JPH07265296A - Position adjusting cushion, fixing cushion, and fixing band used for head holder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a position adjusting cushion, a fixing cushion, and a fixing band used for a head holder, not adversely affecting an image and capable of simply adjusting the tilt of the head of a testee safety and surely without giving an offensive feeling to the testee with a simple structure. CONSTITUTION:This position adjusting cushion 22 is arranged on a head holder 21 mounted with the head of a testee 24, it is brought into contact with the testee 24 from the rear head site to the neck, a fluid is filled therein, an upper skin 25 portion kept in contact with the neck of the testee 24 and the lower skin 26 portion facing the neck contact portion of the upper skin 25 are connected, it has a regulation section 32 regulating the quantity of the internal fluid, and the cushion 22 is made of a nonmetallic material. The fixing cushion has a gas permeable skin, nonmetallic grains are filled therein, and it is made of a nonmetallic material. The fixing band is brought into contact with the forehead of the testee, and both end sections are hooked on both side sections of the head holder 21 so that three or more tensile forces applied to the forehead are balanced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cushion and a belt used for a head holder that holds the head of a subject in an X-ray CT apparatus or an MR apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in X-ray CT, a head imaging reference line called an OM line is used for head tomography. As shown in FIG. 8, the OM line is a line connecting the eyes and the ear canal of the subject, and in order to obtain a tomographic image having an arbitrary angle θ from this OM line, is the gantry tilted? , Tilt the head of the subject. At this time, only tilting the gantry may not allow fine adjustment or may force the subject to have an unreasonable posture.Therefore, it is necessary to tilt the subject's head and hold it in that state. Occurs.

There is a head holder shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 for tilting the head of the subject. Figure 9
Is a diagram illustrating a cushion used in a conventional head holder, FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a band used in a conventional head holder, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a direction c in FIG. FIG. 6C is a view for explaining how to wind the headband, as viewed from the direction of the arrow.

In FIG. 9, a wedge 2 made of hard sponge and a head cushion 3 made of soft sponge are laminated on the head holder 1, and the occipital region of the subject 4 is placed on the head cushion 3.

The wedge 2 has a wedge shape, and a plurality of inclination angles such as 10 ° and 20 ° are prepared, and the wedge is moved by moving the position of the wedge in the body axis direction. The examiner's head tilt angle can be set.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the head of the subject 4 is locked to the both side surfaces of the head holder 1 by using a velcro or the like, and the forehead portion of the subject 4 is held. The head holder 1 is held by using a head band 5 that presses against and a chin band 6 that fixes the jaw part of the subject 4.

As shown in FIGS. 10 (b) and 10 (c), the headband 5 wraps around the head of the subject 4, the wedge 2 and the head cushion 3, and both ends of the head holder 1 are wound. It is locked on both sides with Velcro tape. Further, the reason for using the headband 5 and the chin band 6 is to prevent the subject 4 from moving his / her head in the vertical direction (nodding direction) because the neck of the subject 4 is incompletely held.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the head holder 1
There is also proposed a head tilting mechanism having a structure in which a tilting plate 12 having a base end portion rotatably provided in 1 is provided, and an air cushion 13 is interposed between the head holder 11 and the tilting plate 12. The amount of air in the air cushion 13 is adjusted by the pump 14 and the air vent 15.

[0009]

However, the head holder having the above structure has the following problems. (1) In the head holder of the type shown in FIGS. 9 and 10,
When the wedge 2 is moved to adjust the tilt angle, the wedge 2 cannot be moved unless the head of the subject 4 is manually lifted. In this case, an accident such as hitting the lifted subject's head against a nearby structure or dropping the subject's head may cause a safety problem.

Further, since the headband 5 has the wedge 2 and the head cushion 3 wound together, the positions of the wedge 2 and the head cushion 3 may shift.

The chin of the subject is fixed by the chin band 6, but it is uncomfortable for the subject, and when the subject speaks, the entire head of the subject moves due to the movement of the chin. I may end up doing it.

(2) Regarding the head holder of the type shown in FIG. 11, the fulcrum of the tilting plate 12 and the air cushion 1
The bellows of 3 affect the image. Further, since the tilting plate 12 is fixed to the head holder 11, if the position of the subject's head with respect to the tilting plate 12 is poor, the whole body of the subject must be moved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is a simple structure, which does not give an uncomfortable feeling to a subject, and which allows safe and reliable adjustment of tilting of the subject's head. Can be
Moreover, it is to provide a position adjusting cushion, a fixing cushion, and a fixing band used for a head holder that does not adversely affect the image.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, the invention is arranged on a head holder on which the head of a subject is placed and faces the head of the subject. A non-metallic epithelium, a non-metallic lower skin whose peripheral portion is joined to the epithelium and faces the head holder, a fluid filled between the epithelium and the lower skin, and the amount of the fluid is adjusted. And a neck contact portion of the epithelium joined to the hypodermis.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the fluid according to the first aspect is air, and the adjusting portion is a pump for sending air into the position adjusting cushion, and a valve for releasing the air in the cushion to the outside. It consists of

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the head holder on which the subject's head is placed is disposed, has a breathable skin, and is filled with non-metallic particles. , Made of non-metallic material.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of a position adjusting cushion and a fixing cushion is used, and an intermediate portion contacts the subject's forehead so that three or more tensions acting on the forehead are applied. Both ends are respectively locked to both sides of the head holder so as to be balanced.

[0018]

In the position adjusting cushion according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, when the position adjusting cushion is filled with fluid using the adjusting portion, the position adjusting cushion swells, but the epithelium and the lower skin are separated. A recess is generated in the joint portion, and the neck of the subject is held in this recess. Further, the portion of the subject that contacts the occipital region of the subject is filled with fluid, and the occipital region is lifted to adjust the position.

In the fixing cushion of the third aspect of the present invention, when the head of the subject is placed, the non-metallic particles inside the cushion move, and the cushion is attached to the head of the subject. It deforms according to the shape and holds the head of the subject.

In the fixing band according to the invention described in claim 4, by using at least one of the position adjustment cushion according to claim 1 or 2 and the fixing cushion according to claim 3, the subject's head The part can be held securely. Therefore, the movement of the subject can be regulated simply by pressing the forehead of the subject.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cushion for position adjustment of one embodiment of the present invention,
2 is an explanatory view of the cushion for fixing, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the cushion for position adjustment in FIG. 1, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a sectional view taken along line AA in (a), and (c) is ( a) BB cross-sectional view, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fixing cushion in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the fixing band, (a) is a developed view, (b) is a view
FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a usage state in FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a view in which the position fixing cushion, the fixing cushion and the fixing band shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 are attached to the subject, and FIG. 6 is a neck in FIG. Sectional views in the vicinity and FIGS. 7A and 7B are views for explaining another embodiment.

First, the whole will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, 21 is a head holder. This head holder 21
A cushion 22 for position adjustment and a cushion 23 for fixing, which are in contact with the back of the subject 24 from the head to the neck, are laminated on the upper part, and a part is placed on the cushion 23 for fixing from the back of the subject 24 to the neck. It

Next, the position adjusting cushion 22 will be described with reference to FIG. The position adjusting cushion 22 is a bag in which the peripheral parts of the laminated non-metallic epithelium 25 and the lower skin 26 are joined, and the position adjusting part 27 with which the occipital region of the subject 24 abuts, the epithelium 25 and the lower part. The skin 26 is joined and the subject 2
4 is composed of a neck support portion 28 with which the neck portion abuts.

The space between the epithelium 25 and the lower skin 26 is filled with air as a fluid. The epithelium 25 and the lower skin 26 are made of a material impermeable to air so that the air filled inside does not leak.

Reference numeral 29 is a non-metal air pump which is provided at the other end of a non-metal hose 30 having one end connected to the inside of the cushion and which sends air into the inside of the cushion.
Reference numeral 31 is a non-metal valve (air bleeding) that releases the air inside the cushion to the outside. The air pump 29, the hose 30, and the valve 31 constitute an adjusting unit 32.

When the hose 30 is sufficiently long and the air pump 29 and the valve 31 are set at positions where they do not affect the image, the air pump 29 and the valve 31 may be made of metal.

Next, the fixing cushion 23 will be described with reference to FIG.
Will be explained. The fixing cushion 23 is a bag in which the peripheral portions of the laminated non-metal epithelium 33 and the lower skin 34 are joined. The material of the epithelium 33 and the inferior skin 34 is air permeable, and inside the non-metallic foam granules 3 having a diameter of 10 mm or less.
5 is filled. The filling rate of the expanded granules is 20 to the internal volume when the cushion is expanded to the maximum.
80%.

After stacking the position adjusting cushion 22 and the fixing cushion 23 on the head holder 21 and placing the back of the head of the subject 24 on the fixing cushion 23, as shown in FIG. The head of the subject 24 is fixed by using a non-metal fixing band 38 whose both ends are in contact with the forehead of the subject 24 and whose both ends are locked to both sides of the head holder 21.

Next, the fixing band 38 will be described with reference to FIG. The fixing band 38 has a substantially X-shape intersecting at the center, and a velcro 39 is attached to each end. Further, a magic tape that engages with the magic tape 39 of the fixing band 38 is provided on the outer side surface of the head holder 21. Then, when the fixing band 38 is worn, the tension acting on the forehead of the subject 24 is balanced.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. First,
A position adjusting cushion 22 filled with air to some extent is arranged on the head holder 21, and a fixing cushion 23 is stacked on the position adjusting cushion 22, and the occipital region of the subject 24 is placed on the fixing cushion 23. Place on.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, due to the weight of the head of the subject 24, the expanded granules in the fixing cushion 23 move, and the fixing cushion 23 is shaped like the head of the subject 24. It is deformed along with and holds the head of the subject 24.

A recess is formed in the neck support portion 28 of the position adjusting cushion 22, and the neck of the subject 24 is held in this recess. On the other hand, the occipital region of the subject 24, which is in contact with the inflated position adjusting unit 27 filled with air, is lifted.

When the tilt angle of the head of the subject 24 is insufficient, the air is fed into the position adjusting cushion 22 using the air pump 29, and the position adjusting portion 27 is inflated to increase the tilt angle. On the contrary, when the tilt angle of the subject 24 is too large, the valve 31 is used to reduce the amount of air in the position adjusting cushion 22 to reduce the tilt angle of the head of the subject 24.

Finally, the head of the subject 24 is fixed using the fixing band 38. According to the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Position adjustment cushion 22, fixing cushion 23,
Each of the fixing bands 38 has a simple structure.

(2) The tilt adjustment of the head of the subject 24 can be performed by using the air pump 29 or the valve 31 without lifting the head of the subject 24, and can be performed safely and reliably.

(3) Since the position adjusting cushion 22, the fixing cushion 23, and the fixing band 38 are not made of metal,
It does not adversely affect the image. In other words, in order to reduce the effect on the image, the MR device should be a non-magnetic material, and the X-ray CT device should be of low density, thin, and without sharp edges. In both cases, it is necessary that they are at least non-metallic.

(4) The fixing band 38 is attached to the head of the subject 24 together with the fixing cushions 23,
Since the position adjusting cushion 22 is not wound and only the forehead of the subject 24 is pressed, the positional displacement of the fixing cushion 23 and the position adjusting cushion 22 does not occur.

(5) The position adjusting cushion 22 is the subject 2
Since the neck of No. 4 is securely held, the chin band used conventionally is unnecessary, and only the fixing band 38 for pressing the forehead of the subject 24 is required as the band. Therefore, subject 2
The discomfort of 4 is reduced, and even if the subject 24 speaks, the entire head of the subject 24 does not move.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. (1) The shape of the fixing band is not limited to the X shape shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), a Y-shaped fixing band 50 having a magic tape 51 provided at each end may be used, or as shown in FIG. A tape-shaped fixing band 53 may be used. That is, the shape may be such that there are three or more tensions of the band acting on the forehead of the subject 24, and these tensions are in balance.

(2) The fluid in the position adjusting cushion 22 is not limited to air. It may be a gas, a liquid, or a mixture thereof, as long as the fluid does not adversely affect the image.

(3) The adjusting portion of the position adjusting cushion 22 is not limited. For example, when the fluid used is a gas, a combination of a cylinder filled with this gas under high pressure and a valve for discharging the gas inside the position adjusting cushion to the outside may be used.

(4) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the description has been made with the three combinations of the position adjusting cushion 22, the fixing cushion 23 and the fixing band 38. However, the position adjusting cushion 2
2, two combinations of the fixing band 38, or two combinations of the fixing cushion 23, the fixing band 38,
The above effects can be obtained.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily and safely adjust the tilting of the subject's head with a simple structure without causing any discomfort to the subject. It is possible to realize a position adjustment cushion, a fixing cushion, and a fixing band that are used in a head holder that does not adversely affect the.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a position adjusting cushion and a fixing cushion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are explanatory views of the position adjusting cushion in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view, FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2A, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

3 is a sectional view of the fixing cushion in FIG.

4A and 4B are explanatory views of a fixing band, FIG. 4A is a development view, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a usage state in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 is a position fixing cushion shown in FIGS. 1 to 4,
It is the figure which attached the cushion for fixation and the band for fixation to the subject.

6 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the neck in FIG.

7 (a) and 7 (b) are diagrams for explaining another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an OM line.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a cushion used in a conventional head holder.

10A and 10B are views for explaining a band used in a conventional head holder, where FIG. 10A is a perspective view, FIG. 10B is a view in the direction c in FIG. 10A, and FIG. It is a figure explaining.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another conventional head tilting mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 Head Holder 22 Cushion for Position Adjustment 23 Cushion for Fixing 24 Subject 25,33 Epithelium 26,34 Lower Skin 29 Air Pump 31 Valve 32 Adjusting Part 35 Foam Granules 38 Fixing Band

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A non-metallic epithelium (25) which is disposed on a head holder (21) on which the head of a subject (24) is placed and which faces the head of the subject (24). ) And a peripheral portion is joined to the epithelium (25), and the non-metallic lower skin (26) facing the head holder (21) is filled between the epithelium (25) and the lower skin (26). For adjusting the position of the epithelium (25), the neck contact portion of the epithelium (25) being joined to the lower skin (26). cushion. 2. The fluid is air, and the adjusting part (32) is provided by a pump (29) for sending air into the position adjusting cushion, and a valve (31) for discharging the air in the cushion to the outside. The cushion for position adjustment according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A head holder (21) on which a head of a subject (24) is placed, which has a breathable skin (33, 34) and which is made of a non-metallic material. A fixing cushion characterized by being filled with granules (35) and made of a non-metallic material. 4. At least one of a position adjusting cushion and a fixing cushion is used, and an intermediate portion is brought into contact with the subject's (24) forehead so that three or more tensions acting on the forehead are balanced. A fixing band, characterized in that both ends are respectively locked to both sides of the head holder (21).