JPH0244234B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an applicator for heating therapy, and particularly to an applicator for heating therapy for heating a predetermined location of a living body using electromagnetic waves. [Conventional technology] In recent years, heating treatment

Treatment methods using [also known as ``hyperthermia''] have been in the spotlight, especially in which malignant tumors are continuously heated to around 43 degrees Celsius for one to two hours, and this is repeated at regular intervals. A number of research reports have been published showing that this method can inhibit the regenerative function of cancer cells and at the same time cause many of them to die (Measurement and Control Vol. 22. No. 10). This type of heating treatment is
There are general heating methods and local heating methods. Among these, methods using electromagnetic waves, methods using electromagnetic induction, methods using ultrasound, and the like have been proposed as local heating methods for selectively warming only cancer tissue and its surroundings. On the other hand, the inventors have proposed and are conducting research on the effectiveness of using electromagnetic waves to treat cancer not only on the surface of a living body but also deep within the body by heating. In this case, the present inventors have conventionally adopted a method of equipping a heating applicator for sending electromagnetic waves into a living body with a radio wave lens due to the need to focus the energy of the electromagnetic waves. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, the applicator 1 includes a case body 3 having a function as a wave tube, an electromagnetic wave power supply section 2 provided in one end of the case body 3, and the other end. The output stage of this radio wave lens unit 4 is equipped with a cooling plate 5 for preventing overheating of the surface of the living body A, and at the same time, the cooling plate 5
can be cooled by cooling water W. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such a conventional example, the energy loss of electromagnetic waves inside the applicator 1 is relatively large. For this reason, the present inventors have already proposed filling the applicator with oil that reduces the attenuation of electromagnetic waves (Japanese Patent Application No. 59-8692
issue). On the other hand, even in this oil-filled applicator, reflection of electromagnetic waves occurs due to impedance mismatch with the radio wave lens section, cooling mechanism, and heating section side, and this causes standing waves in the electromagnetic wave power supply section and other electromagnetic wave transmission systems. This causes the electromagnetic wave transmission system to overheat, resulting in significant energy loss. In order to improve this inconvenience, some attempts have been made to provide matching means between the radio wave lens section and the electromagnetic wave power supply section. However, even in this case, the loss inside the applicator cannot be completely suppressed, and as a result, the case body heats up and the oil filled inside thermally expands. However, there is an inconvenience in that the parts are damaged due to abnormal pressure. [Object of the Invention] The present invention improves the disadvantages of the conventional example, efficiently suppresses the temperature rise of the oil filled in the applicator, and provides an applicator for heating therapy that is durable and easy to handle. Its purpose is to provide. [Means for Solving the Problems] Accordingly, the present invention provides a case body having an electromagnetic wave power feeding section at one end and a radio wave lens section and an electromagnetic wave emitting end section at the other end, and the The electromagnetic wave power supply part is filled with insulating oil that reduces the attenuation of electromagnetic waves, and the electromagnetic wave radiation end part is equipped with a cooling mechanism for cooling the surface side of the heating part. and,
A coolant inlet is provided at one end of the cooling mechanism, and a coolant outlet is provided at the other end, and a coolant outlet is formed flat along the outer wall surface of the case body for cooling insulating oil. will be established. A configuration is adopted in which the coolant flowing out of the cooling mechanism is sent to the outside through this coolant outflow path. This aims to achieve the above-mentioned purpose. [Function] The electromagnetic waves guided into the case body by the electromagnetic wave feeding section are given a lens effect by the radio wave lens section while propagating through the case body as a waveguide, and then are transmitted from the electromagnetic wave emitting end to the deep part of the body. It is radiated and propagated to a predetermined location. In this case, the front side of the heating section is constantly cooled by the cooling mechanism to prevent burns. On the other hand, within the case body, there is loss based on inherent impedance, and this heat loss causes the case body to heat up. In contrast, in the present invention, among the cooling liquid of the cooling mechanism described above, the cooling liquid after cooling the surface portion of the heating part is guided to the outer peripheral surface of the case body, thereby moving the case body to one side. continuous cooling on the surface,
This prevents the case body from overheating and effectively suppresses abnormal thermal expansion of the filled oil. [First Embodiment] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 12. First, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates a case body having a function as a waveguide. As is clear from FIGS. 2 and 3, the case body 10 has a box shape, and an electromagnetic wave power supply section 11 is provided at one end of the case body 10.
A radio wave lens portion 12 is provided at the other end, and a stub unit mechanism 63 as a stub matching means for electromagnetic wave matching is provided at the intermediate portion. Furthermore, the right end of the radio wave lens section 12 in FIG.
At the same time, this electromagnetic wave emitting end 14 is equipped with a cooling mechanism 15 for cooling the biological surface side so as to cover the electromagnetic wave emitting end 14 from the outside. 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. Thereby, the electromagnetic waves sent through the coaxial connector 11B are efficiently introduced into the case body 10. Insulating oil (hereinafter simply referred to as "oil") 10 with low attenuation of electromagnetic waves is installed inside the power feeding waveguide 10A, including the location where the stabilization unit 63 is installed.
Filled with C. Code 10D is oil 10C
An oil-filled partition plate made of a dielectric material for sealing oil is shown. The stub unit mechanism 63 consists of three stub bars 66, and each stub bar 66 is formed to be able to protrude into the case body 10 by an appropriate amount. To explain this in more detail, the stabilization mechanism 6
Each of the three stub unit mechanisms includes a cylinder portion 64 with one end open, and a predetermined stub unit fixed to a part of a piston member 65 that reciprocates within the cylinder portion 64 and formed on the case body 10. A stub bar 66 is installed to be loosely inserted into the through hole 10S and projected into the case body, and a screw drive mechanism 67 is rotatably installed at the opening of the cylinder portion 64 and urges the piston member to reciprocate. It is composed of. Of these, the screw mechanism 67 fixes the drive screw part 67A and is a drive member 6 mounted on the cylinder part 64 that is only allowed to rotate.
7B, a snap pin 67C that locks the drive member 67B from detaching from the outside, and a seal member 67D attached to the drive member 67B. As shown in FIG. 14, two drive small holes 67E,
When the drive member 67B is rotated via the drive member 67E, the drive screw portion 67A integrated therewith
rotates without changing its position, and the piston member 65 moves back and forth within the cylinder portion 64 due to its rotational reaction force, thereby causing the stub bar 66 integrated with the piston member 65 to rotate. The amount of protrusion into the case body 10 is adjusted appropriately. 64A and 65A each indicate an oil flow hole. Furthermore, a fluid storage means 76 is provided at the left end of the case body 10 in FIG. The fluid storage means 76 includes a fluid storage section 10E having a certain spatial area provided at the left end of the case body 10 in FIG. A fine wire mesh 76A for partitioning, a cup-shaped soft member 76B with a concave cross-section and a convex portion at the center so as to be inserted into the fluid storage portion 10E from the outside, and a central portion of the cup-shaped soft member 76B. A coil spring 76C that gently and constantly presses the electromagnetic wave power supply part 11 from the outside, and a coil spring 76C that locks the coil spring 76C and the cup-shaped soft member 76B that is attached to the case body 1.
0, and a lid member 76D that is sealed in a sealed manner. 76E indicates a screw that locks the coil spring 76C, and 76F indicates a vent hole formed in the lid member 76D. Here, the wire mesh 76A 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. Therefore, not only in the case of impedance matching by the stub unit mechanism 63, but also even in the case where the filled oil 10C expands in volume due to heat, the fluid accommodation means 76 immediately acts to accommodate the increased amount of the filled oil 10C. It's getting old. Specifically, the central portion of the cup-shaped soft member 76B is compressed by the oil pressure, and the increased amount of filled oil is accommodated in the expanded fluid storage portion 10E. Further, the cooling mechanism 15 provided at the electromagnetic wave emitting 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, the cooling mechanism 15 includes a retaining board 30 that is integrally fixed to the case body 10.
, a rectangular coolant inlet 30A formed at one end of this anchoring board 30, and a correspondingly rectangular coolant outlet formed at the other end of the anchoring board 30. 30B, each of these coolant inflow/outflow ports 30A, 30B, and electromagnetic wave radiation end 1
A waterproof insulating film locking groove 30C is carved to surround the opening 10E of the cooling liquid inlet 3.
A coolant guide 31 connected and fixed to 0A, a flat insulating film member 33 disposed so as to cover substantially the entire surface of the electromagnetic wave emitting end 14, and a waterproof surrounding area of this insulating film member 33. Attachment board 3 in state
0, and a frame plate 34 that is detachably attached to the frame plate 34. And, the coolant outlet 30B part is
It is designed to be connected to a coolant outflow path which will be described later. The insulating film member 33 has a dish shape with a convex shape on the outside and an opening on the inside, and is made of a film-like dielectric material with low attenuation of electromagnetic waves. The cooling water flowing in from the cooling liquid inlet 30A flows inside the insulating film member 33 and is sent out to the cooling liquid outlet 30B as indicated by the arrow f in FIG.
During this time, the surface of the living body can be efficiently cooled through the insulating film member 33. In this embodiment, the radio lens section 12 installed at the right end of the case body 10 in FIG. 1 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. Among these, each of the metal plates 40 is set so that the 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, as shown in the figure. α ₁ , α ₂ , α ₃ (however, α ₀ > α ₁ > α ₂ > α ₃ ) are arranged according to the dimensional width of α 1 , α 2 , α 3 (α 0 > α 1 > α 2 > α 3 ). 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 section 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. FIG. 11 shows a right side view of FIG. 1 when the radio wave lens section 12 formed in this manner is housed in the case body 10. (However, with the insulating film member 33 removed). In this case, both the electromagnetic wave incident side and the electromagnetic wave emission side of the radio wave lens section 12 are open, so that the cooling liquid in the cooling mechanism 15 described above can very easily flow into and out of the radio wave lens section. The structure is such that it can be carried out. Further, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 42 indicates a set screw for locking the radio wave lens portion 12. As shown in FIG. In fact, several ten box-shaped radio wave lens parts 12, which are detachably formed as described above, are prepared in advance according to the affected area, and are selected and used as appropriate. Furthermore, the electromagnetic wave power supply section 11 of the radio wave lens section 12
A piping 39 with a relatively small diameter is installed on the side as a bubble escape means that communicates with a cooling liquid guide 32 for cooling liquid outflow, so that air bubbles generated during treatment can be removed by the negative pressure caused by the flow of the cooling liquid. The coolant guide 32
It is now being sucked out directly from the source to the outside. A coolant outflow path 10W is formed on the lower surface side of the case body 10 in FIG. 1 over the entire lower surface of the case body 10. This coolant outflow path 10W allows the used coolant sent out from the coolant outflow port 30B of the cooling mechanism 15 described above to flow along the entire lower surface of the case body 10, and then flows to the left end in the figure. Equipped cooling guide 32
It is intended to be sent to the outside. As a result, the case body 10 and the insulating oil 10C stored inside
is being cooled continuously and efficiently. The applicator 50 for heating therapy in this embodiment thus formed has inverted U-shaped applicator holding means at the support members 10G and 10H on both sides, as shown in FIG. 51, it is held so as to be freely rotatable up and down as shown by arrows C and D. This applicator holding means 51 is supported by a support mechanism (not shown) and is configured to be rotatable as shown by arrows E and F, so that it can take any posture suitable for the required heating section. It's summery. Next, the overall operation of the above embodiment will be explained. First, the electromagnetic waves inputted via the coaxial connector 11B and outputted from the excitation antenna 11A toward the inside of the case body 10 are sent directly to the radio wave lens section 12 in the oil 10C. Then, in the process of propagating through this radio wave lens section 12, the phase of the outer part advances compared to the central part, so that a lens effect is applied to the electromagnetic waves that have propagated at the time of being radiated from the radio wave lens section 12, and the radiation and Focusing is done simultaneously. This electromagnetic wave with a lens effect is transmitted to the cooling mechanism 1.
After propagating inside 5, it is propagated from the surface to the living body side, but during this time, it is first partially reflected at the living body surface, and then enters heating of the living body surface and deep part. In this case, the biological surface is cooled by the cooling mechanism 15 described above.
Cools efficiently. In addition, regarding the deep part, especially the radio wave lens part 1
Since the light is focused by the omnidirectional lens effect of 2, the focal position at a predetermined depth and its surroundings are efficiently heated. On the other hand, reflected waves on the surface of the living body are due to differences in impedance of the electromagnetic wave transmission system, and such impedance changes also occur on the incident side of the radio wave lens section 12. Therefore, when viewed from the excitation antenna 11A side, reflection of electromagnetic waves from both the radio wave lens section 12 and the surface of the heating section described above can be detected. In this case, by appropriately adjusting the stabilization mechanism 63, it is possible to immediately achieve impedance matching with respect to the radio wave lens section 12 and the heating section, which suppresses the generation of reflected electromagnetic waves, so that the electromagnetic energy is It is efficiently sent into the heating section. That is, the electromagnetic wave is propagated from the electromagnetic wave feeding part 11 through the case body 10 as a waveguide, and the electromagnetic wave is emitted from the electromagnetic wave emitting end part 1.
For the electromagnetic waves radiated to the outside from 4, first from the radio wave lens part 12, then from the biological surface,
Reflected waves r based on impedance mismatch, respectively
occurs. In this case, in the present invention, the reflected wave r' is formed with respect to the electromagnetic wave power supply section 11 by the three adjustable stub matching means, and the three stub unit mechanisms 63 are adjusted so that r'=-r (equal amplitude and opposite phase). In this way, the reflections r and r' cancel each other out, and the electromagnetic wave feeding section 11
When viewed from above, there is no reflection, and impedance matching to the load side is completely established. Therefore, reflected waves are almost eliminated, and the energy loss associated with them is also greatly suppressed. Here, specifically, the impedance matching by the stub unit mechanism 13 is performed by the coaxial connector 11.
This is done by the operator while checking the reflection rate displayed on the reflected electromagnetic wave display means (not shown) of the directional coupler used in conjunction with B. Apart from the impedance matching by the stub unit mechanism 63, there is a slight energy loss associated with the impedance of the electromagnetic wave transmission system inside the case body 10, and this causes the case body 10 and the filling oil 10C to constantly flow due to continuous use of the applicator. Thermal expansion of the filled oil 10C occurs due to heating, and countermeasures against this expansion become a problem. In this case, if left unattended, for example, the oil-filled partition plate 10D will be damaged, but the above-mentioned fluid storage means 76 acts against this and easily stores the increased amount of filled oil 10C that has increased due to thermal expansion. I'm starting to get it. On the other hand, these case body 10 and filling oil 10
At the same time, the above-mentioned coolant outflow path 10W acts on the temperature rise of C, thereby mitigating the temperature rise of the case body 10 and the filled oil 10C.Therefore, the thermal expansion of the filled oil 10C is also reduced. In this respect, the fluid containing means 7
6 has become possible. [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 13 to 17. Here, the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent members as in the first embodiment described above. This second embodiment is significantly different from the box-shaped structure of the first embodiment described above in that it is formed entirely in a cylindrical shape. That is, in FIG. 13, 80 indicates a cylindrical support case. This cylindrical support case 80 is
A box-shaped case body 10 is disposed and fixed at the center of the inside. This case body 10 has an electromagnetic wave power supply section 1 at one end, just like the first embodiment described above.
1 is provided with a radio wave lens portion 12 and an electromagnetic wave emitting end portion 14 at the other end, and a stub unit mechanism 63 as a stub matching means for electromagnetic wave matching is provided at the intermediate portion. The stub unit mechanism 63 is installed in a cylindrical support case 80.
The cylindrical support case 80 is exposed from the
is partially cut away to form a flat surface 80A. 80B indicates a sealing fixing plate. In addition, the right end of this cylindrical support case 80 in FIG. 13 remains cylindrical, and this part is designed to cover the electromagnetic radiation end 14 of the case body 10, so that the living body can be heated during deep heating. A cooling mechanism 85 for surface cooling is provided. In this cooling mechanism 85, the direct cooling part is of a flat type in order to efficiently cool the surface side of the heating section, and the overall structure facilitates the attachment and detachment of a plate-shaped insulating film member, which will be described later. It has a cylindrical shape. To explain this in more detail, first, the cooling mechanism 85 is
A cylindrical fixed frame 86, a cylindrical engagement frame 87 that is removably screwed onto the fixed frame 86, and a cylindrical engagement frame 87 that is detachably attached to the fixed frame 86. Insulating film member 88 that is dish-shaped and relatively thin
It is composed of. As shown in FIG. 13, the other end of the case body 10 is inserted into the center of the cylindrical fixed frame 86, and is integrated by brazing or the like. Further, this fixing frame 86 is provided with a threaded portion 86A at the right end of its outer surface in FIG. Only the portion 14 side is open. The cylindrical engagement frame 87 also has an inner threaded portion 87A screwed into the outer threaded portion 86A of the fixed frame 86 on the inner diameter of the left end in FIG. Each of them is provided with an annular curved engagement portion in a curved state. Furthermore, the dish-shaped insulating film member 88 has an annular and thick locking edge 88A at its outer peripheral end. The insulating film member 88 is locked to the cylindrical locking frame 87 at its locking edge 88A, and is detachably and hermetically fixed to the fixed frame 86. The cooling mechanism 8 thus formed
5 has a coolant inlet 8 at the upper end in FIG.
5A, and a coolant outlet 8 at the lower end in the same figure.
5B, so that the cooling liquid can uniformly flow from one side of the insulating film member 88 portion to the other as shown by the arrow f in FIG. 13. Further, at the center of the lower end of the cylindrical support case 80 in FIG. 13, a coolant outflow path 80W is provided between the cylindrical support case 80 and the entire lower end surface of the case body 10. Specifically, the 13th
As shown in the figure and FIG. 16, the used coolant sent out from the coolant outlet 85B of the cooling mechanism 85 is made to flow along the entire lower surface of the case body 10, and then the left end in FIG. The coolant is sent to the outside from the coolant guide 32 installed in the
This is intended to efficiently cool the case body 10. The other configurations are completely the same as the first embodiment described above. Even in this case, in addition to having the same effect as the first embodiment described above, in particular, the insulating film member 88 that contacts the biological surface can be attached and detached simply by rotating the cylindrical attachment frame 87. This has the advantage that operability and workability are significantly improved. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case in which the stub unit mechanism 64 is particularly used is illustrated, but the present invention is also applicable to those without the stub unit mechanism. [Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is configured and functions as described above,
According to this, due to the action of the coolant outflow path, the temperature rise of the case main body can be kept relatively low, and the thermal expansion of the filled oil can also be reduced, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the fluid storage means for the filled oil. Therefore, it is possible to provide an applicator for heating therapy that is durable, relatively compact, and easy to handle.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view including a coolant guide portion showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view of FIG. 1,
Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1, Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the radio wave lens part used in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a front view seen from the arrow in Fig. 4. , FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 6,
Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the - line in Figure 7;
Figures 1 to 10 are explanatory diagrams showing the action of the radio lens part, Figure 11 is a right side view when the insulating film member in Figure 1 is removed, and Figure 12 is when the applicator in Figure 1 is used. FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing the second embodiment; FIG.
The figure is a front view of Fig. 13, Fig. 15 is a left side view of Fig. 13, Fig. 16 is a sectional view taken along the - line of Fig. 13, Fig. 17 is a plan view of Fig.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a conventional example. 10...Case body, 10C...Insulating oil, 10
W, 80W...Cooling liquid outflow path, 11...Electromagnetic wave power supply part, 12...Radio wave lens part, 14...Electromagnetic wave radiation end part, 15, 85...Cooling mechanism, 30A, 80
A...Cooling liquid inlet, 30B, 80B...Cooling liquid outlet.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A case body having an electromagnetic wave feeding section at one end and a radio wave lens section and an electromagnetic wave emitting end section at the other end, and an insulating oil filled in the electromagnetic wave feeding section with low attenuation of electromagnetic waves. and a cooling mechanism installed at the electromagnetic wave emitting end for cooling the surface side of the heating part, the cooling mechanism having a cooling liquid inlet at one end and a cooling liquid inlet at the other end. In addition to providing respective coolant outflow ports, a flat coolant outflow path for cooling insulating oil is provided along the outer wall surface of the case body, and the cooling liquid flows out from the cooling mechanism through this coolant outflow. An applicator for heating therapy that is characterized by sending liquid to the outside.