JPH06133975A - Probe for insertion into living body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure the flexibility of a probe end by enclosing, in the end portion of a storage portion in the form of a small-diameter rod, a diagnostic transducer for diagnosing living bodies, and enclosing a transfer loss compensation circuit in a portion slightly away from the end portion, and providing a flexible constricted portion between both of them. CONSTITUTION:An ultrasonic probe 1 comprises an end scanning portion 10, a constricted portion 30 and a cable portion 50, and an ultrasonic transducer 20 being supported by a structure maintaining body is enclosed in the end scanning portion 10. An inductance coil 80 (transmission loss compensation circuit) for connection in series via coaxial shielding wires 60 of very small diameter to each of piezoelectric elements arranged in a linear array inside an ultrasonic transducer 20 is enclosed in the storage portion 100 of the cable portion 50 which is provided in connection with and opposite to the end scanning portion 10 via the constricted portion 30. The constricted portion 30 is made from an expansible, bending-resistant material such as vinyl chloride and silicone and allows the end scanning portion 10 to be freely vertically and horizontally curved relative to an axis 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a probe for inserting a living body, and more particularly to a probe for inserting a living body used for ultrasonic diagnosis in a living body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, almost all parts of a human body can be diagnosed by image diagnosis using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Along with this, many probes for observing internal organs and the like from outside the body have been put into practical use.

In particular, recently, it has become possible to perform a more precise observation or diagnosis by directly inserting a transrectal probe, a vaginal probe, a transesophageal probe or the like into a target affected area depending on the site. There is. Furthermore, a small-diameter probe that can be inserted into the forceps mouth of an endoscope or a blood vessel has been developed, and a precise diagnosis of the stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, etc. under the endoscope using the small-diameter probe, or Attempts have been made to observe the cross-section of coronary arteries under fluoroscopy.

In the case of an endoscopic small-diameter probe to be inserted into the body, the cable length connecting the small-diameter probe and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body installed outside the body is generally for observing the inside of the body from outside the body. It is longer than the probe used for. For this reason, when the ultrasonic diagnostic echo data obtained by the small-diameter probe is transmitted through the long cable, the voltage of the ultrasonic diagnostic echo data decreases or, conversely, from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body to the small-diameter probe. There is a problem that the pulse voltage for generating the transmitted ultrasonic wave is lowered and the S / N ratio is deteriorated.

In order to compensate the signal propagation loss generated in such a probe cable, an inductance element is connected in series to the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic transducer provided at the tip of the small diameter probe. Since the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic transducer operates as a capacitor (C), it has an equivalent L with the inductance element (L).
A C circuit (this is called a signal propagation loss compensation circuit) is configured. As a result, a resonance circuit is formed for a signal of a certain frequency (f ₀ ) (a signal of a resonance frequency).
The signal amplitude can be greatly amplified, that is, the voltage drop can be compensated.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the signal propagation loss compensating circuit is provided in the vicinity of the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic transducer, the small-diameter probe tip portion becomes large, and the small-diameter probe tip portion is used. It was a factor that hindered the change. Further, the large tip of the small diameter probe causes a problem that it is difficult to insert the probe into the body. Furthermore, the enlargement of the tip of the small-diameter probe causes a problem that it is difficult to bend the tip, and the operability when performing ultrasonic diagnosis by mounting the small-diameter probe on the forceps and inserting it into the body. It was bad.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and is for insertion into a living body which does not hinder the thinning of the probe, maintains the flexibility of the tip of the probe, and does not reduce the S / N ratio. The purpose is to provide a probe.

[0008]

To achieve the above object, the probe for inserting a living body of the present invention has the following constitution. That is, a living body insertion probe used for diagnosing a living body by inserting a part of a small hole opened in the living body, and a diagnostic transducer for diagnosing the living body, and diagnostic data obtained by the diagnostic transducer to the outside. A propagation loss compensating circuit for compensating for the propagation loss of the diagnostic data when transmitting, and a thin rod-shaped accommodating portion that accommodates the diagnostic transducer and the propagation loss compensating circuit, the diagnostic transducer of the accommodating portion. At the end portion, the propagation loss compensation circuit is accommodated slightly away from the end portion, and between the diagnostic transducer and the accommodation position of the propagation loss compensation circuit is a constricted portion having a bendable flexibility and a predetermined length. A probe for inserting a living body, which is characterized by being made, is provided.

Further, the above-mentioned propagation loss compensating circuit is provided with a plurality of inductance coils to reduce crosstalk due to electromagnetic induction between the plurality of inductance coils, to enhance the mechanical strength of the accommodating portion itself, and In order to improve the impact resistance of the plurality of cases, the plurality of inductance coils are accommodated in a plurality of cases formed of a magnetic material or conductor in a predetermined number, and the plurality of cases are accommodated in series in the accommodation section. Characterize.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the diagnostic transducer and the propagation loss compensating circuit are housed separately from each other with the above construction.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Here, several ultrasonic probe embodiments will be described. First, a structure common to these ultrasonic probes will be described.

[Overview of Common Structure of Ultrasonic Probe (FIGS. 1 to 3)] FIG. 1 is a side view of an ultrasonic probe which is a typical embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 40
Is an acoustic lens in which a linear array type ultrasonic transducer is incorporated. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic probe 1 is composed of a tip scanning section 10, a waist section 30, and a cable section 50, and the tip scanning section 10 and the cable section 50 have the same diameter (d ₁ ). It is molded like. Further, the constricted portion 30 is the tip scanning unit 10.
In comparison with the cable portion 50, the diameter is slightly smaller (d ₂ ). By having such a shape, when the tip scanning unit 10 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is bent, the constricted portion 30 is prevented from rising. Further, due to this shape, stress is prevented from being applied to the constricted portion 30, and a durable ultrasonic probe can be provided. Further, 60 is a coaxial shield wire for transmitting an input / output signal at the time of ultrasonic diagnosis, and 100 is an inductance element (L) accommodating portion (hereinafter referred to as an accommodating portion).

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the front end scanning section 10 and the housing section 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the piezoelectric transducer elements arranged in a linear array of the ultrasonic transducer 20 are connected to the ultrafine coaxial shield wires 60 for inputting / outputting signals to / from the piezoelectric transducer elements. Further, there is a housing portion 100 slightly behind (on the left side in FIG. 2) the tip scanning portion 10 and the neck portion 30, and an inductance coil 80 is connected in series to each piezoelectric element. In the present embodiment, the housing section 100 is provided about 5 to 10 cm behind the front end scanning section 10. Further, 45 is the ultrasonic transducer 2
It is a structure maintaining body for supporting 0.

Therefore, if the number of elements of the linear array of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is 64, 64 inductance coils 80 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 100, and 6
The four coaxial shielded wires 60 are accommodated in the cable portion 50.

The principle of image capturing by the ultrasonic probe 1 is the known B-mode method, and the output from the piezoelectric element is the inductance coil 80 and the coaxial shield wire 60.
After that, it is input to a normal ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown) and processed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the flexibility of the tip portion of the ultrasonic probe. The constricted portion 30 of the ultrasonic probe is made of a highly flexible material such as vinyl chloride or silicon that is highly stretchable. On the other hand, the tip scanning unit 10 is a hard portion. Therefore, it can be bent vertically and horizontally with respect to the shaft 2. As a result, the field of view of the acoustic lens 40 of the ultrasonic probe can be changed, and a greater degree of freedom is given to the field capable of ultrasonic diagnosis. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a state where the tip of the ultrasonic probe is bent upward, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a state where the tip of the ultrasonic probe is bent downward.

Next, some embodiments of mounting the inductance coil 80 on the ultrasonic probe 1 having the above structure will be described. In the following embodiments, common device components are designated by the same reference numerals.

[First Embodiment (FIG. 4)] FIG. 4 shows an accommodating portion 100 in which an inductance coil is mounted according to the first embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the internal structure of. FIG. 4A shows the housing portion 100.
FIG. 4B is a side view of the accommodating portion 100 taken along the line A-.
It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the accommodating part 100 when it cut | disconnects along A '. The outer surface of the entire area of the housing portion 100 is collectively covered with a shield 101 for the purpose of electromagnetic shielding. The ground wire 61 of the coaxial shield wire 60 is connected to the shield 101 before and after the housing portion 100.

As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the four inductance coils 80a, 80b, 80c and 80d are mounted in the housing portion 100 so as to be substantially parallel to each other. , Are connected to the signal lines 62a, 62b, 62c, 62d of the coaxial shielded line 60 having substantially the same length. Therefore, if the number of elements of the linear array of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is 64, 16 units of inductance coils are sequentially mounted in the housing section 100, with 4 units of inductance coils as one unit. Therefore,
Only a maximum of four inductance coils are arranged for the cable cross section at an arbitrary position, and even if the number of mounted inductance coils is large, the cable diameter can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment (FIG. 5)] In the first embodiment, 4
The case where the individual inductance coils are mounted in parallel has been described, but in the present embodiment, in order to mount the inductance coils on a cable having a smaller diameter, the mounting positions of the individual inductance coils are slightly shifted. The case will be described. The connection of the coaxial shielded wire 60 to the ground wire 61 is the same as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the internal structure of the housing portion 100 in which the inductance coil is mounted according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5A is a side view of the accommodating portion 100.
(B) is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the accommodating part 100 when the accommodating part 100 is cut along the line AA '. Figure 5
As shown in (a), the inductance coil 80a,
Since the accommodating positions of 80b, 80c, and 80d are slightly staggered and mounted, as shown in FIG. 5B, the inductance coils are arranged so that only three inductance coils exist at maximum in any cross section. The effective diameter of the cable can be made smaller.

[Third Embodiment (FIG. 6)] In this embodiment, an example of mounting an inductance coil for reducing crosstalk due to electromagnetic induction between the inductance coils will be described. Again, the ground wire 61 of the coaxial shield wire 60
The connection is the same as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the housing portion 100 in which the inductance coil is mounted according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6A is a side view of the housing portion 100.
(B) is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the accommodating part 100 when the accommodating part 100 is cut along the line AA '. In this embodiment, the arrangement position of the inductance coil itself is the same as that of the second embodiment, but each of the inductance coils is covered with a shield 85a, 85b, 85c, 85d made of a cylindrical magnetic body or conductor. To be As a result, it is possible to suppress the influence of noise caused by electromagnetic induction generated in each inductance coil on other inductance coils.

In this embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the inductance coils are arranged in the cable to minimize the increase in the effective diameter of the cable due to the shield coating.

[Fourth Embodiment (FIGS. 7 to 8)] In this embodiment, the crosstalk due to the electromagnetic induction between the inductance coils is reduced, and the mechanical strength of the accommodating portion 100 itself is strengthened so that it is resistant to the outside. An example of mounting an inductance coil with improved impact resistance will be described. Also here, the connection of the ground wire 61 of the coaxial shield wire 60 is the same as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the housing portion 100 in which the inductance coil 80 is mounted according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 7A is a side view of the accommodation unit 100, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the accommodation unit 100 when the accommodation unit 100 is cut along the line AA ′. In this embodiment, the arrangement position of the inductance coil itself is the same as that of the first embodiment, and one unit of the inductance coil (4 units of the inductance coil) is placed in a cylindrical magnetic body or a case 90a, 90b made of a conductor. The cable is housed and the case is housed in the cable portion.

Each of the cases 90a and 90b is provided with a large-diameter penetrating portion 91 that accommodates four inductance coils and a small-diameter penetrating portion 92 through which the signal line of the coaxial shield wire 60 passes.

With the above-mentioned structure, not only the influence of electromagnetic induction noise caused by each inductance coil on other inductance coils is suppressed but also shock resistance is enhanced by housing the inductance coil in the case. .

In the above description, it is assumed that the ground wire 61 of the coaxial shield wire 60 is connected in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
Alternatively, the ground wire 61 of the coaxial shield wire 60 may be connected to the case as shown in FIG. With this configuration, the length of the ground line 61 and the signal line 62 remaining as the coaxial shield line becomes longer, so that the crosstalk between the signal lines 62 can be reduced.

The four embodiments have been described above, but in any case, by arranging the accommodating portion 100 for accommodating the inductance coil slightly behind (on the left side in FIG. 2) the tip scanning portion 10 and the constricted portion 30, The diameter of the tip scanning unit is reduced. Further, by devising the mounting of the inductance coil in the housing portion 100, the diameter of the cable portion itself is reduced.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, the propagation loss of the signal is compensated by mounting the inductance coil, the diameter of the ultrasonic probe itself is reduced, and the tip scanning portion can be flexibly bent. It is easy to insert into a living body when performing a surgical operation by making a small hole,
In addition, ultrasonic diagnosis with extremely excellent operability can be performed.

The ultrasonic probe of the above embodiments can be freely selected and used according to the diagnosis environment at the time of actual ultrasonic diagnosis in consideration of the features of each embodiment.

Although the material of the accommodating portion of the ultrasonic probe is not particularly mentioned in the above embodiment, for example, in order to further increase the strength of the accommodating portion of the ultrasonic probe, the material is made of resin or metal. The mechanical strength can be increased as well.

In the above-described embodiment, the mounting of the inductance coil 80 in the housing portion 100 was examined on the premise of the direct connection between the inductance coil 80 and the coaxial shield wire 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a chip-type inductor 96 may be mounted on a flexible substrate 95, which may be cylindrically housed in the cable portion 50. As a result, direct connection between the inductor and the coaxial shield wire 60 is eliminated, and workability in mounting is improved.

In the above description, only preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown. Various aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is limited only by the claims set forth herein. Therefore, the invention is not limited to only the embodiments shown and described herein.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the diagnostic transducer and the propagation loss compensating circuit are housed separately, the accommodating portion having a smaller diameter can be provided while improving the S / N ratio. There is an effect that the probe for inserting the living body can be realized. Moreover, since the constricted portion having flexibility is formed between the diagnostic transducer and the accommodating position of the propagation loss compensation circuit, it can be bent, and a probe for inserting a living body with higher operability is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an ultrasonic probe which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the leading end scanning unit 10 and the housing unit 100.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing flexibility of a tip portion of an ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 4 shows an inductance coil 80 according to the first embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the accommodating part 100 which mounted.

FIG. 5 shows an inductance coil 80 according to a second embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the accommodating part 100 which mounted.

FIG. 6 shows an inductance coil 80 according to a third embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the accommodating part 100 which mounted.

FIG. 7 shows an inductance coil 80 according to a fourth embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the accommodating part 100 which mounted.

FIG. 8 shows an inductance coil 80 according to a fourth embodiment.
It is a figure which shows another example of the internal structure of the accommodating part 100 which mounted.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which a flexible substrate in which a chip-type inductor is mounted on a flexible substrate is formed into a cylindrical shape and housed in a cable portion 50.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Ultrasonic Probe 10 Tip Scanning Section 20 Ultrasonic Transducer 30 Constriction Section 50 Cable Section 60 Coaxial Shield Wire 80 Inductance Coil 100 Housing Section

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A probe for inserting a living body, which is used for diagnosing a living body by inserting a portion from a small hole formed in the living body, comprising: a diagnostic transducer for diagnosing the living body; and diagnostic data obtained by the diagnostic transducer. A propagation loss compensating circuit for compensating the propagation loss of the diagnostic data when transmitting to the outside, and a thin rod-shaped accommodating portion that accommodates the diagnostic transducer and the propagation loss compensating circuit, wherein the diagnostic transducer is the At the end of the accommodating portion, the propagation loss compensation circuit is accommodated at a distance from the end,
A living body insertion probe, characterized in that a constricted portion of a predetermined length having a bendable flexibility is formed between the diagnostic transducer and the accommodating position of the propagation loss compensation circuit.