JP3244328B2 - Biological depression measuring device and sounding probe used in the device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the depth of a living tissue recess in an oral cavity, or a recess of a living tissue such as an ear canal, a nasal cavity, an anus, or a urethra, and a sounding probe used for the measurement. Regarding improvement. In particular, it is a measurement of a very small biological recess such as a periodontal pocket generated between the tooth and the surrounding gingiva, and it is difficult to read the sounding result with the scale provided on the probe. This is effective when measuring the depth of a living body concave portion in a field where measurement of is required.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an apparatus for measuring the depth of a periodontal pocket, which is one of the living body recesses, there is, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-881.
No. 5, JP-B-53-14069, and JP-A-61-61.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 280856 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-46332 are known.

[0003] Of these, the former two cases measure the sliding width of a slider-like sheath visually or electrically, whereas the actual case of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-8815 requires the individual to read the measured value visually. Differences are likely to occur, and the results must be recorded by hand, which is bothersome and time-consuming, requiring an assistant as a recorder to concentrate on the measurements. In addition, the structure of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-14069 has a complicated structure and is expensive, and the sounding probe has a large degree of freedom in terms of shape design, so that the probe is too thick and long to be a clinically ideal shape. In addition, it is necessary to have more play, and it is difficult to tell whether the pocket bottom has been reached.There is a large amount of measurement error because the play area is blurred, and blood and saliva are clogged in the movable parts, which makes smooth movement after sterilization. There are problems such as hindrance.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 61-280856, a resistance layer, a capacitor layer, and an insulation layer are formed in a sounding probe, and a change in resistance value that varies according to the depth of a periodontal pocket is accumulated in the capacitor layer. The change is detected as a change in the amount of electric charge, and the depth of the periodontal pocket is equivalently detected. However, this proposal is expensive because the structure of the probe is very complicated, and the degree of freedom in shape design is low, and the probe must be very thick. In addition, there is a problem that a special material is required and the production is not easy.

In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-46332, conductive layers and insulating layers are alternately formed in the longitudinal direction of the sounding probe, and when the probe is inserted into the periodontal pocket, which conductive layer comes into contact with the gingiva. In this case, the depth of the periodontal pocket is equivalently detected by detecting whether or not the user has performed the operation. However, this proposal also has a complicated and expensive probe structure, has a low degree of freedom in shape design, and cannot be made into a clinically ideal shape. In addition, special materials are required, manufacturing is difficult, and wiring between the probe and the control circuit becomes very complicated.

[0006]

In recent years, with the improvement of dental treatment technology and environment, and the provision of periodontal disease type I items in insurance medical treatment, precise examination and re-evaluation are required. Although periodontal pocket measurement has been required, as described above, in the prior art, the surgeon cannot perform measurement and recording while maintaining his or her own hands in a sterilized state, or the device is not available. It is quite difficult to meet these demands due to problems such as high cost.

The present invention pays attention to these problems, and provides an easy-to-use and high-precision periodontal pocket measuring device, as well as other biological concavities in the oral cavity, ear canals, nasal cavity, and the like.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that can be applied to measurement of the depth of a concave portion of a living tissue such as an anus and a urethra.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a living body depression measuring device according to the present invention has a sounding probe having a sufficiently large impedance as compared with the impedance of a living tissue, and a sounding probe having the same. A calculating unit for detecting the impedance value of the depth-measuring probe at a portion not short-circuited by the living tissue when the needle is inserted into the living body concave portion, and calculating the depth of the living body concave portion.

At the time of actual measurement, a sounding probe is used as one electrode, and a voltage for measurement is applied between the electrode and the electrode brought into contact with the soft tissue of the living body. It is configured to detect the impedance value of the sounding probe in a portion that is not short-circuited. It is desirable that the above-mentioned sounding probe be detachably held at the tip of the holder. When the device is a periodontal pocket depth measuring device, when the sounding probe is inserted into the periodontal pocket and comes into contact with the edge of the pocket, the sounding probe for a portion that is not short-circuited by the periodontal pocket. The periodontal pocket depth can be measured by the impedance value of the needle.

The sounding probe according to the present invention has a shape insertable into a concave part of a living body, and at least the surface thereof is made of a high impedance material having a sufficiently large impedance as compared with a living tissue. As the high impedance material, for example, conductive plastic, conductive rubber, conductive ceramic, and the like can be used. The sounding probe may have a configuration in which an annular insulating layer formed on the surface and an exposed portion where the high impedance material itself is annularly exposed are alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction, Scales may be formed on the surface at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction. Further, it is preferable that the sounding probe is made of an elastic material that can be deformed along the shape of the living body concave portion.

[0011]

[Function] Since the sounding probe has a sufficiently large impedance compared to the impedance of the living tissue, when the sounding probe is inserted into the concave portion of the living tissue, the inserted portion is short-circuited by the living tissue. , The impedance of the remaining non-inserted portion is detected as the impedance value of the measurement circuit. Therefore, by calculating backward from this, the insertion amount can be calculated, and the depth of the concave portion can be detected from the impedance value when the tip of the probe reaches the bottom of the concave portion. If the measurement target is, for example, a periodontal pocket, when the tip of the probe reaches the bottom of the pocket, the portion from the tip to the portion in contact with the edge of the pocket is short-circuited by periodontal tissue. The pocket depth is detected from the impedance of the portion where no is inserted.

Although the impedance of the portion not inserted into the living body concave portion changes every moment according to the insertion amount, the surface of the sounding probe is formed by alternately arranging an annular insulating layer and an exposed portion of a high impedance material. With this configuration, the detected impedance value changes stepwise, and digital detection and display can be performed. By arranging the scales at predetermined intervals, it is possible to perform measurement using both visual observation and electrical detection display.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As described above, the present invention can be applied to the measurement of the depth of various concave portions of a living body.

FIG. 1 shows a sounding probe and its holder.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a measuring procedure, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the measuring device. In the drawing, 1 is a sounding probe, 2 is a holder, 3
Is a scale provided on the surface of the probe 1 by an appropriate means, for example, in an annular shape every 1 mm, 4 is a periodontal pocket, 5 is a power supply for measuring voltage, 6 is an ammeter, 7 is a soft tissue 8 in the oral cavity of a patient. The oral electrode 9 brought into contact with is a tooth.

The probe 1 has an elongated shape suitable for being inserted into the periodontal pocket 4, and the holder 2 is formed of a good conductor such as metal whose surface is coated with an insulator. Tip 1
Is made of a high-impedance material having a sufficiently large impedance compared to the impedance of the periodontal tissue.
This material has a length L ₀ of 10 mm and a total of 10
A material having a high resistance value of about 0 to 1000 kΩ, for example, a material obtained by coating a conductive film on a high-resistance material or an insulator such as a conductive plastic, or a conductive rubber;
Conductive ceramics and the like are used.

For measuring the periodontal pocket, the probe 1
The material described above does not require much flexibility, but if other biological concavities are targeted, it is desirable to use a flexible elastic material so as to be able to cope with a curved biological concavity.
Further, the entire probe 1 is not made of a high-impedance material, but may be one in which a high-impedance material is coated on the outer periphery of an insulator.

When measuring the depth of the periodontal pocket 4 using such a depth-measuring probe 1, the probe 1 is inserted into the periodontal pocket 4 as shown in FIG. The tissue around the tooth 9 is usually in close contact with the tooth 9, and when there is a gap, it is filled with pus and exudate. Therefore, when the probe 1 is inserted into the periodontal pocket 4 as shown in the figure, The tip of the probe 1 from the tip to the portion in contact with the pocket edge 4a of the periodontal pocket 4 is short-circuited by the periodontal tissue or the filling liquid.

The probe 1 is made of a high-impedance material, and the impedance of the soft tissue 8 and the filling liquid which is sufficiently smaller than this is substantially negligible.
The current flowing through the measuring circuit is determined by the impedance of the remaining portion of the probe 1 not inserted into the periodontal pocket 4, and the impedance value of the remaining portion of the probe 1 is detected from the current value. That is, the length of the portion of the probe 1 inserted into the periodontal pocket 4 and the length of the portion not inserted can be clearly distinguished from the portion in contact with the pocket edge 4a as a reference point. The length of the portion inserted into the pocket 4 is calculated by back calculation, and the depth L ₁ of the pocket 4 can be known from the impedance value when the tip of the probe 1 reaches the bottom of the pocket 4. It is.

Next, the basic configuration and operation of the measuring apparatus will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 11 is an oscillator of a signal for measurement, 12 is a current detection resistor, 13 is a buffer, 14 is a filter, 15 is an AC-DC converter, 16 is an A / D converter, 17 is a CPU, 18 is a display unit, and 19 is an operation unit. , 2
0 is a memory. The oscillator 11 is, for example, 400 Hz to 1
It oscillates a high frequency of about 00 kHz.
The voltage generated in 2 is fetched through a buffer 13 and hum and various noises of the power supply are removed by a filter 14, then converted into a direct current by a converter 15, digitized by an A / D converter 16 and input to a CPU 17. Since the thickness of the probe 1 varies depending on the part, the CPU 17 converts the length of the probe 1 inserted into the periodontal pocket 4 while correcting the resistance value calculated from the detected current value, and further displays this. Part 1
8 is displayed.

In addition to such basic operations, by operating an operation unit 19 such as a foot switch, for example,
The following operation can be performed. That is, the surgeon checks the value sequentially displayed on the display unit 18 and the scale 3 of the probe 1, and determines that the values match, and that the tip of the probe 1 has reached the bottom of the periodontal pocket 4. When the operation unit 19 is operated at that time, the data at that time is stored in the memory 20, and the data is printed out by operating, for example, a printer (not shown) as necessary. These are provided by the CPU 17 so that various desired functions can be exhibited in advance.
By implementing the control program described above, it is possible to appropriately implement the control program.

Although FIG. 1 does not show the structure for attaching the sounding probe 1 to the holder 2, it is desirable that the probe 1 be detachably held at the tip of the holder 2. FIG. 4 is an example of such a case, in which an annular groove 1a is formed at the base of the probe 1 and a holder 2 is formed.
And can be fixed in the insertion hole 2a by the set screw 2b. The main body 2c of the holder 2 is made of, for example, a conductive material such as stainless steel. The surface of the main body 2c is covered with an insulating layer 2d such as a heat-shrinkable tube, and a lead wire 2e is provided. Is to be connected to.

FIG. 5 shows a tip portion of another embodiment of the sounding probe 1, and an insulating layer 1 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the probe 1 made of a high impedance material as in the above-described embodiment.
b, and an exposed portion 1c in which the high impedance material itself is annularly exposed without this insulating layer at regular intervals is formed. That is, the plurality of annular insulating layers 1b and the exposed portions 1c are alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction, and the exposed portions 1c are formed, for example, at the foremost end and at a fixed reference length from there. The portion 1c can be used also as the scale 3 in FIG.

When the exposed portion 1c has the function of a scale as described above, its material and color are selected so that the difference between the insulating layer 1b and the exposed portion 1c can be visually identified. Further, the exposed portion 1c and the scale 3 do not necessarily have to be at equal intervals. In the case of a periodontal pocket, for example, 1, 2, 3,
It may be provided at a clinically significant position such as 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 mm.

When the sounding probe 1 having such a structure is inserted into the periodontal pocket 4, the pocket edge 4 of the periodontal pocket 4
When a contacts the insulating layer 1b, the detected resistance hardly changes, and when the pocket edge 4a contacts the exposed portion 1c, the resistance changes greatly. Therefore, the resistance value changes stepwise according to the insertion amount as shown in FIG. 6, and the large change is detected by a CPU such as a differentiating circuit to perform digital detection and display. It becomes possible.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the sounding probe 1.
The structure has a structure in which a high resistance portion 1d made of a material having a large resistance value and a low resistance portion 1e made of a material having a small resistance value are joined via an insulating layer 1f extending in the longitudinal direction. According to such a probe 1, the amount of impedance change of the high-resistance portion 1d becomes larger than the amount of impedance change of the low-resistance portion 1e when water or blood accumulates in the concave portion. There is a merit that highly accurate measurement can be performed. The impedance values of the high resistance portion 1d and the low resistance portion 1e may be measured independently, or may be measured by switching with a switch or the like.

[0026]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention uses a sounding probe having a sufficiently large impedance as compared with the impedance of a living tissue, and inserts the probe into a recessed portion of the living tissue to allow the living tissue to use the probe. The depth of the living body concave portion is measured by detecting the impedance value of the depth-measuring probe in a portion that is not short-circuited.

Therefore, the structure of the sounding probe can be extremely simplified while having a configuration capable of automatic measurement and recording, and a clinically desirable shape of the sounding probe can be easily and inexpensively obtained. In addition, it is possible to obtain a disposable probe at a low cost. Further, since the sounding probe has no movable part and is hardly damaged, a probe that can be sterilized and can be used repeatedly can be obtained by appropriately selecting a material.
Therefore, it is possible to provide an inexpensive apparatus for measuring the depth of a living body concave portion such as a periodontal pocket, and it is also easy to obtain an easy-to-use and high-accuracy living body concave measuring device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a sounding probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a measurement procedure of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the measuring apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an example of a structure for attaching a sounding probe to a holder.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a tip portion of another embodiment of the sounding probe.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between an insertion amount and a resistance value according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of a sounding probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 sounding probe 1b insulating layer 1c exposed part 2 holder 3 scale 4 periodontal pocket (biological recess) 4a pocket margin 5 power supply for measurement voltage 7 oral electrode 8 soft tissue 11 signal oscillator for measurement 12 current detection resistor 17 CPU 18 Display unit 19 Operation unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Masanobu Yoshida 680 Higashihamananamicho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi In Morita Mfg. Co., Ltd. References JP-A-4-64354 (JP, A) JP-A-62-166822 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 10/00 A61C 19/04

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sounding probe having a sufficiently large impedance as compared with the impedance of a living tissue, and a sounding probe at a portion which is not short-circuited by the living tissue when the sounding probe is inserted into a living body concave portion. A calculating unit for detecting the impedance value and calculating the depth of the living body concave portion, the depth measuring device for living body concave portions. 2. The impedance of a sounding probe in a portion not short-circuited by a living tissue due to a current flowing when a measuring voltage is applied between the sounding probe and an electrode brought into contact with a soft tissue of the living body. The depth measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to detect a value. 3. The depth measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the depth-measuring probe is detachably held at a tip of the holder. 4. The body cavity depth measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the sounding probe is a periodontal pocket sounding probe, and the living body concave portion into which the sounding probe is inserted is a periodontal pocket. apparatus. 5. A depth measuring probe for living body recesses, which has a shape insertable into a living body recess and at least the surface of which is made of a high impedance material having a sufficiently large impedance as compared to living tissue. needle. 6. The probe according to claim 5, wherein the high impedance material is one of a conductive plastic, a conductive rubber, and a conductive ceramic. 7. The probe according to claim 6, wherein the outer periphery of the insulator is coated with a high impedance material. 8. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein an annular insulating layer formed on the surface and exposed portions where the high impedance material itself is annularly exposed are alternately arranged along the longitudinal direction. Probe for measuring the depth of a living body recess. 9. The probe according to claim 5, wherein scales are formed on the surface at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction. 10. The probe for measuring the depth of a living body recess according to claim 5, wherein the probe is formed of an elastic material that can be deformed along the shape of the living body recess.