JP2007319337A - Probe attachment for ophthalmic ultrasound - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an attachment capable of executing a stable measurement by correctly positioning a measurement axis of a probe in an eye axis of a subject's eye. <P>SOLUTION: This probe attachment for ophthalmic ultrasound which is attached to the distal end of an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe for transmitting ultrasonic waves to an eyeball of the subject's eye and receiving reflected echoes from the eyeball is provided with a mount section to be mounted on the probe and a distal end section provided at the distal end side of the mount section and having a contact face coming into contact with the cornea of the subject's eye. A plurality of contact faces with different curves are prepared according to the curve of the cornea of the subject's eye and an optimal one is selectively used according to the curve of the cornea of the subject's eye. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment attached to the tip of an ultrasonic probe equipped in an ophthalmic ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  As an example of an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe, one that transmits ultrasonic waves from an ultrasonic transducer provided inside the probe and receives reflected echoes from tissues in a living body such as an eyeball is known. The reflected echo received on the probe side is transmitted to the main body of the diagnostic apparatus, and information on biological tissue such as the axial length is obtained by performing arithmetic processing in the main body of the apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In using this type of ultrasonic probe, it is desirable to consider infection prevention. In order to prevent infection, sterilization of the probe itself is generally not performed because it may be damaged, and a sterilized attachment is attached to the tip of the probe (for example, known) , See Patent Document 2).
JP 2001187702 A JP 2001-61784 A

  However, in the conventional attachment, the shape of the contact surface in contact with the subject's eye cornea does not necessarily match the curve shape of the subject's eye cornea, and the probe's measurement axis is correctly aligned with the eye axis of the subject's eye It was difficult to make a stable measurement.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an attachment capable of measuring a probe measurement axis correctly with the eye axis of a subject's eye and performing stable measurement.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized by having the following configuration.

(1) In an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment for attaching to the tip of an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe that transmits ultrasonic waves toward an eyeball of a subject and receives reflected echoes from the eyeball,
A mounting portion to be mounted on the probe; and a distal end portion provided on a distal end side of the mounting portion, the distal end portion having a contact surface that comes into contact with the subject's eye cornea, wherein the contact surface is a subject to be examined What has a different curve according to the curve of the subject's eye cornea is prepared, and is selectively used according to the curve of the subject's eye cornea.
(2) In the ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment according to (1), the distal end portion is a concave portion that stores and holds an ultrasonic medium interposed between the subject's ocular cornea and the distal end surface of the probe A recess having a larger diameter is formed.
(3) In the ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment according to (1) or (2), the distal end portion is made of a transparent member, and has a shape that spreads in a bowl shape with a larger diameter than the connection portion on the distal end side of the mounting portion. And a mark for guiding the centering of the attachment is formed on the hook-shaped portion.
(4) In an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment for attaching to the tip of an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe that transmits ultrasonic waves toward an eyeball of a subject and receives reflected echoes from the eyeball,
A mounting part to be mounted on the probe, and a tip part provided on the tip side of the mounting part, which is a soft contact lens that is fitted in advance to the subject's eye in conformity with the curve of the subject's eye cornea And a tip portion having a contact surface to be contacted, wherein the contact surface has a curve corresponding to the surface curve of the soft contact lens.

  According to the present invention, the measurement axis of the probe can be correctly aligned with the eye axis of the subject's eye, and stable measurement can be performed.

  Embodiments of an ophthalmic ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. An example of measuring the axial length and the like by the A mode method is given as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of a probe and an ophthalmic ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to which an attachment according to this embodiment is attached. An ultrasonic probe 2 for A mode that incorporates a transducer is connected to the apparatus body 1. A touch panel type display panel 3 is provided on the front surface of the main body 1. The operator sets various conditions by selecting setting items displayed on the panel 3. The measurement / diagnosis results are output by the printer 4.

  FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the attachment 30 attached to the tip of the probe 2. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the probe 2 and the attachment 30, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the attachment 30 is attached to the tip of the probe 2 and contact with the subject's eye cornea at the time of measurement. It is sectional drawing which shows a state.

  The attachment 30 includes a mounting portion 32 that covers the distal end of the probe 2 and a distal end portion 33 that contacts the subject's eye cornea Ec. The attachment 30 is made of an elastic material such as silicon that has good biocompatibility and is soft and transparent (may be translucent if it is visible), and the mounting portion 32 and the tip portion 33 are integrally formed. The mounting portion 32 is formed in a tapered shape so as to substantially match the outer shape of the distal end portion of the probe 2. The facing surface 31 on the distal end portion 33 side facing the distal end surface 21 of the probe 2 is formed in a shape along the distal end surface 21 of the probe 2 so as not to generate a gap when the attachment 30 is attached to the probe 2. . When the tip surface 21 of the probe 2 and the facing surface 31 are not sufficiently adhered and a gap is generated, transmission loss of ultrasonic waves transmitted and received from the transducer becomes large. In that case, the gap may be filled by interposing a liquid or gel-like ultrasonic medium between them.

  The contact surface 34 of the distal end portion 33 that contacts the subject's eye cornea Ec is designed to have a curvature radius (curve) Rf that substantially matches the curvature radius (curve) Re of the cornea Ec or is larger by a certain amount. Generally, most adult corneal curvature radii are in the range of about 7 mm to 9 mm. In the contact lens prescription, those having different curvatures at a pitch of 0.3 mm are prepared with respect to the curvature radius Re of the cornea Ec in this range. Following the example of the contact lens, also in the attachment 30 of the present embodiment, the curvature radius (curve) Rf of the contact surface 34 of the distal end portion 33 is also at least 7 mm to correspond to the curvature radius Re that varies depending on the eye of the subject. What was changed in the range of about 9 mm and the pitch of 0.3 mm is prepared. For example, eight types of curvature radius Rf of 7.0 mm, 7.3 mm, 7.6 mm,..., 8.8 mm, 9.1 mm are prepared, and the one corresponding to the curvature radius of the cornea Ec) Re is selected. Use it.

  Further, the contact surface 34 of the distal end portion 33 is designed with a diameter D (= 10 to 15 mm) larger than the diameter (d1 = about 5 mm) of the distal end of the probe 2. As a result, there is an advantage that the positioning of the probe 2 with respect to the cornea Ec can be performed stably and easily. Furthermore, the diameter D of the contact surface 34 is formed larger than the size (diameter d2) of the connection portion 35 between the mounting portion 32 and the tip portion 33, and the tip portion 33 extends from the connection portion 35 in a bowl shape. By increasing the contact area between the contact surface 34 and the cornea Ec, even if the examiner accidentally presses the probe 2 toward the cornea Ec, the surface pressure applied to the cornea Ec can be reduced. The burden on the examiner's eye E can be reduced.

  Further, on the back surface (or the surface on the subject's eye side) of the distal end portion 33 in which the distal end portion 33 extends from the connection portion 35 in a bowl shape, as shown in FIG. 2, the center coincides with the central axis of the probe 2. A plurality of concentric ring marks 37 about the axis Ls are formed. By following this guide mark, it becomes easy to align the center of the distal end portion 33 of the attachment 30 with the eye axis passing through the center of the cornea of the subject's eye.

  In the ophthalmic ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and attachment 30 having the above-described configuration, the usage will be described below.

  First, an attachment 30 having a contact surface 34 having a curvature radius (curve) Rf corresponding to the curvature radius Re is selected in accordance with the curvature radius Re of the subject's eye cornea. The radius of curvature Re of the subject's eye cornea can be obtained by a known corneal curvature measuring apparatus. In the corneal curvature measuring device, the curvature in the weak main meridian direction and the strong main meridian direction are obtained as the corneal curvature, and the average value thereof is used. The examiner attaches the attachment 30 having the curvature radius Rf corresponding to the curvature radius Re of the subject's eye to the probe 2, and then touches the tip 33 to the cornea Ec. At this time, a gap does not occur between the tip portion 33 made of soft silicon and the cornea Ec, and the shapes fit each other. For this reason, it becomes easy to stably align the axis serving as the center of the traveling direction in which the attachment 30 transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, that is, the center axis Ls serving as the measurement axis of the probe 2 and the eye axis direction.

  Furthermore, by aligning the distal end portion 33 while observing the positional relationship with the iris of the subject's eye and the corneal limbus according to the guide 37, the center axis Ls can be appropriately aligned with the eye axis passing through the center of the cornea. It becomes easy.

  In addition, when the cornea Ec is easy to dry and it is desired to avoid direct contact between the distal end portion 33 and the cornea Ec, a liquid such as physiological saline or hyaluronic acid is used as a substitute for tears in the gap between the distal end portion 33 and the cornea Ec. A gel-like ultrasonic medium such as an acid may be interposed. In the case where a gel-like ultrasonic medium is interposed, the curvature radius Rf of the contact surface 34 of the attachment 30 is selected to be larger than the corneal curvature radius Re by a certain amount (for example, 1 mm). , The fit will be better. Since the ultrasonic medium is uniformly interposed between the cornea Ec and the contact surface 34 of the attachment 30, the central axis Ls serving as the measurement axis of the probe 2 and the eye axis direction can be stably matched.

  When measuring the axial length using the attachment 30, the measurement mode of the apparatus main body 1 is set to the attachment use mode by operating the switch of the display panel 3. When this mode is set, the axial length is calculated by subtracting the thickness of the distal end portion 33 interposed between the distal end surface 21 of the probe 2 and the cornea Ec.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a second embodiment of the attachment 30, FIG. 4 (a) is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the attachment 30 in the second embodiment, and FIG. 4 (b) is for explaining the use state. FIG. The attachment 30 of the second embodiment is an example of ensuring the retention of the ultrasonic medium and the stability during the measurement in the immersion measurement in which the measurement is performed by interposing a gel-like ultrasonic medium.

  In FIG. 4, a partition wall 41 formed to face the distal end surface 21 of the probe 2 between the tapered mounting portion 32 that covers the probe 2 and the distal end portion 43 that comes into contact with the subject's cornea Ec. And the cylindrical connection part 45 extended about 1 to 2 mm from this partition 41 forms the recessed part 47 which stores and hold | maintains the gel-like ultrasonic medium 50. FIG. On the side wall of the connecting portion 45, several slits 48 for releasing air are opened to fill the ultrasonic medium 50 up to the partition wall 41 when the concave portion 47 is filled with the ultrasonic medium 50. An opening that forms a recess 47 is formed in the contact surface 44 of the distal end portion 43. The inner diameter of the concave portion 47 and the opening of the distal end portion 43 are larger than the distal end surface 21 of the probe 2 and are formed around the central axis Ls. In addition, the diameter D of the distal end portion 43 is larger than the diameter of the connection portion 45, and the distal end portion 43 extends from the connection portion 45 in a bowl shape. Its diameter is 10-15 mm as in the previous example. In addition, on the back surface (or contact surface on the subject's eye side) of the distal end portion 43 that spreads in a bowl shape, a central axis Ls that coincides with the central axis of the probe 2 is provided as shown in FIG. A plurality of concentric ring marks 37 at the center are formed.

  The curvature radius (curve) Rf of the contact surface 44 is designed to correspond to a curvature radius Re that varies depending on the subject's eye, and similar to the previous example, those having different curvatures at a pitch of 0.3 mm are prepared.

  In the use of the attachment 30 in FIG. 4, since the gel-like ultrasonic medium is interposed, the curvature radius Rf of the contact surface 44 of the attachment 30 is a fixed amount (for example, for example, the corneal curvature radius Re). 1 mm) Select and use a larger one. In this attachment 30, since the ultrasonic medium 50 is held in the recess 47, the holding force of the ultrasonic medium 50 interposed between the contact surface 44 and the cornea Ec is also increased due to the viscosity and surface tension of the ultrasonic medium 50. Increase. For this reason, it is possible to more easily perform the immersion measurement while ensuring the holding of the ultrasonic medium 50 and the stability during the measurement.

  FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a third embodiment of the attachment 30. The third embodiment is an example in which measurement is performed by disposing a disposable soft contact lens 60 between the distal end portion 33 and the subject's eye cornea Ec with respect to the first embodiment. Disposable soft contact lenses on the market are stored in a sterilized state, so there is no risk of infection. At the time of measurement, a soft contact lens 60 having a base curve back surface radius of curvature Rcr that fits the radius of curvature of the cornea Ec and fits the cornea Ec is put on the subject's eye cornea. The curvature radius Rf of the contact surface 34 of the attachment 30 is selected corresponding to the surface curvature radius Rcf of the selected contact lens 60 and attached to the probe 2 for use.

  When the measurement is performed with the soft contact lens 60 worn on the subject's eye cornea, the mode of the apparatus main body 1 is set to the contact lens mode adjusted for the contact lens. In this mode, the axial length is calculated by subtracting the thickness of the soft contact lens 60 and the thickness of the distal end portion 33.

  In the measurement using the soft contact lens 60, since the cornea is protected by the contact lens, when the probe 2 with the attachment 30 attached is brought into contact with the cornea, Cornea damage is reduced. By using the attachment 30 having the contact surface 34 with the curvature radius Rf that matches the surface curve of the soft contact lens 60, the measurement axis of the probe 2 is correctly aligned with the eye axis of the subject's eye, and stable measurement is performed. be able to.

  In the embodiment using such a soft contact lens 60, the difference in the corneal curvature radius Re corresponds to the selection of the soft contact lens 60, and a constant contact surface 34 on the attachment 30 side can be used. That is, the soft contact lens 60 having the back surface curve (curvature radius) Rcr corresponding to the difference in the corneal curvature Re is used, and the soft contact lens 60 has a constant surface curve. Thereby, the curvature radius Rf of the contact surface 34 on the attachment 30 side can be dealt with with a constant one, and the labor for preparing the plurality of attachments 30 can be reduced.

  In the above description, the case of measuring the axial length has been described as an example. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to an ophthalmic ultrasonic corneal thickness measuring apparatus, an ophthalmic ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus, or the like. This also applies to the probe attachment that is equipped.

1 is a schematic external view of a probe and an ophthalmic ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is an external appearance perspective view of the attachment attached to the probe front-end | tip. It is sectional drawing of a probe and an attachment. It is a figure explaining 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus main body 2 Ultrasonic probe 30 Attachment 33 Attachment tip part 34 Attachment contact surface 37 Ring mark 50 Ultrasonic medium 60 Soft contact lens

Claims (4)

In an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment for attaching to the tip of an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe that transmits ultrasonic waves toward the subject's eye and receives reflected echoes from the eyeball,
A mounting portion to be mounted on the probe; and a distal end portion provided on a distal end side of the mounting portion, the distal end portion having a contact surface that comes into contact with the subject's eye cornea, wherein the contact surface is a subject to be examined An ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment characterized by being prepared with a different curve according to the curve of the subject's ocular cornea and selectively used according to the curve of the subject's ocular cornea. 2. The ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment according to claim 1, wherein the distal end portion is a recess that stores and holds an ultrasonic medium interposed between the subject's eye cornea and a diameter larger than that of the distal end surface of the probe. The ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment is characterized in that a recess is formed. 3. The ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment according to claim 1, wherein the distal end portion is made of a transparent member and has a shape that spreads in a bowl shape with a larger diameter than a connection portion on the distal end side of the mounting portion, The ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment is characterized in that a mark for guiding the centering of the attachment is formed on the portion of the ophthalmic probe. In an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment for attaching to the tip of an ophthalmic ultrasonic probe that transmits ultrasonic waves toward the subject's eye and receives reflected echoes from the eyeball,
A mounting part to be mounted on the probe, and a tip part provided on the tip side of the mounting part, which is a soft contact lens that is fitted in advance to the subject's eye in conformity with the curve of the subject's eye cornea An ophthalmic ultrasonic probe attachment comprising: a tip portion having a contact surface to be contacted, wherein the contact surface has a curve corresponding to a surface curve of the soft contact lens.

Images