JP6317796B2 - Sweating suppressing device, cooling member, and cartridge - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a perspiration control device that suppresses excessive perspiration of a human body.

  Excessive sweat secretion from apocrine sweat glands and eccrine sweat glands is likely to cause snoring and hyperhidrosis, and therapeutic methods for suppressing excessive sweating have been studied. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an energy delivery device that includes an energy delivery element that delivers and destroys energy to at least one sweat gland in a target tissue and a cooling element that protects and cools non-target tissue. The energy delivery element is composed of, for example, a plurality of electrode needles inserted into the target tissue, and the cooling element is composed of, for example, a puncture needle disposed between adjacent electrode needles.

JP 2010-524591 A

  By the way, the depth of the sweat glands from the surface of the epidermis varies not only depending on the individual but also depending on the type of sweat glands. Therefore, in order to accurately destroy the sweat glands by supplying heat energy, it is necessary for each part of the human body to be used. It is necessary to cool the surrounding non-target tissue sufficiently while optimizing the insertion depth of the electrode needle to locally supply heat energy to the target tissue. However, the conventional energy delivery device has a problem that it is difficult to achieve both optimal supply of thermal energy to the target tissue and reliable cooling of the non-target tissue, and the skill and experience of the practitioner are required.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sweating suppression device that can quickly, safely and easily destroy sweat glands by supplying heat energy and effectively suppress excessive sweating.

  The object of the present invention is to provide an electrode needle that punctures a target tissue including a sweat gland and supplies thermal energy from the tip, and a cooling hole having a cooling part on the surface side and through which the electrode needle can be inserted. A member, a support that movably accommodates the electrode needle, and supports the cooling member so that the electrode needle can be inserted into the through-hole, and advancing and retracting the electrode needle inserted into the through-hole This is achieved by a perspiration control device comprising driving means for causing the tip portion to protrude from the cooling portion.

  It is preferable that the sweating suppression apparatus further includes a control unit that controls the driving of the driving unit so that the protruding length of the electrode needle from the cooling unit becomes a preset length. In this configuration, the driving means can include a motor, an encoder that detects the number of rotations of the motor, and a rod that advances and retreats in the support body due to the rotation of the motor. The protruding length of the electrode needle can be controlled based on the detection of the encoder.

  It is preferable that a plurality of electrode needles are supported by a holder that is pressed by the driving means. In this configuration, the through hole is preferably formed in a long hole shape, and the plurality of electrode needles are preferably disposed so as to pass through both end edges of the through hole.

  The support preferably includes a mounting portion to which the driving means is mounted and a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the mounting portion, and the electrode needle is housed in the cartridge together with the holder. preferable. In this configuration, the cartridge preferably includes a biasing unit that biases the holder so that the electrode needle is retracted inside the cartridge, and the driving unit resists a biasing force of the biasing unit. By pressing the holder, the electrode needle can be configured to protrude from the cooling part. The cooling member is preferably supported by the mounting portion by a support arm, and the cartridge is preferably disposed between the mounting portion and the cooling member.

  It is preferable that the cooling member is movably supported by the support so that the cooling member can be retracted in a direction substantially orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the electrode needle. The cooling member may include a Peltier element, a cooling plate disposed on the heat absorption side of the Peltier element and forming the cooling portion, and a heat dissipation block disposed on the heat generation side of the Peltier element. it can.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sweating suppression apparatus which can destroy the sweat gland by supply of a thermal energy quickly, safely and easily, and can suppress excessive sweating effectively can be provided.

It is a side view of the perspiration suppression device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is AA sectional drawing of the perspiration suppression apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the usage method of the perspiration suppression apparatus shown in FIG. It is a bottom view of the perspiration suppression apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part bottom view of the perspiration suppression apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the perspiration suppression apparatus which concerns on further embodiment of this invention. It is EE sectional drawing of the sweating suppression apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the use condition of the perspiration suppression apparatus shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a perspiration control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sweating suppression device 1 includes an electrode needle 10, a cooling member 20, a support 30 and a driving device 40 as main components.

  The electrode needle 10 is made of a conductive metal material such as stainless steel, and is tapered so that the tip 10a can be punctured. Portions other than the tip portion 10a of the electrode needle 10 are covered with an insulating film 10b made of an electrically insulating material. A plurality of electrode needles 10 are arranged in a matrix and are fixed to a holder 12 having a rectangular plate shape. The number of electrode needles 10 is not particularly limited, and may be single. When arranging a plurality of electrode needles 10, it is preferable to arrange, for example, about 20 to 30 needles (or more), and the interval between adjacent electrode needles 10 is, for example, 0.5 to 3 mm (more preferably 1 to 3 mm). ) Is preferably set to a degree. The thickness of each electrode needle 10 is preferably about 0.1 to 0.3 mm, for example. The arrangement shape of the plurality of electrode needles 10 may be various shapes such as an annular shape and a polygonal shape in addition to the matrix shape. The holder 12 is made of a plastic material or the like, and has a recess 12a at the center. An engagement protrusion 12b that is elastically deformable is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the recess 12a.

  The cooling member 20 includes a Peltier element 22, a cooling plate 24, and a heat dissipation block 26. The Peltier element 22 has a known configuration in which a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor are thermally arranged in parallel. A cooling plate 24 is provided on the heat absorption side of the Peltier element 22, and a heat dissipation block 26 is provided on the heat generation side of the Peltier element 22. Is provided. A plurality of Peltier elements 22 having an appropriate size are arranged in a matrix. The cooling plate 24 and the heat dissipation block 26 have a plurality of openings 24 a and 26 a formed in gaps between the plurality of Peltier elements 22, and a plurality of penetrations penetrating the front and back surfaces of the cooling member 20 by the openings 24 a and 26 a facing each other. A hole 28 is formed. The cooling plate 24 has a planar cooling part 24b on the surface side, and the cooling part 24b can be brought into close contact with the skin of the human body. The cooling part 24b can be formed in an arcuate shape or a wavy curved surface shape in addition to the planar shape. Further, the cooling member 20 may have, for example, a configuration in which a cooling pipe through which a refrigerant passes is embedded, in addition to the configuration in which the cooling is performed by energization as described above. Furthermore, the cooling member 20 may have a configuration in which, for example, the cooling member 20 is cooled by injecting a cooling gas onto the epidermis in addition to the configuration in which the cooling member 20 is cooled by being brought into close contact with the human epidermis. The through hole 28 of the cooling member 20 may have various shapes such as a honeycomb shape, a mesh shape, and a slit shape.

  The support 30 includes a rectangular housing portion 32 having a rectangular shape when viewed from below in FIG. 2 and a cylindrical portion 34 connected so as to communicate with the center of the top plate of the housing portion 32. The electrode needle 10 is accommodated inside the portion 32. The housing part 32 has a guide groove 32a formed in the vicinity of the opening of a pair of side walls facing each other. The cooling member 20 is supported by the support body 30 so that the heat radiation block 26 can slide along the guide groove 32a, and the distal end portion 10a of each electrode needle 10 is in a closed position that covers the opening of the housing portion 32. Is opposed to the through hole 28, and the electrode needle 10 can be inserted into the through hole 28. A terminal portion 32b (see FIG. 3A) is provided in the guide groove 32a, and the Peltier element 22 can be energized when the cooling member 20 is in the closed position.

  The drive device 40 includes a drive motor 42 such as a servo motor, an encoder 44 that detects the rotation speed of the drive motor 42, and a rod 46 that moves forward and backward by the rotation of the drive motor 42. A shaft 43 is connected to the rotating shaft 42 a of the drive motor 42, and a screw portion 43 a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 43. The rod 46 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape and is slidably accommodated in the cylindrical portion 34 of the support 30. A nut 46 a that is screwed into the threaded portion 43 a of the shaft 43 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the rod 46. On the other hand, a protrusion 46 b is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rod 46, and the protrusion 46 b engages with a groove 34 a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 34, thereby preventing the rod 46 from rotating. Yes. With the above configuration of the drive device 40, the rod 46 can be advanced in the direction of arrow B in FIG. Thus, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1, the electrode needle 10 can be protruded from the cooling part 24 of the cooling member 20 by a desired length.

  An engagement recess 46c is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip end side (the lower end side in FIG. 2) of the rod 46, and the rod 46 is fitted into the recess 12a of the holder 12 so that the engagement recess 46c becomes the engagement protrusion 12b. By engaging, the holder 12 can be detachably fixed to the rod 46. Thus, the holder 12 can be pressed by the driving device 40, and the tip portion 10a of the electrode needle 10 can be caused to appear and disappear from the cooling portion 24b by the advancement and retreat of the rod 46. Although the protrusion length of the electrode needle 10 from the lowermost surface of the cooling part 24b is not specifically limited, For example, it can set to about 0.1-10 mm. When a plurality of electrode needles 10 (for example, about 20 to 30 needles or more) are arranged, it is preferable that the protruding lengths of all the electrode needles 10 are within the above numerical range. Further, a terminal (not shown) for supplying power to each electrode needle 10 when the holder 12 is mounted is provided at the tip of the rod 46, and each electrode is connected to a high frequency oscillator (not shown) installed outside. The needle 10 is electrically connected. The electrode needle 10 can apply a high-frequency current to a surface electrode (not shown) separately provided on the surface of the human body while being punctured in the human body, thereby heating the living tissue in the vicinity of the electrode needle 10. can do. In the case where a plurality of electrode needles 10 are provided, a high-frequency current can be applied between two adjacent electrode needles 10, 10.

  Energization of the electrode needle 10, the cooling member 20, and the driving device 40 can be performed by a switch operation of the operation unit 50 provided in the cylindrical portion 34 of the support 30. Moreover, the sweating suppression apparatus 1 of this embodiment can be connected to the control apparatus 100 which can be installed outside, such as a personal computer, and the protrusion length of the electrode needle 10 is input to the control apparatus 100 to drive the drive apparatus 40. Can be controlled. The control device 100 can also be built in the operation unit 50, and can be configured to set the protruding length of the electrode needle 10 by operating the operation unit 50.

  Next, the usage method of the sweating suppression apparatus 1 provided with said structure is demonstrated. First, the holder 12 including the electrode needle 10 is attached to the rod 46 of the driving device 40. As shown in FIG. 3A, the engagement protrusion 12b is inserted by inserting the holder 12 in the direction indicated by the arrow C in a state where the cooling member 20 is retracted from the support 30 and the opening of the housing portion 32 is opened. And the engaging recess 46 c can be engaged to fix the holder 12 to the rod 46. In order to ensure safety when the holder 12 is mounted, a cover member 12c that covers the electrode needle 10 is previously attached to the holder 12 as shown by a broken line, and the cover member 12c is removed after the holder 12 is mounted. Also good. Thereafter, the cooling member 20 is slid in the arrow D direction to the closed position, whereby the terminal portion 32b of the support 30 is engaged with the terminal portion (not shown) of the cooling member 20, and the cooling member 20 is energized. As done, the cooling member 20 is positioned. The holder 12 can be attached to the rod 46 by screwing or the like instead of being fitted as in the present embodiment.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the cooling part 24b of the cooling member 20 is cooled in close contact with the epidermis surface S in the vicinity of the target site including the sweat glands, and treatment is performed by operating the operation part 50 (see FIG. 1). To start. The control device 100 rotates the drive motor 42 of the drive device 40 by a rotation amount corresponding to a preset protruding length L of the electrode needle 10. The rod 46 advances in accordance with the amount of rotation of the drive motor 42 because the protrusion 46b engages with the groove 34a and cannot rotate, and the nut 46a is screwed with the shaft 43. Is protruded from the cooling part 24b. Thereby, the front-end | tip part 10a of the electrode needle 10 passes the through-hole 28, is punctured by the human body, and is arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the sweat gland. Thereafter, heat energy is automatically supplied from the distal end portion 10a to the target tissue, so that the sweat gland to be treated is destroyed by heating. The supply of thermal energy can be performed using various things such as a high frequency, a radio wave, a microwave, and a laser. Since the periphery of the puncture site is cooled by the close contact of the cooling unit 24b, the epidermis surface S can prevent burns and can improve pain relief at the time of puncture and supply of thermal energy. An anesthetic cream may be applied in advance to the skin surface S to which the cooling unit 24b is in close contact. In the case where the cooling unit 24b is configured to inject cooling gas onto the skin surface S, a good burn prevention effect and analgesic effect can be obtained by starting the injection of cooling gas immediately before the electrode needle 10 is punctured into the skin surface S. Can do.

  The above-described setting of the protruding length L of the electrode needle 10 is set individually by taking into account the gender, age, body shape, etc. of the subject in addition to the treatment purpose (for example, treatment of odor and hyperhidrosis). can do. For example, when supplying thermal energy to the apocrine sweat gland, the protrusion length L is set to about 1.0 to 8.0 mm, and when supplying heat energy to the eccrine sweat gland, the protrusion length L is set to 0.8 to 7. What is necessary is just to set to about 0 mm. However, the above numerical value is a guideline and is not limited to this numerical value. The amount of heat energy to be supplied may be set as appropriate in consideration of the size of sweat glands, with reference to the case of ablation treatment that has been performed conventionally.

  After the heat energy is supplied for a predetermined time, the electrode needle 10 is raised by the operation of the driving device 40 and is accommodated in the housing portion 32 again. Thus, the treatment of the target tissue as a target is completed. When the next treatment is subsequently performed, the treatment can be started after the cooling member 20 is retracted along the guide groove 32a and the holder 12 is replaced with a new one. As described above, the holder 12 is configured to be detachable and replaceable, so that the sterilization treatment of the electrode needle 10 is not necessary and rapid treatment can be performed. The cooling member 20 can also be removed from the guide groove 32a and replaced with a new one.

  The sweat suppression device 1 of the present embodiment can advance the electrode needle 10 through the through hole 28 formed in the cooling member 20 to puncture the target tissue, and supply thermal energy to the sweat gland included in the target tissue. As a result, the sweat gland can be accurately heated and destroyed while sufficiently cooling the vicinity of the target tissue. Therefore, the sweat gland can be destroyed quickly, safely and easily, and excessive sweating can be effectively suppressed. In the present invention, the suppression of perspiration refers to the purpose of reducing the amount of perspiration itself (for example, hyperhidrosis treatment) and the purpose of reducing the odor associated with perspiration even if the amount of perspiration is very small (for example, odor odor) ) Treatment).

  Moreover, since the control apparatus 100 controls the drive of the drive means 40 so that the protrusion length of the electrode needle 10 from the cooling unit 24b becomes a preset length, the optimum depth for different subjects, sweat glands, and the like. The tip portion 10a of the electrode needle 10 can be easily disposed at the position, and the treatment can be performed accurately and safely without depending on the skill of the practitioner.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, the specific aspect of this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, the through holes 28 formed in the cooling member 20 do not necessarily correspond to the plurality of electrode needles 10 individually, and may be configured such that the plurality of electrode needles 10 are inserted into one through hole 28. . In this case, as shown in a bottom view in FIG. 4, the through hole 28 is formed in the cooling member 20 in the shape of a long hole so that the two electrode needles 10 pass through both end edges in the longitudinal direction of the through hole 28. In addition, each electrode needle 10 may be fixed to the holder 12. According to this configuration, the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 28 can guide the advancement / retraction of each electrode needle 10 while facilitating the insertion of each electrode needle 10 into the through-hole 28, thereby further puncturing the surface of the epidermis. It can be done reliably. The shape of the through hole 28 may be a polygonal shape such as a triangular shape or a quadrangular shape shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B other than the long hole shape described above. By configuring the electrode needles 10 to pass through, the puncturing operation can be performed easily and reliably as in the configuration of FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the support 30 may be configured to include a mounting portion 36 and a cartridge 60 that can be attached to and detached from the mounting portion 36. FIG. 6 is a side view of a perspiration control device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 6 and 7, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The mounting portion 36 is formed in a casing shape, and a driving device 40 is provided at the upper portion, and an engagement rail 36 a that engages with the cartridge 60 is provided at the lower portion. A cylindrical portion 34 is provided inside the mounting portion 36, and the shaft 43 and the rod 46 of the driving device 40 are accommodated inside the cylindrical portion 34, similarly to the configuration shown in FIG. 2.

  The cartridge 60 is formed with an engagement groove 62a that engages with the engagement rail 36a on the upper surface of the cartridge main body 62, and the cartridge 60 is attached to and detached from the mounting portion 36 by moving the cartridge 60 along the engagement rail 36a. Can be installed as possible. The cartridge 60 is fixed to the mounting portion 36 by fitting of fitting portions (not shown) provided in the engagement rail 36a and the engagement groove 62a.

  A holder 12 that supports the plurality of electrode needles 10 is accommodated inside the cartridge body 62. The holder 12 is urged by a spring member 64 as urging means so as to retract the electrode needle 10 inside the cartridge body 62. An insertion hole 62a through which the tip 46d of the rod 46 can pass is formed in the upper part of the cartridge body 62, and the tip 46d is configured to be able to press the holder 12 when the rod 46 advances. A through hole 62 b through which the electrode needle 10 passes is formed in the lower portion of the cartridge body 62.

  The cooling member 20 is supported by the mounting portion 36 via the support arm 21, and the cartridge 60 is disposed between the mounting portion 36 and the cooling member 20. The support arm 21 has flexibility and can hold the cartridge 60 between the mounting portion 36 and the cooling member 20. The support arm 21 accommodates wiring, signal lines, and the like that connect the cooling member 20 and the operation unit 50. The through hole 28 of the cooling member 20 is formed so as to be aligned with the through hole 62 b of the cartridge 60. The shapes of the through hole 28 and the through hole 62b are not particularly limited, and can be, for example, a long hole shape or a polygonal shape shown in FIGS.

  In the sweating suppression device 1 having such a configuration, when the rod 46 advances by the operation of the driving device 40, the distal end portion 46 d of the rod 46 resists the urging force of the spring member 64 as shown in FIG. 8. The tip 10a of the electrode needle 10 passes through the through hole 28 and the through hole 62b and protrudes from the cooling member 20. After the target tissue is treated, the holder 46 is moved again to the retracted position by the urging force accumulated in the spring member 64 by retracting the rod 46. The cartridge 60 can be quickly and easily treated by replacing the mounting portion 36 with a new one.

  The cooling member 20 is supported by the mounting portion 36 by the support arm 21 having flexibility, so that the cartridge 60 can be sandwiched between the cooling member 20 and the mounting portion 36, and the through hole 28 and the through hole 62 b. Can be easily aligned. However, the cooling member 20 can be configured to be detachable from the cartridge 60.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sweating suppression apparatus 10 Electrode needle | hook 10a Tip part 12 Holder 20 Cooling member 21 Support arm 22 Peltier element 24 Cooling plate 24b Cooling part 26 Heat radiation block 28 Through hole 30 Support body 32 Housing | casing part 32a Guide groove 34 Cylindrical part 36 Mounting part 40 Drive device 42 Drive motor 44 Encoder 46 Rod 46a Nut 60 Cartridge 64 Energizing means 100 Control device

Claims (15)

A plurality of needles capable of supplying energy from the tip,
A cooling member having a cooling part capable of being in close contact with the skin, and a plurality of holes through which the plurality of needles can be inserted are formed on the front and back surfaces;
A support that supports the plurality of needles so that they can be inserted into the plurality of holes;
Drive means for enabling movement of the plurality of needles,
Direction according to the insertion to the plurality of holes of the plurality of needles, a one-way only the plurality of needles toward the cooling unit is only one direction toward the skin from the cooling unit,
The cooling part is
It can be pressed almost perpendicular to the epidermis ,
The driving means includes
A perspiration control device capable of moving the plurality of needles from a position not protruding from the cooling section to a position protruding from the cooling section in a state where the cooling section is in close contact with the epidermis . The sweating suppression apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls driving of the driving unit such that a protruding length of the plurality of needles from the cooling unit is a preset length. The perspiration suppression device according to claim 2, wherein the preset length is a length set by an operation of an operation unit. The drive means includes a drive motor, an encoder that detects the rotational speed of the drive motor, and a rod that moves forward and backward in the support body by the rotation of the drive motor,
The perspiration suppression device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control means controls the protruding lengths of the plurality of needles based on the number of rotations detected by the encoder. 5. The plurality of needles are supported by a holder that is pressed by the driving unit, and the holders that support the plurality of needles are detachable from the perspiration control device. 6. The antiperspirant device according to 1. Antiperspirant device as claimed in any one claims 1 to 5 in which a plurality pieces of needles on one of the holes are arranged so as to pass. The one hole is formed in a long hole shape,
Wherein the plurality pieces of needles, antiperspirant device according the one of the holes both end edges of the claim 6 are arranged to pass respectively. The support includes a mounting portion to which the driving means is mounted, and a cartridge that is detachable from the mounting portion.
The sweat prevention device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of needles are housed in the cartridge together with the holder. The cartridge includes biasing means for biasing the holder so as to retract the plurality of needles inside the cartridge,
The sweating suppression device according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of needles protrude from the cooling unit when the driving unit presses the holder against the urging force of the urging unit. The cooling member is supported by the mounting portion by a support arm,
The perspiration suppression device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the cartridge is disposed between the mounting portion and the cooling member. The sweating suppression according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the cooling member is movably supported by the support body so as to be retractable in a direction substantially orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the plurality of needles. apparatus. The said cooling member is provided with the Peltier element, the cooling plate which is arrange | positioned at the heat absorption side of the said Peltier element, and forms the said cooling part, and the thermal radiation block arrange | positioned at the heat generation side of the said Peltier element. The sweat suppression apparatus as described in any one of Claims. The sweating suppression device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cooling unit has a curved surface shape. The cooling part is
The sweat suppression apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, which is used in close contact with the surface of the epidermis in the vicinity of a target site including a sweat gland. The cooling member is
The sweat suppression device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, which is detachable from the support.

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