JPH0244233B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a hyperthermia heating device, and more particularly to a hyperthermia heating device for heating and treating a predetermined part of a living body using electromagnetic waves. [Conventional technology] In recent years, heating therapy

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in such conventional examples, the support mechanism (not shown) for the applicator used therein is often incomplete, for example, a mechanism that merely supports the applicator. The weight of the pipes connected to this, as well as the cooling water, etc., often causes inconveniences such as misalignment due to even the slightest external vibration. This poses the inconvenience of strictly prohibiting even the slightest movement of the patient for a long period of time. [Object of the Invention] The present invention improves the disadvantages of the conventional example, and provides a heating device for hyperthermia that has good operability and reduces misalignment of the applicator due to external vibration without causing a decrease in electromagnetic wave output. Its purpose is to provide equipment. [Means for Solving the Problems] Therefore, the present invention provides an applicator that outputs electromagnetic waves while converging them, an applicator holding means that locks and holds this applicator such that it can be rotated up and down, and this applicator. and a support mechanism that supports the holding means. Furthermore, the electromagnetic wave output end of the applicator is provided with a surface cooling mechanism that is independent of the applicator, and the surface cooling mechanism is provided with a coolant branch passage that communicates with the inside of this electromagnetic wave output end. It's on. This aims to achieve the above-mentioned purpose. [Operation] Since the applicator holding means that locks and holds the applicator is supported by the support mechanism,
It can remain in a predetermined position in a relatively stable state. This applicator holding means is
At the same time, the applicator is locked so that it can be rotated up and down. Therefore, the fixed posture of this applicator can be appropriately set in accordance with the heating section. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the surface cooling mechanism is separated from the applicator, the weight of the cooling liquid, surface cooling mechanism, piping, etc. is not applied to each arm portion of the support device at all. Furthermore, since the branch channel from the surface cooling mechanism is communicated with the inside of the electromagnetic wave output end of the applicator, overheating of the applicator due to energy loss of electromagnetic waves is suppressed. As a result, the lightweight applicator can be suspended in a stable state at all times, and unstable conditions such as misalignment caused by external forces are greatly improved, and at the same time, the electromagnetic wave output is stabilized. [Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be explained based on Figure 3. First, in FIG. 1, the reference numeral 50 indicates an applicator, the reference numeral 60 indicates an applicator holding means, and the reference numeral 70 indicates a support mechanism. As shown in FIG. 2, the applicator 50 is engaged to the applicator holding means 60 by engagement knobs 60E and 60F so as to be rotatable up and down. Symbols C and D indicate the rotation direction in that case. in this case,
The locking knobs 60E and 60F each extend inward at their center portions and have threaded portions (not shown) at their ends.
This threaded portion is the applicator holding means 6
The screw holes 10 of the locking pieces 10G, 10H (see FIG. 5) on both sides of the applicator 50 are inserted through the through holes (not shown) of the U-shaped bent ends 60A, 60B of the applicator 50.
It is designed to be screwed into the K part. Therefore, the applicator 50 is held at both bent ends 60A, 60B of the applicator holding means 60 by the action of the engaging knobs 60E, 60F.
The applicator holding means 60 is configured to be firmly fixed to the applicator holding means 60 in such a manner that it is held between the applicator holding means 60. That is, the applicator 50
By loosening 0E and 60F, it can freely rotate in the directions C and D, and if necessary, it can be fixed at any tilted position by tightening the locking knobs. The applicator 50 is specifically constructed as shown in FIGS. 3 to 10. That is, in these figures, 10 indicates a case body having a function as a waveguide. As is clear from FIGS. 3 to 5, the case main body 10 has a box shape, and an electromagnetic wave power supply section 11 is provided at one end, and a radio wave lens section 12 is provided at the other end.
is provided, and a stub unit mechanism 13 for electromagnetic wave matching is provided in the intermediate portion thereof. Further, the right end portion of the radio wave lens portion 12 in FIG. 3 is opened to form an electromagnetic wave radiation end portion 14, and at the same time, the electromagnetic wave radiation end portion 14 is provided with a structure that covers the electromagnetic wave radiation end portion 14 from the outside. A surface cooling mechanism 15 for the biological surface is installed and used as shown in FIG. The electromagnetic wave power feeding section 11 includes a power feeding section waveguide 10A forming a part of the case body 10, and this power feeding section waveguide 1.
It is formed by an excitation antenna 11A protruding from the center of 0A, and a waterproof coaxial connector 11B for electromagnetic waves connected to this excitation antenna 11A. As a result, electromagnetic waves sent through the coaxial connector 11B are efficiently introduced into the case body 10. The power feeding part waveguide 10A, including the location where the stabilization mechanism 13 is installed, is filled with an insulating oil (hereinafter simply referred to as "oil") 10C that has low attenuation of electromagnetic waves. 10D is oil 1
An oil-filled partition plate made of a dielectric material for sealing 0C is shown. In this embodiment, the stub unit mechanism 13 uses a set of three stub unit mechanisms disposed on the same line at predetermined intervals, and by rotating each screw member 23 that functions as a stub for matching reflected waves. , the screw member 23 is attached to the case body 1
0 so that necessary alignment can be achieved. Reference numeral 22 indicates a piston member for sealing, and reference numeral 25 indicates a flow port for movement of oil 10C that occurs as the piston member 22 reciprocates. In addition, in order to smooth the flow of the oil 10C, that is, the reciprocating movement of the piston member 22,
Further, in order to allow thermal expansion of the filled oil due to heating of the case body caused by continuous use, an oil escape mechanism 16 is provided in a part of the power feeding section waveguide 10A. In this embodiment, the oil escape mechanism 16 includes through-holes 16A, 16A (see FIG. 3) formed at two locations in the power supply waveguide 10A at a predetermined interval, and through-holes 16A from the inside. A relatively fine wire mesh 16B arranged and equipped so as to cover the guide tube 1 connected to each through hole 16A.
6C, 16C, and relatively soft oil escape tubes 16D, 16D connected to each guide tube 16C and extending upward. Here, the wire mesh 16B constitutes a part of the side wall of the electromagnetic wave power supply section 11, and therefore, if it functions equivalently, for example, a plurality of small holes may be directly formed in the inner wall of the electromagnetic wave power supply section 11. However, it may be replaced with a plate-shaped metal member having numerous small through holes. Further, the surface cooling mechanism 15 disposed and used at the electromagnetic wave radiation end portion 14 of the case body 10 is formed into a flat shape in order to efficiently cool the surface of the heating section. To explain this in more detail, this surface cooling mechanism 15
is separated from the case body 10 in this embodiment. That is, the surface cooling mechanism 15 is of a flat type in this embodiment, and is composed of a relatively soft insulating film member as a whole, and has a cooling liquid inflow guide 31 at one end thereof, and a Each end has a coolant outflow guide 32. Each of the coolant inflow guide 31 and outflow guide 32 is provided with branch passages 31A and 32A having a relatively small diameter.
A and 32A are removably connected to the radio lens portion 12 of the case body 10 of the applicator 50, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 13, respectively, to form a coolant branch passage 33 which also serves as an air vent. As a result, air bubbles remaining within the radio wave lens section 12, which will be described later, are efficiently discharged to the outside. In this embodiment, the radio lens section 12 installed at the right end of the case body 10 in FIG. 3 is formed into a box shape with openings on two opposing sides, as shown in FIGS. The entire case body 1
It is designed to be removably stored inside the 0. To explain this in more detail, the radio wave lens section 12 is
A plurality of metal plates 40, 40 having the same dimensions...
and a frame 41 that locks the upper and lower ends of each metal plate 40 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the distance between the metal plates 40 is such that the dimensional width α ₀ at the center thereof is the maximum dimension and becomes smaller as it approaches the side wall 41A of the frame body 41. It is arranged according to the set width of α ₁ , α ₂ , and α ₃ (however, α ₀ > α ₁ > α ₂ > α ₃ ), and thereby, the incoming electromagnetic wave is shown by the dotted line in Fig. 12. Each metal plate 40 as a whole is set so as to exhibit a predetermined lens effect in one direction. Furthermore, each metal plate 40 has a shape in which the center of the end on the side of the electromagnetic wave power supply unit 11 is cut into a bow shape, so that the same incoming electromagnetic waves as those described above can be detected as shown in FIG. As shown, it is set so that a predetermined lens effect can also be exerted in the other direction. Furthermore, in FIG. 3, reference numeral 42 indicates a sealing insulating plate detachably attached to lock the radio wave lens section 12. The box-shaped radio wave lens section 12, which is detachably formed as described above, is
In reality, several dozen pieces are prepared in advance depending on the affected area, and can be selected and used as appropriate. Here, regarding the surface cooling mechanism 15 and the coolant circulation mechanism 90 including the same, the electromagnetic wave oscillator 1 that sends electromagnetic waves to the applicator 50 will be explained.
10 and their overall control system will be described in detail. That is, in FIG. 13, the surface cooling mechanism 1
5 has a hydraulic buffer means 92 on the coolant inflow side,
In addition, liquid cooling means 93 are connected to each other on the cooling liquid outflow side. The coolant flowing out from the surface cooling mechanism 15 is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the cooling means 93, and then degassed by the air bleed means 94 installed at the next stage. After that, it is fed into the surface cooling mechanism 15 of the applicator 50 again via the hydraulic pressure buffer means 92. A series of these liquid circulation systems forms a closed loop and constitutes a coolant circulation mechanism 90. Reference numeral 94C indicates an on-off valve that opens and closes at regular intervals under the control of a main control section 99A, which will be described later. Further, reference numeral 94D indicates a solenoid that directly drives the on-off valve 94C. Further, a coolant replenishing section 97 for replenishing coolant is connected to the coolant circulation mechanism 90 from the outside of the air bleed means 94. This coolant replenishment section 97 includes a liquid replenishment tank 97A,
It consists of a replenishment port 97B closed at the upper end of the liquid replenishment tank 97A, an on-off valve 97C installed at the lower end of the liquid replenishment tank 97A, and a support means 98 for supporting the liquid replenishment tank 97A. Piping 97D
The opening/closing valve 97C portion of the liquid replenishment tank 97A is connected to the air bleed means 94 via. Therefore, when the opening/closing valve 94C of the air bleed means 94 is opened by the main control section 99A, which will be described later, the air bubbles collected in the air bleed means 94 immediately rise and pass through the liquid supply tank 97A to the outside. It is now being released to Further, the support means 98 are arranged by arrows A and B in FIG.
As shown, it is configured to be able to move up and down with a predetermined stroke. Therefore, when replacing the applicator 50 or replacing parts of the applicator 50 described above, by lowering the support means 98, the liquid replenishing tank 97A can be moved to the applicator 50.
It is convenient to position the applicator 50 below 0 and then remove the cooling fluid piping and replace the applicator 50 or replace the parts, as this will prevent the cooling fluid from spewing out due to the water level. . Although it is desirable to use pure water as the cooling water, for example, ordinary water is used in this embodiment. Further, in this embodiment, the hydraulic pressure buffering means 92 uses a bellows-shaped expander whose inside is connected to the piping. This bellows-like expander is usually compressed by its own elasticity. Note that this may be replaced with another mechanism as long as it functions equally well. The electromagnetic wave oscillator 110 for the applicator 50 is
Actually, a magnetron is used, and its output is
The signal is sent to the applicator 50 via the directional coupler 111. In this case, the directional coupler 111 has an output display section 112 that displays the ratio of the electromagnetic waves currently being sent to the maximum output.
and a reflected wave display section 1 that displays the proportion of reflected electromagnetic waves.
It is equipped with 13. Therefore, when there are many reflected waves, the reflection level can be set to the lowest value by adjusting the three stabilization mechanisms 13 of the applicator described above while watching the reflected wave display section 113. Among the above-mentioned components, the electromagnetic wave oscillator 110, liquid cooling means 93, air venting means 94, cooling liquid replenishing section 97, and pressurizing pump 95 are mainly used.
is accommodated in the device main body 120, and the hydraulic buffer means 92 and the directional coupler 111 are also accommodated in the device main body 120 as required. Further, in this embodiment, each of the liquid cooling means 93, the pressurizing pump 95, and the electromagnetic wave oscillator 110 is controlled by the main control section 99A of the control means 99, so that they each function as independent agents. To explain this in more detail, the main control section 99A includes:
Temperature information of the heating unit 100 inside the living body is constantly inputted by the first thermometer 99E, and temperature information of the living body surface where the electromagnetic waves are incident is constantly inputted by the second thermometer 99F. . On the other hand, the main control 99A contains predetermined cooling temperatures for the surface of the living body, heating temperatures for the in-vivo heating section, etc. according to each patient, as well as specific control procedures as standard information for specific control. , is inputted from the input section 99B. Therefore, in the main control section 99A, the input section 9
The output of the electromagnetic wave oscillator 110 is controlled to increase or decrease according to the values and procedures input and set from 9B,
In addition, the operating levels of the pressurizing pump 95 and the liquid cooling means 93 are controlled, thereby constantly maintaining the temperature of the heating treatment section 100 within a predetermined range of 43°C to 43.5°C, and preventing burns from occurring on the surface of the living body. Based on the information from the second thermometer 99F, the liquid cooling means 93 and the pressure pump 95 are
It is configured to drive and control. On the other hand, the applicator holding means 60 includes a U-shaped intermediate connecting portion 60 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
A support rod 61 is provided at the center of C, and this portion of the support rod 61 is connected to a distal end arm 71 of a support mechanism 70 via a connection mechanism 62 (see FIG. 1). To explain this in more detail, the connecting mechanism 62 includes a fixing member 62A having a male screw at its tip, and a connecting member 62B having a female screw threadedly engaged with the fixing member 62A. And this connecting member 62B
is the U-shaped applicator holding means 60 described above.
The supporting rod 61 is locked in a state allowing its rotation and reciprocating movement in the axial direction. In this case, support rod 6
1 rotation is allowed only when the threaded portion of the coupling mechanism 62 is loosened. This connecting mechanism 62 and applicator holding means 60
A pressing mechanism 80 that constantly presses the applicator holding means 60 downward in FIG. 1 is provided between the two. This pressing mechanism 80 uses a coil spring in this embodiment. Therefore, the surface of the applicator 50 that contacts the cooling mechanism 15 can always contact the surface of the heating section with an appropriate pressing force. The support mechanism 70 includes a support arm section 72, a column 73 that supports the support arm section 72, and a column 73 that supports the support arm section 72.
A base 74 is movably formed on which the base plate 3 is planted, and a weight 75 is fixed to the base 74.
A hanging arm part 76 attached to one end of the support arm part 72, a tip arm 71 connected to the tip of the hanging arm part 76, and a balancer 77 installed at the other end of the support arm part 72. It is made up of. The support arm portion 72 has a fixing portion 7 approximately in the center thereof.
2A, and the fixing means 7 at this fixing portion 72A portion.
2B, and by loosening the fixing means 72B as necessary, it can rotate around the support 73 as shown by arrow G or move up and down as shown by arrow H. The balancer 77 installed at the other end of the support arm section 72 is provided to maintain balance with each arm section, and by loosening the fixing knob 77A, the balancer 77 can be moved on the support arm section 72 by the arrow. K
It is possible to reciprocate in the direction of , and can be fixed at any position by tightening the fixing knob 77A. Furthermore, the hanging arm portion 76 provided at one end of the arm portion 72 has a fixing knob 7 as a fixing means.
By loosening the lever 6A, it moves back and forth on the support arm section 72 as shown by the arrow M, and by loosening the lever 76B on the support arm section 72 side,
It has a structure that allows it to rotate as indicated by arrow N on the support arm portion 76 side. In addition, the tip arm portion 71
Similarly, by loosening the lever 71B, the connecting portion with the hanging arm 72 can be freely rotated as shown by the arrow P. For this reason, the aforementioned applicator holding means 60
With the support mechanism 70 and the pressing mechanism 80,
The applicator 50 can be moved to any position and substantially fixed in any tilted state, and due to the action of the pressing mechanism 80, it can relatively easily follow even slight movements of the patient to ensure appropriate contact. Since the surface cooling mechanism 15 is separated from the case body 10, the load on the support mechanism 8 is significantly reduced, and the overall balance is maintained. Therefore, during heating therapy, the entire position can be easily handled, and the preparation work can be carried out quickly and accurately. In addition, in the above embodiment, the surface cooling mechanism 15
The pressing mechanism 80 is generally made of a soft material and has a flat shape, so it is suitable for patients with little movement.
may be deleted. [Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is configured and functions as described above,
According to this, the load on the arm part of the support mechanism is significantly reduced, making it easier to maintain balance as a whole, and thus the applicator is held in a stable state, especially when exposed to external vibrations. The applicator is less prone to misalignment, and the radio-wave lens inside the applicator can be cooled, which reduces overheating of the applicator and reduces the weight of the equipment for the support mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to provide a hyperthermia heating device that is easy to handle overall and has greatly improved operability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view showing one embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is an enlarged perspective view showing the applicator holding means part of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a sectional view including the water supply guide showing an example of the applicator forming a part of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is the figure 3. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 3, FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views showing the radio wave lens used in FIG. 3, and FIG. 8 is a front view seen from the arrow in FIG. 6, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 9, and FIGS. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the function of each radio wave lens section, Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration including the coolant circulation mechanism and control system, and Fig. 14 shows the state of use of a conventional applicator. FIG. 15... Surface cooling mechanism, 33... Coolant branch passage, 50... Applicator, 60... Applicator holding means, 70... Support mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An applicator that outputs electromagnetic waves while converging them, an applicator holding means that locks and holds this applicator so as to be able to rotate up and down, and a support mechanism that supports this applicator holding means. A surface cooling mechanism independent from the applicator is provided at the electromagnetic wave output end of the applicator, and a coolant branch passage communicating with the inside of the electromagnetic wave output end is provided in the surface cooling mechanism. Hyperthermia heating device featuring: