JP2020156888A - Ultrasound probe - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve the image quality while ensuring the operability of the probe head despite the size receivable into a trocar.SOLUTION: An ultrasound probe according to the embodiment comprises: a columnar probe head that incorporates an ultrasound transducer for emitting ultrasound waves and is insertable into the abdominal cavity of a subject; and a forceps-grippable part provided on the probe head. The probe head has an acoustic surface extending in a longitudinal direction of the probe head. The acoustic surface has an acoustic projection region through which ultrasound waves are projected. The forceps-grippable part is provided on a region of the acoustic surface that does not overlap the acoustic projection region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to ultrasonic probes.

Laparoscopic surgery, which has been performed in recent years, involves making multiple small holes around the surgical site and inserting surgical instruments and diagnostic instruments such as ultrasonic probes into the abdominal cavity via a tubular member called a tracal. It is an operation performed. The ultrasonic probe used in such laparoscopic surgery may be provided with a forceps gripping portion that can be gripped by forceps in the probe head in order to change the position and orientation in the abdominal cavity. The ultrasonic probe can be operated in the abdominal cavity by gripping the forceps gripping portion with forceps.

Further, as a method of improving the image quality of the ultrasonic image, there is a method of increasing the size of the ultrasonic transducer of the ultrasonic probe in the elevation direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-77367

In laparoscopic surgery, the ultrasonic probe needs to be sized to fit within the tracal, including the forceps grip. Therefore, for example, when the forceps grip portion is attached to the upper side of the probe head, the position of the probe head in the tracal is lowered according to the amount of protrusion of the forceps grip portion. Therefore, it is necessary to form the lower side of the probe head along the round shape of the tracal, and the size of the acoustic radiation surface and the ultrasonic vibrator provided on the lower side in the elevation direction is limited. That is, since there is a restriction that the forceps gripping portion has a predetermined amount of protrusion, the acoustic radiation surface and the ultrasonic vibrator are moved further to the lower side of the tracal. Then, the lower side of the probe head provided with the acoustic radiation surface and the ultrasonic vibrator was formed so that the elevation direction became smaller along the round shape of the tracal.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve image quality while ensuring operability of a probe head while having a size that fits within a tracal.

The ultrasonic probe according to the embodiment includes a built-in ultrasonic vibrator that radiates ultrasonic waves, and includes a columnar probe head that can be inserted into the abdominal cavity of the subject, and a forceps grip portion provided on the probe head. There is. The probe head has an acoustic surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the probe head. The acoustic surface has an acoustic emission region that emits ultrasonic waves. The forceps grip portion is provided at a portion on the acoustic surface that does not overlap with the acoustic radiation region.

The perspective view which shows the whole of the ultrasonic probe of 1st Embodiment. A side view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment. Front view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment. Bottom view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment. The perspective view which shows the whole ultrasonic probe of the 2nd Embodiment. A side view of the ultrasonic probe of the second embodiment. Front view of the ultrasonic probe of the second embodiment. The side view of the ultrasonic probe of the modification 1 of the 2nd Embodiment. The front view of the ultrasonic probe of the modification 1 of the 2nd Embodiment. The side view of the ultrasonic probe of the modification 2 of the 2nd Embodiment. A side view of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment. Front view of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment. Top view of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment. The plan view of the ultrasonic probe of the modification of the 3rd Embodiment. The front view of the ultrasonic probe of the modification of the 3rd Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the whole ultrasonic probe of the modification. Side view of the ultrasonic probe of the modified example. Front view of the ultrasonic probe of the modified example. Top view of the ultrasonic probe of the modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment)
First, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment.

The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe 1 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to a subject, and an apparatus main body to which the ultrasonic probe 1 is detachably connected. However, in FIGS. 1 to 4, the device main body is not shown.

Here, the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus is an example of a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus capable of non-invasively examining the internal structure and blood flow state of a subject. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus transmits ultrasonic waves from an ultrasonic probe 1 equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator (piezoelectric ultrasonic wave) toward a site to be inspected of a subject. Then, the reflected wave generated by the mismatch of the acoustic impedance inside the subject is received by the ultrasonic oscillator of the ultrasonic probe 1. An ultrasonic image is generated based on the received signal obtained in this way.

The ultrasonic probe 1 transmits ultrasonic waves into the subject by an ultrasonic transducer, scans the scan area, and receives the reflected wave from the subject as a reflected signal. In addition, as this scan, there are various scans such as B mode scan and Doppler mode scan. Further, the ultrasonic probe 2 includes sector scanning, linear scanning, convex scanning, and the like, and is arbitrarily selected according to the diagnosis site.

The ultrasonic probe 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is inserted into the abdominal cavity of a subject via a tracal (cylindrical member) when performing laparoscopic surgery. The ultrasonic probe 1 inserted into the abdominal cavity is used to confirm the diseased part of the subject. However, it is not possible to move to a desired place in the abdominal cavity only by inserting the ultrasonic probe 1 into the abdominal cavity. Therefore, the forceps are inserted into the abdominal cavity via another tracal, and the ultrasonic probe 1 is grasped by the inserted forceps and moved to a desired place. Therefore, the probe head of the ultrasonic probe 1 is provided with a forceps gripping portion.

Further, the tracal is tubular, and its cross section is usually circular with a predetermined inner diameter. Therefore, in order to insert the ultrasonic probe 1 into the abdominal cavity via the tracal, it is necessary to configure the ultrasonic probe 1 so as to fit within the inner diameter of the tracal. In the front view of FIG. 3, the tra-curl inner diameter T, which is the inner diameter of the cross section of the tra-curl, is shown by a chain line. The cross section of the tracal is circular, and the value of the inner diameter of the cross section is determined to be a predetermined value. Therefore, it is necessary to consider these restrictions when constructing the ultrasonic probe 1. As described above, since the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into the abdominal cavity through the tracal, its size and shape are limited according to the inner diameter and the cross-sectional shape of the tracal. The configuration of the ultrasonic probe 1 will be described below.

[Ultrasonic probe configuration]
The ultrasonic probe 1 includes a probe head 10, a forceps gripping portion 20 provided on the probe head 10, and a cable 30. The cable 30, which is not shown in the middle of FIGS. 1 to 4, is connected to a device body (not shown). The configuration of the probe head 10 will be described below.

[Probe head configuration]
The probe head 10 is a columnar shape that can be inserted into the abdominal cavity of the subject, and the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction has a shape in which a part of a circle is cut out. The probe head 10 includes a housing 11 and an ultrasonic vibrator 12 built in the housing 11. The housing 11 includes an acoustic surface 11a, an arc surface and 11b, a head tip surface 11c, and a head base end surface 11d.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the width direction (head width direction) of the probe head is defined as the x direction. Here, the elevation direction of the ultrasonic vibrator 12 is the same as the head width direction, that is, the x direction. Further, the longitudinal direction of the probe head is defined as the y direction. Then, the height direction of the probe head is defined as the z direction. The x, y, and z directions are perpendicular to each other.

The housing 11 of the probe head 10 has a columnar shape extending in the y direction, and the cross section perpendicular to the y direction has a shape in which a part of a circle is cut out. The side surface portion of the columnar housing 11 has an acoustic surface 11a and an arc surface 11b. The acoustic surface 11a is a surface extending in the y direction, and has an acoustic emission region 13 for radiating ultrasonic waves. The arcuate surface 11b extends in the y direction, and the cross section perpendicular to the y direction is arcuate. Further, the tip end portion 14 of the housing 11 in the y direction includes a head tip end surface 11c, and the base end portion 15 of the housing 11 in the y direction includes a head base end surface 11d.

The acoustic surface 11a is a plane extending in the y direction. The acoustic radiation region 13 included in the acoustic surface 11a is a region where the probe head 10 emits ultrasonic waves, and therefore is in contact with an organ. The x-direction dimension and the y-direction dimension of the acoustic surface 11a are determined based on the x-direction dimension and the y-direction dimension of the ultrasonic vibrator 12. That is, if the size of the ultrasonic vibrator 12 is large, the size of the acoustic radiation region 13 is also large. Further, although the acoustic radiation region 13 is formed as a flat surface, it may be formed as a curved surface depending on the type of the ultrasonic vibrator. Further, the acoustic radiation region 13 may include an acoustic lens.

As shown in the front view of FIG. 3, the arcuate surface 11b is formed to be round along the inner diameter of the tracal. This is to maximize the volume of the internal space in which the contents can be mounted, corresponding to the tracal with a relatively small diameter. However, when the diameter of the tracal is relatively large, the arc surface 11b may be formed in a shape other than the arc within the range of the size and shape that can pass through the tracal, and the inside of the arc surface 11b has an appropriate size. It suffices if it is configured to form a space.

The housing 11 (probe head 10) has a built-in ultrasonic vibrator 12. The ultrasonic vibrator 12 is provided in a portion of the housing 11 corresponding to the acoustic radiation region 13. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the ultrasonic oscillator 12 that cannot be directly seen from the outside of the housing 11 is shown by a broken line. Further, since the dimensions of the acoustic radiation region 13 are determined based on the dimensions of the ultrasonic vibrator 12, the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic vibrator 12 are transmitted from the probe head 10 via the acoustic radiation region 13. Will be sent. Further, the transmission intensity and the reception intensity of the ultrasonic vibrator 12 are proportional to the square of the area of the ultrasonic vibrator 12. Therefore, by making the width of the ultrasonic oscillator 12 in the elevation direction as wide as possible, the sensitivity of transmission and reception can be improved.

Further, in the internal space of the housing 11, in addition to the ultrasonic vibrator 12, a backing material (not shown), an electronic circuit, wiring, and the like are built. For example, the backing material is built in between the ultrasonic vibrator 12 and the arcuate surface 11b. Further, an acoustic matching layer may be provided between the ultrasonic vibrator 12 and the acoustic emission region 13. Next, the configuration of the forceps gripping portion 20 will be described.

[Structure of forceps grip]
The forceps gripping portion 20 is a portion gripped by the forceps when the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into the abdominal cavity of the subject. The forceps gripping portion 20 includes a head 21 formed in a plate-shaped rectangular parallelepiped, and a support 22 formed in a plate-shaped rectangular parallelepiped connecting the head and the acoustic surface 11a. Here, the forceps gripping portion 20 is cut on a plane perpendicular to the x direction, and when the cross section thereof is viewed, it is formed so as to have a substantially T shape. Similarly, when the forceps gripping portion 20 is cut on a plane perpendicular to the y direction and the cross section thereof is viewed, it is formed so as to have a substantially T shape. The forceps gripping portion 20 is formed in such a shape, but is not limited to such a shape, and any shape can be adopted as long as the forceps can grip the forceps gripping portion 20. You may have. Next, the configuration of the cable 30 will be described.

[Cable configuration]
The cable 30 extends from the proximal end 15 of the probe head 10 in the y direction. More specifically, the cable 30 extends from the head base end surface 11d, which is the end face of the probe head 10 on the base end 15 side of the housing 11. The cable 30 extends from the center of the head base end surface 11d in the x direction on the head base end surface 11d. The cable 30 is watertightly drawn into the internal space of the housing 11 through a hole (not shown) provided in the head base end surface 11d. The cable 30 has wiring such as signal lines, and these wirings are electrically connected to an ultrasonic oscillator 12 and an electronic circuit or the like built in the internal space of the housing 11. In FIGS. 1 to 4, the cable 30 and the wiring drawn into the housing 11 are not shown. Further, in the front view of FIG. 3, the cable region 10C, which is the region occupied by the cable 30 on the head base end surface 11d, is shown by a dotted line. The cross section of the cable 30 is circular, but any shape may be adopted. Next, the position where the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided will be described.

[Position where the forceps grip is provided]
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the probe head 10, showing an acoustic surface 11a. The forceps gripping portion 20 is provided on the acoustic surface 11a of the probe head 10. That is, both the forceps gripping portion 20 and the acoustic emission region 13 are on the same surface (on the acoustic surface 11a). More specifically, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided in a region other than the acoustic radiation region 13 in the acoustic surface 11a. That is, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided in a portion on the acoustic surface 11a that does not overlap with the acoustic radiation region 13. Further, the position where the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided is a position that does not interfere with the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves in the acoustic radiation region 13. In other words, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided on the acoustic surface 11a between the head base end surface 11d and the acoustic radiation region 13 in the y direction. In other words, on the acoustic surface 11a, it can be said that the acoustic radiation region 13 is on the tip 14 side of the housing 11 and the forceps gripping portion 20 is on the base end 15 side of the housing 11. Further, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided on the acoustic surface 11a at the center of the acoustic surface 11a in the x direction. Next, the insertion / removal of the ultrasonic probe 1 with respect to the tracal will be described.

[Insert / removal for tracal]
According to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into and removed from the tracal, the ultrasonic probe 1 in the tracal has an acoustic emission region 13 as a tracal, as shown in the front view of FIG. Passes near the inner diameter of the. That is, since the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided on the acoustic surface 11a, the acoustic radiation region 13 and the ultrasonic vibrator 12 pass near the center of the circle which is the cross section of the tracal. As a result, the width of the acoustic radiation region 13 and the ultrasonic vibrator 12 in the x direction (elevation direction) can be increased to the same extent as the inner diameter of the tracal in the maximum state, and the ultrasonic vibrator 12 can be increased. The area can be increased, and the sensitivity of transmission and reception can be improved. At the same time, the forceps gripping portion 20 can be provided on the probe head 10, and the operability of the probe head 10 can be ensured. As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided on the acoustic surface 11a side. Therefore, despite the restrictions caused by the inner diameter of the tracal and the circular cross-sectional shape and the restriction of the amount of protrusion of the forceps gripping portion 20, the width of the acoustic emission region 13 and the ultrasonic vibrator 12 in the elevation direction is widened. Can be taken. As a result, the sensitivity of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves can be improved, and at the same time, the operability of the probe head 10 can be ensured.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to improve the image quality while ensuring the operability of the probe head while having a size that fits within the tracal.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. The ultrasonic probe 2 in the second embodiment has a configuration in which an acoustic coupler 40 is added to the ultrasonic probe 1 described in the first embodiment. Among the components of the ultrasonic probe 2 in the second embodiment, the same components as those of the ultrasonic probe 1 described in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same components is duplicated. I will omit it.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the entire ultrasonic probe of the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view of the ultrasonic probe of the second embodiment.

The ultrasonic probe 2 includes an acoustic coupler 40. The acoustic coupler 40 is provided in the housing 11 so as to cover the acoustic radiation region 13 included in the acoustic surface 11a of the probe head 10. The acoustic coupler 40 is provided to eliminate the step between the forceps gripping portion 20 and the acoustic radiation region 13. As shown in FIG. 6, there is a step S between the acoustic radiation region 13 and the end of the forceps gripping portion 20. Here, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided so as to project from the acoustic surface 11a in the direction perpendicular to the acoustic surface 11a, that is, in the z direction. The end portion of the forceps gripping portion 20 forming the step S is the end portion having the maximum amount of protrusion in the z direction. The maximum value of the amount of protrusion of the acoustic coupler 40 from the acoustic surface 11a in the z direction is larger than the maximum value (step S) of the amount of protrusion of the forceps gripping portion 20 from the acoustic surface 11a in the z direction. The acoustic coupler 40 eliminates such a step S by interposing the acoustic radiation region 13 and the organ. First, the material constituting the acoustic coupler 40 will be described.

[Materials that make up an acoustic coupler]
The material constituting the acoustic coupler 40 has extremely small acoustic attenuation. A characteristic of the material constituting the acoustic coupler 40 is that its acoustic impedance is close to the acoustic impedance of the organ and does not produce an effect as an acoustic lens. This is to prevent the material constituting the acoustic coupler 40 from affecting the ultrasonic waves radiated to the organ and the ultrasonic waves reflected from the organ as much as possible. Preferably, the material constituting the acoustic coupler 40 has an attenuation coefficient of 0.5 dB / MHz / mm or less, a sound velocity of 1400 m / sec to 2300 m / sec, and an acoustic impedance of 1.5 Milly to 2 Milly. Subsequently, the shape of the acoustic coupler 40 will be described.

[Acoustic coupler shape]
The shape of the acoustic coupler 40 in a state where the acoustic coupler 40 is provided in the acoustic radiation region 13 will be described below. The acoustic coupler 40 is a columnar shape extending in the y direction, and has a shape in which a part of the columnar shape is cut out along the y direction. That is, the cross section of the acoustic coupler 40 perpendicular to the y direction has a shape in which a part of a circle is cut out. The acoustic coupler 40 is provided on the acoustic surface 11a so that the notched surface covers the acoustic radiation region 13. That is, the notched surface of the acoustic coupler 40 has a size similar to that of the acoustic radiation region 13, and covers the entire acoustic radiation region 13. The surface opposite to the notched surface of the acoustic coupler 40 is the contact surface 40a. The contact surface 40a is a surface that comes into contact with an organ, and as shown in FIG. 7, has an arc shape in the x direction. Further, the front end side end 41 of the acoustic coupler 40 in the y direction includes a coupler front end surface 40c, and the base end side end 42 of the acoustic coupler 40 in the y direction includes a coupler base end surface 40d. The tip end side end 41 is the end portion of the housing 11 on the tip end portion 14 side, and the proximal end side end portion 42 is the end portion of the housing 11 on the proximal end portion 15 side. As described above, the acoustic coupler 40 in the second embodiment of the present invention has a shape protruding from the acoustic radiation region 13 in an arc shape. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the contact surface 40a is formed to be round so as to fit within the inner diameter of the tracal. Therefore, the probe head 10 can be inserted and removed from the tracal even when the acoustic coupler 40 is provided in the acoustic radiation region 13.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the maximum value of the protrusion amount of the acoustic coupler 40 from the acoustic surface 11a in the z direction is the maximum value of the protrusion amount of the forceps gripping portion 20 from the acoustic surface 11a in the z direction ( It is larger than the step S). Further, when the probe head 10 is viewed from the y direction, as shown in FIG. 7, the region occupied by the forceps gripping portion 20 is included in the region occupied by the acoustic coupler 40. That is, the acoustic coupler 40 protrudes from the forceps gripping portion 20 in the radial direction of ultrasonic waves. Since the region occupied by the forceps gripping portion 20 is included in the region occupied by the acoustic coupler 40, the ultrasonic waves radiated from the acoustic radiation region 13 travel to the organ via the acoustic coupler 40 in any direction. Be radiated. Similarly, the ultrasonic waves reflected from the organ reach the acoustic radiation region 13 via the acoustic coupler 40.

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to improve the image quality while ensuring the operability of the probe head by further enhancing the adhesion to the organ while having a size that fits in the tracal. ..

(Modification 1 of the second embodiment)
Next, a modification 1 of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The ultrasonic probe 3 in the first modification of the second embodiment has a configuration in which an acoustic coupler 50 is provided instead of the acoustic coupler 40 provided in the ultrasonic probe 2 described in the second embodiment. Among the components of the ultrasonic probe 3 in the first modification of the second embodiment, the same components as those of the ultrasonic probe 2 described in the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the same components. Since the explanation of is duplicated, it is omitted. Since the material constituting the acoustic coupler 50 is the same as that of the acoustic coupler 40, the description thereof will be omitted here. Since the shape of the acoustic coupler 50 is different from that of the acoustic coupler 40, it will be described below.

[Acoustic coupler shape]
FIG. 8 is a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the first modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a front view of the ultrasonic probe of the first modification of the second embodiment. The acoustic coupler 50 has an end end portion 51 on the distal end side and an end portion 52 on the proximal end side in the y direction. The tip end side end 51 is the end portion of the housing 11 on the tip end portion 14 side, and the proximal end side end portion 52 is the end portion of the housing 11 on the proximal end portion 15 side. Further, the acoustic coupler 50 has a contact surface 50a.

The acoustic coupler 50 and the acoustic coupler 40 differ in the shapes of the distal end side end portion and the proximal end side end portion. Other than that, the acoustic coupler 50 has the same configuration as the acoustic coupler 40. The acoustic coupler 50 has an distal end 51 instead of the distal end 41 of the acoustic coupler 40, and has a proximal end 52 instead of the proximal end 42 of the acoustic coupler 40. Further, the acoustic coupler 50 has a contact surface 50a instead of the contact surface 40a, the coupler tip surface 40c, and the coupler base end surface 40d of the acoustic coupler 40. The acoustic coupler 40 of the second embodiment has a corner portion as a boundary between the coupler tip surface 40c and the contact surface 40a, and has a corner portion as a boundary between the coupler base end surface 40d and the contact surface 40a. Was there. On the other hand, the acoustic coupler 50 of the first modification of the second embodiment does not have such a corner. Further, the acoustic coupler 50 does not have a coupler front end surface and a coupler base end surface. The distal end side end portion 51 and the proximal end side end portion 52 of the acoustic coupler 50 have a rounded shape as shown in the side view of FIG. That is, when viewed from the side surface, the contact surface 50a is formed so as to draw a gentle curve.

According to the first modification of the second embodiment of the present invention, since the acoustic coupler 50 has such a shape, the probe head 10 is inserted in a narrow place such as the back side of an organ, a gap between organs, or a complicated place. Easy to insert in case. That is, after the probe head 10 is inserted into the abdominal cavity through the tracal, the tip of the probe head 10 (acoustic emission region 13) is inserted into the back side of the liver when it is desired to see an organ, for example, the back side of the liver. At that time, since the distal end portion 51 of the acoustic coupler 50 has a rounded shape, it can be easily inserted into a gap between organs such as the back side of the liver. Further, when the probe head is pulled out from a gap such as the back side of the organ after confirming the image, the base end side end portion 52 of the acoustic coupler 50 also has a rounded shape, so that it is easy to pull out.

As described above, according to the first modification of the second embodiment of the present invention, the adhesion to the organ is further enhanced while the size is within the tracal, and the image quality is improved while ensuring the operability of the probe head. Can be made to.

(Modification 2 of the second embodiment)
Next, a modification 2 of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The ultrasonic probe 4 in the modified example 2 of the second embodiment includes a probe head 60 instead of the probe head 10 provided in the ultrasonic probe 3 described in the modified example 1 of the second embodiment. More specifically, the housing 61 is provided instead of the housing 11. Among the components of the ultrasonic probe 4 in the modified example 2 of the second embodiment, the same components as those of the ultrasonic probe 3 described in the modified example 1 of the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. The description of similar components is duplicated and will be omitted.

[Acoustic coupler shape]
FIG. 10 is a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the modified example 2 of the second embodiment. The ultrasonic probe 4 of the second modification of the second embodiment includes a probe head 60, the probe head 60 includes a housing 61, and the housing 61 has an acoustic surface 11a, an arc surface 61b, and a head base end surface 11d. I have. Further, the housing 61 has a tip end portion 64 and a base end portion 15.

The housing 11 and the housing 61 differ in the shape of the tip portion. Other than that, the probe head 60 and the housing 61 have the same configuration as the probe head 10 and the housing 11. The housing 61 of the modified example 2 of the second embodiment has a tip portion 64 instead of the tip portion 14 of the modified example 1 of the second embodiment. Further, the housing 61 of the modified example 2 of the second embodiment includes an arc surface 61b instead of the arc surface 11b and the head tip surface 11c of the housing 11 of the modified example 1 of the second embodiment. .. The housing 11 of the first modification of the second embodiment has a corner portion as a boundary between the head tip surface 11c and the arc surface 11b. On the other hand, the housing 61 of the modified example 2 of the second embodiment does not have such a corner portion. Further, the housing 61 does not have the head tip surface 11c. The tip 64 of the housing 61 has a rounded shape as shown in the side view of FIG. That is, when viewed from the side surface, the portion of the arcuate surface 61b corresponding to the tip portion 64 is formed so as to draw a gentle curve.

According to the second modification of the second embodiment of the present invention, since the housing 61 and the acoustic coupler 50 have such a shape, the probe head 60 is narrow, such as the back side of the organ, the gap between the organs, and the intricate place. Easy to insert when inserting in place. That is, after the probe head 60 is inserted into the abdominal cavity through the tracal, the tip of the probe head 60 (acoustic emission region 13) is inserted into the back side of the liver when it is desired to see an organ, for example, the back side of the liver. At that time, since the tip 64 of the housing 61 and the tip 51 of the acoustic coupler 50 have a rounded shape, they can be easily inserted into the gaps between organs such as the back side of the liver.

As described above, according to the second modification of the second embodiment of the present invention, the adhesion to the organ is further enhanced while the size is within the tracal, and the image quality is improved while ensuring the operability of the probe head. Can be made to.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. The ultrasonic probe 5 in the third embodiment has a configuration in which the position of the cable 30 and the position of the forceps gripping portion 20 are displaced from the ultrasonic probe 1 described in the first embodiment. Among the components of the ultrasonic probe 5 in the second embodiment, the same components as those of the ultrasonic probe 1 described in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same components is duplicated. I will omit it.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a front view of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment. The ultrasonic probe 5 includes a probe head 70, the probe head 70 includes a housing 71, and the housing 71 includes an acoustic surface 71a, an arc surface 11b, a head tip surface 11c, and a head base end surface 71d. Further, the housing 71 has a tip end portion 14 and a base end portion 75. The housing 71 is different from the housing 11 in the positions where the cable 30 and the forceps gripping portion 20 are attached. Other than that, the probe head 70 and the housing 71 have the same configuration as the probe head 10 and the housing 11.

In the front view of FIG. 12, the cable region 70C, which is the region occupied by the cable 30 on the head base end surface 71d, is shown by a dotted line. In the front view of FIG. 12 and the plan view of FIG. 13, arrow A indicates one direction in the x direction, and arrow B indicates the other direction in the x direction (the same applies to arrows A and B shown in the following figures). The cable region 70C is located on the head base end surface 71d at a position deviated from the center of the probe head 70 in the x direction in one direction in the x direction. Further, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided on the acoustic surface 71a at a position deviated from the center of the probe head 70 in the x direction to the other direction side in the x direction. Here, the x direction is the width direction of the probe head 10, that is, the head width direction as described above. The head width direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (y direction) of the probe head 10 and parallel to the elevation direction of the ultrasonic vibrator 12. The x direction is also the elevation direction of the acoustic emission region 13 and the ultrasonic vibrator 12.

The front view of FIG. 12 shows the distance a, the distance b, and the distance c. The distance a is a distance indicating the amount of deviation between the cable region 70C and the forceps gripping portion 20 in the x direction. Specifically, the distance a is the distance in the x direction between the first tangent 70Ca and the second tangent 20a. Here, the first tangent line 70Ca is a tangent line perpendicular to the acoustic surface 71a and tangent to the outermost end of the cable region 70C from one direction side in the x direction, as shown in the front view of FIG. The second tangent line 20a is a tangent line that is perpendicular to the acoustic surface 71a and is in contact with the outermost end of the forceps gripping portion 20 from the other direction side in the x direction. Further, the cable region 70C and the forceps gripping portion 20 are actually located at different positions not only in the x direction but also in the y direction. The distance in the x direction between the first tangent line 70Ca and the second tangent line 20a referred to here is a distance in the x direction without considering the distance in the y direction. That is, the distance a is the distance between the first tangent line 70Ca and the second tangent line 20a on the paper surface of the front view of FIG. 12.

Further, the distance b is the maximum width of the cable region 70C in the x direction. Specifically, as shown in the front view of FIG. 12, when the tangent line perpendicular to the acoustic surface 71a and tangent to the outermost end of the cable region 70C from the other direction side in the x direction is the third tangent line 70Cb, the distance. b is the distance in the x direction between the first tangent 70Ca and the third tangent 70Cb. The maximum width of the cable region 70C referred to here is a distance in the x direction without considering the distance in the y direction. That is, the distance b is the distance between the first tangent line 70Ca and the third tangent line 70Cb on the paper surface of the front view of FIG.

Further, the distance c is the maximum width of the forceps gripping portion 20 in the x direction. Specifically, as shown in the front view of FIG. 12, when the tangent line perpendicular to the acoustic surface 71a and tangent to the outermost end of the forceps gripping portion 20 from one direction in the x direction is defined as the fourth tangent line 20b. The distance c is the distance in the x direction between the second tangent line 20a and the fourth tangent line 20b. The maximum width of the forceps gripping portion 20 referred to here is a distance in the x direction without considering the distance in the y direction. That is, the distance b is the distance between the second tangent line 20a and the fourth tangent line 20b on the paper surface of the front view of FIG.

Such a distance a, a distance b, and a distance c satisfy the relationship of the equation (1).
a ≧ b + c (1)

The plan view of FIG. 13 is an ultrasonic probe 5 that can be seen by the operator. According to the third embodiment of the present invention, the operator inserts the forceps under the probe head 70 along the direction of the arrow C to grip the forceps grip portion 20. As described above, the cable 30 and the forceps gripping portion 20 are displaced in one direction and the other direction in the x direction. Further, the distance a, which is the amount of deviation between the cable 30 and the forceps gripping portion 20, satisfies the equation (1). That is, the cable 30 and the forceps gripping portion 20 are provided so that their positions in the x direction do not overlap. Therefore, when viewed from above by the operator, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 13, the cable 30 and the forceps gripping portion 20 are displaced in the x direction and do not overlap. Further, the cable 30 and the forceps gripping portion 20 do not overlap on the projection drawing of the ultrasonic wave on the orthogonal cross section in the radiation direction. Therefore, since the cable 30 does not exist in the direction of access by the forceps (direction of arrow C), the forceps and the cable 30 do not interfere with each other, and the forceps can be easily inserted under the housing 71. Therefore, it is not necessary to insert the forceps under the housing 71 while avoiding the cable.

As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the forceps gripping portion 20 can be more easily gripped in the body cavity while having a size that fits in the tracal, and the image quality can be improved while ensuring the operability of the probe head. Can be improved.

(Modified example of the third embodiment)
Next, a modified example of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. The ultrasonic probe 6 in the modified example of the third embodiment has a configuration in which the position of the forceps gripping portion 20 is not shifted and the position of the cable 30 is shifted with respect to the ultrasonic probe 5 described in the third embodiment. .. Among the components of the ultrasonic probe 6 in the modified example of the third embodiment, the components similar to the ultrasonic probe 5 described in the third embodiment or the ultrasonic probe 1 described in the first embodiment. Have the same reference numerals, and the description of similar components will be duplicated and will be omitted.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the ultrasonic probe of the modified example of the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a front view of the ultrasonic probe of the modified example of the third embodiment. The ultrasonic probe 6 includes a probe head 80, the probe head 80 includes a housing 81, and the housing 81 includes an acoustic surface 71a, an arc surface 11b, a head tip surface 11c, and a head base end surface 71d. The position of the forceps gripping portion 20 on the acoustic surface 71a is the same as that of the first embodiment. Further, the front view of FIG. 15 shows the distance a, the distance b, and the distance c, the definitions thereof being the same as those in the third embodiment.

A modification of the third embodiment of the present invention assumes a case where the diameter of the tracal is larger than that of the third embodiment. In that case, by shifting the cable 30 without shifting the position of the forceps gripping portion 20, the distance a, which is the amount of deviation between the cable 30 and the forceps gripping portion 20, satisfies the above equation (1).

As described above, according to the modified example of the third embodiment of the present invention, the forceps gripping portion 20 is more easily gripped in the body cavity while having a size that fits in the tracal, and the operability of the probe head is ensured. At the same time, the image quality can be improved.

(Modification example)
Next, a modification of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19. The ultrasonic probe 7 in the modified example has a configuration in which the position of the forceps gripping portion 20 is changed with respect to the ultrasonic probe 5 described in the third embodiment. More specifically, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided on a surface perpendicular to the x direction obtained by cutting out a part of the housing. Among the components of the ultrasonic probe 7 in the modified example, the same components as those of the ultrasonic probe 5 described in the third embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same components will be omitted because they are duplicated. To do.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the entire ultrasonic probe of the modified example. FIG. 17 is a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the modified example. FIG. 18 is a front view of the modified ultrasonic probe. FIG. 19 is a plan view of the ultrasonic probe of the modified example. The ultrasonic probe 7 includes a probe head 90, the probe head 90 includes a housing 91, and the housing 91 has a tip portion 14 and a proximal end portion 95. Compared to the housing 71, the housing 91 has a shape in which a part of the base end portion 95 side is cut out on a surface perpendicular to the x direction and a surface perpendicular to the y direction. As a result, the installation surface 91e, which is a surface perpendicular to the x direction, and the step surface 91f are formed. As a result, the acoustic surface 91a, the arc surface 91b, and the head base end surface 91d are also cut out. The installation surface 91e is adjacent to the acoustic surface 91a, the arc surface 91b, the head base end surface 91d, and the step surface 91f. The stepped surface 91f is adjacent to the installation surface 91e, the acoustic surface 91a, and the arc surface 91b. As described above, the housing 91 includes an acoustic surface 91a, an arc surface 91b, a head tip surface 11c, a head base end surface 91d, an installation surface 91e, and a step surface 91f.

The forceps gripping portion 20 is provided on the installation surface 91e. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 19, the forceps gripping portion 20 is provided so as to project from the installation surface 91e to the other side in the x direction. Further, in order to pass the ultrasonic probe 7 through the tracal, the forceps gripping portion 20 needs to be contained in the tracal inner diameter T. Therefore, the amount of protrusion of the forceps gripping portion 20 and the position of the installation surface 91e in the x direction are adjusted so that the forceps gripping portion 20 fits within the tracal inner diameter T, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the forceps gripping portion 20 is adjusted so as to be located inside the acoustic surface 91a before the cutout.

The front view of FIG. 18 shows the distance b, the distance d, and the distance e. The definition of the distance b is the same as in the third embodiment. The distance d is the amount of protrusion of the forceps gripping portion 20 from the installation surface 91e, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19. In FIG. 19, a reference line 20e indicating the position of the installation surface 91e in the x direction and a reference line 20d indicating the outermost end of the forceps gripping portion 20 in the x direction are shown. The distance in the x direction between the reference line 20e and the reference line 20d is the amount of protrusion of the forceps gripping portion 20 from the installation surface 91e. That is, the distance d is the distance between the reference line 20e and the reference line 20d on the paper surface of the front view of FIG. The distance e is the distance between the first tangent line 70Ca and the reference line 20d on the paper surface of the front view of FIG.

Such a distance b, a distance d, and a distance e satisfy the relationship of the equation (2).
e ≧ b + d (2)

According to a modification of the present invention, the operator moves the forceps along the direction of the arrow C in the plan view of FIG. 19 to grip the forceps grip portion 20. Since the forceps grip portion 20 is provided on the installation surface 91e as described above, the cable 30 and the forceps grip portion 20 do not overlap when viewed from above by the operator. Further, the cable 30 and the forceps gripping portion 20 do not overlap on the projection drawing of the ultrasonic wave on the orthogonal cross section in the radiation direction. Therefore, since the cable 30 does not exist in the direction of access by the forceps (direction of arrow C), the forceps and the cable 30 do not interfere with each other, and the forceps gripping portion 20 can be easily gripped.

As described above, according to the modified example of the present invention, it is easier to grip the forceps gripping portion 20 in the body cavity while having a size that fits in the tracal, and the image quality is improved while ensuring the operability of the probe head. Can be done.

(Other embodiments)
The acoustic coupler 40 may be provided in the probe head 70 of the third embodiment and the probe head 80 of the modified example of the third embodiment. Further, the acoustic coupler 50 may also be provided in the probe head 70 of the third embodiment and the probe head 80 of the modified example of the third embodiment.

According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to improve the image quality while ensuring the operability of the probe head while having a size that fits within the tracal.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 to 7 Ultrasonic probe 10, 60, 70, 80, 90 Probe head 11, 61, 71, 81, 91 Housing 11a, 71a, 91a Acoustic surface 12 Acoustic oscillator 13 Acoustic radiation region 20 Force gripper 30 Cable 40, 50 acoustic coupler

Claims (10)

A columnar probe head that has a built-in ultrasonic oscillator that emits ultrasonic waves and can be inserted into the abdominal cavity of the subject,
A forceps grip portion provided on the probe head and
With
The probe head has an acoustic surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the probe head.
The acoustic surface has an acoustic radiation region that emits ultrasonic waves.
An ultrasonic probe characterized in that the forceps gripping portion is provided on a portion of the acoustic surface that does not overlap with the acoustic radiation region. A cable extending from the base end surface of the head, which is the end face on the base end side in the longitudinal direction of the probe head, is provided.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the forceps gripping portion is provided between the base end surface of the head and the acoustic radiation region in the longitudinal direction of the probe head. The direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the probe head and parallel to the elevation direction of the ultrasonic transducer is defined as the head width direction.
The area occupied by the cable on the base end surface of the head is defined as a cable area.
The tangent line perpendicular to the acoustic surface and tangent to the outermost end of the cable region from one direction in the head width direction is defined as the first tangent line.
The tangent line perpendicular to the acoustic surface and tangent to the outermost end of the forceps gripping portion from the other direction side in the head width direction is defined as the second tangent line.
Let a be the distance in the head width direction between the first tangent line and the second tangent line.
Let b be the maximum width of the cable in the head width direction.
When the maximum width of the forceps gripping portion in the head width direction is c,
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, wherein a ≧ b + c is satisfied. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, wherein the cable extends from a position deviated from the center of the probe head in the head width direction in one direction in the head width direction. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4, wherein the forceps gripping portion is provided at a position deviated from the center of the probe head in the head width direction to the other direction side in the head width direction. An acoustic coupler provided so as to cover the acoustic radiation region is provided.
Claims 1 to 5, wherein when the probe head is viewed from the longitudinal direction of the probe head, the region occupied by the forceps gripping portion is included in the region occupied by the acoustic coupler. The ultrasonic probe according to any one item. The acoustic coupler has a distal end side end portion and a proximal end side end portion in the longitudinal direction of the probe head.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, wherein the distal end side end portion and the proximal end side end portion have a rounded shape. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the acoustic coupler has an attenuation coefficient of 0.5 dB / MHz / mm or less. The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the acoustic coupler has a sound velocity of 1400 m / sec to 2300 m / sec. The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the acoustic coupler has an acoustic impedance of 1.5 Mrary to 2 Mrary.