JP2016016147A - Cable and ultrasonic catheter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cable which can be applied to an ultrasonic catheter driving an ultrasonic probe at the tip from a base end side and the ultrasonic catheter which can be reduced in the number of components with a simple configuration using the cable and reduced in the diameter.SOLUTION: A cable 10 is obtained by winding a plurality of layers of rolled metal for giving turning force around the axis to one or a plurality of core wires. In one configuration example, an external conductor 13 using a rolled conductor is wound to the outside of an insulator 12 formed on the circumference of a central conductor 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable and an ultrasonic catheter, and more specifically to a cable applicable to a drive cable in an ultrasonic catheter and an ultrasonic catheter provided with the cable.

  In recent years, techniques for diagnosing blood vessels and other organs and treating diseases by inserting a catheter directly into a blood vessel or body cavity of a patient have been widely used. For example, in an ultrasonic catheter, an ultrasonic probe is installed at the distal end of the catheter, and an ultrasonic wave is transmitted by the ultrasonic probe and a reflected wave from an inner wall such as a blood vessel is received. An image is created from the received signal and displayed on the monitor.

  In such a catheter, it is important to accurately determine the position of the probe at the distal end of the catheter in the blood vessel or body cavity. For this reason, a drive mechanism for displacing the distal end position of the catheter is provided.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a drive shaft is provided inside a catheter using a flexible member, an ultrasonic probe is connected to the distal end of the drive shaft, and a motor is installed on the proximal end side of the drive shaft. By driving the drive shaft with the drive torque of the motor, the ultrasonic probe can be rotated so that the transmission / reception direction of the ultrasonic probe is in an arbitrary direction.

JP 2006-167465 A

  A catheter inserted into a patient's blood vessel or body cavity is required to be further reduced in diameter in order to reduce the burden on the patient himself and improve the possibility of application to a thinner blood vessel and the handling.

  In the ultrasonic catheter of Patent Document 1, the drive shaft for driving the ultrasonic probe is formed of a rigid material such as metal, plastic, glass fiber, and the like. Here, in order to transmit the drive torque on the motor side, the drive shaft needs to have a certain degree of rigidity. In the catheter, a coaxial cable connected to the ultrasonic probe is separately provided inside the drive shaft. In this case, a rigid drive shaft and a coaxial cable connected to the ultrasonic probe are required in the catheter, which increases the number of parts and limits the configuration for reducing the diameter.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and is applicable to an ultrasonic catheter that drives a distal ultrasonic probe from the proximal end side, and the number of parts with a simple configuration using the cable. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic catheter that can reduce the diameter and reduce the diameter.

  The cable according to the present invention is a cable in which a plurality of layers of rolled metal that gives a rotational force around an axis to one or a plurality of core electric wires is wound.

  Further, the ultrasonic catheter according to the present invention includes a cable according to the present invention, a long hollow protective member inserted into a living body, an ultrasonic probe built in a distal end portion of the protective member, and the protective member. A driving device that applies a driving torque for driving the ultrasonic probe at the base end of the protective member, and the driving device and the ultrasonic probe are connected by the cable inside the protective member, The cable transmits the torque applied by the driving device to displace the ultrasonic probe, electrically connects the ultrasonic probe and a predetermined signal line connecting portion of the base end portion, and transmits a signal. It is a sonic catheter used as a signal line for transmitting and receiving.

  According to the present invention, a cable applicable to an ultrasonic catheter that drives a distal ultrasonic probe from the proximal end side, and the number of parts can be reduced with a simple configuration using the cable, thereby enabling a reduction in diameter. An ultrasound catheter can be provided. The cable according to the present invention is a cable in which a plurality of layers of rolled metal that gives rotational force about an axis to one or a plurality of core electric wires is wound, and even if an external force is applied, the rolled metal can withstand the external force and is not easily crushed. .

It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structural example of the cable which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the structural example of the outer conductor using the rolled metal in the cable by this invention. It is a figure explaining the other structural example of the outer conductor using the rolled metal in the cable by this invention. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the outer conductor of the cable by this invention, and is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a cable. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the cable by this invention, and is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a cable. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the cable by this invention, and is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a cable. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the cable by this invention, and is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a cable. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the cable by this invention, and is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a cable. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the cable by this invention, and is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a cable. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the cable by this invention, and is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a cable. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the cable by this invention, and is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of a cable. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of ultrasonic catheter embodiment concerning this invention.

First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.
(1) The invention relating to the coaxial cable of the present application is a cable in which a plurality of layers of rolled metal that gives a rotational force around an axis to one or a plurality of core electric wires is wound. Thereby, even if an external force is applied to the cable by a driving force for rotating the cable, it is possible to obtain a cable in which the rolled metal resists the external force and is not easily crushed.
(2) Preferably, the core electric wire is a coaxial electric wire, and the rolled metal is wound just outside the outer conductor of the coaxial electric wire. Thereby, the outer conductor which provided rigidity can be formed by winding a rolled metal as it is around the outer conductor which a coaxial cable has.

(3) Moreover, it is preferable that the said core electric wire is a single-core coaxial electric wire, and the said rolled metal is wound around the outer side which this coaxial electric wire has. Thereby, the outer conductor which provided rigidity can be formed by winding a rolled metal as it is around the circumference of a general coaxial cable.
(4) Moreover, it is preferable that the said core electric wire is a plurality of insulated wires, and the said rolled metal is wound just outside the said insulated wire twisted together. Thereby, the outer conductor which provided rigidity can be formed by winding a rolled metal as it is around a plurality of insulated electric wires.

(5) Further, the core wire is a plurality of insulated wires, a restraining winding or a collective shield is wound on the outer side where the insulated wires are twisted together, and the rolled metal is wound on the restraining winding or the collective shield. It is preferable. Thereby, the outer conductor which provided rigidity with respect to the plurality of insulated wires can be formed by winding the rolled metal around the plurality of insulated wires bundled by restraining winding or collective shielding.
(6) It is preferable that the core electric wire is a plurality of coaxial electric wires, and the rolled metal is wound just outside the coaxial electric wires being twisted together. Thereby, the outer conductor which provided rigidity can be formed by winding a rolled metal as it is around a plurality of coaxial electric wires.

(7) Further, the core electric wire is a plurality of coaxial electric wires, a restraining winding or a collective shield is wound on the outer side where the coaxial electric wires are twisted together, and the rolled metal is wound on the restraining winding or the collective shield. It is preferable. Thereby, the outer conductor which provided rigidity with respect to the several coaxial electric wire can be formed by winding a rolled metal around the circumference | surroundings of the several coaxial electric wire bundled by the restraint winding or the collective shield.
(8) Moreover, it is preferable that the said core electric wire is a some electric wire containing an insulated wire and a coaxial wire, and the said rolled metal is wound just outside the said insulated wire and the said coaxial wire twisted together. Thereby, the outer conductor which provided rigidity can be formed by winding a rolled metal as it is around the core electric wire containing an insulated wire and a coaxial electric wire.

(9) The core electric wire is a plurality of electric wires including an insulated electric wire and a coaxial electric wire, and a restraining winding or a collective shield is wound around an outer side where the insulated electric wire and the coaxial electric wire are twisted together, The rolled metal is preferably wound around the outside. Thus, by rolling the rolled metal around the insulated wires and the coaxial wires bundled by restraining winding or a collective shield, it is possible to form an outer conductor that gives rigidity to the plurality of insulated wires and the coaxial wires.

(10) It is preferable that the winding direction with respect to the said core electric wire differs in the said rolled metal layer mutually. Thereby, the rigidity for transmitting the driving torque of the ultrasonic catheter can be more effectively imparted.
(11) The invention relating to the ultrasonic catheter of the present application includes the above-described cable, a long, long, protective member inserted into a living body, an ultrasonic probe built in a distal end portion of the protective member, A driving device for applying a driving torque for driving the ultrasonic probe at the base end portion of the protective member, and the driving device and the ultrasonic probe are connected by the cable inside the protective member. The cable transmits the torque applied by the driving device to displace the ultrasonic probe, and electrically connects the ultrasonic probe and a predetermined signal line connecting portion of the base end portion, This is an ultrasonic catheter that is used as a signal line for transmitting and receiving signals. Thereby, the number of parts can be reduced with a simple configuration using a cable, and an ultrasonic catheter that can be reduced in diameter can be obtained.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
Specific examples of the cable and the ultrasonic catheter according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and includes all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to a claim.
Note that in all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, parts having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description of the function, material, configuration, and the like is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration example of a cable according to the present invention. The cable 10 of the present embodiment is a coaxial cable, and has a configuration applicable to an ultrasonic catheter. The cable 10 functions as a drive shaft for driving an ultrasonic probe, and at the same time, an ultrasonic wave at the distal end of the catheter. It also functions as a signal line for transmitting and receiving signals between the acoustic probe and the base end. The cable 10 has sufficient rigidity to function as a drive shaft, and at the same time functions as a signal line, thereby enabling the ultrasonic catheter to be reduced in diameter with a simple configuration.

The cable according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured by winding a plurality of layers of rolled metal that gives a rotational force around an axis to one or a plurality of core electric wires.
A cable 10 according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 is provided around a center conductor 11, an insulator 12 provided around the center conductor 11, a rolled metal 13 provided around the insulator 12, and an outer conductor 13. An outer jacket 14. The center conductor 11 and the insulator 12 constitute an example of the core electric wire according to the present invention.

For the central conductor 11, for example, a mild steel wire or a copper alloy wire is used. These mild steel wires and copper alloy wires may or may not be plated. Moreover, the thing which twisted several strands or the structure of a single wire is used. For the insulator 12, a cross-linked polyolefin or a fluororesin can be used. As the fluororesin, for example, FEP (tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer) and PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer) can be used. Resin can be used. It is formed by winding a resin tape such as a polyester (PET) tape. Further, a resin material such as a fluororesin may be extrusion coated. The cross-sectional area of the center conductor for use in the present invention, 0.0031mm ² below 0.00049Mm ² or more.

The rolled metal 13 is a long conductor having an elliptical cross section or a rectangular cross section, and copper or stainless steel formed into a long shape in the cross section is preferably used. In this example, the rolled metal also functions as an outer conductor (shield).
However, the main function of the rolled metal is to propagate the rotation around the axis of the cable provided inside the connector of the ultrasonic catheter, for example, to the tip, whereby the cable of this embodiment rotates around the axis. A core electric wire (insulated electric wire or coaxial electric wire) wound with a rolled metal is protected by the rolled conductor and is not easily crushed.
When stainless steel is used for the rolled metal, the rigidity is high, and thus rigidity for rotating the ultrasonic probe can be appropriately imparted. On the other hand, it is preferable to use copper as the rolled metal because the function of the shield is enhanced. A rolled metal having a thickness of 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm, a width of 0.1 mm to 0.8 mm, and a width of 10 to 20 times the thickness can be used.

  The jacket 14 is formed by winding a resin tape such as a polyester (PET) tape as necessary. Alternatively, a resin material such as a fluororesin is extruded and coated. In the present embodiment, when the diameter of the central conductor is 0.048 mm (corresponding to AWG No. 46), the outer diameter of the jacket 14 of the cable 10 can be made thinner than 0.5 mm.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the outer conductor using the rolled metal 13 in the cable according to the present invention. As described above, the cable 10 includes the central conductor 11, the insulator 12, the rolled metal 13 (13 a, 13 b), and the jacket 14.
The outer conductor using the rolled metal 13 includes a first rolled metal 13a and a second rolled metal 13b that are respectively wound spirally around the insulator 12, and the first rolled metal 13a and the second rolled metal 13b. Are spirally wound in different directions.

  In this example, each of the first rolled metal 13a and the second rolled metal 13b has an open winding with respect to the insulator 12 (a winding in which a gap is formed in a portion where the rolled metal goes around the insulator and the insulator is exposed). )). By winding the rolled metal with two or more spirals, rigidity for transmitting the driving torque of the ultrasonic catheter can be effectively imparted. In order to prevent the outer diameter from becoming excessively large, the rolled metal 13 is preferably a spiral winding of 8 or less windings. In addition, the two spiral winding layers (the first rolled metal 13a and the second rolled metal 13b) constituting the double spiral winding are more effectively made so that the winding directions of the insulator 12 are opposite to each other. Stiffness can be imparted. In the case of two or more windings, the rolling direction of a part of one or more rolled metals is opposite to that of other rolled metals, or the winding directions of multiple layers of rolled metal are alternately reversed. It is good to.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the outer conductor using the rolled metal in the cable according to the present invention.
The outer conductor using the rolled metal 13 includes a first rolled metal 13a and a second rolled metal 13b that are respectively wound spirally around the insulator 12, and the first rolled metal 13a and the second rolled metal 13b. Are spirally wound in different directions. In this example, each of the first rolled metal 13a and the second rolled metal 13b is wound on the insulator 12 by butt winding in which adjacent side end portions are butted.
Moreover, the rolled metal 13a, 13b may be wound so that a part in the width direction is overlapped with the adjacent rolled metal. The pitch of the spiral winding of each rolled metal 13a, 13b can be set optimally as appropriate. Further, the rolled metal 13 includes not only a configuration in which the two layers of rolled metal 13a and 13b are wound by double spiral winding, but also at least a layer in which a rolled metal having an elliptical or rectangular cross section is wound in a spiral winding. You can also.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the cable according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the cable.
The cable 10 of this example is a coaxial cable, and is composed of a center conductor 11, an insulator 12, an outer conductor 15 made of fine metal wires, a second outer conductor made of rolled metal 13, and a jacket 14 in this order from the center. An insulator 12 is provided around the center conductor 11, and an outer conductor 15 is provided around the center conductor 11. These constitute a core electric wire. The thin metal wire is, for example, a spiral wound wire made of a tinned mild steel wire. And the rolled metal 13 is wound around it. It also acts as an outer conductor of the rolled metal 13. That is, the configuration of this example is a cable in which the core wire is a coaxial wire, and the rolled metal is wound just outside the outer conductor 15 of the coaxial wire.

The rolled metal can be wound in a double spiral, and at this time, the winding directions of the two layers of the rolled metal wound in a double spiral are made different from each other. The rolled metal may be wound by open winding as shown in FIG. 2, or by butt winding or lap winding as shown in FIG. Three or more layers of rolled metal may be wound, and a part of the winding direction may be reversed or the winding direction may be alternately reversed.
A jacket 14 is provided around the second outer conductor made of the rolled metal 13. In this configuration, the second outer conductor 13 having rigidity can be formed by spirally winding a rolled metal as it is around a general outer conductor 15 formed using a thin metal wire.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing still another configuration example of the cable according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the cable. The cable 10 of this example includes a central conductor 11, an insulator 12, an outer conductor 15 made of a fine metal wire, a jacket 14, and a second outer conductor made of a rolled metal 13 in this order from the center.
An insulator 12 is provided around the center conductor 11, and an outer conductor 15 is provided around the center conductor 11. A jacket 14 is provided around the outer conductor 15, and a second outer conductor made of the rolled metal 13 is provided just outside the outer jacket 14. That is, in this configuration example, the position of the rolled metal 13 in the configuration example of FIG. 4 is arranged in the outermost layer around the outer jacket 14. The configuration of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the core electric wire is a single-core coaxial electric wire, and the rolled metal is wound just outside the jacket.
As in the above-described embodiments, the rolled metal can be wound by double or more rolled metals by open winding, butt winding, lap winding, etc., and at this time, one part or all of the layers are wound. It can be alternately wound in the opposite direction.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing still another configuration example of the cable according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the cable. The cable 10 of this example is a configuration in which the core wire is a plurality of insulated wires 20 (four in this example), and an outer conductor made of a rolled metal 13 is wound just outside the plurality of insulated wires 20 twisted together. Have Each insulated wire 20 is configured by covering an insulator 22 around a conductor 21. A conductor material, a conductor structure such as a stranded wire and a braid, and a constituent material of the insulator 22 are not limited.

  As in the above-described embodiments, the outer conductor made of the rolled metal 13 is formed by winding two or more rolled metals around a plurality of twisted insulated wires 20, butt winding, lap winding, etc. In this case, one or all of the layers can be alternately wound in the opposite direction.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing still another configuration example of the cable according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the cable. The cable 10 of the present example is a plurality of insulated wires 20 (four in this example) of core wires, and a curly or collective shield 16 is wound on the outer side where the plurality of insulated wires 20 are twisted together. The rolled metal 13 is wound around. The rolled metal also acts as an outer conductor. When wound on the collective shield 16, the shield function of the collective shield 16 is further strengthened. Each insulated wire 20 is configured by covering an insulator 22 around a conductor 21. A conductor material, a conductor structure such as a stranded wire and a braid, and a constituent material of the insulator 22 are not limited.

  When restraining winding is performed as the restraining winding or the collective shield 16, it can be integrated by winding around the insulated wire 20 twisted with a plastic tape such as PTFE. In addition, when performing collective shielding, it is possible to form a collective shield with a horizontal winding structure or braided structure of a round wire, a horizontal winding structure of a flat conductor, or a metal layer such as an aluminum tape with PET tape or a copper-deposited PET tape. It can be formed using the containing tape.

  An outer conductor made of the rolled metal 13 is wound around the hold-down or batch shield 16. As in the above-described embodiments, the outer conductor made of the rolled metal 13 is formed by winding two or more rolled metals around a plurality of twisted insulated wires 20, butt winding, lap winding, etc. In this case, one or all of the layers can be alternately wound in the opposite direction.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing still another configuration example of the cable according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the cable. The cable 10 of this example is a coaxial wire 30 having a plurality of core wires (four in this example), and the outer conductor 13 made of rolled metal is wound just outside the plurality of coaxial wires 30 twisted together. Have Each coaxial wire 30 covers an insulator 32 around a conductor 31, an outer conductor 33 unique to the coaxial wire is provided around the conductor 31, and a jacket 34 is formed outside the outer conductor 33. The constituent material of each layer, the structure of a stranded wire, a braid, etc. are not limited.

  As in the above-described embodiments, the outer conductor made of the rolled metal 13 is formed by winding two or more rolled metals around a plurality of twisted insulated wires 20, butt winding, lap winding, etc. In this case, one or all of the layers can be alternately wound in the opposite direction.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing still another configuration example of the cable according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the cable. The cable 10 of the present example is a coaxial wire 30 having a plurality of core wires (four in this example), and a restraining or collective shield 16 is wound on the outer side where the plurality of coaxial wires 30 are twisted together. The rolled metal 13 is wound around.
Each coaxial wire 30 covers an insulator 32 around a conductor 31, an outer conductor 33 unique to the coaxial wire is provided around the conductor 31, and a jacket 34 is formed outside the outer conductor 33. The constituent material of each layer, the structure of a stranded wire, a braid, etc. are not limited.

  The restraining winding or collective shield 16 or the rolled metal 13 is the same as that of the embodiment of FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing still another configuration example of the cable according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the cable. The cable 10 of this example is a plurality (four in this example) of electric wires whose core electric wires include the insulated electric wires 20 and the coaxial electric wires 30, and an outer conductor made of rolled metal just outside the plural electric wires twisted together. 13 has the structure wound. In this example, although the core electric wire is comprised by the two insulated electric wires 20 and the two coaxial electric wires 30, it is not limited to this structure. The configurations of the insulated wires 20 and the coaxial wires 30 and the configuration of the outer conductor made of the rolled metal 13 are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, so that repeated description is omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing still another configuration example of the cable according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the cable. The cable 10 of the present example is a plurality of (four in this example) wires whose core wires include the insulated wires 20 and the coaxial wires 30, and the winding or collective shield 16 is held on the outside where the wires are twisted together. Is wound and an outer conductor made of rolled metal 13 is wound thereon. Also in this example, the core electric wire is constituted by the two insulated electric wires 20 and the two coaxial electric wires 30, but it is not limited to this configuration. Further, the configuration of each insulated wire 20 and the coaxial wire 30, the restraining winding or collective shield, and the configuration of the outer conductor 13 made of rolled metal are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, so that repeated description is omitted.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic catheter embodiment according to the present invention. The ultrasonic catheter 100 is used for diagnosis or treatment of a patient by inserting a long protective member 101 having a built-in ultrasonic probe 102 at the tip into a blood vessel or body cavity of the patient.
An ultrasonic transducer is used for the ultrasonic probe 102, and an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 102, a reflected wave from the body is received, and image diagnosis is performed based on the signal intensity. Here, the ultrasonic probe 102 can be emitted in an arbitrary direction while performing radial scanning around the axis of the protective member 101.

  The ultrasonic catheter 100 includes a flexible tube-like long protective member 101 and a connector 103 attached to a proximal end portion of the protective member 101. The protective member 101 can be composed of various materials according to its application and function, and the material is not limited. For example, the protection member 101 can be composed of a flexible resin material such as silicone resin. it can.

  A connector 103 is connected to the proximal end portion of the protection member 101. Inside the connector 103, a motor 104 is provided as a driving device that applies a driving torque for driving the ultrasonic probe 102 around the axis of the protection member 101. The motor 104 and the ultrasonic probe 102 are connected by the cable 10. As the cable 10, the cable 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention described in the above embodiments is used. The cable 10 is disposed inside a tubular protective member 101. For example, the protective member 101 is formed in a hollow shape having an outer diameter of 0.5 mmφ and an inner diameter of 0.25 mmφ, and the cable is disposed in the hollow space of 0.25 mmφ.

  The cable 10 functions as a signal line for electrically transmitting and receiving signals by electrically connecting the ultrasonic probe 102 at the distal end to a predetermined signal line connecting portion of the connector 103 which is the proximal end. Here, the cable 10 transmits the detection signal output from the ultrasonic probe 102 to the proximal end side, and transmits a control signal for controlling the operation of the ultrasonic probe from the proximal end side to the ultrasonic probe 102. introduce.

  The connector 103 is connected to a main body control device such as an image diagnostic device using the ultrasonic catheter 100. The main body control device receives the detection signal output from the ultrasonic probe 102 via the signal connection portion of the connector 103, performs data processing based on the received detection signal, and forms an image of a blood vessel or a body cavity to display It has a function to display on the screen. In addition, a control signal for controlling the operation of the ultrasonic probe 102 and the motor 104 is transmitted to the connector 103.

The cable 10 functions as a signal line as described above, transmits the driving torque of the motor 104 to the ultrasonic probe 102, and moves the ultrasonic probe 102 around the axis of the protection member 101 according to the rotation of the motor 104. It has a function of radial scanning.
That is, the cable 10 functions as a drive cable that transmits the torque of the motor 104 and drives the ultrasonic probe 102. For this reason, the cable 10 needs a certain level of rigidity in order to reliably transmit the rotational torque of the motor 104 on the proximal end side to the ultrasonic probe 102.

  As shown in the embodiment, the cable 10 includes a configuration in which a rolled metal is spiraled. According to this structure, rigidity is provided to the cable 10 by using a rolled metal having an elliptical or rectangular cross section and spirally winding the metal. Here, the rolling metal is spirally wound in multiple layers of two or more turns, and the torque for scanning the ultrasonic probe is transmitted by changing the winding direction of a part of the rolled metal or by alternately changing the winding direction. Sufficient synthesis can be provided.

  With this configuration, by using the cable according to the embodiment of the present invention, the function as a signal line and the function as a drive shaft for driving the ultrasonic probe 102 can be realized by a single cable, thereby simplifying the configuration. Thus, the number of parts of the ultrasonic catheter can be reduced and the diameter thereof can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Cable, 11 ... Center conductor, 12 ... Insulator, 13, 13a, 13b ... Outer conductor, 14 ... Outer sheath, 15 ... Outer conductor, 16 ... Suppression winding or collective shield, 20 ... Insulated wire, 21 ... Conductor, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 ... Insulator, 30 ... Coaxial electric wire, 31 ... Conductor, 32 ... Insulator, 33 ... Outer conductor, 34 ... Outer sheath, 100 ... Ultrasonic catheter, 101 ... Protection member, 102 ... Ultrasonic probe, 103 ... Connector, 104: Motor.

Claims (11)

  A cable in which a plurality of layers of rolled metal is applied to provide one or more core wires with rotational force around the axis.   The cable according to claim 1, wherein the core electric wire is a coaxial electric wire, and the rolled metal is wound just outside an outer conductor of the coaxial electric wire.   The cable according to claim 1, wherein the core electric wire is a single-core coaxial electric wire, and the rolled metal is wound just outside a jacket of the coaxial electric wire.   The cable according to claim 1, wherein the core electric wire is a plurality of insulated wires, and the rolled metal is wound just outside the insulated wires that are twisted together.   The core wire is a plurality of insulated wires, a restraining wrap or a collective shield is wound around an outer side where the insulated wires are twisted together, and the rolled metal is wound on the restraining wrap or the collective shield. Cable described in.   The cable according to claim 1, wherein the core electric wire is a plurality of coaxial electric wires, and the rolled metal is wound just outside the coaxial electric wires being twisted together.   The core wire is a plurality of coaxial wires, a restraining winding or a collective shield is wound around an outer side where the coaxial wires are twisted together, and the rolled metal is wound on the restraining winding or the collective shield. Cable described in.   The cable according to claim 1, wherein the core electric wire is a plurality of electric wires including an insulated electric wire and a coaxial electric wire, and the rolled metal is wound just outside the insulated electric wire and the coaxial electric wire which are twisted together.   The core electric wire is a plurality of electric wires including an insulated electric wire and a coaxial electric wire, a restraining winding or a collective shield is wound around an outer side where the insulated electric wire and the coaxial electric wire are twisted together, and the outer side of the restraining winding or the collective shield The cable according to claim 1, wherein a rolled metal is wound around the cable.   The cable according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the rolled metal layer has different winding directions with respect to the core electric wire. A cable according to any one of claims 1 to 10, a hollow long protective member inserted into a living body, an ultrasonic probe built in a distal end portion of the protective member, and a proximal end of the protective member A driving device for applying a driving torque for driving the ultrasonic probe at the section,
The drive device and the ultrasonic probe are connected by the cable inside the protective member, and the cable transmits the torque applied by the drive device to displace the ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic wave An ultrasonic catheter which is a signal line for electrically connecting a probe and a predetermined signal line connecting portion at the base end portion to transmit and receive signals.

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