JPH03272750A - Ultrasonic gel sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent pain from being given to a subject by forming high- molecular water-containing gel into a flexible sheet of a specific thickness, so that a gellike substance can be easily interposed between a probe and the subject. CONSTITUTION:In a gel to be used for ultrasonic diagnosis by interposing it between a probe 2 and a subject 1, a ultrasonic gel sheet 13 having flexibility and a thickness of less than 5mm is formed out of PVA high-molecular water- containing gel. And, for instance, the gel sheet 13 is closely brought into contact with a body surface 1-1 so as to cover three ribs 1-2 of the subject 1, and the ultrasonic-wave radiation surface 2a of the probe 2 is pressed on the upper surface of the ultrasonic gel sheet 13 between the adjacent libs 1-2, and by radiating a ultrasonic beam 2-1 from the ultrasonic-wave radiation surface 2a on the subject 1, the diagnosis of the interior of the subject is carried out.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] This invention relates to an ultrasonic gel sheet for bringing a probe used in ultrasonic diagnosis into close contact with a subject and making it easier for ultrasonic waves to enter the inside. Ultrasonic waves can be placed between the ultrasonic probe and the subject, and are used by being placed between the ultrasonic probe and the subject, with the aim of not inflicting pain on the subject. In the diagnostic gel, a hydrous polymeric gel made of polyvinyl alcohol is formed into a flexible sheet having a thickness of less than 5 mm.

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic gel sheet for bringing a probe used in ultrasonic diagnosis into close contact with a subject to facilitate the entry of ultrasonic waves into the sheet.

In ultrasonic diagnosis, when a probe is brought into contact with the subject 9, i.e., a human body, and ultrasonic waves are irradiated into the interior of the subject, if the probe is directly applied to the subject's surface, there is air that becomes an obstacle to the propagation of ultrasonic waves. In order to prevent this, a gel-like substance having approximately the same acoustic impedance as the subject is interposed between the probe and the surface of the subject.

However, handling this gel-like substance is inconvenient and causes discomfort to the subject, so there is no space between the ultrasound emitting surface of the probe and the surface of the subject (hereinafter referred to as body surface). There is a need for a new ultrasonic gel sheet that can easily contain a gel-like substance and that does not cause pain to the subject.

[Conventional technology]

In the conventional ultrasonic diagnosis method using a probe, as shown in FIG. 3(a), one hand holds the probe 2, and the other hand grasps the container 4 containing the ultrasonic jelly 3. Then, the ultrasonic jelly 3 is squeezed out from the container 4 onto the ultrasonic emission surface 2a of the probe 2, and the squeezed ultrasonic jelly 3 is spread over the entire ultrasonic emission surface 2a of the probe 2.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the ultrasonic radiation surface 2a coated with the ultrasonic jelly 3 is brought into contact with the body surface l-1 of the subject 1, and the ultrasonic jelly 3 is applied to the body surface l-1. The inside of the subject 1 is diagnosed by echoes of the irradiated ultrasonic beam 2-1, with no air intervening between the two.

As another conventional example, as shown in FIG. 4, in order to align the focal point 2-1a of the ultrasound beam 2-1 near the body surface 1-1, An acoustic coupler 3゛ with a plate thickness of 2 to 6 cm is brought into close contact with polyvinyl alcohol (hereinafter abbreviated as PVA) based frozen gel, and the acoustic coupler 3° is brought into contact with the body weight of the subject to cover the body surface, that is, the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Diagnosing.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The problem with the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic method shown in FIG. The ultrasonic jelly 3 must be applied, and since the ultrasonic jelly 3 is sticky, many subjects find it unpleasant.

In addition, since the probe 2 is covered with a case made of hard synthetic resin, etc., during diagnosis, the direction of the probe 2 is changed while applying the probe 2 to the subject 1 to locate the diagnosis site. In order to find
Particularly when diagnosing the heart, the hard case of the probe 2 hits the ribs 1-2, as shown in Figure 3, which is very painful for the patient and also difficult to operate for the person making the diagnosis. A problem arises.

Furthermore, PVA-based cryogel is a rubber-like elastic body, and this material can have a water content of about 90%. This material h, moisture evaporates in the air, so store it in an airtight container when not in use.A preservation solution such as reverse strain soap solution may be placed in the airtight container.0 Materials When using a bottom-shaped plate with a thickness of 2 to 6 C- between the ultrasonic emitting surface 2a and the subject 1 such as a human body, it is difficult to use ultrasonic jelly or storage because the moisture in the material makes it easy for ultrasonic waves to pass through. There is no need to apply a liquid, however, conventionally, this gel has a thickness of 2 to 6 cm in order to move the focal point 2-1a of the ultrasound beam 2-1 to the vicinity of the body surface 1-1, as shown in Fig. 4. Since the bottom-shaped acoustic coupler 3' is brought into close contact with the ultrasonic emission surface 2a of the probe 2, the echo image of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the probe 2 is transmitted only to the body surface of the subject, that is, the skin and subcutaneous tissue. A problem arises in that it is not possible to diagnose the deep part of the subject 1.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a new ultrasonic gel sheet that allows a gel-like substance to be easily interposed between a probe and a subject and does not cause pain to the subject. shall be.

[Means to solve the problem]

As shown in FIG.
It is molded into a gel sheet with a thickness of less than 5 degrees of flexibility than VA-based polymer hydrogel.

[For production]

In the present invention, if the gel sheet 13 is too thin, the pressure of the probe 2 case on the subject 1 cannot be relieved, and the strength of the sheet itself decreases, making it easy to tear. In this case, the focal point 2-18 of the ultrasonic beam 2-1 approaches the body surface 1-1, as shown in FIG. By forming the specimen 1 to a certain extent,
The gel sheet 13 can be used to diagnose the deep part of the body, and even if the gel sheet 13 is brought into close contact with the diagnosis site, it will not become sticky, and the gel sheet 13 is strong enough to be used even if the hard case of the probe 2 is pressed or the direction of the probe 2 is changed. No pain is caused to subject 1.

[Example] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an ultrasonic gel sheet according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a front view of a gel cap according to a second embodiment. have the same symbol, and the other 13 are ultrasonic gel sheets interposed between the subject and the ultrasonic radiation surface of the probe;
23 is a gel cap attached to the distal end of the subject.

The ultrasonic gel sheet 13 is made by adding PVA powder (
Degree of polymerization: 1700. Saponification degree of 99.5%) was added to the aqueous solution in an amount of 1 volume of PVA with a side length of 6 cm, that is, a size that covers the three ribs 1-2 of the subject 1 as shown in Figure 1. A flexible gel sheet with a water content of 90% is formed by injecting the gel into a 411110-thick mold, freezing it at -20°C, and then thawing it at room temperature.

As a result, acoustic impedance: 1. 6 x 1
．． 0”kg/m”sec, attenuation rate 0, 1 dB/cm
By ML, a rubber-like sheet is formed which has excellent acoustic matching with the subject 1, that is, the human body, has very little attenuation of sound waves, and has high tear strength.

The gel cap 23 is made by injecting a PVA aqueous solution having the same composition as above into a shape in which the thickness of the part facing the ultrasound emission surface 2a is 4 cm and covers the tip of the probe 2, as shown in FIG. It was molded, frozen at -20°C, and then thawed at room temperature.

During gel formation, a preservative such as salicylic acid is added to the PVA aqueous solution to prevent mold formation, and the formed product is stored in a sealed container to prevent water evaporation.
If necessary, soak it in a disinfectant solution such as inverted soapy water (7).

In the ultrasonic diagnostic method using the above-mentioned members, as shown in FIG.
The ultrasound emitting surface 2a of the probe 2 is pressed between the adjacent ribs 1-2 on the upper surface of the ultrasound gel sheet 13 so as to cover the ultrasound gel sheet 13. The ultrasonic beam 2-1 is irradiated onto the subject 1 to diagnose the inside of the subject 1 based on its echo.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, in the sector scanning type probe 2, a gel cap 23 is attached to the tip of the probe 2, and the ultrasound emission surface 2a is covered with PVA gel.
The device is configured to make a diagnosis by coming into contact with the body surface [1-1].

As a result, the deep part of the subject 1 can be diagnosed and the subject 1 can be pain free.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments of the above embodiments. For example, polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) may be used as the hydrogel. , and need not be limited to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above explanation, the present invention has advantages such as being able to eliminate pain in measuring the weight of the subject with an extremely simple polyvinyl alcohol gel membrane, and is extremely economical and reliable. It is possible to provide an ultrasonic gel sheet that can be expected to have improved effects.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an ultrasonic gel sheet according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view showing a gel cap according to a second embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional ultrasound diagnostic method using a probe. FIG. 4 is a front view showing another conventional example. In the figure, 1 is the subject, 1-1 is the body surface, 1-2 is the rib, 2 is the probe, 2a is the ultrasonic radiation surface, 2-1 is the ultrasonic beam, 13 is the ultrasonic gel sheet, 23 is the ultrasonic gel sheet. Gel cap, shown. mpz body"Fffr 2a Figure 1 (α) 9 so (9's L touch ta l knee: 6, G 11 corner holder 11 nd
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Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In an ultrasonic diagnostic gel used by interposing it between an ultrasonic probe (2) and a subject (1), a flexible sheet (with a thickness of less than 5 mm) of polymer hydrous gel ( 13
) An ultrasonic gel sheet characterized by being molded into. (2) An ultrasonic gel sheet characterized in that the membrane made of the polymer hydrogel is attached to the ultrasonic radiation surface (2a) of the ultrasonic probe (2). (3) The ultrasonic gel sheet according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the polymer hydrogel is made of polyvinyl alcohol. (4) The ultrasonic gel sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the polymer hydrogel is housed in a closed container.