JPH0370537A - Imaging and displaying system for inner cavity image of blood vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to examine closely and to shorten a time for examination and diagnosis by providing a circulation image storing part which records continuously an image photographed by means of a television camera for one heart heat or more and reproducing repeatedly, reading out and displaying under a timely freezed condition. CONSTITUTION:An analog output image signal S1 of a television camera 24 is made into a digital signal S2 by means of an AD converter 26 and this encoded output image signal is transmitted to a IC circulation image storing part 28 having a storing volume delayed over one heart heat cycle or more. In this case, during photographing and observation, it is used always under a recording condition and one heart heat period is designated while timely freezed and it is repeatedly reproduced and displayed on a monitor 32. It is thereby possible that when a condition in an artery inner cavity is observed and diagnosed by means of a catheter endoscope, a momentary image is surely caught and is dynamically and repeatedly reproduced and displayed or it is sent and displayed one frame by frame to perform a close examination. It is thereby possible to make the diagnosis easy and to shorten an examination time and a therapeutic time to a patient.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (1) Industrial Application Field The present invention provides a method for photographing and displaying images of the vascular lumen, in particular, includes a circulatory image storage unit for one or more heartbeats, freezes and reproduces images at appropriate times, and The present invention relates to a method for photographing and displaying images of the lumen of a blood vessel, which facilitates the observation and diagnosis of images of the lumen of a coronary artery, and enables the patient to undergo surgery and examination in a stress range.

(II) Prior Art (1) Background of the Invention In order to observe and diagnose blood vessel lumen images using an angioscope, a transparent liquid such as physiological saline is injected to obtain a bright field. Blood must be removed.

However, flushing without hemostasis only lasts for a very short time and may require a large amount of flushing agent.
Diagnosis is required from instantaneous footage.

In addition, the method of inflating a balloon inside the blood vessel to stop bleeding allows observation for a relatively long time with a small amount of Franche fluid, but it must be released within a short time (about 30 seconds) to cause ischemic damage. , is insufficient for diagnosis.

Furthermore, if the tissue inside a blood vessel is moving in time with the pulsation, it is necessary to capture a momentary image, which necessitates recording on videotape and then repeatedly playing it back for observation and diagnosis.

Therefore, it is not suitable for use in which laser irradiation and ablation treatment are performed immediately after observation and diagnosis, such as in atherectomy surgery using laser irradiation.

(2) Conventional Example A conventional vascular lumen imaging and display system has the configuration shown in FIG.

That is, in the figure, a vascular endoscopic catheter 100 is inserted into an artery, light is irradiated from an illumination source 200, and the affected area in the artery is photographed with a television camera 140 via an image guide and an eyepiece 120. TV monitor 1
At the same time as the image is observed at 80, it is recorded on a videotape 160, which is later replayed and observed for diagnosis.

(III) Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the above conventional example (Fig. 3), a television camera 140 is installed in the eyepiece part of the angioscope.
A system is used in which the video signal output is displayed and observed on a color cathode ray tube monitor or the like.

Therefore, observation is possible only when the blood is removed by flushing.For diagnosis, it is necessary to extend the clear viewing time, so a catheter 100 equipped with a balloon at the tip is used, which has a hemostatic effect. Observation and diagnosis are possible by ensuring a bright field for a relatively long period of time.

However, with this method, there are problems in that the backflow of the excluded blood gradually causes the image to lose clarity and become unclear, and there is a risk of myocardial ischemia, which limits the time for hemostasis.

The solution is to record the video signal output from a television camera using a video tape recorder, play it repeatedly, and display it on a monitor.
It is not appropriate for laser irradiation and evaporation removal surgery for intra-arterial atherosclerosis, which requires a surgical procedure to display, and requires immediate diagnosis of the therapeutic effect and determination of the next treatment method.

(IV) Means for Solving the Problem The above problem is achieved by installing a video signal output of a television camera for intravascular imaging into an LCI image storage unit with a storage capacity of one heartbeat cycle or more, and constantly recording the video signal output during imaging and observation. The problem can be solved by using the current state, freezing at the appropriate time, specifying the heartbeat period, playing continuously and repeatedly, and displaying it on the monitor.

(V) Effect As described above, according to the present invention, when observing and diagnosing the condition of the artery lumen with a catheter endoscope, it is possible to reliably capture an instantaneous image and dynamically repeatedly reproduce and display it. It is also possible to send and display each item one by one for detailed inspection.

(Vl) Examples The present invention will now be described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 18 is a vascular endoscopic catheter;
10 is a cylinder pump for balloon expansion to stop bleeding and fix the tip of the catheter in the center of the blood vessel lumen; 12 is a cylinder pump for injecting transparent fluid to remove blood; 14 is an electrocardiogram lead electrode; 16 is an electrocardiogram lead cord; 20 is a blood vessel lumen illumination source, 22 is an eyepiece, 24 is a television camera, 26 is A
/D converter 28 is a circulating image storage unit, 30 is a D/D converter
A converter 32 is a display monitor, 34 is an electrocardiographic amplifier, 36 is an R wave signal detector, and 38 is a control processor.
40 is a foot switch, 41 is a biological signal A/D converter, 42 is a biological signal waveform memory, and 44 is a biological signal D/A converter.

As is well known, the vascular endoscopic catheter 18 is composed of an insertion portion inserted into a blood vessel, a branch portion located outside the patient's body, a lead portion, a connector, etc. For the convenience of this invention, this will be omitted.

The in-body insertion section is percutaneously inserted into a human blood vessel, the tip is guided to the observation site, the illumination light guided by the light guide is emitted from the tip, and the reflected light from the wall etc. is directed to the tip of the catheter 18. An objective lens forms an image on the end face of the image guide.

The image guide is composed of a large number of optical fibers that efficiently transmit light, and the other end surface 18a
Obtain an endovascular image.

Since the cross section of the image guide is extremely thin, about 200 to 300 ξcm, it is enlarged by the eyepiece 22 and photographed by the television camera 24.

The A/D converter 26 encodes the analog output video signal S1 of the television camera 24 at high speed in order to store it in the cyclic image storage section 28 as a digital signal S2.

The circulating image storage unit 2 has a storage capacity that delays the encoded output video signal of the A/D converter 26 for one heartbeat cycle or more, and during normal monitor operation, it is in the state of data update recording and trigger control signal will stop data recording and change to the reading state.

The biosignal waveform memory 42 also synchronizes with the circulating image recording unit 28, and the update recording and recording stop control signal S8 of the circulating image storage unit 28 records and reproduces the electrocardiogram S9 encoded by the biosignal A/D converter 42. , the foot switch 40, etc., the processor 38 performs control so that one cardiac cycle's worth of data is efficiently and reliably stored in the circulation image storage section 28 in synchronization with heartbeats such as electrocardiographic R waves.

In conjunction with this, the biological signal waveform memory 42 is also frozen.

The D/A converter 30 connects the digital video signal S3 to the display monitor 32 and displays it together with the electrocardiogram waveform 311 converted into an analog signal by the biological signal D/A converter. Convert to

The display monitor 32 is a cathode ray tube display device or the like that displays endoscopic blood vessel images.

The circulating image storage section 2 operates according to various control signals, but for the convenience of the present invention, the foot switch 40 is used for recording and recording stop control, and the electrocardiogram signal S5 is used as an example for heartbeat synchronization. Illustrated and explained below.

FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of storage unit control by freeze operation.

In the figure, reference numeral S5 represents an input electrocardiogram signal, S6 represents its differential amplification output, S7 represents an R wave signal detection period of 11 pulses, and S9 represents a foot switch 40.

First, after inflating the balloon, a flash liquid is injected to ensure a bright field.

When it is difficult to diagnose the lumen condition of the observed blood vessel due to oscillation or blur caused by heartbeat movement, use foot switch 4.
0, the R-wave signal detection synchronization pulse (electrocardiogram synchronization trigger pulse) S7 is bused, and the circulation image storage unit 2 is frozen.

In the frozen state, as shown in FIG. 2, the electrocardiogram signal 85 and other biological signal waveforms are displayed statically on the display monitor 32, and from the trigger pulse, the P wave point before the heartbeat cycle is
Blinks to indicate the position of the frozen endoscopic image on the electrocardiogram.

The data read out from the cyclic image storage unit is read and displayed in the forward and backward direction in units of fields or frames, with the speed continuously changed to a speed faster than frame-by-frame forwarding, and the data is reproduced in the forward and backward directions and displayed on the monitor screen. At this time, the marker on the electrocardiogram also moves in conjunction. [■] Effects of the invention As described above, according to the present invention, the condition of the artery lumen can be observed and diagnosed using a catheter endoscope. At this time, technical measures were taken to capture instantaneous images and dynamically repeatedly play and display them, as well as a vascular lumen imaging and display system that allows detailed inspection by advancing and displaying frames one by one. Ta.

Therefore, it is possible to reliably capture transient images that are lost in an instant along with the blood flow, which made observation and diagnosis of the arterial lumen difficult with conventional angioscopes, as shown in Figure 3. It has the characteristics of displaying a cycle continuously and repeatedly and displaying frame-by-frame playback for each frame or l field.

Therefore, in addition to facilitating diagnosis through observation and treatment using the method of the present invention, doctors are also required to perform tests and
This has the technical effect of shortening the treatment time, reducing the amount of flush liquid injected, and reducing the burden and pain.

4,

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of storage unit control by freeze operation, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the prior art. 0 2 4 6 8 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8 Balloon pump, flash pump, electrocardiogram induction electrode, electrocardiogram induction cord, vascular endoscopic catheter, eyepiece, television camera, A/D converter, circulation image storage unit, D/A converter, display monitor electrocardiographic amplifier, R-wave signal detector, control processor Timing diagram of storage unit control by Freeze operation Figure 2 Explanatory diagram of conventional technology Figure 3

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) Equipped with a circulatory image storage unit that continuously records images of the vascular lumen taken by a television camera through a narrow-diameter catheter for vascular endoscopic observation over one or more heartbeats, and freezes the images at appropriate times for repeated playback. A vascular lumen imaging display method characterized by enabling readout and display. (2) The vascular lumen imaging and display system according to claim 1, wherein the freezing control of the circulating image storage section is performed not only manually and by a foot switch but also in conjunction with a flush liquid injection pump. (3) The vascular lumen imaging and display system according to claim 1, wherein the freeze control of the circulation image storage unit is triggered by a synchronous pulse detected from a heartbeat from an electrocardiogram or the like. (4) The vascular lumen imaging and display system according to claim 1, further comprising a waveform storage unit that simultaneously displays an electrocardiogram and a blood pressure waveform that are linked to the freezing of the circulation image storage unit. (5) A brightness modulation function that freezes the above-mentioned cyclic image storage unit, statically displays the waveform of an electrocardiogram, etc. in the cyclic readout display, and displays a flash marker corresponding to the readout address on the displayed waveform. A blood vessel lumen image photographing and displaying system according to claim 1. (6) The blood vessel lumen imaging and display system according to claim 1, further comprising a function of continuously controlling the reading speed of the circulating image storage unit from frame-by-frame to high speed. (7) The vascular lumen according to claim 1, further comprising an arithmetic function for calculating input/output signals of the circulating image storage section and a delayed image storage section for reading and writing images in parallel with the circulating image storage section in real time. Image shooting display method