JP3443435B2 - Ultra-high frequency heating treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrashort wave heating treatment device for irradiating cancer cells with microwaves and killing them by dielectric heating.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ultrashort wave heating treatment device,
In order to effectively necrosis and destroy cancer cells occurring at a relatively deep position from the surface inside the living body by dielectric heating, one of a pair of electrodes for generating a high frequency electric field is placed on the surface of the living body, and the other There is known a method of arranging the above electrode in a cavity inside a living body (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-29734).

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the above-mentioned conventional ultra-short-wave heating treatment apparatus. As shown in the figure, a conventional ultra-short wave heating treatment device includes a pair of electrodes 10 for generating a high frequency electric field.
One of the electrodes 104 and 105 is arranged on the surface of the living body 100, and the other electrode 105 is arranged in the cavity 10 of the living body 100.
1 through the balloon 106 and supplies high frequency energy from the high frequency generation controller 107 to both electrodes 10
A high frequency electric field E is formed between 4 and 105.

With the above structure, the lines of electric force are concentrated in the vicinity of the electrodes 104 and 105, and the strength of the high frequency electric field E becomes large in the vicinity of the electrodes 104 and 105. The cancer cells 103 generated in the vicinity of the cavity 101 by 105 are effectively irradiated with high frequency,
It is that heating treatment can be performed effectively.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a cooling pad, which controls the temperature rise of the electrode 104 by circulating the cooling water by the cooling water circulation control device 109. Also, the balloon 1
Cooling water is also circulated in the electrode 106.
The temperature rise is controlled. Further, the temperature rise of the cancer cell 103 is detected by the temperature sensor 110 and the temperature measuring device 111, and the cancer cell 1 is detected based on the detection.
The supply of high-frequency energy is controlled so that the rising temperature of 03 falls within a predetermined temperature range (around 45 ° C.).

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The conventional ultra-short wave heating treatment device described above includes the electrode 10 of the pair of electrodes 104 and 105.
5 is inserted and mounted in the cavity 101, and the electrode 105 is arranged in the vicinity of the cancer cell 103. Therefore, the cancer cell 103 is effectively irradiated with a high frequency, and the pair of electrodes are attached to the surface of the living body 100. Although the heating efficiency is improved as compared with the method of mounting the electrode 105 on the other hand, there is a problem that the temperature rise in the peripheral portion of the electrode 105 is large and only the vicinity of the cavity 103 in which the electrode 105 is disposed can be effectively heated.

That is, it is empirically known that the range in which dielectric heating can be performed to a desired temperature is, for example, about 10 mm from the wall surface of the cavity 101 on which the electrode 105 is arranged, and outside this range. When the cancer cells 103 are present in the area, effective heating is difficult and it is difficult to obtain a desired therapeutic effect. It is possible to increase the output of the high frequency energy in order to heat the cancer cells 103 in the outer portion to a predetermined treatment temperature. However, when the output is increased, the portion in the vicinity of the electrode 105 is heated more than necessary, and this portion is normally operated. Cells may be damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and reduces the gradient of the rising temperature in the vicinity of the cavity where the electrode is provided, and effectively applies it to a relatively wide range of cancer cells around the cavity. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultra-short-wave warming treatment device capable of warming treatment.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a ultra-short wave heating treatment apparatus in which a pair of electrodes are attached to the surface of a living body with a diseased part sandwiched therebetween, and the affected area is dielectrically heated by a high frequency electric field generated between the electrodes. The pair of electrodes , which is inserted into the cavity of the living body, includes a cavity electrode provided near the affected area.
And between the pair of electrodes and the cavity electrode.
At times, a high-frequency electric field is generated (Claim 1).

The cavity electrode may be directly connected to either one of the pair of electrodes, or may be connected via a variable inductance (claims 2 and 3).

[0011]

According to the above construction, a part of the high-frequency electric field generated between the pair of electrodes mounted on the surface of the living body is concentrated on the cavity electrode, and the electric field distribution in the vicinity of the cavity is concentrated on the cavity electrode. The resulting electric field and the electric field formed between the surface electrodes have a relatively gentle decreasing gradient as the distance from the wall surface of the cavity increases. For this reason, not only the vicinity of the cavity but also the peripheral area outside the cavity is effectively irradiated with the high frequency, and for example, the cancer cells occurring in a portion 10 mm or more from the wall surface of the cavity are also effectively heated by dielectric heating. It is done and it is destroyed.

By connecting the cavity electrode to either one of the pair of electrodes, the potential of the cavity electrode is stabilized, and thereby the distribution of the high frequency electric field near the cavity electrode is stabilized. Also, by adjusting the variable inductance, the distribution of the high-frequency electric field near the cavity electrode changes, and the range of dielectric heating can be adjusted.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrashort wave heating treatment apparatus according to the present invention. The ultrashort-wave hyperthermia treatment apparatus mainly includes electrodes 1 and 1 ′ mounted on the surface of the living body with the cancer cells S1 in the living body S interposed therebetween, and a cavity inserted into and mounted in a cavity S2 in the living body S such as an esophagus, a stomach and a duodenum. Required electrode 2, above electrode 1,
1'and a cavity electrode 2 for supplying high-frequency energy, a cooling controller 4 for cooling the electrodes 1, 1'and a cavity electrode 2, and a temperature sensor for detecting an elevated temperature of the cancer cell S1. 5 and a temperature measuring device 6 that calculates the temperature from the detection signal of the temperature sensor 5.

On the contact surface of the electrodes 1, 1'with the living body S, cooling pads 7, 7'filled with cooling water composed of physiological saline, distilled water, etc. are circulated. The cavity electrode 2 is provided in the balloon 82 of the applicator 8 including the pipe 81 and the balloon 82 formed at the tip of the pipe 81, and the cavity S2 is connected via the applicator 8. It is set in place.

A lead wire 21 is connected to the cavity electrode 2, and the lead wire 21 is drawn out of the applicator 8 through a pipe 81 and has a variable inductance L.
It is connected to the electrode 1 through. The lead wire 21 may be connected to the electrode 1'via the variable inductance L.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the cavity electrode 2 is set in the cavity S2. The applicator 8 is formed of an insulating member such as flexible rubber or synthetic resin,
In particular, the balloon 82 is expandable and contractable so as to be inscribed in the cavity S2, and is formed of, for example, a thin film of 0.1 to 0.2 mm.

In the applicator 8, an electrode pipe 83 for accommodating the cavity electrode 2 and the lead wire 21 and cooling pipes 84, 8 for circulating cooling water W around the electrode pipe 83.
5 are provided, the tip ends of the cooling pipes 84 and 85 are guided into the balloon 82, and the base end portions thereof are connected to the cooling control device 4. A plurality of holes are provided at the tip of the electrode pipe 83 where the cavity electrode 2 is provided so that the cooling water W in the balloon 82 can penetrate into the electrode pipe 83. Has been done.

The placement of the cavity electrode 2 in the cavity 2 is performed as follows. For example, when disposing the cavity electrode 2 in the stomach, the applicator 8 is inserted with the balloon 82 squeezed from the mouth of the living body S. After inserting the applicator 8 until the balloon 82 reaches a predetermined position on the stomach,
The cooling water W is injected into the balloon 82 from the cooling control device 4 through the cooling pipes 84 and 85 to inflate the balloon 82. The cooling water W is injected until the balloon 82 is inscribed in the entire stomach wall with an appropriate pressure (state of FIG. 2), and when this injection is completed, the setting of the cavity electrode 2 is completed.

In the above configuration, the high frequency generation control device 3
When high-frequency energy is supplied from the electrodes 1 and 1'and the cavity electrode 2 to each other, a high-frequency electric field E is formed between the electrode 1 and the electrode 1'and between the electrode 1 (or the electrode 1 ') and the cavity electrode 2,
Due to this high frequency electric field E, the cancer cells S1 are 2 more than the normal cells.
Dielectric heating is performed to raise the temperature by ˜2.5 ° C. and necrosis and destruction without damaging normal cells.

During the heating treatment, the temperature sensor 5 and the temperature measuring device 6 measure the rising temperature of the cancer cell S1, and the high-frequency generation controller 3 adjusts the output of the high-frequency energy based on the measurement result. The heating temperature of the cancer cell S1 is maintained in a predetermined temperature range (about 45 ° C.). Further, cooling water W is circulated through the cooling pads 7, 7'and the applicator 8 by the cooling control device 4, and the electrodes 1, 1 '
Also, the temperature rise of the cavity electrode 2 is suppressed.

By the way, in the high frequency electric field E formed between the electrode 1 and the electrode 1 ', a part of the lines of electric force is in the electrodes 1, 1'.
It is concentrated on the cavity electrode 2 provided between them, and the portion near the cavity electrode 2 has a higher electric flux density than the peripheral portion. Therefore, when the cancer cell S1 is located at a deep position from the surface of the living body S and in the vicinity of the cavity S2, the cavity electrode 2 disposed in the cavity S2 is effectively irradiated with a high frequency, and the dielectric heating is performed. Can be necrotized and destroyed.

Moreover, according to the above configuration, the cavity electrode 2
Electrode 1 and electrode 1'in the peripheral part, which is slightly away from the vicinity of
Since there are also lines of electric force generated between the
Intensity decreases relatively gradually from the vicinity of the cavity electrode 2 to its peripheral portion, and the cancer cells S1 are generated in the periphery of the cavity S2, for example, at a position 10 mm or more away from the wall surface of the cavity S2. In this case, it is possible to effectively irradiate a high frequency, and the electrode 1 attached to one surface of the conventional living body S is used.
Effective in a wider range than the method of forming the high frequency electric field E only between the electrodes 2 mounted in the cavity and the electrode 2, or between the pair of electrodes 1, 1 ′ mounted on the opposite surfaces of the living body S. Warming treatment can be given.

FIG. 3 shows the experimental results of the heating effect by the ultrashort wave heating treatment apparatus according to the present invention. (A) shows a case where the variable inductance L is large, and (b) shows a small variable inductance L. In this case, (c) is a diagram showing a heating effect of a conventional ultra-short wave heating treatment device (when the one-side surface electrode 1 and the cavity electrode 2 are used). Further, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a measurement system of the above experiment.

The experiment was carried out using a rectangular parallelepiped sample 9 made of, for example, agar, which has a dielectric constant substantially the same as that of the living body 100. As shown in FIG.
A hole 10 reaching the center is formed on one side surface 91, and the hole 10
The cavity electrode 2 is inserted and attached to the central position from the above, and the electrodes 1 and 1'are attached to the side surfaces 92 and 93 which are adjacent to the one side surface 91 and are opposed to each other, and these electrodes 1, 1'and 2 are attached. High frequency energy is supplied from the high frequency generation control device 3 to dielectrically heat the sample 9.

In FIG. 3, the high frequency energy is supplied from the high frequency generation control device 3 at a predetermined output for a predetermined time to dielectrically heat the sample 9 from room temperature, and then the sample 9 is divided into longitudinal sections K, and the longitudinal section K is shown. Is the temperature distribution measured by thermography.

In FIG. 3, 11 is a line showing the outline of the sample 9. In addition, the five closed curves in the contour line 11 each show an isotherm, and the temperatures in the cross section K of the sample 9 are A to F.
(A>B>C>D>E> F) is displayed in 5 levels.
In addition, in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the cavity electrode 2 is provided within a closed curve A.

As can be seen from the comparison of FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (c), the cavity between the electrodes 1 and 1'on the pair of surfaces is more than the conventional method of heating with the electrode 1 on one side and the electrode 2 for cavity. It can be seen that the method of providing the required electrode 2 for heating has a gentler temperature gradient in the peripheral portion of the cavity electrode 2 and enables effective dielectric heating over a relatively wide range around the cavity 2.

Therefore, even when the cancer cells S1 are generated at a position relatively far from the wall surface of the cavity S2, only the cancer cells S1 are dielectrically heated without destroying the normal cells near the wall surface of the cavity S1. Can be destroyed by necrosis.

As can be seen from FIGS. 9A and 9B, the cavity S is adjusted by adjusting the variable inductance L.
Adjustable heating range from 2, variable inductance L
The heating range can be widened by increasing.

This is because when the variable inductance L is increased, the voltage drop due to the variable inductance increases, so that the potential difference between the electrode 1 and the cavity electrode 2 decreases.
As the lines of electric force between the electrode 1 and the cavity electrode 2 decrease, the lines of electric force between the electrodes 1 and 1'increase, and the intensity gradient of the high frequency electric field E in the peripheral portion of the cavity electrode 2 becomes gentler. Because.

Although the lead wire 21 is connected to the electrode 1 or 1'through the variable inductance L in the above embodiment, the lead wire 21 is directly connected to the electrode 1 or the electrode 1 '. Good.

Further, the base end of the lead wire 21 may be opened without being connected to any of the electrodes 1 and 1 '. In this case, the relatively long lead wire 21 acts as an antenna, and the cavity electrode 2 has a constant electric potential by being coupled to the outside of the electrodes 1 and 1 ′.
Then, a potential difference is generated between the electrodes 1 and 1 ', and a part of the lines of electric force between the electrodes 1 and 1'are concentrated on the cavity electrode 2, and the same effect as described above can be obtained.

The potential of the cavity electrode 2 is the lead wire 21.
Since it changes depending on the length and the grounding position, it is possible to adjust the heating range of the peripheral portion of the cavity electrode 2 by adjusting these conditions.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A pair of electrodes are attached to the surface of the living body across the affected area, and in a microwave heating treatment device that dielectrically heats the affected area by a high-frequency electric field generated between the electrodes, it is inserted into the cavity of the living body in the vicinity of the affected area. Since the cavity electrodes to be arranged are provided, the cancer cells formed not only in the vicinity of the cavity but also in the outer peripheral portion thereof can be effectively dielectrically heated to be necrotic and destroyed.

Further, since the cavity electrode is connected to either one of the pair of electrodes directly or via the variable inductance, the high frequency wave in the vicinity of the cavity where the cavity electrode is set is set. The electric field is stable, the electric field distribution can be adjusted, and appropriate heating treatment can be performed according to the position where the cancer cells are generated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrashort-wave heating treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which a cavity electrode is set inside the cavity.

3A and 3B show experimental results of the heating effect of the ultra-short-wave heating apparatus according to the present invention, where (a) shows a case where the variable inductance is large, (b) shows a case where the variable inductance is small, and (c). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a heating effect of a conventional ultra-short wave heating treatment device (when a one-side surface electrode and a cavity electrode are used).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a measurement system of the above experiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional ultra-short wave heating treatment device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,1 'electrode Two-cavity electrode 21 lead wire 3 High frequency generator 4 Cooling control device 5 Temperature sensor 6 temperature measuring instrument 7,7 cooling pad 8 Applicator 81 pipes 82 balloon 83 Electrode Pipe 9 samples 10 holes L variable inductance S living body S1 cancer cells S2 cavity W cooling water

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ultrashort wave heating treatment device in which a pair of electrodes are attached to the surface of a living body with the affected area sandwiched therebetween, and the affected area is dielectrically heated by a high frequency electric field generated between the electrodes, which is inserted into the cavity of the living body. A cavity electrode provided near the affected area, between the pair of electrodes, and the pair of electrodes
And a high-frequency electric field at the same time between the cavity electrode and
VHF warming therapy device, characterized in that that. 2. The cavity electrode is connected to either one of the pair of electrodes.
The described ultra-short wave heating treatment device. 3. The ultrashort-wave hyperthermia treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cavity electrode is connected to one of the pair of electrodes via a variable inductance.