JPH0127767Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention is an intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic device having an ultrasound probe that has a function of transmitting and receiving ultrasound by rotating or reciprocating toward the distal end of an insertion section inserted into a body cavity. In this method, a partially cut out guide groove is formed in the ultrasonic mirror in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis, and the ultrasonic mirror can be easily passed through the ultrasonic transmission/reception window in the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis using a detachable locking means such as a screw. The present invention relates to an intrabody cavity ultrasonic diagnostic device that can be attached to and detached from the body cavity and that can shorten the length of the ultrasonic probe.

In recent years, by inserting the insertion part into the body cavity,
In addition to endoscopes that can optically observe the inside of body cavities or perform therapeutic procedures using forceps, ultrasound diagnostic devices that send and receive ultrasound to provide acoustic information inside body cavities are used for diagnosis. be. This ultrasonic diagnostic device emits ultrasonic pulses from the body surface to a target object, and when the emitted ultrasonic waves propagate, the acoustic impedance, which is expressed as the product of the density of the medium and the speed of sound, increases. Since it is reflected at a discontinuous boundary surface, the reflected ultrasonic pulse wave is received and acoustic information such as its reflection intensity is used for diagnosis.

Compared to X-ray devices, such ultrasonic diagnostic equipment has the following advantages: it can easily obtain information about living soft tissue without using a shaping agent, it does not destroy living tissue with radiation, it is easy to handle, and it is not dangerous. It has many advantages such as the fact that it is small in size, and furthermore, as technology related to ultrasound has advanced in recent years, the quality and quantity of information obtained has improved, so it is becoming popular as a clinical diagnostic device in the medical field.

In contrast to the above-mentioned diagnosis that transmits and receives ultrasound pulses from the body surface, intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic methods that transmit and receive ultrasound pulses from positions close to living organs within the body cavity have a (relatively) large amount of attenuation as they propagate. It is possible to transmit and receive high frequency ultrasonic waves, thus obtaining information with high resolution and precision, and it is not affected by the subcutaneous fat layer interposed between the objects, etc. Since it has many advantages, it is likely to be used more and more in the future. This intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic device, which is inserted into a body cavity, is used either as an integrated unit with an endoscope as a means of optical observation, or with a removable endoscope (optical viewing tube) attached. It is common that

1 and 2 show a sectional view of the tip of a conventional intracorporeal ultrasound diagnostic apparatus having the above-mentioned functions, and a perspective view of the tip with the outer cover removed.

In these figures, the cylindrical insertion section 1 accommodates an observation optical system and an illumination optical system, which will be described below, as well as an axis for rotating an ultrasound mirror, which will be described later, and an electric signal connected to an ultrasound transducer. It houses signal cables and optical fibers for transmission.

A flexible light guide 2 made of a glass fiber bundle or the like that transmits illumination light from an external light source (not shown) is inserted into the insertion portion 1, and its tip is curved and the front end of the light guide 2 is curved. A glass window 3 is attached by cutting out the insertion section 1, and illumination light is emitted into the body cavity through this glass window 3.

On the other hand, as an optical system for observing organs etc. illuminated with illumination light, a glass window 4 is attached to the insertion section 1 approximately adjacent to the glass window 3, and a right angle prism 5 is housed so as to be in contact with the inside of the glass window 4. an imaging lens system 6 for forming an image of the incident light reflected at right angles through the prism 5; and an ultrafine glass fiber bundle for transmitting the optical image formed by the imaging lens system 6. An image guide 7 formed of the like is housed therein, and is configured such that it can be observed from the outside behind the eyepiece through this image guide 7.

Inside the ultrasound probe head 8 at the further tip of the insertion section 1 provided with the observation optical system and the illumination optical system,
A means for rotating and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is housed.

The ultrasound probe head 8 is covered with a soft mantle cover 9, and the mantle cover 9 is made of a material such as rubber or organic resin that can be in direct contact with a living body such as the stomach wall and can effectively transmit and receive ultrasound beams. An outer cylinder 10 made of metal or the like is housed inside the outer cylinder 10, and an O-ring or the like is fitted around the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 10 at the rear end to which the mantle cover 9 is fixed. .

Inside the outer cylinder 10, there is an ultrasonic transducer 12 that generates and receives ultrasonic waves supported by a support member 11 whose periphery is in contact with the outer cylinder 10 and is fixed, and converts the generated ultrasonic waves into electrical signals. A signal cable 13 that is connected to this ultrasonic transducer 12 and transmits electrical signals
, an ultrasonic mirror 14 that reflects the ultrasonic beam and transmits it in the right angle direction, and a bendable coil wire 1 that transmits the rotation by an external motor.
A shaft 16 for rotating the ultrasonic mirror 14 is accommodated through the shaft 5 . The ultrasonic mirror 14
A screw hole 14A is formed in the mirror 14 so that the ultrasonic mirror 14 can be attached to and removed from the shaft 16 by rotating the ultrasonic mirror 14.

The ultrasonic vibrator 12 is made of a piezoelectric material such as crystal or PZT (a solid solution of lead zirconate PbZrO ₃ and lead titanate PbTiO ₃ ), and generates ultrasonic waves by applying an electric signal or is excited by ultrasonic waves. This generates an electrical signal. An ultrasonic mirror 14 is disposed opposite to the transmitting/receiving surface of the ultrasonic transducer 12 and has a reflecting surface that is inclined at 45 degrees and reflects the ultrasonic beam at a substantially right angle.

The ultrasonic beam generated by the ultrasonic transducer 12 can be emitted (transmitted) in a wide range (for example, about 180 degrees) by rotating the ultrasonic mirror 14 (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2). ), along the rotation transmission/reception surface of the ultrasonic mirror 14.
0 is provided with an opening 17, and the ultrasonic transducer 1
The transmitting/receiving surface of 2 and the area around the ultrasonic mirror 14 are filled with an (ultrasonic) transmission medium 18 such as salt water or olive oil that has a value approximately equal to the acoustic impedance of internal organs etc. in order to effectively transmit ultrasonic waves. ,
This transmission medium 18 passes through the opening 17 and fills the inside of the outer cover 9. This transmission medium 1
8 is tightly sealed by a sealing material 19 to prevent the transmission medium 18 around the ultrasonic mirror 14 from leaking into the observation optical system.

The disk designated by the reference numeral 20 is the ultrasonic mirror 14
The disc 20 is fixed to a shaft 16 so as to rotate together with the disc 20, and one surface of the disk 20 is provided with a thin reflective section, and two optical fibers 2 are attached opposite to this reflective section.
1 and 22 are arranged. One optical fiber (designated 21) guides light from an external light source and illuminates the surface of the disc 20 on which the reflective section is provided, while the other optical fiber 22 guides light from an external light source and illuminates the surface of the disc 20 where the reflective section is provided. The reflected light is sent to an external control/processing device (not shown), and the signal from the reflected light can be used to start an ultrasound sector scan.

In the conventional intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic apparatus configured as described above, when the ultrasound mirror 14 is removed to repair a malfunctioning part or overhauled, or when the ultrasound mirror 14 is attached after repair, etc. It is quite difficult to rotate the ultrasonic mirror 14 to attach and detach it from the opening 17 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and the attachment and detachment work is time-consuming, and in some cases, other parts such as the ultrasonic transducer 12 may be damaged. In some cases, the ultrasonic mirror 14 could not be attached or detached unless it was removed.

In addition, when the ultrasonic mirror 14 is rotated to be attached or detached, the ultrasonic transducer 12 and the tip of the ultrasonic mirror 14 must be separated by a length corresponding to the threaded portion, and the ultrasonic The probe head 8 becomes longer in the direction of its insertion axis, making it difficult to bend the probe head and causing great pain to the patient during insertion. Furthermore, separating the ultrasonic transducer 12 and the ultrasonic mirror 14 means that ultrasonic waves can
The amount of attenuation within 8 becomes large, which is inconvenient.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned points, and includes a guide groove that allows an ultrasonic mirror that reflects ultrasonic waves from a fixed ultrasonic transducer to be inserted and removed from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft. An intracorporeal ultrasound diagnostic device that can be easily attached and detached in the direction of the ultrasonic transmission/reception window by detachably locking with a screw groove locking means, and also enables the length of the probe head to be reduced. The purpose is to provide

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an intracorporeal ultrasonic probe equipped with an ultrasonic probe in which an ultrasonic mirror is housed in a mantle cover and is attached to a shaft that rotates or reciprocates in opposition to a fixed ultrasonic transducer. In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, a guide groove is formed in the ultrasound mirror attached to the shaft to be inserted into and removed from the shaft in a direction substantially perpendicular to the shaft, and the ultrasound mirror is removably locked to the shaft around the guide groove. We have measures in place.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

3 to 9 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which an optical viewing tube is attached to the (intrabody cavity) ultrasound probe body in one embodiment,
FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe head in one embodiment, and FIG.
6 shows a cross sectional view taken along line A', FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view taken along line B-B' in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view taken along line C-C' in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 shows the area around the conduction hole for supplying and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium (ultrasonic transmission liquid) and removing air bubbles generated in the transmission medium by cutting along the line D-D′ in FIG. 7, FIG. 9 shows the area around the conductive hole which can be cut along the line OE in FIG. 7 to supply and discharge grease.

In these figures, the ultrasound probe main body 21 in one embodiment accommodates the function of transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves at the distal end of an elongated insertion section 22 inserted into a body cavity, as shown in FIG. A cutout window 25 is provided on the outer periphery of the insertion section 22 behind the curved section 24. Over the window 25, (optical viewing tube)
A guide tube is fitted into the guide tube, and an optical viewing tube (scope) 27 can be inserted into and removed from the guide tube.

At the rear end of the ultrasound probe main body 21, an operating section 28 for inserting and removing the optical viewing tube 27 and a grip 29 are provided vertically above the axial direction of the insertion section 22. A motor for rotational driving, a head amplifier for amplifying signals received remotely from the motor with low noise, and a rotation detector for detecting the rotational position of the shaft rotated by the motor are housed in the 29. There is. An angle knob for bending the bending portion 24 is attached to the side of the grip 29 (back side in FIG. 3), and an angle knob for bending the bending portion 24 is attached to the opposite side to which the angle knob is attached. A cable 30 for transmitting electric power of the motor for rotational driving and signals for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is extended to the outside.
Similarly to the ultrasonic probe (main body) 21 and the optical viewing tube 27, a liquid-tight connector 31 is attached to the tip of the probe 0 so that it can be cleaned or disinfected.

On the other hand, the structure of the ultrasonic probe head 23 is as shown in FIG.

The ultrasonic probe head 23 has a tip side covered with a soft, tubular outer cover 32 made of polyethylene or the like.
The rear end side of the mantle cover 32 has a curved portion 24.
The internal liquid tightness is maintained by a thread-like member 35 wound around the concave step of a ring-shaped connecting and fixing member 34 interposed on the outer periphery of the tip block, which will be described later, near the boundary with the covering tube 33 on the outer periphery. At the same time, the outer cover 32 can be firmly fixed without coming off from the stepped portion.

That is, the inner diameter around the rear end of the mantle cover 32 is made narrow in the shape of a step, and this narrow step has a narrow diameter of the connecting and fixing member 34 in which a flexible tube 36 with high elasticity is encircled. The end portion of the outer cover 32 that is fitted into the stepped portion is firmly fixed by the thread-like member 35 wound at the position of the recessed stepped portion, and the liquid-tight function is improved. This has been achieved, and an adhesive 37 is applied to the outer peripheral recess of the wound thread-like member 35 so as to close the recess. A concave step is also formed near the end of the soft covering tube 33 adjacent to the connecting and fixing member 34, and a thread-like member 38 is wound around this step, and an adhesive 39 is applied to the outer circumference of the concave portion. is coated. In this way, the soft mantle cover 32 on the distal end side and the soft covering tube 33 on the outer periphery of the curved portion 23 are not directly connected, but a ring-shaped connecting solid member 34 having sufficient strength is interposed, so that the mantle cover 32 and the covering tube 33, and the outer cover 3 on the distal end side when repeatedly inserted and removed.
When the covering tube 33 on the outer periphery of the curved portion 2 or the curved portion 24 is worn out or damaged, only that portion can be replaced by unwinding the wound thread-like member 35 or 38.

A storage chamber 41 is formed by a hollow cylindrical tip block (member) 40 covered with the member forming the outer periphery. is fixed to the tip block 40 with screws 43 or the like, and is inclined at, for example, 45 degrees with the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface 42A of the ultrasonic transducer 42, and is rotatably driven to scan ultrasonic waves.
A rotatable and removable (ultrasonic) mirror 45 is attached to the tip of the (rigid) shaft 44.

The mirror 45 uses a cut surface obtained by cutting a cylindrical member at an angle as an ultrasonic reflecting surface, and a part of the back side of this reflecting surface is a sucrose aqueous solution filled in the storage chamber 41 around the mirror 45. In order to collect and easily remove air bubbles generated in the (ultrasonic) transmission medium 46, a cutout recess 47 is provided as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.
is formed. Approximately 5 as the transmission medium 46
Using a sucrose aqueous solution with a concentration of ~15% can prevent each member from rusting compared to salt water, etc.
In addition, since the acoustic impedance can be made almost equal to that of a living body, ultrasonic waves can be transmitted efficiently, and the aqueous solution has less loss components in the propagation of ultrasonic waves than oil etc., so the ultrasonic waves during propagation are It is also possible to prevent a decrease in beam intensity.

The base side of the mirror 45 is connected to a rotating shaft 44.
A guide groove 48 is formed in the shaft 44 so that the shaft 44 can be inserted and removed from the right angle direction, and screws 50, 50 are screwed into the screw holes 49, 49.
The mirror 40 is configured to be removably latched to the shaft 44 by means of the mirror 40.

A cable 51 for transmitting signals for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is connected to the ultrasonic transducer 42. This cable 51 is inserted through the insertion section 22 up to the grip 29, and extends from the side of the grip 29 ( It is configured to finally be connected to an external observation and display device via an external cable 30.

An opening is provided in a part of the side wall of the storage chamber 41 formed by the tip block 40 around the mirror 45 to form a window 52 for transmitting and receiving (ultrasonic waves).
An opening formed in the peripheral tip block 40 by reflecting the ultrasonic beam sent out from the transmitting/receiving surface 42A of the ultrasonic vibrator 42 by a rotationally driven mirror 45;
In other words, the ultrasonic waves are emitted from the transmitting/receiving window 52 to the outside through the outer cover 32, and on the other hand, a part of the ultrasonic waves reflected at the discontinuous boundary surface of the outer cylinder impedance is reflected by the mirror 45 and becomes an ultrasonic wave. Vibrator 42
It is configured so that it is incident on the

The mirror 45 is configured to be able to be inserted and removed from the transmission/reception window 52 along the guide groove 48 and taken out to the outside of the transmission/reception window 52 for easy maintenance and repair.

The mirror 45 is attached to the tip of a first shaft 44, and this shaft 44 is screwed onto a second (rigid) shaft 53, which is rotatably supported by a bearing 54. There is. The rear end side of this bearing 54 makes contact with a locking part protruding inwardly from the tip block 40 and a recess formed in the second shaft 53, and the other end side is moved back and forth by a ring-shaped lock screw 55. It is supported not to do so.

The outer peripheral surface of the first shaft 44 and the tip block 4
Seal members 56, 56 having a substantially U-shaped cross section are encircled in the annular gap between the inner wall surfaces of 0, and an elastic member (not shown) is housed in the U-shaped recess of each of these seal members 56, 56. Grease, such as molycoat grease, is filled in a grease filling chamber 57 formed between one U-shaped recess and the other seal member 56, 56, with the U-shaped both sides abutting the inner and outer circumferential surfaces. This prevents the transmission medium 46 from leaking to the bearing 54 side, and also prevents the transmission medium 46 from leaking to the bearing 54 side.
Frictional resistance during rotation of the shaft 44 in contact with the shaft 44 is suppressed as much as possible, and the shaft 44 is configured to rotate smoothly.

Inside the curved portion 24 covered by the covering tube 33, each adjacent (upper and lower in FIG. 4)
A large number of joint pieces 58, 58, . . . , 58 are housed in which pivot joints on both sides are rotatably connected, and by pulling and relaxing an operation wire (not shown), the curved portion 24 can be moved in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. It is configured so that it can be bent in the left-right direction.

On the other hand, the joint piece 5 at the tip of the curved portion 24
8 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rear end of the tip block 40. However, the joint pieces 58, 5 extend from the fixed part of the lever to the notch window 25 shown in FIG.
8,..., 58 are connected to each other, a soft (or soft elastic) shaft 61 is connected to the second shaft 53 at its front end and to a hard shaft (not shown) at the other end. 62 is inserted.

The soft (elastic) shaft 61 is formed of a coil wound in two layers, an inner layer and an outer layer, and these inner and outer coils are wound in opposite directions, depending on the direction of rotation. Therefore, rotation can be effectively transmitted in a curved state without deforming the outer diameter. The end of this soft shaft 61 is soldered with solder, silver solder, or the like, or welded with an arc, etc., and then a hole is drilled in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and the second shaft 53 is inserted into the recess from the rear end side. The pin 63 is passed through the hole and the hole provided in the second shaft 53 to fix the pin 63 to connect the soft shaft and the second shaft 53. The rotation of the second axis 5
The signal is configured to be transmitted to the third side. The outer periphery of the flexible shaft 61 is covered with a flexible tube 62 made of Teflon or the like, which has low friction even when the rotating flexible shaft 61 and the inner peripheral surface come into contact with each other, and is durable against bending. ing.

On the other hand, from a part of the outer circumferential surface of the ring-shaped connecting and fixing member 34 toward the inner end block 40, a screw hole 6 is formed diagonally forward and inwardly as shown in FIG.
4 is bored, and from the tip of the screw hole 64 toward the front in the longitudinal direction, a conduction hole is formed that communicates with the storage chamber 41 filled with the transmission medium 46 around the mirror 45. By removing this stopper 66, air bubbles generated in the transmission medium 46 can be easily removed by inserting a small diameter tube, or the transmission medium 46 can be easily supplied and discharged. It is composed of

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, a screw hole 67 is drilled toward the inner tip block 40 at a position different from the screw hole 64 on the outer circumferential surface of the connecting and fixing member 34, and this screw hole 67 is bored toward the inner tip block 40. A through hole 68 is formed which extends forward in the longitudinal direction from the tip of the hole 67 and which extends inward to communicate with the grease filling chamber 57. A plug 69 is screwed into the screw hole 67 and accommodated therein. There is.

By removing this plug 69, grease can be easily replenished and drained.

After the plugs 66, 69 are attached, the recesses are sealed with adhesive.

A member 70 attached to the shaft 44 adjacent to the base end of the mirror 45 is for restricting the seal member 56 from moving forward, and is for extending the base side of the mirror 45 rearward. It can also be omitted by having it appear.

The operation of one embodiment configured in this manner will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical viewing tube 27 is inserted into the guide tube of the ultrasound probe body 21, and the front and right front sides are cut out by the observation optical system installed at the tip of the optical viewing tube 27. In addition to enabling observation through the window 25, a cable 30 extending outside from the grip 29 is connected to an observation display device via a separate unit containing a pulse oscillator or the like or directly, and is further connected to an optical viewing tube. A light guide cable is connected to 27 so that illumination light is supplied from the light source device.

The ultrasound probe main body 21 in the above state is attached to a trocar and inserted into a body cavity, observed through the optical viewing tube 27, and the transmission/reception window 52 is pressed against a target object such as a target organ. In this case, the curved part 2
By curving 4 to the right, the ultrasound probe head 23 and the transmission/reception window 52 can be placed in the center of the field of view together with the object such as an organ.

When pressed against an object such as an organ, by rotating the motor in the grip 29, the sound is transmitted to the hard shaft inserted through the ultrasound probe main body 21 via a soft shaft (not shown). The rotation of the hard shaft is transmitted to the soft shaft 61 near the notched window 25, and the rotation of this soft shaft 61 is further transmitted to the second and first shafts 53, 44, which are attached to the tip of the first shaft 44. The rotated mirror 45 is driven to rotate.

When the mirror 45 is rotated, the ultrasonic transducer 42 is sequentially supplied with ultrasonic excitation pulses via the cable 51, so it excites ultrasonic waves,
The ultrasonic beam emitted from the transmission/reception surface 42A passes through the transmission medium 46, is reflected by the mirror 45, further passes through the transmission medium 46, is reflected by the mirror 45, further passes through the transmission medium 46, and then passes through the transmission/reception window 52 to the transmission/reception window. The light is emitted toward an object such as an organ that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the portion 52. As the ultrasound beam is emitted toward the target object, such as an organ, its intensity gradually decreases due to absorption as it propagates, but it is reflected at the discontinuous boundary surface of the acoustic impedance, and a portion of it becomes an ultrasound echo signal. It is reflected again by the mirror 45, and the ultrasonic transducer 4
2. The ultrasonic echo signal incident on the ultrasonic transducer 42 is transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer 42 to
The signal is converted into an electrical signal and is amplified by a head amplifier (not shown) in the grip 29 via the cable 51. The signal, whose signal-to-noise ratio is prevented from decreasing by this amplification, is transmitted to the observation display device and transmitted to the observation display device. Along with a sweep signal synchronized with the rotational position of the mirror 45 detected by a rotation detector (not shown), ultrasonic waves are transmitted to a display device such as a cathode ray tube or the like by brightness modulation or by converting the reflected intensity into a change in hue. Displayed as a tomographic image.

In one embodiment configured to operate in this manner, the mirror 45 attached to the tip of the first shaft 44 is formed with a guide groove 48 that can be inserted into and removed from the mirror 45 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first shaft 44. Therefore, if it is necessary to attach or detach the mirror 45 and replace the mirror 45 or replace the surrounding area of the mirror 45, simply remove the outer cover 32 and then simply tighten the screws 50, 50. If loosened, the mirror 45 can be easily removed to the outside of the transmission/reception window 52 via the guide groove 48, and can also be easily attached to the shaft 44. Furthermore, since it is designed to be attachable and detachable in a direction perpendicular to the shaft 44, unlike conventional devices, the ultrasonic transducer 42 and mirror 45 can be brought close to each other, and the length of the ultrasonic probe head 23 can be adjusted. The length can be shortened, and ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the storage chamber 41.
There are advantages such as being able to reduce the amount of attenuation caused by the transmission medium 46 inside.

The above-mentioned guide groove 48 is not limited to being provided on the back side of the reflective surface of the mirror 45 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, but may be formed on the lateral side of the reflective surface, for example. You can also.

Further, screw holes 49 and screws 5 are provided as means for removably locking the mirror 45 on the shaft 44.
0 and 50 are not limited to the example in which they are provided on both sides of the reflective surface of the mirror 45 diagonally rearward as shown in FIG.
The number of screws 50 may also be one or three or more.

Furthermore, instead of the above-mentioned locking means using the screw holes 49, 49 and screws 50, 50, for example, a member that fits into the guide groove 48 may be fitted, and this member and the mirror 45 may be removably locked with screws or the like. It can be fixed with an adhesive that can be removed by dissolving it with a specific solvent, or the guide groove 48 of the mirror 45 and the shaft 48 of the part that is fitted and inserted into the guide groove 48 can be formed into a rectangular shape or the like. It can also be fixed with screws, adhesives, etc. as described above.

Note that the present invention can also be applied to the mirror 45 described above having a structure in which the cutout recess 47 is not provided.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the bending portion 24 is configured to be able to curve in the left-right direction, but of course, it may also be configured to be able to curve in the up-down direction.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic apparatus is described in which the optical viewing tube 27 can be detachably attached to the ultrasound probe body 21. The present invention can be similarly applied to a configuration in which the illumination optical system and the observation optical system are integrally disposed and housed on the side adjacent to the. In addition, the ultrasound probe head 2
Even if the structure of No. 3 is different from the above-mentioned embodiment, it is within the scope of the present invention that the guide groove 48 is inserted into and removed from the shaft 44 from a right angle direction, and a means for removably locking the shaft 44 is provided. .

In the above description, the mirror 45 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the rotating shaft 44, but in the present invention, even when the mirror 45 is rotated in a reciprocating manner, the mirror 45 is detachably locked in the guide groove. It can be applied in the same way by providing a means to do so.

As described above, the present invention provides an intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in which an ultrasound mirror is attached to a rotating shaft or a shaft that reciprocates. A guide groove that can be inserted and removed is formed, and a means for removably locking with screws etc. is provided, so when the outer cover is removed, the ultrasonic mirror can be easily attached and detached from the transmission/reception window, making it easy to manufacture. This has the advantage that it is easy to perform, and that it can be easily and quickly dealt with in the event of a breakdown or maintenance. or,
The length of the ultrasound probe head that accommodates this ultrasound mirror can be shortened. Furthermore, since the distance between the transducer and the ultrasonic mirror is shortened, there is an effect that the amount by which the intensity of the ultrasonic beam is attenuated in the transmission medium within the storage chamber can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 relate to a conventional example, and FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the distal end portion of the insertion portion in the conventional example;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the distal end of the insertion section with the mantle cover removed in the conventional example, and Figs. 3 to 9
The drawings relate to one embodiment; FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an ultrasonic probe body in one embodiment with an optical viewing tube attached thereto, and FIG. 4 shows the structure of an ultrasound probe head in one embodiment. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C' in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line O-D in FIG. The figure is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line OE in FIG. 7 and showing the vicinity of the conduction hole through which grease is supplied and discharged. 21... Ultrasonic probe (main body), 22... Insertion part, 23... Ultrasonic probe head, 32... Mantle cover, 33... Covering tube, 34... Connection fixing member, 35, 38... Thread-like Member, 36... Tube, 37, 39... Adhesive, 40... Tip block, 42... Ultrasonic vibrator, 44, 53...
Axis, 45... (ultrasonic) mirror, 46... (ultrasonic) transmission medium, 47... notch recess, 48...
Guide groove, 49, 64, 67... Screw hole, 56...
Seal member, 57... Grease filling chamber, 61...
Soft shaft, 62...Soft tube, 65,6
8... Conduction hole, 66, 69... Plug.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In an intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic apparatus equipped with an ultrasound probe that houses an ultrasound mirror in a mantle cover and is mounted on a shaft that rotates or reciprocates facing a fixed ultrasound transducer, the ultrasound probe is mounted on the shaft. A body cavity characterized in that a guide groove is formed in the ultrasonic mirror for insertion and removal in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis, and means for removably locking the ultrasonic mirror to the axis is provided around the guide groove. Internal ultrasound diagnostic equipment.