply a load to the load target in advance, the position of the compressor 12 is fixed by operating the compressor vertical mechanism 22 while confirming the load value displayed on the load cell output unit 64.

After the position of the compressor 12 is fixed, the eccentric conical cam 14 is rotated around its rotation axis by a cam rotation mechanism (reference numeral 16 in FIG. 1). By rotating the eccentric cone cam 14, the contact point between the side surface of the eccentric cone cam 14 and the compressor 12 periodically moves to the position of the minimum radius r _{0 and} the position of the maximum radius r ₁ . Thereby, the compressor 12 is displaced toward the load object with a simple vibration of the stroke (r ₁ -r ₀ ). That is, the load object is pressurized with a simple vibration of the stroke (r ₁ −r ₀ ). If the stroke of simple vibration is to be changed, the position of the maximum radius may be changed by sliding the slide plate 20.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the displacement of the compressor due to the rotational movement of the eccentric cone cam. FIG. 6 shows a graph in which the horizontal axis is the time axis and the vertical axis is the displacement of the compressor, and the compression when the eccentric cone cam is rotationally moved at the position of the minimum radius r ₀ and the maximum radius r ₁ is shown. The displacement of the child is shown.

That is, the eccentric cone cam 14 is rotated from the state in which the compressor is in contact at the position of the minimum radius r ₀ of the eccentric cone cam until the position of the maximum radius r ₁ is reached, and further from the position of the maximum radius r ₁ to the minimum rotating the eccentric conical cam 14 until it reaches the position of the radius r _0. The displacement of the compressor when this is repeated three times is shown.

  By the rotational movement of the eccentric cone cam, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to apply a load by accurately displacing the compressor with a periodically changing displacement amount.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the ultrasonic diagnostic system according to the present invention. FIG. 7 shows a system for measuring the shape change of the bone 82 to which a load is applied by the load device 10 by the ultrasonic diagnostic device 70. It is shown.

  The load device 10 is the load device 10 shown in FIG. 1, and the rod-like compressor 12 is displaced along the extending direction, and a load is applied to the bone 82 of the subject 80 by the compressor 12. That is, the load is applied to the bone 82 by displacing the compressor 12 along its extending direction by the sliding motion and the rotational motion of the eccentric conical cam (reference numeral 14 in FIG. 1). Incidentally, the bone 82 to be diagnosed is, for example, a tibia or a rib.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 70 forms a plurality of ultrasonic beams with respect to the bone 82 to which a load is applied by the load device 10 and specifies a surface point of the bone 82 for each ultrasonic beam. In FIG. 7, each of the two probes 72 forms five ultrasonic beams. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 70 measures the shape change of the bone 82 due to the load being applied based on the plurality of surface points obtained from the plurality of ultrasonic beams.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 70 of this embodiment is an apparatus described in Patent Document 1, for example. That is, the probe 72 that is an ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with the body surface of the subject 80, and a plurality of ultrasonic beams are formed by the probe 72 toward the bone 82 in the body of the subject 80. The echo signal acquired via the probe 72 is signal-processed in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body (not shown). For example, the surface of the bone 82 is detected for each ultrasonic beam by echo tracking processing, and the shape change of the bone 82, for example, the angle change of the bone surface detailed in Patent Document 1 is measured from the displacement of the surface. .

  As described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the load device 10 of the present embodiment displaces the compressor 12 by a predetermined amount of displacement for a predetermined time by sliding the eccentric cone cam. A load can be applied to 82. In the present system, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 70 measures the shape change of the bone 82 accompanying the load. Thereby, the elasticity of the bone 82 can be evaluated from the relationship between the amount of load applied to the bone 82 and the shape change amount of the bone 82. For example, the change in the shape of the bone 82 when a predetermined amount of load is applied to the bone 82 for a predetermined time is measured by the displacement of the compressor 12 shown in FIG.

  If the target bone is a healthy bone, the load on the bone 82 can be sufficiently evaluated at about 25 Newtons. For example, a 25 Newton load is applied for about 5 seconds. That is, in FIG. 4, the fixed period of the slide plate is 5 seconds. If the load is about 25 Newtons on healthy bone, there is usually almost no invasive problem. Needless to say, if the target bone is an abnormal bone such as a fracture, measures such as reducing the load should be taken in consideration of invasiveness.

  Further, as described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the load device 10 of this embodiment displaces the compressor 12 by a displacement amount that periodically changes by rotating the eccentric cone cam. A load can be applied to the bone 82. In the present system, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 70 measures the shape change of the bone 82 accompanying the load. Thereby, the viscoelasticity of the bone 82 can be evaluated from the followability of the shape change of the bone 82 to the periodic load applied to the bone 82. For example, the followability of the shape change of the bone 82 when a load that periodically changes due to the displacement of the compressor 12 shown in FIG. 6 is applied to the bone 82 is measured.

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic system shown in FIG. 7, a predetermined load can be accurately applied to the bone 82 while the load device 10 has a relatively simple structure. Therefore, by combining with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 70, it becomes possible to accurately measure the mechanical characteristics of the bone 82 such as elasticity and viscoelasticity. Incidentally, when the displacement of the surface of the bone 82 is measured by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 70, the displacement can be measured on the order of micrometers by using an echo tracking process. Therefore, the load device 10 displaces the compressor 12 on the order of micrometers.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, embodiment mentioned above is only a mere illustration in all the points, and does not limit the scope of the present invention.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a load device according to the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating a compressor raising / lowering mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of how to add the load by the sliding motion of an eccentric cone cam. It is a figure for demonstrating the displacement of the compressor by a slide motion. It is explanatory drawing of how to add the load by the rotational motion of an eccentric cone cam. It is a figure for demonstrating the displacement of the compressor by rotational motion. It is a figure for demonstrating the ultrasonic diagnostic system which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Load apparatus, 12 Compressor, 14 Eccentric cone cam, 16 Cam rotation mechanism, 20 Slide plate, 70 Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, 82 bones.

Claims (11)

A load device for applying a load to a hard tissue,
It has a side surface that extends in the direction of the rotation axis and surrounds the rotation axis, has a shape in which the distance between the rotation axis and the side surface is changed along the rotation axis direction, and the distance between the rotation axis and the side surface extends along the rotation direction A rotating member having a changed shape,
A rod-shaped member whose one end is in contact with the side surface of the rotating member;
Have
By moving the contact point between the side surface of the rotating member and one end of the rod-shaped member, the rod-shaped member is displaced along its extending direction and a load is applied to the hard tissue from the other end.
A load device characterized by that. The load device according to claim 1,
Slide means for sliding the rotating member along the direction of the rotation axis;
By sliding the rotating member by the sliding means, the rod-shaped member is displaced along its extending direction by a predetermined amount of displacement for a predetermined time.
A load device characterized by that. The load device according to claim 2,
Rotating means for rotating the rotating member around its rotation axis,
By rotating the rotating member by the rotating means, the rod-shaped member is displaced along its extending direction by a periodically changing amount of displacement.
A load device characterized by that. A load device that displaces a rod-shaped compressor along its extension direction and applies a load to the hard tissue by the compressor,
An eccentric cone cam for displacing the compressor;
A compressor having one end in contact with the side surface of the eccentric cone cam;
A slide mechanism for sliding the eccentric conical cam along the direction of the rotation axis;
A rotation mechanism for rotating the eccentric cone cam around its rotation axis;
Have
By moving the contact point between the side surface of the eccentric cone cam and one end of the compressor by at least one of the sliding movement and the rotational movement of the eccentric cone cam, the compressor is displaced along its extension direction. Applying a load to the hard tissue from the other end,
A load device characterized by that. The load device according to claim 4,
A load cell for measuring the amount of load applied to the hard tissue is provided at the other end of the compressor;
A load device characterized by that. The load device according to claim 4,
A compressor up-and-down mechanism that sets the initial position of the compressor by moving the setting position of the compressor along the extension direction;
A load device characterized by that. The load device according to claim 4,
Having a safety mechanism for releasing the load by the compressor when a load of a predetermined amount or more is applied;
This prevents overloading,
A load device characterized by that. The load device according to claim 4,
A cam position detection sensor for detecting a position where the distance between the rotation axis and the side surface of the eccentric cone cam is maximum and a position where the distance between the rotation axis and the side surface of the eccentric cone cam is minimum;
A cam position display unit that displays a result of position detection in a display mode corresponding to each of the detected maximum position and minimum position;
Having
A load device characterized by that. An ultrasonic diagnostic system comprising the load device according to claim 4 and an ultrasonic diagnostic device,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus forms a plurality of ultrasonic beams on a bone to which a load is applied by the load device, specifies a bone surface point for each ultrasonic beam, and is obtained from the plurality of ultrasonic beams Based on multiple surface points, measure bone shape change as load is applied,
An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by that. The ultrasonic diagnostic system according to claim 9,
By sliding the eccentric cone cam of the load device, the compressor is displaced by a predetermined amount of displacement for a predetermined time and a load is applied to the bone, and the shape change of the bone accompanying the load is applied to the ultrasonic wave Measured by a diagnostic device, whereby the elasticity of the bone is evaluated from the relationship between the amount of load applied to the bone and the amount of bone shape change,
An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by that. The ultrasonic diagnostic system according to claim 10.
Rotating the eccentric conical cam of the load device displaces the compressor with a periodically changing amount of displacement to apply a load to the bone, and the ultrasonic diagnosis for a change in the shape of the bone accompanying the load being applied Measured by the device, whereby the viscoelasticity of the bone is evaluated from the followability of the bone shape change with respect to the load applied to the bone.
An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by that.

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