JP5889748B2 - Medical device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical device.

  Conventionally, image diagnosis is performed by inserting an image diagnostic apparatus having an imaging function into a blood vessel such as a coronary artery of the heart or a blood vessel such as a bile duct.

  Examples of the image diagnostic apparatus include an intravascular ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (IVUS: Intra Vessel Ultra Sound). In general, an intravascular ultrasound diagnostic device uses a probe that contains an ultrasound transducer in a blood vessel to perform a radial scan, receives a reflected wave (ultrasound echo) reflected from a living tissue, and then amplifies it. Then, processing such as detection is performed, and a cross-sectional image of the blood vessel is drawn based on the intensity of the generated ultrasonic echo.

  The signal transmitting / receiving unit of the intravascular ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is usually configured to be covered with a cylindrical protective member called a housing. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that images of blood vessels and blood vessels are acquired by filling the inside of a catheter sheath with a liquid by priming and performing a radial scan of a signal transmission / reception unit covered with a housing within the catheter sheath. ing.

JP 2007-268133 A

  However, once a bubble is attached to the recess in which the signal transmission / reception unit of the housing is disposed, it is difficult to remove the bubble due to the structure of the recess even if priming is performed again so that a water flow does not easily enter the recess. . When bubbles are attached to the signal transmission / reception unit, it is difficult to acquire appropriate information.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a medical device capable of easily removing bubbles in a housing in which a signal transmission / reception unit is disposed and capable of acquiring appropriate information. Objective.

  A medical device that achieves the above object includes a tubular body that is inserted into a lumen, and a concave portion that is rotatably disposed inside the tubular body and that accommodates a signal transmission / reception unit. And a housing in which a bubble guide path is formed that extends from a side portion on the rotation direction side to an outer peripheral surface and is capable of guiding bubbles from the concave portion.

  In the medical device configured as described above, a bubble guide path capable of guiding bubbles from the side of the concave portion in the rotation direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing. The internal bubbles can be easily removed from the bubble guide path, and appropriate information can be acquired by the signal transmission / reception unit.

  If the bubble guide path is formed to extend from the side portion on the rear end side in the rotation direction of the recess to the outer peripheral surface, the bubble rotates along the bubble guide path existing on the outer peripheral surface of the housing. It is possible to guide from the rear end portion in the direction to the outer peripheral surface.

  If the bubble guide path is formed to be inclined with respect to the rotation direction, the bubble can be guided to the front end side or the rear end side that does not hinder measurement by the signal transmission / reception unit.

  If the bubble guiding path is formed so as to be connected to the end surface of the housing in the rotation axis direction, the bubbles guided by the bubble guiding path can be discharged from the end surface of the housing to a region that does not hinder measurement.

  If the bubble guiding path is formed up to the end surface on the distal end side of the housing, the bubbles are guided to the distal end side rather than the housing, so even if the signal transmitting / receiving unit is moved to the proximal end side, the bubbles do not return to the recesses, Further, the bubbles can be discharged to the distal end side of the tube body by priming.

  If the bubble guide path is a groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing, the bubble can be satisfactorily removed from the recess while accommodating the bubble in the groove.

  If the bubble guide path is a part having higher hydrophobicity than the other part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing, the part having high hydrophobicity can function as a bubble flow path, and the bubble can be satisfactorily removed from the recess. Can be removed.

It is a top view which shows the medical device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows an intraluminal diagnostic system. It is a longitudinal direction sectional view showing the tip part of the medical device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the front-end | tip part of a vibrator | oscillator unit. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the front-end | tip part of a vibrator | oscillator unit, (A) is the arrow line view seen from the arrow line A of FIG. 4, (B) is the arrow line view seen from the arrow line B of FIG. It is a top view which shows the medical device at the time of pulling back the vibrator unit. It is longitudinal direction sectional drawing which shows the hub of the medical device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is longitudinal direction sectional drawing which shows the unit connector and relay connector of the medical device which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a longitudinal direction sectional view for explaining the time of rotationally driving the vibrator unit of the medical device according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the front-end | tip part of the vibrator | oscillator unit of the medical device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (A) is a top view from one side, (B) is a top view from the other side. It is a top view which shows the modification of a housing. It is a top view which shows the other modification of a housing. It is a top view which shows the other modification of a housing. It is a top view which shows the other modification of a housing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the dimension ratio of drawing is exaggerated on account of description, and may differ from an actual ratio.
<First Embodiment>

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medical device 1 according to the first embodiment is an ultrasonic catheter that accommodates an imaging core 4 for ultrasonic diagnosis and is inserted into a lumen. The medical device 1 is connected to an external drive device 7 that holds the medical device 1 and drives the imaging core 4, and is used mainly for diagnosing the inside of a blood vessel. In this specification, the side to be inserted into the lumen of the living body is referred to as “tip” or “tip side”, and the proximal side for operation is referred to as “base end” or “base end side”.

  The medical device 1 includes a sheath 2 (tubular body) that is inserted into a lumen, an imaging core 4 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves toward tissue in the lumen, and an imaging core 4 that penetrates and is proximal to the sheath 2. And an operation unit 3 located on the side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the sheath 2 includes a sheath distal end portion 21, a sheath tube 22, and a filling liquid inlet / outlet member 23.

  The sheath distal end portion 21 is provided with a cylindrical sheath distal end member 27 in which a guide wire lumen 211 is formed, and an X-ray contrast marker 24 provided at a portion slightly proximal to the distal end portion. The guide wire 25 is inserted into the lumen in advance, and the medical device 1 is guided to the affected area while passing the guide wire 25 through the guide wire lumen 211. The X-ray contrast marker 24 is provided so that the tip position of the medical device 1 can be confirmed under fluoroscopy when inserted into the lumen.

  The filling liquid inlet / outlet member 23 is formed with a priming port 231 which is a hole for communicating physiological saline filled in the sheath tube 22 to the outside in communication with the lumen 26 in the sheath tube 22. .

  An imaging core 4 is incorporated in the sheath 2 so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the sheath 2. The imaging core 4 includes a transducer unit 41 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves toward the intraluminal tissue, and a rotating shaft 42 that attaches and rotates the transducer unit 41 to the distal end. The transducer unit 41 includes an ultrasonic transducer 411 (signal transmission / reception unit) that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and a housing 80 that houses the ultrasonic transducer 411.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the housing 80 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is formed with a recess 82 for accommodating the ultrasonic transducer 411 so as to cut out a part of the outer peripheral surface 81. When the housing 80 rotates in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the front end side as shown in FIG. 4, the concave portion 82 is positioned upward. A bubble guide path 85 capable of guiding the bubble B (see FIG. 9) extends from the right side portion 83 to the outer peripheral surface 81. The bubble guide path 85 is formed in the form of a groove, and a plurality (three in the embodiment) are formed. The number of bubble guide paths 85 is not particularly limited. Each bubble guide path 85 extends in a direction inclined toward the distal end side with respect to the rotation direction, and extends to the end face 86 on the distal end side of the housing 80 without being interrupted. When the housing 80 rotates, when the bubble B exists in the recess 82, the bubble B tends to move in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the housing 80 relative to the housing 80. It is preferable to extend at an acute angle α with respect to the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the housing 80 so that B can be easily guided. The housing 80 is made of, for example, stainless steel, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed of a highly biocompatible alloy such as CoCr, PtIr, NiTi, or a flexible material. The material having flexibility is not particularly limited, and for example, styrene, polyolefin, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polyimide, polybutadiene, trans polyisoprene, fluoro rubber, chlorinated polyethylene Various thermoplastic elastomers such as can be used.

  The sheath tube 22 is made of a material with high ultrasonic transmission. A portion of the sheath tube 22 within a range where the ultrasonic transducer 411 moves constitutes an acoustic window portion through which ultrasonic waves are transmitted. The sheath tip 21 and the sheath tube 22 are each formed of a flexible material, and the material is not particularly limited. For example, the styrene-based, polyolefin-based, polyurethane-based, polyester-based, polyamide-based, and polyimide-based materials. , Polybutadiene-based, trans-polyisoprene-based, fluororubber-based, chlorinated polyethylene-based thermoplastic elastomers, etc., one or a combination of two or more of these (polymer alloys, polymer blends, laminates) Body etc.) can also be used.

  The rotating shaft 42 is flexible and has a characteristic that the rotational power generated in the operation unit 3 (see FIG. 1) can be transmitted to the vibrator unit 41. For example, the right and left and the winding direction are alternately 3 It is composed of a multilayer coil-like tube body such as a layer coil. When the rotary shaft 42 transmits the rotational power, the transducer unit 41 rotates and the affected part in the lumen such as blood vessels and vascular vessels can be observed 360 degrees. The rotating shaft 42 has a signal line 54 for transmitting a signal detected by the vibrator unit 41 to the operation unit 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 3 includes a hub 31 having a port 311 for injecting a physiological saline solution for bleeding air, a unit connector 37 connected to the hub 31 via an inner tube 34, an external connector The relay connector 33 is connected to the unit connector 37 via the pipe 32 and connects the sheath 2 and the operation unit 3.

  The hub 31 holds the rotating shaft 42 and the inner tube 34. When the inner tube 34 is pushed into or pulled out of the unit connector 37 and the outer tube 32, the rotating shaft 42 is slid in the sheath 2 in the axial direction in conjunction with it.

  When the inner tube 34 is pushed in the most, as shown in FIG. 1, the end of the inner tube 34 reaches the vicinity of the sheath-side end of the outer tube 32, that is, the vicinity of the relay connector 33. In this state, the transducer unit 41 is located near the distal end of the sheath tube 22 of the sheath 2.

  When the inner tube 34 is pulled out most, as shown in FIG. 6, the stopper 313 formed at the tip of the inner tube 34 is caught by the inner wall of the unit connector 37, and the portions other than the vicinity of the caught tip are exposed. In this state, the transducer unit 41 is pulled back while leaving the sheath 2. By moving the transducer unit 41 while rotating, it is possible to create tomographic images of blood vessels and vessels.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the hub 31 of the operation unit 3 includes a joint 50, a male connector 51, a rotor 52, a connection pipe 53, a signal line 54, a hub body 55, a seal member 56, and kink resistance. And a protector 57.

  The joint 50 has an opening 501 on the user hand side of the medical device 1, and the male connector 51 and the rotor 52 are disposed inside. The male connector 51 can be connected to the female connector 711 (see FIG. 2) of the external drive device 7 from the opening 501 side of the joint 50, whereby the external drive device 7 and the male connector 51 are mechanically and electrically connected. Connected.

  The rotor 52 holds the connection pipe 53 in a non-rotatable manner and rotates integrally with the male connector 51. The connection pipe 53 holds the rotating shaft 42 at the end opposite to the rotor 52 side in order to transmit the rotation of the rotor 52 to the rotating shaft 42. A signal line 54 is passed through the connection pipe 53. One end of the signal line 54 is connected to the male connector 51, and the other end passes through the rotary shaft 42 and is connected to the vibrator unit 41. The observation result in the transducer unit 41 is transmitted to the external drive device 7 through the male connector 51, and subjected to appropriate processing and displayed as an image.

  The hub body 55 is injected with physiological saline from the port 311 and introduces the physiological saline into the inner tube 34 without leaking outside. In addition, since the seal member 56 including the O-ring 58 is installed between the hub body 55 and the joint 50, physiological saline does not leak to the opening 501 side of the joint 50.

  In the hub body 55, the base end portion of the inner tube 34 is inserted such that the outer peripheral surface of the inner tube 34 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface 551 inside. A kink protector 57 is disposed around the inner tube 34 and the hub body 55.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the unit connector 37 includes a unit connector main body 61, a sealing member 62, a cover member 63, and a packing 64.

  The unit connector main body 61 is inserted so that the base end portion of the outer tube 32 attached to the relay connector 33 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface 611 inside, and the inner tube member 31 extends from the hub 31 into the outer tube 32. Tube 34 is inserted. The sealing member 62 is combined with the unit connector main body 61 to hold the packing 64, and the cover member 63 is combined with the unit connector main body 61 to hold the outer tube 32. Since the packing 64 is sealed between the unit connector main body 61 and the sealing member 62, the physiological saline supplied to the port 311 of the hub 31 flows into the outer tube 32 through the inner tube 34. However, it does not leak outside the unit connector 37.

  Further, since the inner pipe 34 extending from the hub 31 is formed with a stopper 313 at the tip, even when the hub 31 is most pulled, that is, when the inner pipe 34 is most pulled out from the outer pipe 32, the stopper 313 is not a unit. There is no case where the inner tube 34 is pulled out from the unit connector 37 by being caught on the inner wall of the connector main body 61.

  The relay connector 33 includes an outer tube holding portion 65 and a kink protector 66. A part of the outer tube 32 is inserted into the outer tube holding portion 65 so that the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the outer tube 32 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface 651 inside. The proximal end of the sheath tube 22 is connected to the inner peripheral surface 651 of the outer tube holding portion 65, and the rotating shaft 42 and physiological saline that have passed through the outer tube 32 are introduced into the sheath 2. A path is formed. The sheath tube 22 has a single layer structure in FIG. 8, but may have a multilayer structure.

  A spacer tube 68 through which the rotary shaft 42 passes is disposed inside the distal end portion of the outer tube 32 fitted to the outer tube holding portion 65, and a protective tube 67 is fixed to the inner wall of the spacer tube 68. The protective tube 67 extends into the inner tube 34 extending from the hub 31 and is disposed between the rotating shaft 42 and the inner tube 34. Therefore, when the inner tube 34 is pushed into the outer tube 32, the protective tube 67 is pushed into the inner tube 34 in the direction opposite to the pushing direction. When the inner tube 34 is pushed into or pulled out from the outer tube 32, the protective tube 67 is also pushed into or pulled out relative to the inner tube 34 from the opposite direction. Even if a bending force is generated on the rotating shaft 42, the bending force can be suppressed by the protective tube 67, and bending or the like can be prevented. The protective tube 67 is formed of a metal loosely coiled tube, and therefore, physiological saline can flow from the gap between the coils, so that air remains in the outer tube 32. There is no.

  The constituent materials of the outer tube 32, the inner tube 34, the spacer tube 68, the hub 31, the unit connector main body 61 and the outer tube holding portion 65 are not particularly limited. For example, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, cyclic polyolefin, polystyrene, Poly (4-methyl-1-pentene), polycarbonate, acrylic resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyamide (for example, nylon 6, Various resins such as nylon 6,6, nylon 6,10, nylon 12) may be mentioned. In addition, the constituent material of these members is suitably selected according to the function requested | required, Therefore, each may be formed with a different constituent material.

  The medical device 1 described above is connected to and driven by an external drive device 7 as shown in FIG. The external drive device 7 includes a drive unit 71 that incorporates an external drive source such as a motor on the base 75 and rotationally drives the rotary shaft 42, and a movement that grips the drive unit 71 and moves it in the axial direction by the motor or the like. Means 72 and a holding part 73 for holding a part of the medical device 1 in a fixed position are provided. The external drive device 7 is connected to a control unit 79 that controls the drive unit 71 and the moving means 72, and an image obtained by the vibrator unit 41 is displayed on a display unit 78 connected to the control unit 79. .

  The moving means 72 is a feed mechanism that can grip and fix the drive unit 71 and moves the gripped drive unit 71 back and forth along the groove rail 76 on the base 75.

  The drive unit 71 includes a drive female connector 711 to which the drive male connector 51 of the medical device 1 can be connected, and a joint connection unit 712 that can be connected to the joint 50 of the medical device 1. The signal can be transmitted to and received from the transducer unit 41, and at the same time, the rotating shaft 42 can be rotated.

  Ultrasonic scanning (scanning) in the medical device 1 transmits the rotational motion of the motor in the drive unit 71 to the rotating shaft 42, and rotates the housing 80 fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 42. This is performed by scanning an ultrasonic wave transmitted and received by the ultrasonic transducer 411 provided in a substantially radial direction. In addition, by pulling the entire medical device 1 toward the proximal end and moving the ultrasonic transducer 411 in the longitudinal direction, a 360 ° cross-sectional image of the surrounding tissue body in the axial direction in the blood vessel can be scanned to an arbitrary position. Can get to.

  Next, the operation | movement at the time of observing the inside of a lumen using the medical device 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.

  First, before inserting the sheath 2 of the medical device 1 into the lumen, a priming operation is performed to fill the medical device 1 with physiological saline. By performing the priming operation, air in the medical device 1 is removed, and air is prevented from entering a lumen such as a blood vessel.

  In order to perform priming, the hub 31 is pulled most from the unit connector 37 to the user's side, that is, the inner tube 34 is pulled out most from the outer tube 32 (see FIG. 6). Physiological saline solution is injected through a tube (not shown) connected to 311 and a device including a three-way cock, for example, using a syringe. The injected physiological saline solution is filled from the hub 31 into the sheath 2 in order. When the inside of the medical device 1 is completely filled with physiological saline, the physiological saline is removed from the priming port 231 formed in the filling fluid inlet / outlet member 23 (see FIG. 3) of the sheath 2. Thereby, the filling of the physiological saline solution is confirmed. By performing this priming operation, air in the medical device 1 can be removed and air can be prevented from entering the lumen.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the medical device 1 is connected to an external drive device 7 covered with a sterilized polyethylene bag (not shown). That is, the joint 50 (see FIG. 7) of the hub 31 of the medical device 1 is connected to the joint connection portion 712 of the drive unit 71. As a result, signals can be transmitted and received between the vibrator unit 41 and the external driving device 7, and at the same time, the rotating shaft 42 can be rotated. Then, when the unit connector 37 is fitted into the holding portion 73, the connection is completed.

  Next, the drive unit 71 is moved to the distal end side along the groove rail 76 on the base 75, whereby the hub 31 is pushed to the distal end side, and the inner tube 34 is pushed most into the outer tube 32 (see FIG. 1). In this state, the sheath 2 is inserted into the body, the insertion is stopped after the distal end of the sheath 2 has passed over the affected area, and the position of the sheath 2 is fixed. At this time, the rotation shaft 42 is pushed to the distal end side of the sheath 2, thereby serving as a core material of the sheath 2, and the penetration of the sheath 2 into the lumen is improved. In this state, as shown in FIG. 9, an image acquisition along the axial direction of the lumen can be performed by performing a pull-back operation while rotating the rotating shaft 42 by the driving unit 71.

  The pull back operation can be performed by operating the moving means 72 connected to the rear end of the medical device 1 by the control unit 79. The acquired data is digitally processed by the control unit 79 and then displayed on the display unit 78 as image data.

  When the pullback operation is performed while rotating the rotating shaft 42, the housing 80 also rotates as shown in FIG. In the recess 82 of the housing 80, the bubbles B are likely to remain due to the structure. When the bubble B remains in the recess 82, the bubble B in the recess 82 moves relative to the housing 80 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the housing 80 due to the rotation of the housing 80. It moves to the rear end side of the rotation direction. In the medical device 1 according to this embodiment, a bubble guiding path 85 capable of guiding the bubbles B is formed in the housing 80 from the side portion 83 on the rear end side in the rotation direction of the recess 82 so as to extend to the outer peripheral surface 81. Therefore, by rotating the housing 80, the bubbles B are guided from the bubble guide path 85 to the outer peripheral surface 81 and removed from the recess 82. As a result, the bubbles B are less likely to adhere to the ultrasonic transducer 411 disposed in the recess 82, and an appropriate image can be acquired.

  Since the bubble guiding path 85 extends in a direction inclined with respect to the rotation direction, the bubble B can be guided to a region where measurement by the ultrasonic transducer 411 is not hindered. Then, the bubble guide path 85 extending from the side portion 83 on the rear end side in the rotational direction of the concave portion 82 goes around the outer peripheral surface 81 of the housing 80 and the side portion 84 on the front end side in the rotational direction of the concave portion 82 (see FIG. 4). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the bubble B discharged from the bubble guide path 85 from returning to the recess 82 again.

  Further, since the bubble guide path 85 is inclined at an acute angle α (see FIG. 5) with respect to the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the housing 80 so that the bubble B can be easily guided, the rotation of the housing 80 is used. Thus, the bubble B can be guided to the tip side.

  In addition, since the bubble guide path 85 is connected to the end face 86 on the front end side of the housing 80 without being interrupted, the bubble B guided into the bubble guide path 85 is transferred from the end face 86 of the housing 80. It can be discharged and guided to an area where measurement is not hindered. Since the bubble B is discharged to the distal end side of the housing 80, the bubble B does not return to the concave portion 82 of the housing 80 even if the pullback operation is performed, and further, the bubble B is discharged to the distal end side of the sheath 2 by priming. Can do.

  In addition, since the bubble guide path 85 is formed in the form of a groove on the outer peripheral surface 81 of the housing 80, the bubble B can be favorably removed from the recess 82 while the bubble B is accommodated in the groove.

After the pullback operation, while rotating the rotating shaft 42, the hub 31 is pushed again toward the distal end side, and the imaging core 4 is advanced. When the imaging core 4 is advanced, the contact resistance of the imaging core 4 with the sheath 2 can be reduced by rotating the rotary shaft 42. Thereafter, the medical device 1 is pulled out from the lumen, and the operation of the medical device 1 is completed.
Second Embodiment

  The medical device according to the second embodiment is an ultrasonic catheter as in the first embodiment, and only the form of the bubble guide path 95 of the housing 90 is different from that of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. Therefore, only the bubble guide path 95 of the housing 90 will be described here, and the description of other configurations will be omitted to avoid duplication.

  The bubble guide path 95 of the housing 90 in the second embodiment is not in the form of a groove, but is more hydrophobic than other portions of the outer peripheral surface 91 of the housing 90. In the present embodiment, the bubble guide path 95 is formed by covering a stainless steel housing 90 with silicone as a material having a higher hydrophobicity than stainless steel. The material of the bubble guide path 95 is not limited to silicone, and is not particularly limited as long as the hydrophobicity is relatively higher than other portions of the outer peripheral surface 91 of the housing 90. In general, coating may be considered as a method for producing the bubble guide path 95 having high hydrophobicity with respect to the surface of the housing 90. In the present embodiment, the method of tracing the bubble guide path 95 is applied as the coating method. However, the coating is performed after masking with a material that can be peeled later so that no material is placed on the bubble guide path 95. A method is also applicable. Any coating method may be used as long as it can be formed with a certain film thickness. For example, dip coating, spray coating, roll coater, cast coating, screen coating, electrodeposition coating, vacuum deposition, LB (Langmuir Broadgett) method. Vacuum coating, plasma deposition, printing, etc. can be applied. Further, as a material to be coated, not only a method of placing a highly hydrophobic material on the surface of the housing 90 but also masking the bubble guiding path 95 and then applying a highly hydrophilic material other than the bubble guiding path 95, A method of making the bubble guide path 95 relatively hydrophobic with respect to the surface of the housing 90 is also effective. Further, instead of coating the outer peripheral surface 91 of the housing 90 with a separate material, the hydrophobicity may be changed by forming irregularities on the surface or changing the surface roughness. For example, if the material of the housing 90 has a highly hydrophilic surface with a contact angle smaller than 90 °, the surface of the housing 90 can be made smooth by reducing the surface irregularities, or the surface roughness can be reduced. If the surface has a highly hydrophobic surface with a contact angle larger than 90 °, the surface roughness can be increased and the surface roughness can be increased to increase the hydrophobicity. The affinity for bubbles can be increased. With respect to the method for forming irregularities on the surface, means such as laser, UV (UltraViolet Rays), plasma, cutting and polishing can be applied, and the method is not particularly limited. The bubble guide path 95 having high hydrophobicity is relatively easier to circulate the bubbles B than the surrounding portion having high hydrophilicity.

  Also in the medical device according to the second embodiment, a bubble guiding path 95 capable of guiding the bubbles B is formed in the housing 90 from the side portion 93 on the rear end side in the rotation direction of the recess 92 to the outer peripheral surface 91. Therefore, when the housing 90 rotates, the bubble B is guided from the bubble guide path 95 to the outer peripheral surface 91 and is removed from the recess 92. Thereby, the bubbles B are less likely to adhere to the ultrasonic transducer 411 disposed in the recess 92, and an appropriate image can be acquired.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an ultrasonic catheter has been described. However, an optical coherence tomography diagnosis apparatus (OCT) and an optical frequency domain imaging diagnosis apparatus using a wavelength sweep which is an improved version thereof. It may be a catheter used for (OFDI) or the like. In this case, after irradiating the living tissue with near infrared light emitted from the tip of the drive shaft and generating interference light by causing the reflected light from the living tissue to interfere with the reference light, based on the interference light, A cross-sectional image in a body lumen such as a blood vessel can be generated.

  Further, the present invention can be applied to an endoscope system or the like, and can be applied to any catheter as long as it has a tubular body.

  In the first and second embodiments, the housings 80 and 90 are movable in the axial direction of the sheath 2, but may not be moved in the axial direction.

  In addition to the bubble guiding path 105A extending from the recess 102 toward the distal end side, a bubble guiding path 105B extending from the recess 102 toward the proximal end side is formed as in the housing 100 as a modified example shown in FIG. Also good. Of course, all the bubble guide paths may be formed extending toward the base end side.

  Further, only one bubble guiding path 115 may be formed like a housing 110 as a modified example shown in FIG. In this case, a wide portion 115A is provided in the bubble guiding path 115 in the side portion 113 on the rear end side in the rotation direction of the recess 112 so that the bubble B can be easily discharged from the side portion 113 on the rear end side in the rotation direction of the recess portion 112. The width can be gradually reduced so as to collect the bubbles B using the rotation of the housing 110. The configuration in which a part of the bubble guiding path 115 is wide is applicable even when there are a plurality of bubble guiding paths as in the first and second embodiments.

  Further, like the housing 120 as still another modified example shown in FIG. 13, the bubble guide path 125 extends in the direction opposite to the rotation direction from the side portion 123 on the rear end side in the rotation direction of the recess 122, and then the rotation direction. It may extend in the direction of the rotation axis, not in the direction of tilting.

  Further, like the housing 130 as still another modified example shown in FIG. 14, the bubble guide path 135 rotates without extending from the side portion 133 on the rear end side in the rotation direction of the recess 132 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction. It may extend in the axial direction.

  Further, the bubble guide path may be formed to extend from the side portion 84 (see FIG. 4) on the front end side in the rotation direction of the concave portion to the outer peripheral surface. Even with such a configuration, for example, if the housing is rotated in reverse before the measurement, the bubbles can be removed from the recess.

  Moreover, the bubble guide path does not need to extend to the end surface of the front end side of the housing. The bubble guide path may be formed to meander the outer peripheral surface of the housing.

  Further, the side portion on the rotation direction side of the concave portion of the housing where the bubble guiding path is formed is not limited to the side portion of the bottom surface where the signal transmitting / receiving unit of the concave portion is disposed, and rises from the bottom surface of FIG. It may be the side portion 83A.

  In addition, the bubble guide path may combine the form of the groove and the form of increasing the hydrophobicity.

1 medical device,
2 sheath (tube),
80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130 housing,
81, 91 outer peripheral surface,
82, 92, 102, 112, 122, 132 recesses,
83, 93, 123, 133 side,
85, 95, 105A, 105B, 115, 125, 135
86 end face,
411 Ultrasonic transducer (signal transmission / reception unit).

Claims (7)

A tube inserted into the lumen;
A concave portion that is rotatably arranged inside the tubular body and accommodates the signal transmitting / receiving unit is formed on the outer peripheral surface, and extends from the side portion on the rotation direction side of the concave portion to the outer peripheral surface to guide bubbles from the concave portion. A medical device having a housing in which possible bubble guides are formed.   2. The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the bubble guide path is formed to extend from a side portion on a rear end side in the rotation direction of the concave portion to the outer peripheral surface.   The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the bubble guide path is formed to be inclined with respect to a rotation direction.   The medical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bubble guide path is formed to be connected to an end surface in a rotation axis direction of the housing.   The medical device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bubble guide path is formed up to an end surface on a distal end side of the housing.   The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the bubble guide path is a groove formed on an outer peripheral surface of the housing.   The medical device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bubble guide path is a part having higher hydrophobicity than other parts of the outer peripheral surface of the housing.

Images