JP2013046749A - Property information acquiring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a property information acquiring apparatus of an object person capable of measuring the whole object part of an object person over a wide range.SOLUTION: The property information acquiring apparatus includes a supporting unit that supports the object person and has an aperture through which the object part of the object person is inserted, a holding unit that holds the object area inserted through the aperture, and a receiving unit that is located near the holding unit and receives information about properties of the object area, wherein the holding unit includes a restricting unit that restricts deformation generated in the supporting unit by the object person being supported by the supporting unit.

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for acquiring characteristics of a subject.

  2. Description of the Related Art There is a breast examination apparatus that includes a bed on which a subject is placed face down and inserts the breast of the subject into a hole provided in the bed. In such a breast examination apparatus, an apparatus is disclosed in which an inserted breast is held and compressed between a breast compression plate made of a material that transmits X-rays and an imaging plate provided with a sensor (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  FIG. 5 shows a breast compression device disclosed in Patent Document 1. A fixed compression plate 53 and a compression plate 38 that can be driven with respect to the compression plate 53 are provided. With such a device, the subject hangs down the breast from the breast insertion opening provided on the bed, which is a support platform, and the drooped breast is sandwiched between the breast compression plates, and X-ray irradiation is performed for imaging. Is called. This is because the device can take a picture in a relaxed state without imposing excessive force on the posture of the subject, so that the movement of the subject can be suppressed during the photographing and the measurement can be performed accurately. .

  In addition, a breast examination apparatus that includes a breast compression plate made of a material that transmits X-rays and ultrasonic waves and obtains an X-ray image and an ultrasound echo image of the breast compressed by the breast compression plate is disclosed (for example, a patent). Reference 2).

  Furthermore, by using near-infrared light with a wavelength of about 600-1500 nm, which has good transmission characteristics for living tissue, the formation of new blood vessels accompanying the growth of the tumor and the oxygen metabolism of hemoglobin from the light absorption characteristics of hemoglobin contained in the blood There is a technique for determining and using for diagnosis. One such technique uses a photoacoustic effect. The photoacoustic effect is a phenomenon in which when a substance is irradiated with pulsed light of about nanoseconds, the substance absorbs light energy corresponding to the light absorption characteristics, and the substance expands instantaneously to generate elastic waves. . This elastic wave is detected by an ultrasonic transducer to obtain a received signal. By mathematically analyzing the received signal, the sound pressure distribution of the elastic wave generated by the photoacoustic effect can be imaged. Since hemoglobin has a higher absorption rate of near-infrared light compared to water, fat, and protein that constitute biological tissue, neovascularization and oxygen metabolism can be suitably measured by the above method. Clinical research to apply this photoacoustic effect to the diagnosis of breast cancer and the like is being actively promoted.

  A breast compression plate using the photoacoustic effect may be provided with a breast compression plate as described above. The purpose is to prevent the breast from moving during measurement and change the measurement position, and to obtain a deep image by thinning the breast by compression.

  In the breast examination apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, skin, subcutaneous fat, and muscle near the ribs and clavicle (chest wall) that are not held between the compression plate 53 and the compression plate 38 are affected by gravity to compress the breast. It will be in the state which hung down the outer side of the board. These sagging skin, subcutaneous fat, and muscles become blinds in the X-ray irradiation area, and an image near the chest wall cannot be obtained.

  Also, in the case of a breast examination apparatus that uses the photoacoustic effect, sagging skin, subcutaneous fat, or muscle cannot interfere with the ultrasonic transducer to obtain an image near the chest wall. Thus, it is necessary to improve the measurement hindrance due to the skin, subcutaneous fat, or muscle protruding in the vicinity of the breast (examined part).

Note that this problem is not limited to measurement with a bed type (prone type) apparatus, but also occurs in, for example, the standing type apparatus described in Document 2, and improvement is required.

Japanese Patent No. 2691073 JP-T 09-504111

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for acquiring characteristic information of a subject that can measure the entire test portion of the subject over a wide range. .

The present invention employs the following configuration. That is,
A support means for supporting the subject and having an opening for inserting the subject portion of the subject;
Holding means for holding the test portion inserted into the opening;
A receiving means which is located in the vicinity of the supporting means and receives information relating to the characteristics of the test part;
A characteristic information acquisition device having
The holding means is a characteristic information acquisition apparatus including a suppressing unit that suppresses deformation generated in the support means when the support means supports the subject.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the apparatus which acquires the characteristic information of the subject which can measure the whole test part of a subject over a wide range can be provided.

The perspective view showing the outline of a breast examination apparatus. The fragmentary sectional view showing the outline of a breast examination apparatus. The perspective view showing the structure of a measurement unit. The fragmentary sectional view showing the composition of a measurement unit. The elements on larger scale showing the area | region A of a measurement unit. The elements on larger scale showing the area | region B of a measurement unit. The block diagram of an ultrasonic transducer unit. The other examples of a 1st and 2nd weight support part. The block diagram of the breast compression apparatus in background art.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described by the following examples.

<Example>
In the embodiment, a configuration example of a breast examination apparatus using a photoacoustic effect, which is a characteristic information acquisition apparatus to which the present invention is applied, will be described.
Schematic diagrams of a breast examination apparatus using the photoacoustic effect are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. 1A is a perspective view, and FIG. 1B is a partial cross-sectional view seen from the X direction of FIG. 1A.

1A and 1B, 100 is a measurement unit, 200 is a bed unit, 300 is a light source unit, 400 is an electrical unit, and E is a subject.
In this embodiment, the measurement unit 100 is a device for measuring a breast, which is a test portion of a subject, using a photoacoustic effect. Although details will be described later, a support unit that supports the subject. A chest wall support plate, an ultrasonic transducer as a receiving means, and a compression plate as a holding means for holding a test portion.
The bed unit 200 is a device for placing the subject E in the prone position (prone position), and is provided with a breast insertion port 201 that is an opening for inserting a breast that is a subject part of the subject. A bed 202 that constitutes support means for supporting the subject together with the chest wall support plate, and a bed column 203 that supports the bed 202 are provided.

  The light source unit 300, which is a light irradiating unit that irradiates light to the breast, which is the test portion, includes a laser light source that emits pulsed light of a specific wavelength in the order of nanoseconds that irradiates the breast of the subject E. The light emitted from the laser light source is guided to the measurement unit 100 by a light guide optical system such as an optical fiber (not shown). The wavelength of the light emitted from the laser light source is selected according to the absorption spectrum of water, fat, protein, oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, etc. constituting the living tissue. As an example, the range of 600 to 1500 nm is suitable because it absorbs water, which is the main component of the internal tissue of the living body, and transmits light well, and is characterized by the spectra of fat, oxyhemoglobin, and reduced hemoglobin. As a specific example of the laser light source, a semiconductor laser that generates different wavelengths, a wavelength tunable laser, or the like may be used.

  The electrical unit 400 includes a power supply unit that supplies power to the measurement unit 100 and the light source unit 300, a control device that controls these units, and a signal processing device that processes signals measured by the measurement unit 100. The signal processing apparatus images a sound pressure distribution of an elastic wave (acoustic wave) generated by a photoacoustic effect.

  Configuration diagrams of the measurement unit 100 are shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D. 2A is a perspective view, FIG. 2B is a partial sectional view as seen from the X direction of FIG. 2A, FIG. 2C is a partially enlarged view of region A in FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2D is a partially enlarged view of region B in FIG.

The first compression plate 1 (first holding means) that holds the breast of the subject E while compressing the breast on the caudal side (foot side) and the first chest wall support plate 2 that supports the chest wall near the underbust are first compressed. The plate support base 3 is attached.
Further, the ultrasonic transducer 13 (receiver means for receiving acoustic waves generated in the breast as the test part by irradiating light to the breast as the test part by the light source unit 300 as the light irradiation means ( An ultrasonic transducer unit 500 having an unillustrated) is attached so as to be in close contact with the first compression plate 1 via a matching agent. Further, the ultrasonic transducer unit 500 is arranged so that the ultrasonic transducer 13 (not shown) as the receiving means is positioned in the vicinity of the first chest wall support plate 2 constituting the support means. The ultrasonic transducer unit 500 is driven to scan in the X and Z directions (in the XZ plane) of FIG. 2A by a scanning mechanism (not shown).

  A second compression plate 4 (second holding means) that holds the subject E's head-side breast while compressing it and a second chest wall support plate 5 that supports the head-side chest wall move in the Y direction in FIG. 2A. It is attached to the slide mechanism. The slide mechanism includes two main shafts 7 fixed to the first compression plate support base 3 and the second compression plate support base 6, a bearing 8 that is guided by the main shaft 7 and slides, and a first shaft that holds the bearing 8. It comprises a single bearing housing 9 and a second bearing housing 10. Moreover, the nut 17 is provided in the 2nd bearing housing 10, and when the screw 11 is rotated with the motor 12, the 2nd compression board 4 moves to the Y direction of FIG. 2A.

In the present embodiment, the first pressing plate 1 (first holding means), the second pressing plate 4 (second holding means), and the above-described slide mechanism constitute a compression holding device. The purpose of providing this device is to prevent the breast from moving during the measurement and to change the measurement position, and to enable deep imaging by making the breast thinner by compression. For this purpose, the breast is compressed and held by two compression plates. In this embodiment, the breast as the test part is compressed and held, but if it is sufficient to hold the measurement position of the breast as the test part so as not to change, compression is necessary. Absent. In this case, although depending on the shape and arrangement of the first compression plate (first holding means), the slide mechanism and the second compression plate may be unnecessary.
In addition, an illumination unit 600 that guides laser light emitted from the light source unit 300 to the breast is provided. The illumination unit 600 is scan-driven in synchronization with the drive of the ultrasonic transducer unit 500 in the X and Z directions (in the XZ plane) of FIG. 2A by a scanning mechanism (not shown).

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the ultrasonic transducer unit 500. The ultrasonic transducer unit 500 has a housing 15, and the ultrasonic transducer 13 and the illumination optical system 14 as receiving means are attached to the housing 15. The housing 15 is provided with a seal member 16 for holding a matching agent between the first compression plate 1 and the ultrasonic transducer 13.

Details of each component will be described below.
In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 13 that is a receiving means is disposed opposite to the breast that is the test part via the first compression plate 1 that is the first holding means. Therefore, the first compression plate 1 has high transmission characteristics and low attenuation characteristics with respect to elastic waves (acoustic waves) generated by the photoacoustic effect, and also has high transmission characteristics and low with respect to light emitted from the laser light source. It preferably has an attenuation characteristic. Examples of the material constituting the first compression plate 1 include quartz glass, polymethylpentene polymer, polycarbonate, and acrylic.
Similarly, the matching agent has high transmission characteristics and low attenuation characteristics for elastic waves (acoustic waves) generated by the photoacoustic effect, and also has high transmission characteristics and low attenuation characteristics for the light emitted from the laser light source. It is necessary to have. Examples of the matching agent include water, castor oil, gel for ultrasonic echo inspection, and polyethylene glycol.

  The second pressing plate 4 as the second holding means is a flat plate having high transmission characteristics and low attenuation characteristics with respect to light emitted from the laser light source. Examples of the material constituting the second compression plate 4 include glass, polymethylpentene polymer, polycarbonate, and acrylic.

  The first chest wall support plate 2 is provided between the chest wall of the subject E and the ultrasonic transducer unit 500. The second chest wall support plate 5 is provided between the chest wall of the subject E and the illumination unit 600. The first chest wall support plate 2 and the second chest wall support plate 5 are problems in the conventional breast examination apparatus. The skin near the ribs and clavicle, the subcutaneous fat and muscles are affected by gravity, and the breast compression plate and the imaging plate. A portion (chest wall, etc.) in the vicinity of the subject's breast (examined portion) is supported so as to prevent it from sagging outside. Thus, in the prone type characteristic information acquisition apparatus as in the present embodiment, the chest wall is prevented from hanging down due to gravity and interfering with the ultrasonic transducer unit 500 and the illumination unit 600.

  The first chest wall support plate 2 and the second chest wall support plate 5 are deformed (bend) in the −Z direction of FIG. The scanning range in the Z direction of the ultrasonic transducer unit 500 must be set to a range that does not interfere even if the first chest wall support plate 2 is bent. Further, the scanning range in the Z direction of the illumination unit 600 must be set to a range that does not interfere even if the second chest wall support plate 5 is bent. For this reason, reducing the deformation amount (deflection amount) of the first chest wall support plate 2 and the second chest wall support plate 5 leads to enlargement of the image acquisition region near the chest wall.

Therefore, in the present invention, in order to suppress deformation (bending) of the first chest wall support plate 2 that is the first support means, the compression plate 1 that is the first holding means is provided with a suppression portion. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2C, a portion for holding the first chest wall support plate 2 serving as the first support means is provided on the upper portion of the first compression plate 1 serving as the first holding means (hereinafter, this portion is referred to as “this portion”). Called the first weight support portion W11). By attaching the first chest wall support plate 2 on the first weight support portion W11, the first compression plate 1 suppresses the deformation of the first chest wall support plate 2 and the role of the reinforcing member that reduces the deformation amount (the amount of deflection). Plays. If a screw is used to attach the first chest wall support plate 2 to the first weight support portion W11, a part of the screw that penetrates the first compression plate 1 is caused by an elastic wave generated by the photoacoustic effect and a laser light source. This prevents the light emitted by from transmitting. For this reason, in order to attach these members, it is good to adhere using an adhesive. Further, the first chest wall support plate 2 may be contacted without being bonded, or may be attached with a slight gap so that the first chest wall support plate 2 comes into contact with the first weight support portion W11 when bent by the body weight of the subject. good. Here, the 1st body weight support part W11 is corresponded to the 1st suppression part of this invention.

  In this embodiment, in order to further reduce the amount of bending of the first chest wall support plate 2 as a preferred form, the weight of the subject is placed on the upper portion of the first compression plate support base 3 as shown in FIG. 2B. A second weight support portion W12 having a surface substantially perpendicular to the adding direction is provided. By attaching the first chest wall support plate 2 on the second weight support portion W12, the first compression plate support base 3 serves as a reinforcing member that reduces the amount of bending of the first chest wall support plate 2 in the same manner as described above. . In this way, a part (upper surface) of the support base 3 to which the first compression plate 1 and the first chest wall support plate 2 are attached functions as a bed, and the first chest wall support plate 2 is held by this part. Thus, even if the chest wall support plate is made thinner, the deformation of the first chest wall support plate 2 can be suppressed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2B, acoustic waves can be received from a wide range of the entire breast, which is the test part. In other words, the chest wall support plate is made thinner than the bed, in other words, only the vicinity of the test part of the support means for supporting the subject is made thinner than the other parts, thereby maintaining the strength of the entire support means. However, it is possible to measure the entire breast as the test part. Here, the thickness of the support means can be regarded as the distance between the surface supporting the subject and the surface opposite to the surface supporting the subject. Therefore, the distance between the surface supporting the subject in the portion facing the receiving means and the surface opposite to the surface supporting the subject, and the surface supporting the subject in the other portion and the subject It can be said that it is preferable to make the distance smaller than the distance from the surface opposite to the surface that supports the surface to increase the measurement range. Moreover, in order to attach the 1st chest wall support plate 2 on the 2nd body weight support part W12, it is good to couple | bond using a screw | thread or an adhesive agent. Further, these members may be contacted without being coupled.

  Moreover, in order to suppress the deformation | transformation (bending) of the 2nd chest wall support plate 5, as shown to FIG. 2D, the 1st weight support part W21 which consists of a surface substantially perpendicular to the direction where a body weight is added to the upper part of the 2nd compression plate 4 is shown. Is provided. By attaching the second chest wall support plate 5 on the first weight support portion W21, the second compression plate 4 serves as a reinforcing member that suppresses deformation (deflection) of the second chest wall support plate 5. About the attachment of the 2nd chest wall support plate 5 on the 1st body weight support part W21, the method similar to the attachment of the above-mentioned 1st chest wall support plate 2 and the 1st compression board 1 is employable.

  Further, in order to further reduce the amount of deformation (deflection) of the second chest wall support plate 5, as shown in FIG. 2B, a surface substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the weight is applied to the upper portions of the first bearing housing 9 and the second bearing housing 10. It is good to provide the 2nd body weight support part W22 which consists of. By attaching the second chest wall support plate 5 on the second weight support portion W22, the two main shafts 7 fixed to the first compression plate support base 3 and the second compression plate support base 6 are supported on the second chest wall. It plays the role of a reinforcing member that reduces the amount of bending of the plate 5.

Moreover, as a material which comprises the 1st chest wall support plate 2 and the 2nd chest wall support plate 5, the material with a large Young's modulus is preferable. As an example of such a material, a metal, a metal compound, etc. can be used conveniently. For example, tungsten carbide having a Young's modulus about twice that of iron is one of the preferred materials. Stainless steel, which is excellent in terms of shape workability and strength, is also a preferred material.

  As an example, the first compression plate 1 is made of a polymethylpentene polymer having a thickness of 10 mm, the first chest wall support plate 2 is made of tungsten carbide having a thickness of 3 mm, and the first compression plate support base 3 is made of aluminum. Then, when a first body weight support portion W1 having a width of 5 mm and a second body weight support portion W2 having a width of 10 mm are provided and a load of 800 N is applied to the upper surface of the first chest wall support plate 2, the deflection is about 0.12 mm. Become.

  Moreover, although the 1st and 2nd weight support part shown by the present Example is a planar-shaped support part, as shown in FIG.

The material constituting the first compression plate support base 3, the second compression plate support base 6, the first bearing housing 9, and the second bearing housing 10 may be aluminum, iron, stainless steel, or the like.
The main shaft 7 is composed of a member obtained by hardening the surface of a columnar steel material. The bearing 8 is preferably composed of a linear bush or a solid bearing that can slide smoothly even when the weight of the subject E is applied. Further, the nuts provided in the screw 11 and the second bearing housing 10 may be constituted by ball screws that can be driven with low friction. The motor 12 can be a DC motor, an AC motor, a stepping motor, or the like.
The ultrasonic transducer 13 is composed of a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric effect for converting a pressure change caused by a received elastic wave into an electric signal, and a plurality of piezoelectric elements are arranged in a substantially rectangular shape as shown in FIG. . It is known that the formation of new blood vessels accompanying the growth of a tumor such as cancer increases when the size of the tumor becomes 2-3 mm or more. For this reason, as a piezoelectric element, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (lead zirconate titanate) suitable for detecting an elastic wave of 0.5 MHz to several tens of MHz generated from a light absorber of several mm or less due to the photoacoustic effect Materials can be used. In addition, a piezoelectric polymer film material typified by PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) can be used. The ultrasonic transducer 13 is connected to the signal processing device of the electrical unit 400 by a cable.
The illumination optical system 14 is configured by bundling a plurality of optical fibers. The light exit end of the optical fiber is formed into a substantially rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 3 by adjusting the arrangement of the optical fibers. The illumination optical system of the illumination unit 600 is also equivalent to the illumination optical system 14 described above.

As described above, in the breast examination apparatus according to the present embodiment, the skin, subcutaneous fat, and muscle in the vicinity of the breast (such as the chest wall) as the test part are transferred to the first chest wall support plate 2 and the second chest wall support plate. Supported by 5. For this reason, sagging skin, subcutaneous fat and muscles do not interfere with the ultrasonic transducer. Then, by providing a restraining portion that suppresses deformation of the chest wall support plate, which is a support means, on the means (compression plate) that holds the test part, the deflection of the first chest wall support plate 2 and the second chest wall support plate 5 is reduced. can do.
Thereby, the biopsy apparatus using the photoacoustic effect which can obtain the image near the chest wall of the subject can be provided.
In the above example, the present invention has been described by way of example of a breast examination apparatus that receives acoustic waves generated by irradiating light and obtains characteristic information of the subject. An X-ray irradiation type mammography using an X-ray irradiation means for irradiating X-rays on the head and a receiving means for receiving the X-rays irradiated by the X-ray irradiation means onto the test portion is one of the forms to which the present invention can be applied. One.
In the above example, the present invention has been described by taking a prone measurement device as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a standing type characteristic information acquisition device.

  100: measurement unit, 200: bed unit, 1: first compression plate, 2: first chest wall support plate, 4: second compression plate, 5: second chest wall support plate, W11, W21: first weight support unit

Claims (10)

A support means for supporting the subject and having an opening for inserting the subject portion of the subject;
Holding means for holding the test portion inserted into the opening;
A receiving means which is located in the vicinity of the supporting means and receives information relating to the characteristics of the test part;
A characteristic information acquisition device having
The characteristic information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit includes a suppressing unit that suppresses deformation generated in the support unit when the support unit supports the subject. The characteristic information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing unit is a part of the holding unit that holds the support unit. The characteristic information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support means includes a bed. A light irradiating means for irradiating the test part with light;
The said receiving means receives the acoustic wave which generate | occur | produces in this test part when the said light irradiation means irradiates the said test part with light, The any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Characteristic information acquisition device. The receiving means is disposed opposite to the test part via the holding means,
The characteristic information acquiring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the holding unit is polymethylpentene. An X-ray irradiation means for irradiating the test portion with X-rays;
The characteristic information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives the X-rays that the X-ray irradiation unit irradiates the test portion. The characteristic information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supporting unit is made of a metal or a metal compound. The characteristic information acquiring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the supporting unit is made of tungsten carbide. The characteristic information acquisition apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the support means is made of stainless steel. The support means is configured such that a distance between a surface supporting the subject in a portion facing the receiving means and a surface opposite to the surface supporting the subject is a distance between the subject in another portion. The characteristic information acquisition according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the distance is smaller than a distance between a supporting surface and a surface opposite to the surface supporting the subject. apparatus.

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