JPH0353946B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Claim 1: A first conduit having first and second inlets, and first and second outlets; a continuously operative means for continuously producing a flow of radioactive atomizer through an atomizer outlet connected to a first inlet, the pressurized gas flowing at about 6 liters per minute; The particles are supplied to the suction means at a rate ranging from 1 to 10 liters, with the majority of the particles having a diameter of less than 1 micron and between 0.056 micron and 1.2 microns.
said continuously operative means for producing a radioactive aerosol having particles in the micron range; a first unidirectional flow valve for introducing oxygen-containing gas into the conduit; and a second unidirectional flow valve connected to the first and first outlet of the conduit.
a unidirectional flow valve, the first outlet of the first conduit having a filter for removing radioactive mist from the gas exiting the first conduit through the outlet; said second unidirectional flow valve, said second unidirectional flow valve comprising: said second unidirectional flow valve allowing unidirectional flow from within said first conduit through said first outlet and out of said first conduit; a trap for large particles disposed in the conduit between the atomized body outlet of the suction means and the second outlet of the first conduit, the trap having a detour for the atomized body; The trap includes a plurality of inclined baffle plates giving a slanted buffle plate, converts the particles impinging on the buffle plates into a liquid, and removes the particles impinging on the buffle plates by causing the generated liquid to flow into a suction means. and a corrugated bellows extending between the large particle trap and a second outlet of the first conduit and forming at least a portion of the first conduit;
a second conduit having an inlet, an outlet, and a bi-directional flow port in communication with the patient's airway, the flow port being adapted to flow into and out of the second conduit; and a second outlet of the first conduit connected to an inlet of the second conduit to permit unidirectional flow from the first conduit to the second conduit. a third unidirectional flow valve connected to an outlet of the second conduit, the outlet of the second conduit having a third unidirectional flow valve connected to the outlet of the second conduit; a filter is provided for removing radioactive mist from the gas exiting to the exterior of the second conduit, the filter being provided with a unidirectional flow from the interior of the second conduit through the outlet thereof to the exterior of the second conduit; and the fourth unidirectional flow valve that allows the flow of the atomized material through the first and second conduits when the patient inhales through the suction passage; Upon exhalation, the exhaled aerosol and gas are expelled through the fourth unidirectional flow valve of the second conduit, inhaled by the patient, and distributed throughout the airways within the lungs. A device that delivers a radioactive mist of gaseous nature that is uniformly deposited and easily penetrates throughout the patient's lungs.

<Technical Field> The present invention relates to a device for supplying a radioactive mist used in the diagnosis of respiratory diseases. It is important to obtain a large number of relatively high-resolution, high-contrast images in order to easily determine the location of not only emboli, tumors, etc., but also other diseases that affect the respiratory tract. The present invention relates to a new and improved device that utilizes aerosolized radioisotopes for ventilation of the lungs.

<Background Art> Conventionally, diagnosis of respiratory diseases has been carried out exclusively by perfusion lung scans and ventilation using radioactive gases. The use of radioactive aerosols has been considered, but known devices have shown that excessive deposition or rainout occurs not only in the upper respiratory tract, oropharynx, or trachea, but also at the airway intersections. was known. Furthermore, unequal atomization was observed between the central and peripheral regions of the lung. Therefore, if a ventilation scan is considered desirable, the cost of gas generation is relatively expensive, it is inconvenient for the patient, and the time required to obtain a single image of the lungs is prohibitive. They generally relied on radioactive gases, such as xenon or krypton, although they were limited to 100% of the gas and required containment and disposal of the exhaled gases.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a radioactive material that overcomes the traditional problems associated with diagnosing lung diseases and avoids the difficulties associated with the use of gases as well as the traditional problems associated with aerosols. The present invention provides an apparatus for supplying atomized material. More specifically, by using an aerosol in which the particle size is kept below about 1.2 microns, and most of the particles are below 1 micron, the atomized material behaves almost like a gas. It was found that there was no rainout or excessive deposition that would cause problems in the upper respiratory tract, pharynx, or airways. Additionally, there is substantially uniform deposition throughout the lungs without deposition at airway bifurcations, the patient can assume any position, and the scan procedure
There is no need to hold your breath and you have plenty of time for many scans. Furthermore, isotopes in aerosol form can be filtered upon exhalation and safely stored until the radioactivity reaches a safe level convenient for disposal. However, radioactive gases are not filtered, require great care in containment and storage, and require a longer period of time than aerosols for the radioactivity to reach a safe level.

Other objects of this invention are that it is simple, reliable and
The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved device for the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases, which is easy to operate and relatively inexpensive.

Yet another feature of the invention is a diagnostic device that includes a new and improved radioactive mist delivery device that allows multiple photographic observations of the lungs to be performed with little, if any, pain to the patient. Our goal is to provide the following.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for creating video ventilation sketches of the lungs with significantly improved resolution and contrast.

This invention uses an atomizer whose largest particle size is limited to 1.2 microns and the amount of particles larger than 1.2 microns is negligible. a unidirectional air inlet is coupled to an outlet of the nebulizer, which outlet is also coupled to a mouthpiece or face mask via a unidirectional flow valve and a T or Y connector; Through the mouthpiece or mask, the patient can inhale the mist produced by the nebulizer. The third or discharge opening is provided with a one-way flow valve for the mist and air inhaled by the patient, and a filter for removing the radioactive mist. The output from the filter is preferably delivered to a suitable container for storage until the radioactivity has attenuated to a level safe for disposal. Since the atomizer is normally operated continuously by a source of compressed air, means are provided at the output of the atomizer to prevent excessive pressure from building up during the dispensing period.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings which form a part of this invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a side elevation diagrammatically showing a part of an embodiment of the device according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a diagrammatically showing part of a variant of the invention shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side elevational view.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The use of radioactive aerosols or nebulizers in the diagnosis of pulmonary disease has been considered desirable because they are convenient and inexpensive; Since aerosols are deposited excessively in the trachea, stomach, etc., treatments that utilize them have not been used to date. It was also generally believed that a satisfactory radioactive aerosol simply should not contain particles larger than 2 microns in mean mass aerodynamic diameter. According to the invention described herein, not only does the diameter of the particles not exceed 1.2 microns, but the diameter of the aerosol is within the range of about 0.056 microns to 1.2 microns, with about 90% of the particles being less than 1 micron. I understand. Under such circumstances, the aerosol behaves like a gas and the desired purpose is achieved.

To prepare the aerosol for performing radioactive scans, either 99m technetium-sulfur colloid or 99m technetium-diethylene triamine pentaacetate works well and takes about 6 hours, which is sufficient to perform many imaging scans. It has a half-life of 100%, and has a short enough half-life to be easily disposed of. Not only does the patient have to hold his breath during the imaging scan, which requires gases to take only one scan, but the half-life of known satisfactory gases, such as krypton, is less than 30 seconds and requires only one scan. Furthermore, the tagged xenon form has a half-life of 4 to 30 days and is difficult to process. The radioactive technetium compounds described above are commonly available in the Nuclear Medicine Department for routine clinical diagnostic procedures, can be constructed relatively inexpensively, and can be used to obtain aerosols for ventilation scan procedures. I can do it.

Reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows a diagrammatic elevational view of a portion of one type of apparatus according to the invention. The atomizer is indicated generally by the number 10 and has a compressed gas inlet 11 and an outlet 12. The nebulizer may take any desired form irrespective of the embodiment shown, and may include a suitable reservoir such as a housing, an inhaler for generating the atomizer, and a gas such as oxygen or air that is injected each time. It is supplied at a rate of 6 to 10 liters per minute. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the total number of 13
A four-way connector, shown as , is connected to the outlet 12 of the atomizer 10 by a tubular leg 14 . A unidirectional air inlet valve 15 connects the second tubular leg 16 of the four-way connector 13
a second unidirectional outlet valve 17 and a particle filter 18 are connected to the third leg 19 of the four-way connector 13, the fourth leg 20 of the connector 13 delivering aerosol to the patient. It is connected to a flexible tube 21 having a bellows structure. Because the nebulizer contains a radioactive liquid, it is desirable to house the nebulizer 10 with the four-way connector 13 in a container 22 made of lead or other radiation-shielding material.

The outlet end of tube 21 is connected to a third unidirectional valve 23, which is housed within a second container 24, also made of lead or other radiation shielding material. The outlet of the one-way valve 23 is connected to one leg 25 of a Y-shaped connector 26 located within the container 24.
Y-shaped connector 26 is connected to a flexible tube 28 similar to tube 21. A patient mouthpiece 29 is fixed to one end of the tube 28, so that the patient can easily inhale the mist generated by the nebulizer 10 together with the one-way valve 15 for the introduction of air. Although a single tip 29 is shown, a suitable face mask may be used in place of the tip if desired. The unidirectional flow valve 23 may be of any desired type, blocking flow while atmospheric pressure is dependent downstream of the valve, and preventing flow during periods when the patient is in the process of inhaling. It is adjusted so that it can drop and flow freely.

When using a ventilation scan aerosol, the patient may inhale and exhale several times to ensure that the radioactive mist is evenly deposited throughout the lungs. During the exhalation period, the patient exhales through a mouthpiece or possibly a face mask and tube 28. Since the unidirectional valve 23 prevents the backflow of the atomized material, the exhaled aerosol flows to the outside via the leg 30 of the Y-shaped connector 26, the unidirectional valve 31, and the filter 32, and this exhaled air and/or gas It is released through tube 33. Filter 32 retains aerosol exhaled by the patient and contains filtered aerosol until the level of radioactivity is reduced to a safe level convenient for disposal. During the exhalation period,
Valve 23 preferably remains closed to prevent excessive pressure from being built up in tube 21 by compressed air inlet 11 of atomizer 10. For this purpose, the bellows-type tube 21 can be expanded, thereby limiting the pressure. If desired, the unidirectional valve 17 can also be adjusted to act as a safety valve to limit the maximum pressure within the tube 21. Safety valve 17
When using an aerosol filter 18
is provided to filter and contain the aerosol, and a tube 34 is provided to filter and contain the aerosol.
The remaining gas is released. If desired, tubes 33 and 34 may be combined to supply a holding vessel containing the gaseous material until the radioactivity is reduced to a level that permits normal disposal.

The nebulizer 10 may be of any desired type, provided that the aerosol particles produced thereby are within the ranges set forth above. An example of an atomizer that produces an atomized material meeting the conditions outlined above is shown in US Pat. No. 4,116,387.

FIG. 2 shows a modified embodiment of the invention.
In this embodiment, a large particle trap is provided where the particular atomizer 10 used may contain a large number of large particles.

In each drawing, the same numbers are used to identify corresponding elements.

In FIG. 2, the legs 20 extending from the four-way connector 13 are curved upwardly and are connected to the vertical legs of the elbow tube 35, which includes a plurality of slanted buttful plates 36. The horizontal outlet leg of the elbow tube 35 is connected to a bellows-like tube 21 for directing the nebulizer to the patient.

The baffle plate array contained within the elbow tube 35 provides a detour for the atomized body, so that large particles, due to their large mass, collide with one of the buffle plates and are removed from the rest of the aerosol. . These large particles, reconverted to liquid, are automatically reduced to the atomizer and enter the liquid reservoir therein. If desired, a separate drain can be provided for returning this liquid directly to a storage tank or to a separate receiver.

Devices for performing lung scans using aerosols not only reduce costs and provide comfort for patients, but also greatly facilitate accurate diagnosis that includes the entire lung. The method was found to be extremely effective in that it enabled significantly improved image scanning.

This invention is particularly effective for performing image scans of the lungs, but is of course also effective for drug therapy of the lungs in the treatment of diseases. For example, the device of the present invention is effective in treating the lungs with bactericidal agents, antifungal agents, labeled anticancer drugs, and the like. The device of the invention is also useful in irritant allergy tests to determine the body's response to antigens, such as histamine, such as ragweed.

Although only certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it goes without saying that changes, modifications, and modifications can be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.