JP4520126B2 - Capsule type medical device system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a capsule medical device system that can be introduced into a living body and easily and directly approach a target site such as a superficial disease.

  At present, a drug delivery system (DDS) is attracting attention as a means for safely and effectively administering a drug to a patient. The drug delivery system regulates the biological activity, side effects, targeted targeting (targeting) to the affected area, controlled release of the drug, improved drug absorption, chemical stability and metabolic activity of the drug. Thus, a necessary amount of a drug is allowed to act on a superficial disease in a living body for a necessary time to use the drug more effectively. This drug delivery system uses different technologies depending on the type of disease. For example, when a superficial disease that is an affected area is a malignant tumor, technologies such as targeting and controlled release are required.

  On the other hand, a capsule-type capsule medical device that can be put into a living body from the oral cavity is known as an apparatus for easily examining a health condition. Various types of capsule-type medical devices are provided. For example, a device that randomly images each part of the living body, a device that collects a sample from the living body, or a device that releases a drug. Etc. are known. As one of them, a capsule endoscope is known that can take an image after releasing a foaming agent at a predetermined position (large intestine) in the body to expand a lumen portion in the living body (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

The capsule endoscope has a capsule frame formed in a capsule shape having a transparent and hemispherical transparent member on one end face side and a hemispherical mesh member on the other end face side. In addition, inside the capsule frame and inside the transparent member, there are an LED that irradiates the living body with illumination light and an imaging optical system that images the inside of the living body.
The capsule frame body is provided with a pH sensor so as to be exposed on the outer surface. The pH value detected by the pH sensor is sent to the control processing circuit, and is transmitted from the transmitting antenna toward the outside of the body when it is determined that the large intestine has been reached from the change in pH value. The image data picked up by the image pickup optical system is also transmitted from the transmitting antenna to the outside after predetermined processing. Furthermore, inside the mesh member, a plurality of microcapsules that are destroyed by the irradiation of ultrasonic waves are incorporated, and a foaming agent that reacts with water to generate gas is incorporated in the microcapsules.

  When performing an examination using this capsule endoscope, the patient first swallows the capsule endoscope and puts it into the body. The inserted capsule endoscope moves the digestive organ while detecting the pH value in the body with a pH sensor. Here, when reaching the large intestine, the control processing circuit determines that the large intestine has been reached due to a change in pH value detected by the pH sensor, and notifies the outside of the body from the transmitting antenna. When a medical staff or the like receives this transmitted signal outside the body, the medical staff or the like irradiates the body with ultrasonic waves using an ultrasonic generator. When the ultrasonic wave is irradiated, the microcapsule is broken, and the internal foaming agent is released from the mesh member into the large intestine. The foaming agent reacts with moisture in the large intestine to generate gas and expands in the large intestine. Thereby, it is possible to image the expanded large intestine over a wide range with the imaging optical system.

Thus, the above-described capsule endoscope has the above-described targeting and controlled release functions of releasing the foaming agent from the microcapsule at a desired position (large intestine) in the body. In particular, since such a capsule medical device can be easily introduced into a patient's body, it is newly attracting attention as one means of the drug delivery system.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-38424 (paragraph numbers 0006 to 0049, FIGS. 1 to 5)

  By the way, the capsule endoscope described in Patent Document 1 sends a signal to the outside of the living body when it reaches the large intestine which is a predetermined position in the living body, and receives the signal and sent from the outside of the living body. Since the foaming agent is released into the large intestine by ultrasonic waves, it takes time until the foaming agent is released after reaching a predetermined position. In this capsule endoscope, since the subject that releases the foaming agent is the large intestine, it is not necessary to severely consider the influence of the time to release the foaming agent after reaching the large intestine. For example, if you want to operate within a limited range in the vicinity of a superficial disease in a living body, it takes time to detect the superficial disease and react, so when you activate it, it will pass the desired range There was an inconvenience.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is a capsule medical device that can easily and directly approach a desired site such as a superficial disease in a living body. Is to provide a system .

The capsule medical device system of the present invention includes a medical device having biological information acquisition means for obtaining biological information in a body cavity and marking means for intermittently leaving a plurality of indices in the body cavity, a capsule-shaped exterior part, Index detecting means for detecting the plurality of indices left in the body cavity by the medical device, a drug holding part for holding a drug, a drug releasing part for releasing the drug in the drug holding part, and the index detecting means A capsule medical device having a control unit that controls the drug release unit based on the information of the information, and the control unit stores in advance the order of the index for releasing the drug among the plurality of indexes with, when the number of said index detecting means detects said index matches the order of the index for performing release of the drug stored in the control unit, especially that to release the drug in the drug-releasing unit It is set to.

Further, in the above capsule medical device system, the medical device has a capsule-shaped exterior part, the biological information acquisition means, the marking means, the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition means, and the marking means. A second capsule medical device having an information transmission unit that transmits the operation information to the outside of the exterior unit, and a reception device that receives information transmitted to the outside of the exterior unit by the information transmission unit. More preferably, it is configured.

In the capsule medical device system according to the present invention, the second capsule medical device is orally added, so that the information transmission unit obtains the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit and the operation information of the marking unit. Communicate to outside. The receiving device receives the transmitted biological information and motion information, and detects a desired site in the body cavity from these information as an index. Thereafter, the position of the index can be detected and the drug can be released at the position of the index by the capsule medical device that has been orally introduced. Thus, since the medical device can be constituted by the second capsule medical device, it can be miniaturized and can be easily orally injected into a patient or the like.

In the capsule medical device system, it is more preferable that the medical device has a storage unit that stores the biological information and the position where the index is left in association with each other.

The desired site of the capsule medical device by the system lever, the body according to the present invention (affected area), it is possible to approach easily and directly, it is possible to further carry out the medication. In particular, dosing is not performed after the affected area is detected, but is performed by detecting an index indicating the position of the affected area, so that the affected area can be efficiently administered without passing through the affected area before dosing. be able to.

A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the capsule medical device system 1 of the present embodiment includes a medication capsule (capsule medical device) 2 that is orally injected into the body (in vivo) of a patient P, and biological information in the body cavity. And a medical device 3 having an observation system 12 (biological information acquisition means) for obtaining a captured image and a discharge mechanism (marking means) 13 for leaving a marking (index) M in the body cavity.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medical device 3 is acquired by the observation system 12, the discharge mechanism 13, and the observation system 12 in a capsule-shaped casing (exterior portion) 11. A capsule medical device (second capsule medical device) 10 having wireless transmission means (a transmission means, an information transmission unit) 14 for transmitting biological information and operation information of the ejection mechanism 13 to the outside of the housing 11; A personal computer (hereinafter referred to as PC) (reception device) 30 having an observation information receiver 31 for receiving information transmitted to the outside of the housing 11 by the wireless transmission means 14 is provided.

  The casing 11 of the capsule medical device 10 is formed so as to seal the inside with plastic or the like, and a transparent cover 11a is provided on one end side. An objective lens 15 that images each part in the body is disposed inside the transparent cover 11a, and an imaging element 16 such as a CMOS imager or a CCD is disposed at the imaging position of the objective lens 15, for example. Yes. Further, around the objective lens 15, an LED 17 that irradiates illumination light to illuminate the visual field range of the objective lens 15 is disposed. That is, the objective lens 15, the image sensor 16 and the LED 17 constitute the observation system 12.

  In addition, a minute discharge port 18 is formed in a part of the housing 11, and a reservoir 19 for storing a marking agent W such as a dye, a magnetic material, and a radiation body is arranged inside the discharge port 18. Has been. A part of the reservoir 19 is elastically deformable, and a piezoelectric element 20 is provided at the elastic position. That is, by sending an operation signal or the like to the piezo element 20, the piezo element 20 expands and presses the reservoir 19, so that the marking agent W can be discharged from the discharge port 18 toward the outside of the housing 11. Yes. By doing so, the marking M such as ink can be applied to the living body. That is, the discharge port 18, the reservoir 19, and the piezo element 20 constitute the discharge mechanism 13. The marking agent W naturally disappears after a predetermined time has elapsed since being applied as the marking M in the living body. For example, when the marking M is applied in the small intestine, the marking M peels off the tube wall together with the small intestinal tissue due to tissue metabolism.

In addition, in the housing 11, the observation system 12 and the ejection mechanism 13 are controlled, and a control processing unit 21 that performs predetermined processing on biological information acquired by the observation system 12, and biological information processed by the control processing unit 21. And a battery 23 for supplying power to the above-described components.
The control processing unit 21 sends an operation signal to the piezo element 20 after being put into the body, and applies the marking M to the body periodically, for example, once every 5 minutes while moving in the body. Thus, the discharge mechanism 13 is activated. Moreover, it has the function to control the observation system 12 at the same time and to pick up biological information by randomly imaging the inside of the body, for example, every second. Further, the control processing unit 21 has a function of performing predetermined processing on the biological information sent from the observation system 12 and sequentially storing the biological information in the memory 22 in association with the timing at which the piezo element 20 is operated. ing. In other words, the memory 22 has a function of associating the position of the marking M provided in the body with the biological information and storing it in the memory 22.

In addition, the capsule medical device 10 can output biometric information stored in the memory 22 to the PC 30 after being discharged from the body of the patient P and collected. Thereby, the doctor can make a diagnosis based on the biological information input to the PC 30.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the PC 30 includes the observation information receiver 31 that obtains biological information by performing wireless communication with the capsule medical device 10. The observation information receiver 31 is connected to the PC 30 by a cable 32, and a container installation unit 34 for installing a container 33 for storing the capsule medical device 10 therein, and the capsule medical device 10 stored in the container 33. A power supply means 35 for supplying power to the wireless communication means and a wireless reception means 36 are provided.

The power supply means 35 includes, for example, a coil 35a disposed so as to surround the container installation portion 34, a driver 35b for supplying an alternating current to the coil 35a, and a switch 37 for turning on / off the power of the driver 35b. Has been. The switch 37 is connected to an installation detection switch 38 disposed on the bottom surface of the container installation unit 34, and operates when the installation detection switch 38 detects that the container 33 is arranged in the container installation unit 34. It has become. That is, when the container 33 is installed in the container installation section 34, an AC power source flows from the driver 35b to the coil 35a.
The wireless receiving means 36 receives a signal transmitted from the capsule medical device 10 and transmits the signal to the PC 30 via the cable 32.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the capsule medical device 10 receives power from the wireless transmission unit 14 and the power supply unit 35 that transmit signals to the wireless reception unit 36 of the observation information receiver 31 in the housing 11. Power receiving means 24 for receiving is provided.
The power receiving means 24 includes a receiving coil 24a and an AC-DC converter 24b. When receiving power from the power supply means 35, the power receiving means 24 distributes the power to the wireless transmission means 14 and the memory 22, and wirelessly stores the biological information stored in the memory 22 via the wireless transmission means 14. The data is sent to the receiving means 36. The sent biological information is sent to the PC 30.
Thereby, as described above, the biometric information stored in the memory 22 can be output to the PC 30 below.

  Next, the medication capsule 2 is shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 shows the appearance, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view. The medication capsule 2 includes a reservoir (drug holding unit) 41 that holds a drug A in a capsule-like housing (exterior portion) 40 that is orally introduced into the body (in vivo) of a patient P, and the reservoir 41. A discharge means (drug release section) 42 for releasing the drug A held in the body, a control section (release control means) 43 for operating the release means 42, and a marking M indicating the drug release position applied in the body are detected. Sensor (detection means, index detection means) 44 and a battery 45 for supplying power to these components.

  The casing 40 is formed to be sealed with plastic or the like, and the reservoir 41 surrounded by the wall 40a and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 40 is provided inside the one end side. Yes. A plurality of drug ports 46 are formed around the axis of the housing 40 around the reservoir 41 and on the outer surface of the housing 40. A thin film (not shown) is formed in the medicine port 46 so that the medicine A held in the reservoir 41 does not leak from the medicine port 46. A heater 47 is provided in the reservoir 41. The heater 47 has a function of generating bubbles by instantaneous heating, breaking the thin film of the drug port 46 by the pressure, and releasing the drug A from the drug port 46. That is, the medicine port 46 and the heater 47 constitute the discharge means 42.

  The sensor 44 is formed on the outer surface on the other end side of the housing 40, and is formed around the axis of the housing 40. The sensor 44 detects the marking M while moving in the living body, It has a function to send. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the sensor 44 is composed of a light emitting element 44a composed of an LED or the like, an optical detector 44b, and a prism 44c. The sensor 44 will be described on the assumption that the marking M is inked. The light emitted from the light emitting element 44a is reflected by the prism 44c and irradiated to the living body through the window 40a formed in the housing 40. The irradiated light is reflected by the living body, passes through the window 40a and the prism 44c, and enters the optical detector 44b. The optical detector 44b detects the level of incident light.

Here, when the sensor 44 is operated at the position of the tissue that is not marked, the irradiated light is reflected by the living tissue, and the reflected light is detected by the optical detector 44c.
On the other hand, when the sensor 44 is operated at the position of the tissue that has been marked, since the living tissue is inked, the light is absorbed by the living tissue (or the tissue that has not been inked). The light detector 44c detects light that is weaker than the reflected light. Further, the optical detector 44c transmits a voltage output corresponding to the level of incident light to the control unit 43. The control unit 43 determines whether the voltage output is a signal from a tissue that has been inked or a signal from a tissue that has not been inked. Here, when the control unit 43 determines that the signal is from a tissue that has been inked, the counter (not shown) built in the control unit 43 is advanced by one. Thereby, the marking M can be counted.

Further, in this embodiment, ink is used, but the same effect can be obtained by using any dye as long as it can be detected. An example is a dye used for endoscopy such as methylene blue. In this case, the detection wavelength region of the optical detector 44c may be selected to be optimal. Further, as the marking M, a chemical containing a fluorescence generating material may be used. In this case, a light emitting element 44a that generates light having a wavelength that excites fluorescence may be used, and an optical detector 44c that detects light having the wavelength of fluorescence generated may be used.
In addition, as the marking M, a medicine containing a radioisotope may be used. In this case, a scintillator or the like may be used as the sensor 44.
As the marking M, a medicine containing a magnetic material may be used. Moreover, you may use a magnetic body itself instead of a chemical | medical agent. In this case, a magnetic sensor may be used as the sensor 44.
Further, as the marking M, a metal material may be used. The operation in this case is described in the second embodiment.

  Further, the control unit 43 has a memory 43a in which a specific marking M that is an index indicating the position of the affected part X is stored in advance as the number of markings M, and the marking M detected by the sensor 44 is stored. It has a function of counting and heating the heater 47 when it matches the number stored in the memory 43a. That is, the control unit 43 determines whether or not the marking M detected by the sensor 44 is a specific marking.

The case where the medicine A is administered to the affected part X in the body of the patient P by the capsule medical device system 1, the medication capsule 2, and the capsule medical device 10 configured as described above will be described below.
First, the patient P swallows the capsule medical device 10 in accordance with a doctor's instruction at a medical institution such as a hospital and puts it into the mouth. At this time, the capsule medical device 10 is turned on when the capsule medical device 10 is turned on, and the control processing unit 21 supplied with power from the battery 23 starts to operate. As shown in FIG. 8, the capsule-type medical device 10 that has been orally loaded moves the patient P inside the body of the patient P, and the control processing unit 21 operates the discharge mechanism 13 to Marking M is applied once every 5 minutes. That is, the control processing unit 21 sends an operation signal or the like to the piezo element 20 to expand it. Thereby, since the reservoir 19 is pressed and the marking agent W is discharged from the discharge port 18, the marking M is applied to the digestive organs. At the same time, the control processing unit 21 operates the observation system 12 to acquire biological information by imaging each part of the body, for example, every second. Further, the control processing unit 21 associates the biological information acquired by the observation system 12 with the position of the marking M, and sequentially stores them in the memory 22.

Then, after the observation inside the body is completed by excretion of the capsule medical device 10, the capsule medical device 10 is recovered. After the collection, the biological information associated with the position of the marking M stored in the memory 22 is input to the PC 30 shown in FIG.
That is, the observation capsule 10 discharged from the body of the patient P is collected and then stored in the container 33. By storing in the container 33, the person who operates it after that can operate it, without feeling unclean. And if the container 33 is installed in the container installation part 34, the installation detection switch 38 will be set to ON. As a result, the switch 37 is turned on, and the power supply means 35 and the wireless reception means 36 are driven. When the power supply means 35 operates, power is supplied toward the capsule medical device 10. The power receiving unit 24 of the capsule medical device 10 receives the supplied power and distributes and supplies it to the wireless transmission unit 14 and the memory 22. Upon receiving this power, the wireless transmission means 14 wirelessly transmits the biological information stored in the memory 22 toward the observation information receiver 31. The wireless transmission unit 36 receives the transmitted biological information and transmits it to the PC 30 via the cable 32.

The biological information received by the PC 30 is confirmed by the operator and the dosing position is determined. Further, since the biological information is stored in association with the position (number) of the marking M, when the dosage position is determined, it is possible to immediately determine the number of the marking M that should be started. The operator may determine the number of markings M, but the PC 30 may automatically recognize the number of markings M and set it to the medication capsule 2 as will be described later.
In the present embodiment, the wireless transmission unit 14 employs a communication method using electromagnetic waves, but the communication method may be implemented by a method other than electromagnetic waves. For example, the capsule medical device 10 and the container 33 may be used. And an infrared sensor provided in the capsule medical device 10 when the container 33 is installed in the container installation unit 34, and an infrared light emitting element provided in the capsule medical device 10. If it arrange | positions so that it may oppose, it will become possible to transmit biometric information by infrared communication.

An operator such as a doctor diagnoses whether there is an abnormality in the body based on a captured image that is biometric information input to the PC 30. As a result, when a lesion or the like is found in the captured image, the affected part X such as a superficial disease or the like that requires medication is identified from the lesion or the like. After specifying the affected part X, the doctor specifies the marking M indicating the position of the affected part X. That is, since the biological information and the position of the marking M are transmitted in association with each other, the marking M related to the biological information can be specified from the biological information specifying the affected part X. That is, the specific marking M is specified by the number of markings M such as what number marking M is.
In the description of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the position of the affected part X is located between the tenth marking M and the eleventh marking M, and the position of the affected part X is The specific marking M shown is the tenth marking.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the doctor places the medication capsule 2 on the communication device 39 connected to the PC 30 and inputs information on the specific marking M from the PC 30 to the memory 43 a as a set value. That is, data indicating that the 10th marking M is a specific marking M is transmitted from the PC 30 to the medication capsule 2 placed on the communication device 39 via the communication device 39. After the input, the patient P obtains the medication capsule 2 from a doctor or the like. The patient P may leave the medical institution or the like after obtaining the medication capsule 2.
Thereafter, the patient P swallows the dosing capsule 2 and orally injects it according to the determined dosing time. While the orally administered medication capsule 2 moves through the body, the sensor 44 detects the marking M applied by the capsule medical device 10. The sensor 44 acquires lumen information, and the control unit 43 determines the presence or absence of the marking M.

  The control unit 43 compares the information on the marking M with the information on the specific marking M preset in the memory 43a. That is, the control unit 43 determines whether the marking M is a specific marking M by counting the number of markings M sent. For example, since the specific marking is preset to be the tenth marking M, it is determined that the first detected marking M is not the specific marking M. Further, since the marking M sent next is the second marking M according to the count number, it is determined that it is not a specific marking M.

Thus, the medication capsule 2 moves in the living body while detecting each marking M. When the medication capsule 2 detects the 10th marking M, the control unit 43 determines that the marking M sent by the count number is the 10th marking M, that is, the specific marking M. And the heater 47 is operated. The heater 47 receives a signal from the control unit 43, instantaneously heats it to generate bubbles, and breaks the thin film at the drug port 46 by the pressure of the bubbles.
When the thin film of the drug port 46 is broken, the drug A in the reservoir 41 is released from the drug port 46 to the outside of the housing 40 as shown in FIG. That is, since the specific marking M indicates the position of the affected part X, it is possible to directly administer the affected part X.

According to the capsule medical device system 1, the medication capsule 2, and the capsule medical device 10 described above, by inputting the capsule medical device 10 orally, biometric information can be obtained while leaving the marking M in the body cavity, The biological information and the information of the marking M can be received by the PC 30 via the wireless transmission means 14. From these pieces of information, the affected part X in the body can be easily detected by the marking M. Further, after the oral turned dosing capsule for 2, it allows the release of the agent A at the position of the particular marking M to perform medication. In this way, it is possible to easily and directly approach a desired site (affected site) in a body cavity and to perform medication. In addition, since the specific marking M is detected and the medication is performed after the affected area X is detected, it does not pass through the affected area X before the medication is performed, and the affected area X is efficiently treated. Dosing can be done.

In addition, since the index indicating the position of the affected part is not a site having a characteristic shape or color in the living body but a marking applied by the capsule medical device 10, it can be a clearer index. Therefore, since the sensor 44 detects the marking (specific marking) reliably and with high accuracy, the reliability of medication can be improved.
Furthermore, since the medical device 3 is constituted by the capsule medical device 10, it can be easily orally injected into the patient P.
Further, the control unit 43 counts the number of markings detected by the sensor 44, and determines that the marking M just detected is a specific marking when it matches the number stored in the memory 43a in advance. Drug A is being released. Thus, since the control unit 43 determines the specific marking M based on the simple count of the marking M, it is not necessary to provide a complicated determination circuit or the like, the configuration can be facilitated, and detection errors are reduced. Reliability can be improved.

Further, in this embodiment, the capsule medical device 10 is collected after being discharged from the body, and the biological information stored in the memory 22 is taken out. It does not matter as a structure to do.
In the present embodiment, the marking M is intermittently performed at regular time intervals. However, the markings may not be regular time intervals. For example, the marking M may be applied at a constant movement distance interval in the body. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, an observation measurement means (movement amount detection means) 50 may be provided in the housing 11. The observation measurement means 50 includes an information acquisition means 51 for acquiring a surface image that is the surface information of the digestive tract lumen wall in the body, and the movement distance based on the temporal change of the surface information acquired by the information acquisition means 51. And an image processing unit 52 for calculation. The information acquisition means 51 includes an LED 53 that irradiates the surface of the digestive tract lumen wall with the light L, and an optical sensor 54 that reads the image of the light L reflected from the surface of the digestive tract lumen wall, that is, the surface image. is doing. The LED 53 is horizontally arranged, for example, so as to irradiate the light L in the axial direction of the housing 11. Further, the irradiation direction of the irradiated light L is changed by the reflection mirrors 55a and 55b, and the light L can be irradiated obliquely toward the surface of the digestive tract lumen wall. The optical sensor 54 is disposed at a position where the reflected light L can be received. In addition, what is necessary is just to provide the transparent cover 11a in the housing | casing 11 of the information acquisition means 50 vicinity so that the light L can be optically permeate | transmitted.

The image processing unit 52 captures (scans), for example, a surface image of the digestive tract lumen wall read by the optical sensor 54 at a high speed of 1500 to 6000 times per second, and features such as the color and shape of each captured image. The movement distance is calculated from these changes over time. And what is necessary is just to comprise so that the calculated moving distance may be notified to the control process part 21. FIG. By doing so, as described above, the control processing unit 21 can apply the marking M by operating the ejection mechanism 13 for every fixed movement distance in the body.
In this manner, by applying the marking M at a constant movement distance, the markings M can be applied in the body cavity without the markings M being too close to each other.
Furthermore, a position sensor may be provided in the housing 11, and marking M may be applied at regular intervals based on the output of the position sensor. In this case, for example, AURORA manufactured by NDI can be used as the position sensor.

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that, in the capsule medical device system 1 of the first embodiment, the marking M is applied to the body by the capsule medical device 10, whereas the second embodiment is different from the second embodiment. In the capsule medical device system 60, the affected part X is specified by the endoscope device (medical device) 61, a specific marking M indicating the position of the affected part X is applied, and administration is performed when the specific marking M is detected. It is a point to do. In the present embodiment, the specific marking M has a magnetic property.
For this marking M, in addition to the magnetic drug, a clip or the like used in a procedure performed with an endoscope can be used.

That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the capsule medical device system 60 of the present embodiment includes the endoscope device 61 and a medication capsule 70 that is orally introduced.
The endoscope device 61 has a flexible endoscope insertion portion 62 that can be inserted into the body. The endoscope insertion section 62 has an observation means (biological information acquisition means) (not shown) for observing the inside of the body at the tip. In addition, a treatment instrument channel (not shown) is formed in the endoscope insertion portion 62 so as to be inserted through a treatment instrument insertion hole (not shown) arranged on the proximal end side from the opening at the distal end. . A treatment instrument (marking means) 63 for applying the magnetic marking M to the body cavity can be inserted into the treatment instrument channel.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the medication capsule 70 includes a reservoir 41, a discharge means 42, a control unit 43, a battery 45, and a magnetic sensor (detection means) for detecting the specific marking M in a housing 40. 71. Further, the control unit 43 operates the discharge means 42 when the magnetic sensor 71 detects a specific marking M.

The case where the medicine A is administered to the affected part X in the body of the patient P by the capsule medical device system 60 of the present embodiment will be described below.
First, a patient P undergoes an endoscopic examination at a medical institution such as a hospital and is diagnosed for any abnormality in the body. That is, the endoscope insertion portion 62 of the endoscope apparatus 61 is inserted into the body, and the inside of the body is observed by the observation system. When the affected part X such as a superficial disease is found in the digestive organ by this endoscopy, the doctor inserts the treatment tool 63 into the treatment tool channel and uses a magnetic material indicating the position of the affected part X. A certain marking M is applied in the digestive trachea. After this endoscopy, the patient P obtains a medication capsule 70 from a doctor. The patient P may leave the medical institution after obtaining the medication capsule 70.

  Next, the patient P swallows the medication capsule 70 and puts it orally. The medication capsule 70 orally loaded moves while observing the digestive tract with the magnetic sensor 71. Here, when the specific marking M is reached, the magnetic sensor 71 detects the position in response to the specific marking M that is a magnetic body. When a specific marking M is detected, the magnetic sensor 71 sends a message to that effect to the control unit 43. The controller 43 receives a signal from the magnetic sensor 71 and operates the heater 47. The heater 47 receives a signal from the control unit 43, instantaneously heats it to generate bubbles, and breaks the thin film at the drug port 46 by the pressure of the bubbles. As a result, the medicine A in the reservoir 41 is released from the medicine port 46 to the outside of the housing 40. Accordingly, the affected part X can be directly administered. Further, since the medicine A can be released simultaneously with the detection of the specific marking M while moving in the body, it does not require time from detection to release. Therefore, since the medicine can be released in the vicinity of the more specific marking A, the affected part X can be dispensed with high accuracy.

In this embodiment, the magnetic sensor 71 is used. However, when the above clip is used,
As shown in FIG. 14, as the treatment tool 63, a clip attachment treatment tool capable of applying an endoscope clip in a body cavity may be employed. Further, the medication capsule 70 may be provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and a change in reflectance of light emitted from the light emitting element may be detected. (Since the clip is made of metal, the amount of reflected light increases if the clip is present.) The light receiving element may be a CMOS image sensor or an image sensor such as a CCD. In that case, the marking M (clip) may be detected using an image processing technique.

The technical field of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the first embodiment, the control unit determines whether the marking is a specific marking by counting the number of markings sent from the sensor. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when marking a living body, markings with different shapes, sizes, colors, and the like may be performed, and specific markings may be determined based on differences in the shapes, sizes, colors, and the like.
In addition, although the index indicating the position of the affected part is the specific marking, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a part having a characteristic shape or color in the living body may be used as the index.

In each of the above embodiments, the drug is released using the heater. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any configuration may be used as long as the control unit can control the release means. For example, the medicine may be released using a piezo element like a discharge mechanism of a capsule medical device. Further, the drug may be released using osmotic pressure as a driving force, or the drug may be released using a swelling pressure generated when the hydrophilic polymer or the like absorbs water and swells.
In addition, the number of specific markings is one. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when there are several affected parts, medication may be administered when specific markings indicating the positions of the affected parts are detected. Furthermore, the markings before and after the affected part may be set as specific markings, and the medication may be set to start at the first specific marking and stopped at the next marking. By carrying out like this, a chemical | medical agent can be efficiently administered with respect to an affected part, and when there exists a several affected part, it is effective.
Further, a plurality of reservoirs may be provided in the medication capsule, and different types of medicines may be accommodated in each reservoir to perform medication according to the affected area.
In the second embodiment, the medication capsule uses a magnetic sensor to detect a specific marking that is a magnetic substance. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a specific shape, color, or the like can be specified by endoscopy or the like. It is only necessary to be configured so that the specific marking can be detected.

Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the captured image obtained by capturing each part in the body is used as the biological information. In this case, the biometric information may be acquired instead of the imaging unit.
In addition, the imaging unit is a device that intermittently and randomly captures a patient's body at regular time intervals, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, a device that continuously images the body such as a video. I do not care. In this case, a video signal is stored.
Moreover, it is not limited to what image | photographs the inside of a body by a video etc., What is necessary is that it can detect in-vivo information of a patient and can transmit data to an external device. For example, a hemorrhage test capsule with a built-in hemoglobin sensor, an in-vivo information test capsule that intermittently acquires in-vivo information such as pH value, pressure value, temperature, microbial load, enzyme and gene abnormality, and ultrasonic image It is also possible to apply ultrasonic capsules acquired intermittently.

The present invention includes the following.
[Additional Item 1]
In a capsule-like casing that is orally injected into a living body, a drug holding unit that holds the drug,
A release means for releasing the drug held in the drug holding unit;
Release control means for operating the release means;
A detection means for detecting an index indicating the drug release position,
The administration capsule characterized in that the release control means operates the release control means based on the output of the detection means.
[Appendix 2]
In the capsule for medication according to appendix 1,
The medication capsule, wherein the index is a specific marking applied in a living body.
[Additional Item 3]
In the capsule for medication according to appendix 2,
The detection means detects a plurality of markings applied in the living body,
The release control means has a memory that pre-stores the specific marking as the number of markings, and by counting the markings detected by the detection means, it coincides with the number stored in the memory A capsule for dispensing characterized in that the release means is sometimes operated.
[Additional Item 4]
A capsule-like housing that is orally injected into a living body;
Biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information;
Marking means for leaving an indicator in the body cavity;
A capsule medical apparatus, comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit and the index left in the body cavity by the marking unit to the outside of the housing.
[Additional Item 5]
In the capsule medical device according to appendix 4,
A capsule medical device, comprising: an information processing unit that associates the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit with the index information left in the living body by the marking unit.
[Additional Item 6]
In the capsule medical device according to appendix 5,
A capsule medical device comprising storage means for storing information processed by the information processing unit.
[Additional Item 7]
In the capsule medical device according to any one of appendices 4 to 6,
The capsule medical device, wherein the marking means performs an intermittent operation.
[Additional Item 8]
In the capsule medical device according to appendix 4,
The capsule medical device, wherein the index contains at least one of a magnetic material, a fluorescent agent, a dye, a radioisotope, or a metal material.
[Additional Item 9]
A medical device having biological information acquisition means for obtaining biological information in a body cavity and marking means for leaving an index in the body cavity;
Capsule-shaped exterior part, index detection means for detecting the index left in the body cavity by the medical device, drug storage part, drug release part for releasing the drug in the drug storage part, and information of the index detection means Capsule type medical device system comprising: a capsule type medical device having a control unit for controlling the drug release unit based on the above.
[Appendix 10]
In the capsule medical device system according to appendix 9,
A capsule medical device system, wherein the medical device is an endoscope.
[Additional Item 11]
In the capsule medical device system according to Additional Item 10,
The capsule medical device, wherein the marking means is an endoscope clip.
[Additional Item 12]
In the capsule medical device system according to appendix 9,
The medical device transmits the biological information acquisition means, the marking means, the biological information detected by the biological information acquisition means, and the operation information of the marking means to the outside of the exterior portion in a capsule-shaped exterior portion. A second capsule medical device having an information transmission unit for
A capsule medical device system comprising: a receiving device that receives information transmitted to the outside of the exterior unit by the information transmitting unit.
[Additional Item 13]
In the capsule medical device system according to Additional Item 12,
The second capsule medical device has storage means for storing the biological information detected by the biological information acquisition means and the operation information of the marking means in association with each other,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the information transmission unit transmits information stored in the storage unit to the outside of the exterior unit.
[Additional Item 14]
In the capsule medical device system according to Additional Item 12 or 13,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the information transmission unit includes infrared communication means.
[Appendix 15]
In the capsule medical device system according to Additional Item 12 or 13,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the information transmission unit includes communication means using electromagnetic waves.
[Additional Item 16]
The capsule medical device system according to any one of appendices 12 to 14 ,
The capsule-type medical device system, wherein the second capsule-type medical device leaves an index intermittently.
[Additional Item 17]
In the capsule medical device system according to appendix 9,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the marking means leaves an index intermittently.
[Appendix 18]
In the capsule medical device system according to Additional Item 17,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the marking means leaves an index at regular time intervals.
[Appendix 19]
In the capsule medical device system according to Additional Item 17,
A position detecting means;
A capsule medical device system, wherein the marking means leaves an index based on position information obtained by the position detection means.
[Additional Item 20]
In the capsule medical device system according to Additional Item 17,
The capsule-type medical device system, wherein the second capsule-type medical device has a movement amount detection unit, and the marking unit leaves an index based on an output of the movement amount detection unit.
[Appendix 21]
In the capsule medical device system according to any one of appendices 17 to 20,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the index is a drug having a low reflectance with respect to a tissue in a living body cavity.
[Appendix 22]
In the capsule medical device system according to any one of appendices 17 to 20,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the index is a drug having a high reflectance with respect to a tissue in a living body cavity.
[Additional Item 23]
In the capsule medical device system according to Additional Item 17 in any one of 20,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the index is a magnetic material.
[Appendix 24]
In the capsule medical device system according to any one of appendices 17 to 20,
The capsule medical device system, wherein the index is a fluorescent material.
[Appendix 25]
Observing the inside of the living body;
Determining a dosing position in vivo;
Marking the vicinity of the dosing position;
Inserting a medication capsule having a means for detecting the index, a medicine storage section, a medicine release section, and a medicine release control section into the body cavity;
Detecting the indicator;
And a step of controlling the medicine release unit.
[Additional Item 26]
Observing the inside of the living body;
Leaving the indicator in vivo,
Correlating the biological information obtained in the step of observing the inside of the living body with the fact that the step of leaving the index in the living body is performed, and recording as biological information;
Determining a medication position from the biological information;
Designating a dosing position on a dosing capsule having means for detecting the indicator, a medicine storage section, a medicine release section, and a medicine release control means;
Inserting a medication capsule into the body cavity;
Detecting the indicator;
Detecting a dosing position;
And a control method for controlling the medicine release section.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing a first embodiment of a capsule medical device system according to the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the capsule medical device based on this invention used with the capsule type medical device system shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the personal computer which is a component of the medical device based on this invention used with the capsule type medical device system shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the observation information receiver of the personal computer shown in FIG. It is an external view which shows the capsule for medication which concerns on this invention used with the capsule type medical device system shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the capsule for medication shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the sensor of the capsule for medication shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which has given the marking in the body with a capsule type medical device. It is a figure which shows the state in which the affected part is located between the 10th marking and the 11th marking. It is a figure which shows the state which the capsule for medication detects the 10th marking (specific marking) and has discharge | released the chemical | medical agent. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an observation measuring unit that is attached when marking is performed at a constant movement distance interval and that is attached in the casing of the capsule medical device shown in FIG. 2. It is a conceptual diagram which shows 2nd Embodiment of the capsule type medical device which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the capsule for medication based on this invention used with the capsule type medical device system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which applies the clip for endoscopes in a body cavity using the treatment tool used with the capsule type medical device shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

A medicine M marking, clip (indicator)
1, 60 Capsule type medical device system 2, 70 Medication capsule (capsule type medical device)
3 Medical Device 10 Capsule Type Medical Device (Second Capsule Type Medical Device)
11, 40 Case (exterior part)
12 Observation system (biological information acquisition means)
13 Discharge mechanism (marking means)
14 Wireless transmission means (transmission means, information transmission part)
30 Personal computer (receiving device)
41 Reservoir (drug holder)
42 Release means (drug release part)
43 Control unit (release control means)
44 sensors (detection means, index detection means)
61 Endoscopic device (medical device)
63 Treatment tool (marking means)

Claims (3)

A medical device having biological information acquisition means for obtaining biological information in the body cavity and marking means for intermittently leaving a plurality of indices in the body cavity;
Capsule-shaped exterior part, index detection means for detecting the plurality of indices left in the body cavity by the medical device, a drug holding part for holding a drug, and drug release for releasing the drug in the drug holding part And a capsule medical device having a control unit that controls the drug release unit based on information of the index detection unit,
With
The control unit stores in advance the order of the indices for releasing the drug among the plurality of indices, and the number of the indices detected by the index detection unit is stored in the control unit. The capsule medical device system causes the medicine release unit to release the medicine when the order of the indices is determined. The capsule medical device system according to claim 1 ,
The medical device is arranged in a capsule-shaped exterior part with the biological information acquisition means, the marking means, and the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition means and the operation information of the marking means outside the exterior part. A second capsule medical device having an information transmitting unit for transmitting;
A capsule medical device system comprising: a receiving device that receives information transmitted to the outside of the exterior unit by the information transmitting unit. The capsule medical device system according to claim 1 ,
The capsule medical device system, characterized in that the medical device has storage means for storing the biological information and the position where the index is left in association with each other.

Images