JP2722934B2 - Ultrasonic inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is used as a medical, etc., the ultrasonic probe through the probe guide unit
Ultrasound testing for ultrasound testing by inserting it into a body cavity, etc.
It concerns the device .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one type of ultrasonic inspection apparatus, an ultrasonic inspection apparatus in which a small-diameter ultrasonic probe provided with a single-plate ultrasonic vibrator at the tip is connected to an operation unit has been conventionally used. In this type of ultrasonic inspection apparatus, an operation mechanism for causing the operation unit to scan the ultrasonic probe,
A position detection mechanism for detecting the position is provided,
The ultrasonic probe is displaced in the axial direction by manually operating the operation mechanism, the displacement is detected by the position detection mechanism, and the ultrasonic pulse is output from the ultrasonic transducer at predetermined intervals based on a signal output from the position detection mechanism. Is incident, receives a reflected echo signal from the tissue tomographic part, transmits the received signal to an ultrasonic observation device, performs predetermined signal processing, and is configured to display an ultrasonic image on a monitor. I have.

[0003] The ultrasonic inspection apparatus having the above structure is not inserted into the body by itself, but is inserted into the body through a treatment instrument insertion channel of an endoscope. Then, the ultrasonic probe is led out from the treatment instrument insertion channel by a predetermined length, and the operation unit is fixed to the treatment instrument introduction section. In this state, the operation mechanism is operated to move the ultrasonic probe to the treatment instrument insertion channel. The scanning is performed by moving in the axial direction of.

[0004]

For example, since an endoscope can be inserted into a body cavity such as an esophagus, a stomach or other body cavities, it is possible to perform an examination using an ultrasonic examination apparatus of this kind. It is. However, depending on the inspection site, there is a site where an endoscope having a treatment instrument insertion channel through which an ultrasonic probe can be inserted cannot always be inserted. For example, when examining the state of internal tissues such as joints, a perforation is made in the body epidermis, and an endoscope is inserted directly from the perforation. In this case, since it is necessary to pass through a very narrow part such as between bones, the endoscope can use only a considerably small diameter endoscope. Therefore,
Usually, an arthroscope is not provided with a treatment instrument insertion channel, or even if it is provided, an ultrasonic probe cannot be inserted through this endoscope because its diameter is extremely small. Although it is possible to input an ultrasonic pulse from the body epidermis, an ultrasonic image cannot be obtained if bones are present in the path of the ultrasonic pulse due to the nature of the ultrasonic wave. Therefore, there are parts where the ultrasonic examination cannot be performed at all, such as joints and other parts between the bones.

The present invention utilizes the characteristic of the small diameter of an ultrasonic probe having a single-plate vibrator to perform ultrasonic inspection over a wide range including a part which has been considered impossible. It is intended to be able to do.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a flexible device having an ultrasonic vibrator mounted at the tip.
Ultrasound probe with a sex code and this ultrasound probe
Operation unit for pushing and pulling the
Ultrasonic inspection unit and the tip of this ultrasonic probe
Guide for guiding the ultrasound to the site to be inspected
This probe guide unit is provided with a mount portion for detachably fixing the operation unit on a main body portion gripped by an operator, and the main body portion is provided from a side connected to the mount portion . predetermined length is formed of a hard pipe, provided by connecting at least the bending tube portion can be bent in one direction to the tip of the rigid pipe, the distal end of the bending tube portion is opened, the entire ultrasonic probe Can be inserted
A guide tube made of a functional tube member is continuously provided, and an operating member for performing a bending operation on the bending tube portion is provided on the main body portion.

[0007]

First, a guide tube constituting a probe guide unit is inserted into the body from a position close to a part of the body epidermis where an ultrasonic examination is to be performed. Here, by inserting a puncture needle into the guide tube, the guide tube can be pierced directly into the body from the body epidermis. However, if the location where the guide tube is to be inserted is incised, it can be inserted into the body without using a needle. When the guide tube is stabbed to a predetermined position, if a needle or the like is inserted into this guide tube, it is detached and inserted, and an ultrasonic probe constituting an ultrasonic inspection unit is inserted. . When a needle is not used, an ultrasonic probe can be inserted in the guide tube in advance. However, when inserting the guide tube into the body, the ultrasonic probe should not be protruded from the guide tube, and the bending tube should be kept straight.

When the distal end of the guide tube is inserted to the position to be inspected, the extension direction of the ultrasonic probe is adjusted according to the site to be inspected. That is, in a state where the ultrasonic probe is positioned inside the opening at the distal end portion of the guide tube, the operating member provided on the main body is actuated to bend the curved tube portion, and this curved tube portion is subjected to ultrasonic vibration. Orient in the child scan line direction. In this operation, if the endoscope is inserted from another direction and operated under monitoring by the endoscope, the ultrasonic transducer can be arranged at a position where it can be scanned more smoothly. Therefore, the operation unit is fixed to the mount portion of the probe guide unit , and the operation unit is operated. As a result, the ultrasonic probe slides in the guide tube, and the ultrasonic transducer moves in the scanning line direction. During this time, ultrasonic pulses enter the body at predetermined intervals, and the tissue section By receiving the reflected echo signal from
Ultrasonography can be performed. By providing the curved tube portion in this manner, even if the direction of insertion of the guide tube from the body skin to the body does not match the direction of the scanning line of the ultrasonic probe, the curved tube portion can be curved. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the insertion direction of the guide tube in order to accurately perform ultrasonic scanning.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an ultrasonic inspection unit including an ultrasonic inspection unit and its probe guide unit.
1 shows the overall configuration of the device. In the figure, 1 is an ultrasonic probe, 2 is an operation unit, and this ultrasonic probe 1
An ultrasonic inspection unit includes an operation unit 2 and an ultrasonic observation device (not shown) to which a connector provided at the other end of the cable 3 from the operation unit 2 is detachably connected. Reference numeral 4 denotes a probe guide unit .

The ultrasonic probe 1 has a probe main body 11 in which a single-plate ultrasonic vibrator 10 is mounted on the distal end of a flexible tube having a predetermined length. The connection connector 12 is connected. Although not shown, a signal line cable having one end connected to the ultrasonic transducer 10 and the other end connected to the connector 12 is inserted into the probe main body 11.

The operation unit 2 is, as shown in FIG.
A mounting arm 21 is connected to the main body casing 20. The mounting arm 21 has a probe insertion hole 21a.
Are drilled. Further, the mounting arm 21 is provided with a clamp claw 22 for fixing the operation unit 2 in a state of being connected to the probe guide unit 4. An operating rod 23 having an operating ring 23a for pushing and pulling with fingers is slidably mounted on the main body casing 20, and a gripping mechanism for detachably holding the ultrasonic probe 1 is mounted on the operating rod 23. 24 are provided in series. The proximal end portion of the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into the probe insertion hole 21a of the mounting arm 21, and is gripped by the gripping mechanism unit 24. It is detachably connected to a connection part 25 provided in the main body casing 20.

The operating rod 23 extends into the main casing 20 and is slidable in the axial direction. A rack 26 is formed at a position near the lower end of the operation rod 23, and a pinion 28 connected to an encoder 27 meshes with the rack 26. Therefore, when the operating rod 23 is slid, the pinion 28 meshing with the rack 26 rotates, and this rotation is detected by the encoder 27. Here, since the ultrasonic probe 1 is gripped by the gripping mechanism 24 connected to the operating rod 23,
When the operating rod 23 is displaced, the ultrasonic probe 1 is displaced in the axial direction thereof, thereby performing scanning, and a position signal at the time of this scanning is detected by the encoder 27. The operating rod 23 is normally urged by a spring 29 in a projecting direction.

Next, the probe guide unit 4 is shown in FIG.
As is clear from FIG. 3, the operator has a main body 40 for grasping and operating with his / her hand, and the operation unit 2 of the ultrasonic inspection unit is detachably attached to the base end side of the main body 40. Mounting section 41 is provided. The mount portion 41 is formed of a cylindrical member, and a flange portion 41a is formed at an open end thereof, so that the operation unit 2 can disengage the clamp claw 22 provided on the mounting arm 21. It has become. Also, the mounting section 41
Is provided with a tubular portion 41b, which extends into the main body portion 40. On the other hand, a hard pipe 42 is continuously provided on the distal end side of the main body 40, and a curved pipe 43 is continuously provided on the distal end of the hard pipe 42.
Rigid pipe 42 and the bending tube portion 43 constitutes a guide tube 44 for inserting the guide ultrasonic probe 1 therein, this
Guide pipe 44 is formed of the rigid pipe 42 and the curved pipe 43.
It is a long tubular member . The distal end of the curved tube portion 43 is open, so that the ultrasonic probe 1 inserted into the guide tube 44 can protrude outside through this opening. Here, the outer diameter of the guide tube 44 is such that the ultrasonic probe 1 can be inserted and the diameter is as small as possible so that it can smoothly pass through a narrow part in the body. It is formed so that it becomes.

As shown in FIG. 5, the curved tube portion 43 is constituted by sequentially pivoting a plurality of articulated tubes 43a.
A flexible tube 43b is provided inside the node ring tube 43a, and an outer tube 43c is provided outside. A pair of operation wires 45, 45 are connected to the state-of-the-art articular ring tube.
The other end of 45 passes through the hard pipe 42 and
And wound around a pulley 46 provided in the main body 40. Therefore, when the pulley 46 is rotated, one of the pair of operation wires 45 is pulled in, the other is pushed out, and the bending tube portion 43 is bent. In order to rotate the pulley 46, the pulley 46
The shaft extends outside the main body 40 through the bearing 47 and is connected to the operation lever 48. Therefore, the bending operation of the bending tube portion 43 can be performed by operating the operation lever 48 with the finger of the hand holding the main body portion 40. In the figure, reference numeral 49 denotes a pipe connection portion provided on the main body 40 for supplying a perfusate.

The present embodiment has the above configuration, and an ultrasonic inspection using this apparatus is performed as follows. First, the guide tube 4 of the probe guide unit 4
The bending tube part 43 in 4 is kept in a straight state. Then, if necessary, as shown in FIG. 6, a needle 50 for puncturing with a sharpened tip is inserted from the mount 41 side, and the needle tip 50a of the needle 50 is The rod member 51 having a spherical tip is inserted so as to project a predetermined amount, or as shown by a virtual line in FIG. In this state, the guide tube 44 of the probe guide unit 4 is inserted from the body epidermis to a site where an ultrasonic examination is to be performed. Thus, if the needle 50 is inserted into the guide tube 44, it can be inserted directly from the body skin. If the rod member 51 is inserted, it is not possible to directly insert the rod member 51 directly into the body skin. Since it is impossible, a small-sized incision can be made to secure an insertion path for the guide tube 44. Also, depending on the part to be inspected, there is a case where the needle 50 and the rod member 51 can be inserted smoothly without being attached. Here, the guide tube 44 is capable of inserting the ultrasonic probe 1 and has a diameter as small as possible, so that the size of the incision in the body epidermis can be suppressed to a minimum, and the insertion operation is easy. Thus, for example, it is possible to smoothly pass through a very narrow portion between the bones. Further, if an endoscope is inserted from another site and the insertion operation of the guide tube 44 is performed under observation by the endoscope, it is possible to more quickly and accurately lead to a site where an ultrasonic inspection is to be performed.

When the distal end of the guide tube 44 is inserted to a predetermined position, if the needle 50 or the rod member 51 is mounted, it is removed, and the mounting arm 21 of the operation unit 2 is attached to the mounting portion 41. Join and clamp claws 22
The operation unit 2 is fixed to the probe guide unit 4 by engaging with the flange 41a. Further, the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into a probe insertion hole 21 a provided in the mounting arm 21, and a portion led out from the probe insertion hole 21 a is gripped by a gripping mechanism 24 connected to the operating rod 23. Then, the connection connector 12 connected to the base end is connected to the connection portion 25 of the operation unit 2 in such a manner that a loop is drawn from the gripping position on the gripping mechanism 24.
In this state, when the operating rod 23 is pushed in, the gripping mechanism 24
When the ultrasonic probe 1 grasped by the user is displaced in a direction protruding from the curved tube portion 43 constituting the guide tube 44 and the operating rod 23 is pulled back, the ultrasonic probe 1
4 is displaced in the direction of being drawn into. Accordingly, the push / pull stroke of the operating rod 23 causes the ultrasonic transducer 10 provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe 1 to move by a predetermined amount along the body cavity wall. During this time, based on the position detection signal of the ultrasonic transducer 10 acquired by the encoder 27, an ultrasonic pulse is incident toward the body at predetermined distance intervals, and the reflected echo is received by the ultrasonic transducer 10. Is done. The received signal is taken into the ultrasonic observation device, subjected to predetermined signal processing, and then an ultrasonic image is displayed on a monitor. Here, the base end side of the guide tube 44 is hard.
Because it is composed of the pipe 42, it is a flexible super sound
The wave probe 1 will move smoothly inside it,
Accurate ultrasonic scanning can be performed.

The ultrasonic probe 1 has an operating rod 23.
Is operated to move in the axial direction of the guide tube 44 for scanning, but the ultrasonic scan line to be inspected by the ultrasonic probe 1 does not always coincide with the axis of the guide tube 44. The insertion path of the guide tube 44 does not obstruct the insertion in the middle of the path.
It is uniquely selected in consideration of safety and smooth insertion, and is selected independently of the ultrasonic scanning line. Therefore, if the ultrasonic probe 1 is protruded straight along the guide tube 44, it may not be possible to perform an ultrasonic inspection of a necessary part. Therefore, when the distal end of the guide tube 44 is inserted to a position near the inspection site, the operating lever 48 provided on the main body 40 of the probe guide unit 4 is operated to move the curved tube 43 in the ultrasonic scanning line direction. Curve to face. This makes it possible to adjust the direction in which the ultrasonic probe 1 is led out, to scan a necessary portion along an optimal line, and to perform ultrasonic inspection using the ultrasonic probe 1 with extremely high accuracy. Therefore, in order to adjust the direction of the ultrasonic scanning line, it is not necessary to perform the operation of pulling out the inserted guide tube 44 and inserting it again, and the operability is extremely good.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, a mounting portion is provided on a main body portion to be gripped by an operator, an operation unit is detachably fixed, and the main body portion has a predetermined length. It consists of a hard pipe and a curved tube part that can be bent in at least one direction, and opens the tip of the curved tube part, and the whole
A guide tube made of a tube member through which an ultrasonic probe can be inserted is provided in series, and the bending tube portion is flexibly formed into a probe guide unit that can be bent by an operation member provided on the main body.
Insert an ultrasonic probe consisting of
Since it is configured to direct ultrasonic testing position, ultrasonography
The guide tube is substantially larger than the outer diameter of the ultrasonic probe of the unit
This hard guide tube is a guide
The ultrasonic probe can be passed through a narrow area, such as between bones, and can be reliably guided to the area to be inspected. When possible, and after inserting the guide tube, the bending operation of the bending tube portion allows the ultrasonic transducer to scan along a line in a direction different from the insertion direction of the guide tube. Various effects are exhibited, such as a necessary part can be subjected to ultrasonic inspection with high accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an ultrasonic inspection unit and a probe guide unit constituting an ultrasonic inspection apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a probe guide unit incorporating an ultrasonic inspection unit .

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of the operation unit.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main body of the probe guide unit .

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a curved portion of the probe guide unit .

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of the probe guide unit .

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic probe 2 Operation unit 4 Probe guide unit 10 Ultrasonic transducer 11 Probe main body 20 Main body casing 21 Mounting arm 23 Operating rod 40 Main part 41 Mount part 42 Hard pipe 43 Curved pipe part 44 Guide pipe 45 Operation wire 48 Operation lever

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A flexible core having an ultrasonic vibrator attached to its tip.
An ultrasonic inspection unit including an ultrasonic probe having a probe and an operation unit for pushing and pulling the ultrasonic probe,
Probe guide unit for guiding to the site to be inspected
The probe guide unit is provided with a mount portion for detachably fixing the operation unit on a main body portion held by an operator, and the main body portion includes a front portion.
Serial predetermined length from the communication side where to mount portion is formed of a hard pipe, provided by connecting a bending tube portion bendable in at least one direction to the tip of the rigid pipe, the distal end of the bending tube portion A tube that can be opened and the entire ultrasonic probe can be inserted
An ultrasonic inspection apparatus , wherein a guide tube made of a member is continuously provided, and an operation member for performing a bending operation on a bending tube portion is provided on the main body portion.