JPH0271731A - Acoustic coupler incorporated with holder and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to satisfactorily fix an acoustic coupler and a gel-like substance by forming hydrogel which is filled in air pores formed piercing from the lower surface to another surfaces of a holder so as to constitute the coupler, and general hydrogel so as to fix the coupler to the holder. CONSTITUTION:The upper end part of the acoustic coupler 2 is positioned on the lower surface 3 of a frame holder 6 having a probe receiving space 5 extending from the lower surface 3 to the upper surface 4 of the holder 6 and opened at the upper surface. Holding parts 10 which are made of water- insoluble hydrogel 1 forming an acoustic coupler 2 and which are integrally incorporated with a part serving as the acoustic coupler 2 are filled in air pores 9 which are formed in the holder so as to pierce from the lower surface 3 to the upper surface of the holder 6 in order to secure the acoustic coupler 2 to the holder 6. Since the coupler 2 is fixed to the holder 6 as mentioned above, when a probe 7 of an ultrasonic diagnostic device is inserted and fixed in the receiving space 5 in the holder 6, the probe 7 is made into close contact with the acoustic coupler so as to be integrally incorporated with the latter, thereby it is possible to enhance the manipulatability of the acoustic coupler.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an acoustic coupler and a method for fixing a gel-like substance to a holder. More specifically, the present invention relates to an acoustic coupler that is easy to handle and has improved operability, and a method for fixing a gel-like substance to a holder by which the acoustic coupler can be easily produced.

(Prior Art) Ultrasonic diagnostic devices are used in many fields of diagnosis, including abdominal organs such as the heart and liver, due to their simplicity and non-invasiveness to patients.

For example, in order to perform open-heart surgery accurately in the case of heart disease, it is desirable to have a detailed diagnosis of the location and shape of the lesion and its relationship to adjacent normal areas before surgery, especially in newborns. In severe cases, this is an important issue that affects the surgical outcome, and the accuracy of preoperative diagnosis using ultrasonic diagnostic equipment has recently been of great help in improving surgical outcomes.

However, it is not possible to obtain sufficient information about heart disease or lesions through preoperative sonography, which involves applying a probe from above the chest wall to avoid burning lung tissue.

Ultrasound examination during the surgical procedure of interest may be considered as a method to go beyond this limit and perform more detailed ultrasound diagnosis.

That is, if an ultrasonic examination is performed by directly applying a probe from the outside of the 6 membranes or the heart or blood vessels after a median sternotomy, a more detailed surgically useful diagnosis can be obtained regarding each internal cavity.

In addition, it is possible to confirm during the surgery whether the surgical treatment was accurate using this intraoperative ultrasound examination.
This is important for prevention of reoperation and postoperative management.

In ultrasonic diagnosis, ultrasonic pulses are emitted into the body from the body surface or organ surface, and a tomographic image of the living body is obtained by receiving reflected waves generated due to differences in acoustic impedance in various tissues within the living body. Therefore, in order to obtain accurate tomographic images, it is necessary to bring the ultrasonic probe into close contact with the body surface or organ surface without creating an air layer that is highly reflective to ultrasonic waves.

However, when the probe is applied directly to the body surface in this manner, the shape of tissues such as blood vessels near the body surface will be deformed due to compression in the image obtained. Furthermore, when performing ultrasound examinations by applying a probe directly to the heart or blood vessel walls, the heart and blood vessels move irregularly as the heart beats, and when compressed by the probe, arrhythmia and a drop in blood pressure are likely to occur. Therefore, it is difficult to keep a conventional probe with an undeformable contact surface in constant contact with the surface of a beating heart and use it safely, and in reality, the usefulness of intraoperative real-time ultrasonic tomography is insufficient. The reality is that they are not fully utilized.

Therefore, in these cases, a suitable contact medium material is required to be used between the probe and the body surface or organ surface, i.e., a soft material that follows the movement of the heart while remaining in close contact with the surface. An acoustic coupler with excellent bulk and ultrasonic properties is required.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Conventionally, such acoustic couplers have been made of synthetic rubber, and this soft material alone is brought into close contact with the diagnostic section, and the probe of the ultrasonic diagnostic device is placed over it. They scanned it and obtained tomographic images.

However, such conventional acoustic couplers made of materials are expensive, and because the same ones are used repeatedly, there are problems such as getting dirty, deteriorating the acoustic characteristics, and putting pressure on the diagnostic section due to the weight.

For this reason, the present inventors have previously proposed the use of hydrogel as such an acoustic coupler, which is flexible, lightweight, has excellent biocompatibility and ultrasonic properties, and can be provided at a low price ( (Patent Application No. 128475/1982). When a hydrogel is used as an acoustic coupler, it is extremely flexible and thus produces high adhesion to the surface of the diagnostic section, but since this acoustic coupler is also used alone, like the above-mentioned ones, its flexibility is also added. However, the handling was complicated and the operability was poor, and improvements were desired.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved acoustic coupler and method for fixing a gel-like material to a holder. Another object of the present invention is to provide an acoustic coupler that is easy to handle and has improved operability, and a method for fixing a gel-like substance to a holder that allows the acoustic coupler to be easily produced.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The above-mentioned problems include a frame-shaped holder having a probe insertion space that is open from the lower surface to the upper surface, and is made of water-insoluble hydrogel having a predetermined wall thickness, and the upper end thereof is attached to the holder. The acoustic coupler located on the lower surface of the holder is formed into a hydrogel integral with the hydrogel constituting the coupler, which fills a hole provided through the holder from the lower surface of the holder to another surface. This is achieved by using an acoustic coupler with a holder that is fixed in place.

The present invention also provides that the water-insoluble hydrogel has 50 to 99
An acoustic coupler with a holder, which is a water-insoluble hydrogel formed by crosslinking polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinylpyrrolidones, and polyvinylalcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone by radiation irradiation to a degree of crosslinking that allows this amount of water to be contained. This shows that.

The above method also includes an acoustic coupler, which is made of water-insoluble hydrogel having a predetermined wall thickness and whose upper end is located on the lower surface of the holder, in a frame-shaped holder having a probe insertion space that is open from the lower surface to the upper surface. This is achieved by an acoustic coupler with a holder which is fixed by adhering via an adhesive layer to a gel holding portion formed at the lower end portion of the inner circumferential surface of the holder surrounding the probe insertion space.

The present invention also provides an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which the holding portion is formed of a member that is molded separately from the holder body and can be locked to the holder body.

The present invention further provides that the water-insoluble hydrogel has a
With a holder, which is a water-insoluble hydrogel that contains ~99% by weight of water and is made by crosslinking polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinylpyrrolidones, and polyvinylalcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone by radiation irradiation to a degree of crosslinking that allows this amount of water to be contained. This shows an acoustic coupler.

The above-mentioned aspects further provide a method for manufacturing an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which a gel-like substance is fixed to a frame-shaped holder without substantially surrounding the side surfaces, in which the lower surface of the holder is brought into contact with the sol-like substance, and then the The gel-like substance is fixed to the holder by suctioning and introducing the sol-like substance into a hole provided from the bottom surface of the holder to the other side, and in this state, the sol-like substance is gelled. This can also be achieved by a method for manufacturing an acoustic coupler with a holder.

The present invention also provides a method for producing an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which gelation of a sol-like substance is performed by irradiation with radiation.

The above features further include a method for manufacturing an acoustic coupler with a holder in which a gel-like substance is fixed to a frame-shaped holder without substantially surrounding the side surfaces, in which the gel-like substance is attached to the inner circumferential surface of the gel holding portion of the holder. An adhesive that hardens during gelation is applied, a sol-like substance is introduced into the gel holding part coated with this adhesive, and the sol-like substance is gelled in this state, thereby fixing the gel-like substance to the holder. This can also be achieved by a method for producing an acoustic coupler with a holder, which is characterized by the following.

The present invention also provides a method for producing an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which the gel holding part of the holder that holds the gel-like substance is a member that can be locked to a holder body that is molded separately from the holder body. be. The present invention further provides a method for producing an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which gelation of a sol-like substance is achieved by irradiation with radiation.

(Function) However, in the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention, a hole is provided in the holder having a probe insertion hole and penetrates from the bottom surface to the other surface, and the inside of this hole is integrated with the hydrogel constituting the coupler. It is characterized in that it is filled with the formed hydrogel, thereby fixing the coupler made of flexible hydrogel to the holder.

In the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention, the coupler made of hydrogel is fixed to the holder by the adhesive force between the hydrogel and the holder wall surface surrounding the hydrogel, and as described above, the acting part is attached to the holder. Although the pores are small in volume, they can provide a large surface area that is effective for adhesive fixation.

For this reason, by forming a small volume of hydrogel that fills the pores integrally with the hydrogel that constitutes the coupler, it is possible to fix the part that will become the coupler to the holder without having the side surface substantially surrounded by the holder. The flexibility of the hydrogel as a coupler is not lost.

The holder is provided with a probe insertion hole, so that the ultrasonic probe can be easily attached and fixed to the holder, and the upper end surface of a coupler made of hydrogel is arranged on the lower surface of the probe insertion hole.

Therefore, when the ultrasonic probe is attached to the holder, the probe and the above-described coupler made of flexible hydrogel are integrated, and the operability of the acoustic coupler becomes extremely high.

By the way, when attempting to fix a hydrogel to a holder using the structure described above, the part to be filled in the holes provided in the holder is formed integrally with the part constituting the acoustic coupler in advance, and then the part in the holes is filled. Because hydrogels are flexible materials, it is extremely difficult to insert them into cells.

Therefore, in the method of fixing a gel-like substance to a holder according to the present invention, the part to be filled in the pores provided in the holder and the part constituting the acoustic coupler are arranged at predetermined positions before gelation. The lower surface of the holder is brought into contact with the holder, and then the sol-like material is suctioned into the hole provided from the lower surface of the holder to the other surface, and in this state, the sol-like material is gelled. By doing so, it was possible to easily fix a gel-like substance such as a hydrogel to a holder.

Moreover, in the acoustic coupler with a holder of another invention, a gel holding portion is formed at the lower end portion of the inner peripheral surface of the holder surrounding the probe insertion space of the frame-shaped holder having the probe insertion space, and an adhesive is applied to this portion. This device is characterized by fixing a coupler made of flexible hydrogel to a holder by fixing it through a layer.

In the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention, since the hydrogel and the holder are fixed with adhesive, sufficient fixing force is generated with a relatively small area.
For this reason, by surrounding a small volume of hydrogel in the gel holding part, it is possible to fix it to the holder without substantially surrounding the side of the part that will become the coupler, and the flexibility of the hydrogel as a coupler is It will never be lost. Therefore, as in the case of the invention described above, when the ultrasonic probe is attached to the holder, the probe and the coupler made of flexible hydrogel are integrated, and the operability of the acoustic coupler is extremely high. .

By the way, when trying to fix a hydrogel to a holder via an adhesive layer as described above, if you try to bond it with an adhesive after forming a hydrogel in advance, the surface of the hydrogel has poor wettability with the adhesive, making it difficult to It is difficult to obtain a uniformly distressed interface. Therefore, in the manufacturing method of the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention, an adhesive that hardens when a gel-like substance such as a hydrogel is gelled is used, and this adhesive is brought into contact with a sol-like substance to turn the sol-like substance into a gel. At the same time, the adhesive is cured to create a form in which the gel-like substance and the adhesive are diffused across the interface and into the other side to obtain sufficient adhesive strength. This made it possible to fix a similar substance to a holder.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are drawings showing each manufacturing process of an embodiment of the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention. It is.

As shown in FIG. 1, the acoustic probe with a holder of the present invention includes an acoustic coupler 2 made of a water-insoluble hydrogel 1 having a predetermined wall thickness.

In the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention, the water-insoluble hydrogel 1 used as the acoustic coupler 2 must exhibit excellent softness, sufficient strength, and excellent ultrasonic properties. 62-
128475, which contains 50 to 99% water by market weight, and crosslinks polyvinyl alcohols with each other, polyvinylpyrrolidones with each other, and polyvinylalcohol with polyvinylpyrrolidone by radiation irradiation to a degree of crosslinking that allows this amount of water to be contained. Preferred examples include water-insoluble hydrogels, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The upper end of this acoustic coupler 2 is located at three parts of the lower surface of a frame-shaped holder 6, which has a probe insertion space 5 that is open from the lower surface 3 to the upper surface 4.

The probe insertion space 5 of this holder 6 has a shape adapted to the outer shape of the probe 7 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and probe fixing means such as a set screw 8 for fixing the probe 7 to the holder 6 as necessary. is provided.

In order to fix the acoustic probe 2 to this holder 6, a hole 9 is formed in the holder 6 and extends from the lower surface 3 to another surface. The coupler 2 is made up of a water-insoluble hydrogel 1 and is filled with a holding part 10 that is integrally formed with the part serving as the acoustic coupler 2 .

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the holes 9 are located on the lower surface 3.
Although the hydrogel 1 is formed so as to penetrate through the hole 9 to the upper surface 4, as long as the hydrogel 1 can hold the part as the acoustic coupler 2 by the holding part 10 filled in the hole 9.
The holes 9 may extend from the lower surface 3 to the outer circumferential surface 11 or may extend from the lower surface 3 to the inner circumferential surface 12 surrounding the probe insertion space 5. Also, hole 9
Although the cross-sectional shape and number of can be arbitrary, a shape that has a large surface area compared to its volume is desired. Further, the cross-sectional shape may be the same throughout, or the cross-sectional shape at the opening and inside may be irregular. The holder 6 is made of a material such as a metal such as stainless steel or a synthetic resin such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, polystyrene, or polymethyl methacrylate.

As described above, in the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention, since the acoustic coupler 2 made of the flexible water-insoluble hydrogel 1 is fixed to the holder 6, the probe 7 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be inserted into the probe insertion space of the holder 6. 5, the probe 7 comes into close contact with the acoustic probe whose upper end is located on the three parts of the lower surface of the holder 6. As a result, the acoustic coupler 2 is integrated with the probe 7, and the operability of the acoustic coupler is improved. will improve.

To create the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention, first, as shown in FIG. Put this sol-like substance 14
The lower surface 3 of the holder is placed so as to be in contact with the liquid level. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a tube 16 is connected to the opening 15 other than the lower surface 3 of the cavity 9, and the sol-like substance 1 is removed by suction.
4 is introduced into the hole 9, and the inside of the hole 9 is completely filled with the sol-like substance 1.
The opening of the tube 16 is closed while the sol-like substance 14 is introduced into the tube 16 so as to be filled with the inside of the tube 16. Then, in this state, the sol-like substance 14 is caused to gel. In addition, when the gelation is performed by radiation irradiation as in the above-mentioned water-insoluble hydrogel, the fixation of the acoustic coupler 2 to the holder 6 is difficult because the gelation can be easily controlled and the gelation can be performed quickly. can be done easily. Finally, as shown in FIG. 4, by removing the gel mold 13 and cutting off the excess tube 16, the acoustic coupler 2 made of the water-insoluble hydrogel 1 formed by gelation is integrated with the acoustic coupler 2. An acoustic coupler with a holder is obtained which is fixed to the holder 3 by the formed holding portion 10.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an acoustic coupler with a holder according to another invention, and FIGS. 6 to 9 are drawings showing each manufacturing process of an embodiment of the acoustic coupler with a holder according to the present invention. be.

The holder-equipped acoustic probe of this invention also has an acoustic coupler 52 made of water-insoluble hydrogel 51 having a predetermined wall thickness, similar to the holder-equipped acoustic coupler of the invention described above.

In the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention, the water-insoluble hydrogel 51 used as the acoustic coupler 52 includes those described above. The upper end of this acoustic coupler 52 is located at the lower surface 53 of a frame-shaped holder 56 which has a probe insertion space 55 open from the lower surface 53 to the upper surface 54 . The probe insertion space 55 of this holder 56 accommodates the probe 5 of the ultrasonic diagnostic device.
7, and is provided with probe fixing means such as a locking screw 58 for fixing the probe 57 to the holder 56 as necessary.

In order to fix the acoustic probe 52 to the holder 56, the holder 56 is provided with a gel holding portion 59 formed at the lower end portion of the inner peripheral surface 62 of the holder surrounding the probe insertion space 55. , the acoustic coupler 52 is surrounded at its upper end by this region, and is surrounded by an adhesive layer 60.
has been fixed through. In addition, in this example,
The gel holding portion 59 is constituted by the inner peripheral surface of an annular connecting member 56b formed separately from the main body portion 56a of the holder. The connecting member 56b is inserted into a fitting enlarged diameter portion 65 provided at the lower end portion of the main body portion 56a of the holder, and its inner circumferential surface forms a part of the inner circumferential surface of the probe insertion hole 55. It is what it is. When the gel holding part 59 is formed of a member formed separately from the main body part 59a of the holder in this way, it becomes easier to fix the acoustic probe in the gel holding part 59 via the adhesive layer 60. However, it is of course not necessary to separately provide the gel holding portion 59 in this way.

In the gel holding part 59, the adhesive for joining the water-insoluble hydrogel 1 and the holder 56 is desirably one that can be hardened during gelation of the water-insoluble hydrogel 1. For example, if the water-insoluble hydrogel 1 is exposed to radiation Those that are gelled and formed by irradiation include monomer blend systems such as a mixture of butyl acrylate and acrylic acid,
Acrylic polymers, rubber polymers, etc. and acrylic acid,
Radiation curable adhesives such as polymer monomer blend systems such as mixtures of crosslinking monomers and the like are preferably used. Further, the holder 56, that is, the main body portion 56a and the connecting member 56b are made of metal, synthetic resin, or the like as described above.

In this way, the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention also includes an acoustic coupler 5 made of a flexible water-insoluble hydrogel 51.
2 is fixed to the holder 56, when the probe 57 of the ultrasonic diagnostic device is inserted and fixed into the probe insertion space 55 of the holder 56, the -L end of the probe 57 is located at the lower surface 53 of the holder 56. This brings the acoustic coupler 52 into close contact with the acoustic probe, thereby integrating the acoustic coupler 52 with the probe 57 and improving the operability of the acoustic coupler.

The acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention can be produced, for example, as follows. That is, first, the sixth
As shown in the figure, a connecting member 56b that becomes the gel holding part 59
An adhesive that hardens when the water-insoluble hydrogel 51 gels is applied to the inner circumferential surface of the water-insoluble hydrogel 51 . The connecting member 56b with the adhesive layer 60 formed on the inner circumferential surface in this manner is placed on the connecting member receiving portion 66 provided at the upper end portion of the gel mold 63 that gives the desired shape as an acoustic coupler. Then, a sol-like substance 64, which is a raw material for the water-insoluble hydrogel 51, is introduced until the sol-like substance 64 sufficiently contacts the adhesive layer 60 applied to the inner peripheral surface of the connecting member 56b. In this state, the sol substance 64 is gelled and the adhesive is cured at the same time, resulting in a water-insoluble hydrogel 5 as shown in FIG.
1 is fixed to the connecting member 56b via the cured adhesive layer 60. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the acoustic coupler 52 made of water-insoluble hydrogel 51 fixed to the connecting member 56b is removed from the gel mold 63, and then the acoustic coupler 52 fixed to the connecting member 56b is removed as shown in FIG. 52 is inserted from the upper surface 54 side of the main body portion 56a of the holder, and is fitted and locked to the enlarged diameter fitting portion 65, so that the water-insoluble hydrogel 51 is arranged so that the upper end surface is located on the lower surface portion of the holder 56. An acoustic coupler 52 consisting of the following is fixed to a holder 56.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention consists of a frame-shaped holder having a probe insertion space open from the bottom surface to the top surface, and made of water-insoluble hydrogel having a predetermined wall thickness. An acoustic coupler, the upper end of which is located on the lower surface of the holder, is integrated with the hydrogel constituting the coupler, which fills a hole provided in the holder from the lower surface of the holder to another surface. Because it is fixed by forming a water-insoluble hydrogel, a flexible acoustic coupler made of water-insoluble hydrogel can be easily integrated with the probe of an ultrasound diagnostic device. This eliminates the burden on the patient, such as the complexity of operation and the feeling of weight on the patient, which would occur when an acoustic coupler made of hydrogel is used alone. Therefore, by using the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention, the acoustic coupler can be kept in close contact with the diagnostic site at all times without causing any change in the shape of the diagnostic site by taking advantage of the excellent flexibility of hydrogel, allowing for easy operation and good diagnosis. You can get the image.

Further, in the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention, the water-insoluble hydrogel contains 50 to 99% by weight of water, and the degree of crosslinking is such that this amount of water can be contained between polyvinyl alcohols, between polyvinylpyrrolidones, and between polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl alcohol. A water-insoluble hydrogel made by cross-linking pyrrolidone by radiation irradiation makes the acoustic coupler extremely flexible and has excellent acoustic properties, and also has excellent biocompatibility, allowing for better diagnostic operations. Be able to do the following.

The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which a gel-like substance is fixed to a frame-shaped holder without substantially surrounding the side surfaces, in which the lower surface of the holder is brought into contact with the sol-like substance, and then the holder is The sol-like substance is suctioned into a hole provided from the lower surface to the other surface, and the sol-like substance is gelled in this state, thereby fixing the gel-like substance to the holder. Therefore, for example, it is possible to easily create an acoustic coupler with a holder that exhibits excellent operability as described above, and furthermore, in this fixing method,
If the sol-like substance is gelled by radiation irradiation, it can be more easily produced.

Furthermore, the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention has a frame-shaped holder having a probe insertion space that is open from the bottom surface to the top surface, and is made of water-insoluble hydrogel having a predetermined wall thickness, and the upper end thereof is attached to the bottom surface of the holder. The positioned acoustic coupler is fixed by adhering via an adhesive layer in the gel holding portion formed at the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the holder surrounding the probe insertion space, so the water-insoluble hydrogel A flexible acoustic coupler made of can be easily integrated with the probe of an ultrasound diagnostic device, and as a result, in ultrasound diagnosis, the excellent flexibility of hydrogel can be utilized to change the shape of the diagnostic site, as described above. The acoustic coupler can be kept in close contact with the diagnostic site at all times without any trouble, and good diagnostic images can be obtained with good operability.

Furthermore, in the acoustic coupler with holder of the present invention, if the gel holding part is made of a member that is molded separately from the holder body and can be locked to the holder body, the acoustic coupler can be attached to the holder more effectively. The fixation is carried out, and the water-insoluble hydrogel contains 50 to 99% by weight of water, and polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinylpyrrolidones and polyvinylalcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone are bonded together by irradiation with a degree of crosslinking that allows this amount of water to be contained. A cross-linked water-insoluble hydrogel makes the acoustic coupler extremely flexible and has excellent acoustic properties, and also has excellent biocompatibility, allowing for better diagnostic operations. Become something.

The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which a gel-like substance is fixed to a frame-shaped holder without substantially surrounding the sides thereof, in which the gel-like substance is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the gel-holding portion of the holder. An adhesive that hardens during the process is applied, a sol-like substance is introduced into the gel holding part coated with this adhesive, and the sol-like substance is gelled in this state to fix the gel-like substance to the holder. Because of the characteristics, for example, it is possible to easily create an acoustic coupler with a holder that exhibits excellent operability as described above, and furthermore, in this fixing method,
The gel holding part is made of a member that is molded separately from the holder body and can be locked to the holder body, and the gelation of the sol-like substance is achieved by radiation irradiation, making it easier to create. It becomes possible to do so.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 4 are drawings showing each manufacturing process of an embodiment of the acoustic coupler with a holder of the present invention, The figure is a sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of an acoustic coupler with a holder according to another invention, and FIGS. 6 to 9 each show the manufacturing steps of an embodiment of the acoustic coupler with a holder according to another invention. It is a drawing. 1.51...Water-insoluble hydrogel, 2.52...Acoustic coupler 3.53...Holder bottom surface, 4.54...Holder top surface, 5.55...Probe insertion hole, 6.56... ... Holder 7.57 ... Probe, 8.58 ... Set screw, 9 ... Hole, 10 ... Holding part, 13 ...
Gel type, 14... Sol-like substance, 16... Tube, 56a... Holder body, 56b... Connection member, 59... Gel holding part, 60... Adhesive layer, 6
5... Expanded diameter fitting part.

Claims (9)

[Claims] (1) An acoustic coupler made of water-insoluble hydrogel having a predetermined thickness and whose upper end is located on the lower surface of the holder is attached to a frame-shaped holder having a probe insertion space that is open from the lower surface to the upper surface. An acoustic coupler with a holder, which is fixed to the holder by forming a hydrogel integral with the hydrogel constituting the coupler, which fills a hole provided from the lower surface of the holder to another surface. (2) The water-insoluble hydrogel contains 50 to 99% by weight of water, and crosslinks polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone together and polyvinylalcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone together by radiation irradiation to a degree of crosslinking that allows this amount of water to be contained. The acoustic coupler with a holder according to claim 1, which is a water-insoluble hydrogel consisting of a water-insoluble hydrogel. (3) An acoustic coupler made of water-insoluble hydrogel having a predetermined wall thickness and whose upper end is located on the lower surface of the holder is attached to a frame-shaped holder having a probe insertion space that is open from the lower surface to the upper surface. An acoustic coupler with a holder that is fixed by adhering via an adhesive layer to a gel holding part formed at the lower end of the inner circumferential surface of the holder that surrounds the probe insertion space. (4) The acoustic coupler with a holder according to claim 4, wherein the gel holding portion is formed of a member that is molded separately from the holder body and can be locked to the holder body. (5) The water-insoluble hydrogel contains 50 to 99% by weight of water, and crosslinks polyvinyl alcohols with each other, polyvinylpyrrolidones with each other, and polyvinylalcohol with polyvinylpyrrolidone with radiation irradiation to a degree of crosslinking that allows this amount of water to be contained. The acoustic coupler with a holder according to claim 3 or 4, which is a water-insoluble hydrogel consisting of a water-insoluble hydrogel. (6) In a method for manufacturing an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which a gel-like substance is fixed to a frame-shaped holder without substantially surrounding the sides, the lower surface of the holder is brought into contact with the sol-like substance, and then the lower surface of the holder is A holder characterized in that the gel-like substance is fixed to the holder by suctioning and introducing the sol-like substance into a hole provided through the other surface and gelling the sol-like substance in this state. Manufacturing method for an attached acoustic coupler. (7) In a method for manufacturing an acoustic coupler with a holder, in which a gel-like substance is fixed to a frame-shaped holder without substantially surrounding the side surfaces, the inner peripheral surface of the gel-holding portion of the holder is provided with a gel-like substance during gelation. Apply a hardening adhesive to the
A method for producing an acoustic coupler with a holder, characterized in that a sol-like substance is introduced into the gel holding part coated with the adhesive, and the sol-like substance is gelled in this state, thereby fixing the gel-like substance to the holder. (8) The gel holding part of the holder that holds the gel substance is
The manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein the member is molded separately from the holder body and can be locked to the holder body. (9) The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the gelation of the sol-like substance is performed by irradiation with radiation.