JP2008061894A - Ultrasonic probe system, and ultrasonic diagnosing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic probe system which can suitably perform an ultrasonic image acquisition regarding the mamma, and to provide an ultrasonic diagnosing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: This ultrasonic probe system is equipped with an ultrasonic probe, a probe adapter having a suction port, and a suction apparatus. The suction port is installed on the periphery of the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe. By sucking the mamma or air in a vicinity of the mamma from the suction port, the contact property between the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface and the mamma is made better. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and the like used for mass screening of breast cancer.

  Ultrasound diagnosis can be performed repeatedly by simply touching the ultrasound probe from the body surface, and the heart beats and fetal movements can be obtained in real time, and it is highly safe. . In addition, it can be said that this is a simple diagnostic method in which the scale of the system is smaller than other diagnostic devices such as X-rays, CT, and MRI, and inspection can be easily performed while moving to the bedside. Ultrasound diagnostic devices used in this ultrasound diagnosis vary depending on the types of functions that they have, but small ones that can be carried with one hand have been developed. Thus, there is no influence of exposure, and it can be used in obstetrics and home medical care.

  There are cases where the breast is imaged using such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having various advantages. In such a case, since the breast is generally soft and uneven, when the ultrasonic probe is pressed, the breast is deformed more than necessary, and ultrasonic scanning may not be performed uniformly. In order to solve such problems, conventionally, scan the patient with the ultrasound probe from the bottom and improve the contact between the ultrasound probe and the body surface between the breast and the ultrasound probe. For example, a dedicated coupler is provided.

In addition, as a well-known document relevant to this application, there exist the following, for example.
JP 2002-301074 A

  However, the conventional method has the following problems, for example. That is, when scanning with an ultrasonic probe from below with the patient leaning, it is necessary to take a certain posture, which is a burden on the patient and it is difficult for the operator to scan the probe. is there.

  In addition, when using a dedicated coupler, it is necessary to prepare various couplers according to the breast size, and to select and mount an appropriate one among them. Furthermore, an ultrasonic probe equipped with a dedicated coupler is relatively large. Therefore, in addition to the coupler selection / mounting operation, the operator must perform ultrasonic scanning with the ultrasonic probe with the dedicated coupler mounted thereon, which requires a great burden.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an ultrasonic probe system and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can suitably acquire an ultrasonic image of a breast.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

  A first aspect of the present invention is an ultrasonic probe that irradiates a subject with ultrasonic waves from an irradiation surface based on a supplied drive signal, and is arranged around the irradiation surface when attached to the ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: an adapter having a suction port, and suction means for sucking air through the suction port.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic probe that irradiates a subject with ultrasonic waves from the irradiation surface based on a supplied drive signal, and the periphery of the irradiation surface when the ultrasonic probe is attached. An adapter having a suction port, suction means for sucking air through the suction port,
An ultrasonic probe system comprising:

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic probe system and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can suitably acquire an ultrasonic image of a breast.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes an ultrasonic probe 12, a probe adapter 13, a suction device 14, an apparatus main body 11, an input device 15, and a monitor 16. The ultrasonic probe 12, the probe adapter 13, and the suction device 14 constitute an ultrasonic probe system S. The function of this ultrasonic probe system S will be described in detail later. The apparatus body 11 includes an ultrasonic transmission unit 21, an ultrasonic reception unit 22, a B-mode processing unit 23, a Doppler processing unit 24, an image generation unit 25, an image memory 26, a control processor (CPU) 28, and an internal storage unit 29. The interface unit 30 is provided. Hereinafter, the function of each component will be described.

  The ultrasonic probe 12 generates an ultrasonic wave based on a drive signal from the ultrasonic transmission unit 21, converts a reflected wave from the subject into an electric signal, and a matching layer provided in the piezoelectric vibrator. And a backing material for preventing the propagation of ultrasonic waves from the piezoelectric vibrator to the rear. When ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 12 to the subject P, the transmitted ultrasonic waves are successively reflected by the discontinuous surface of the acoustic impedance of the body tissue and received by the ultrasonic probe 12 as an echo signal. . The amplitude of this echo signal depends on the difference in acoustic impedance at the discontinuous surface that is supposed to be reflected. In addition, the echo when the transmitted ultrasonic pulse is reflected by the moving blood flow or the surface of the heart wall depends on the velocity component in the ultrasonic transmission direction of the moving body due to the Doppler effect, and the frequency Receive a shift.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the ultrasonic probe 12 is a one-dimensional array probe in which ultrasonic transducers are arranged along a predetermined direction, as shown in FIG. However, regardless of this, the ultrasonic probe 12 may be a two-dimensional array probe in which ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, or an annular array probe in which ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a concentric manner. Good.

  The probe adapter 13 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 12 when photographing a breast and has a suction port for sucking air. The configuration of the probe adapter 13 will be described in detail later.

  The suction device 14 is connected to the probe adapter 13 via a suction hose and sucks air from the suction port of the probe adapter 13. The suction operation of the suction device 14 is executed by using a predetermined operation on the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus side, a switch operation of the probe adapter, or the like as a trigger.

  The input device 15 is connected to the device main body 11, and various switches, buttons, tracks for loading various instructions, conditions, region of interest (ROI) setting instructions, various image quality condition setting instructions, etc. from the operator into the device main body 11. It has a ball, mouse, keyboard, etc. For example, when the operator operates the end button or the FREEZE button of the input device 15, transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves is terminated, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is temporarily stopped.

  Based on the video signal from the image generation unit 25, the monitor 16 displays in-vivo morphological information (B-mode image), blood flow information (average velocity image, dispersion image, power image, etc.), and combinations thereof. Display as.

  The ultrasonic transmission unit 21 includes a trigger generation circuit, a delay circuit, a pulsar circuit, and the like (not shown). In the pulsar circuit, a rate pulse for forming a transmission ultrasonic wave is repeatedly generated at a predetermined rate frequency fr Hz (period: 1 / fr second). Further, in the delay circuit, a delay time necessary for focusing the ultrasonic wave into a beam shape for each channel and determining the transmission directivity is given to each rate pulse. The trigger generation circuit applies a drive pulse to the probe 12 at a timing based on this rate pulse.

  The ultrasonic receiving unit 22 has an amplifier circuit, an A / D converter, an adder and the like not shown. The amplifier circuit amplifies the echo signal captured via the probe 12 for each channel. In the A / D converter, a delay time necessary for determining the reception directivity is given to the amplified echo signal, and thereafter, an addition process is performed in the adder. By this addition, the reflection component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity of the echo signal is emphasized, and a comprehensive beam for ultrasonic transmission / reception is formed by the reception directivity and the transmission directivity.

  The B-mode processing unit 23 receives the echo signal from the transmission unit 21, performs logarithmic amplification, envelope detection processing, and the like, and generates data in which the signal intensity is expressed by brightness. This data is transmitted to the image generation unit 25 and is displayed on the monitor 16 as a B-mode image in which the intensity of the reflected wave is represented by luminance.

  The Doppler processing unit 24 performs frequency analysis on velocity information from the echo signal received from the transmission unit 21, extracts blood flow, tissue, and contrast agent echo components due to the Doppler effect, and obtains blood flow information such as average velocity, variance, and power. Ask for multiple points.

  In general, the image generation unit 25 converts (scan converts) a scanning line signal sequence of an ultrasonic scan into a scanning line signal sequence of a general video format typified by a television or the like, and performs superconversion as a display image. A sonic diagnostic image is generated. The image generation unit 25 executes various image processes other than scan conversion.

  The image memory (cine memory) 26 is, for example, a memory that stores ultrasonic images corresponding to a plurality of frames immediately before freezing. By continuously displaying the images stored in the image memory 26 (cine display), an ultrasonic moving image can be displayed.

  The control processor 28 has a function as an information processing apparatus (computer) and controls the operation of the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The control processor 28 reads out a dedicated program for realizing the fine structure extraction function from the internal storage unit 29 and a control program for executing predetermined image generation / display, etc., and expands them on its own memory. Performs computation and control related to processing.

  The internal storage unit 29 includes a predetermined scan sequence, a dedicated program for realizing linkage with the suction operation of the suction device 14, a control program for executing image generation and display processing, and diagnostic information (patient ID, doctor's findings). Etc.), diagnostic protocols, transmission / reception conditions, and other data groups are stored. Further, it is also used for storing images in the image memory 26 as necessary. The data in the internal storage unit 29 can be transferred to an external peripheral device via the interface unit 30.

  The interface unit 30 is an interface related to the input device 15, the network, and a new external storage device (not shown). Data such as ultrasonic images and analysis results obtained by the apparatus can be transferred to another apparatus via the network by the interface unit 30.

(Ultrasonic probe system)
Next, the ultrasonic probe system S according to the present embodiment will be described. This ultrasonic probe system has a suction port around the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface, and sucks the breast or air around it from this suction port, thereby improving the contact between the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface and the breast. It is.

  The ultrasonic probe system S includes an ultrasonic probe 12, a probe adapter 13, and a suction device 14.

  3 is a perspective view of the probe adapter 13 as a single unit, FIG. 4 is a view showing how the probe adapter 13 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 12, FIG. 5 is a side view of the probe adapter 13 from the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 12 shows an external view of the probe adapter 13 viewed from the ultrasonic irradiation surface 12a, and FIG. 7 shows a side view of the probe adapter 13 from a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. Hereinafter, the configuration of the probe adapter 13 will be described with reference to these drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the probe adapter 13 includes an adapter frame 13a and a suction hose 13d. The adapter frame 13a has a probe insertion port 13b and a suction port 13c.

  The probe insertion opening 13 b is an opening formed in accordance with the size of the ultrasonic probe 12. By inserting the ultrasonic probe 12 into the probe insertion port 13b, the probe adapter 13 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 12 as shown in FIG.

  The suction port 13c is formed corresponding to the shape of the ultrasonic irradiation surface 12a (see FIGS. 4 and 6) of the ultrasonic probe 12. The air sucked from the suction port 13c flows into the suction device 14 through the suction hose 13d. The suction port 13c can be provided with a cover for preventing coupler suction as required.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the probe adapter 13 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 12 such that the suction port 13c is disposed farther from the subject by the distance h than the ultrasonic irradiation surface 12a. The This is because an air flow path is secured by providing a gap between the suction port 13c and the subject surface, and the ultrasonic probe 12 can be smoothly moved on the subject surface while enabling good suction. It is. In addition, it is preferable that the distance h between the suction port 13c and the ultrasonic irradiation surface 12a can be arbitrarily adjusted according to the suction strength and the individual difference (such as skin hardness) of the subject.

  3 to 7 exemplify the case where the suction port 13c is formed along the longitudinal direction of the ultrasonic irradiation surface 12a. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be formed along the entire contour of the ultrasonic irradiation surface 12a. An example of the suction port 13c when the ultrasonic probe 12 is a two-dimensional array probe is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and an example of the suction port 13c when the ultrasonic probe 12 is an annular array probe is shown in FIG. Shown respectively.

  For example, the probe adapter 13 (or the ultrasonic probe 12) may be provided with a dedicated switch 13e for ON / OFF control of the suction operation of the suction device 14 as shown in FIG. When the user operates the switch 13e, a control signal is transmitted to the probe adapter 13 (or ultrasonic probe 12) suction device 14 side by wire or wirelessly, and ON / OFF control of the suction operation is executed. Regardless of this, the suction device 14 may be configured such that the suction operation is controlled in conjunction with the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on a control signal from the control processor 28. Specifically, for a predetermined operation such as a freeze button operation that automatically starts (ends) the suction operation at the same time as the disclosure (or end) of the ultrasonic scanning or around the predetermined time of the start of the ultrasonic scanning (end). For example, the suction operation can be automatically terminated in response.

  In addition, when acquiring an ultrasonic image using this ultrasonic probe system, it is preferable to use a coupling medium whose viscosity is lower than usual. This is for facilitating the suction from the suction port and preventing the coupling medium from accumulating near the suction port.

(Operation)
Next, the operation | movement in the ultrasonic image acquisition regarding the breast of this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 is demonstrated.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of each process executed in acquiring an ultrasound image regarding the breast. As shown in the figure, first, patient information or the like is input by an operation from the input device 16, and a scan mode or the like is selected (step S1).

  Next, the suction operation is started with the operation of the switch 13e provided in the probe adapter 13 or the predetermined operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus such as the start of ultrasonic scanning as a trigger, and the ultrasonic probe 12 is moved while sucking the breast. By doing so, ultrasonic scanning is executed (step S2). Next, the suction operation is terminated using an operation of the switch 13e or the like or a predetermined operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus such as the end of ultrasonic scanning or freezing (step S3).

(effect)
According to the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  According to this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the breast can be ultrasonically scanned while being brought into contact with the ultrasonic probe while being suctioned by the suction device. Therefore, it is possible to scan evenly without deforming the soft and uneven breast more than necessary. As a result, it is not necessary to make the patient lean, and since it is not necessary to use various couplers according to the breast size, the burden on the patient and the operator can be reduced.

  Further, in this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the suction port is formed along the outer contour of the ultrasonic vibration element array. Therefore, the contact portion of the ultrasonic probe can be sucked with an equal force, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem that only one of the contact surfaces is sucked and the other is not sucked.

  In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the suction port is disposed farther from the contact surface of the ultrasonic probe with respect to the patient. Therefore, when the ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with the affected part, it is possible to secure a flow path of air in suction, and to prevent the occurrence of a problem such that the patient-side contact surface is fixed to the suction port by suction. Can do.

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a coupler suction prevention cover is provided at the suction port. Therefore, suction of the coupler can be suppressed, and excellent ultrasonic scanning using the coupler can be realized even under suction.

  Further, according to the present ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the ON / OFF of the suction operation is controlled by the operation of the switch provided in the probe adapter or the predetermined operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as a trigger. Therefore, the suction operation can be easily turned ON / OFF, and good ultrasonic scanning with less work load can be realized even under suction.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic probe system and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can suitably acquire an ultrasonic image of a breast.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the ultrasonic probe 12. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the probe adapter 13 alone. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining how the probe adapter 13 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 12. FIG. 5 shows an external view of the probe adapter 13 and the ultrasonic probe 12 as viewed from the longitudinal direction. FIG. 6 shows an external view of the probe adapter 13 and the ultrasonic probe 12 as viewed from the ultrasonic irradiation surface 12a. FIG. 7 shows an external view of the probe adapter 13 and the ultrasonic probe 12 as seen from the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the suction port 13c when the ultrasonic probe 12 is a two-dimensional array probe. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the suction port 13c when the ultrasonic probe 12 is a two-dimensional array probe. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the suction port 13c when the ultrasonic probe 12 is an annular array probe. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a switch 13 e for suction operation control provided in the probe adapter 13. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of each process executed in acquiring an ultrasound image regarding the breast.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 12 ... Ultrasonic probe, 11 ... Apparatus main body, 13 ... Probe adapter, 14 ... Suction apparatus, 15 ... Input device, 14 ... Monitor, 16 ... External storage device, 21 ... Ultrasonic transmission unit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 ... Ultrasonic wave receiving unit, 23 ... B mode processing unit, 24 ... Doppler processing unit, 25 ... Image generation unit, 26 ... Image memory, 27 ... Image composition part, 28 ... Control processor (CPU), 29 ... Internal storage part , 30 ... interface section

Claims (8)

An ultrasonic probe for irradiating the subject with ultrasonic waves from the irradiation surface based on the supplied drive signal;
An adapter having a suction port disposed around the irradiation surface when mounted on the ultrasonic probe;
Suction means for sucking air through the suction port;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction port of the adapter is provided corresponding to a shape of the irradiation surface.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction port of the adapter is provided symmetrically with respect to the irradiation surface.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction port of the adapter is disposed away from the irradiation surface with respect to the subject.   5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adapter further includes instruction means for instructing at least one of suction start and end of the suction means.   6. The control unit according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that links supply of the drive signal to the ultrasonic probe with at least one of the suction start and end of the suction unit of the suction unit. Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. An input means for inputting a predetermined instruction;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that interlocks an input from the input unit with at least one of a suction start and an end of the suction unit of the suction unit. An ultrasonic probe for irradiating the subject with ultrasonic waves from the irradiation surface based on the supplied drive signal;
An adapter having a suction port disposed around the irradiation surface when mounted on the ultrasonic probe;
Suction means for sucking air through the suction port;
An ultrasonic probe system comprising:

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