JPH078566A - Hyperthermeia device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a hyperthermia device excellent in reliability capable of surely alarming the impropriety of impedance matching to an operator. CONSTITUTION:An oscillator 1 generates an electromagnetic wave as high frequency energy. Applicators 4, 5 are connected to the output terminal of the oscillator 1 through a measurement part 2 and a matching circuit 3. The applicators 4, 5 emit the electromagnetic wave outputted from the oscillator 1. The measurement part 2 measures the output current and reflected current of the electromagnetic wave outputted from the oscillator 1. The matching circuit 3 conducts the impedance matching of the applicators 4, 5 with a living body. The measurement result of the measurement part 2 is transmitted to a reflectance calculating circuit 6 for detecting the justice or injustice of the impedance matching. The reflectance calculating circuit 6 calculates the reflectance of the electromagnetic wave on the basis of the measurement result of the measurement part 2. When the reflectance is a set value or more, a buzzer 8 is operated, and a lamp 13 is lighted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hyperthermia device for heating an affected area for treatment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The affected area of a living body is heated with high frequency energy,
For example, there is a hyperthermia device for treating cancer or the like. This hyperthermia device includes a high-frequency oscillation source, and supplies high-frequency energy emitted from the high-frequency oscillation source to a living body via an applicator. In this supply, impedance matching between the applicator and the living body is performed so that high-frequency energy is supplied appropriately and efficiently.

However, the impedance matching is always correct, but the impedance matching often becomes incorrect (mismatch) due to the movement of the living body. Therefore, always detect whether the impedance matching is correct,
Some sound an alarm when impedance matching is incorrect. For example, there are those disclosed in JP-A-61-50568 and JP-B-4-79669.

[0004]

However, the operator is far from the main body of the apparatus, the patient and the operator are separated by soundproof glass or a wall, or there is some noise around the main body of the apparatus. In this case, the operator may not hear the alarm sound.

The present invention takes the above circumstances into consideration,
It is an object of the invention to provide a highly reliable hyperthermia device capable of surely notifying an operator of incorrect impedance matching.

[0006]

A high-frequency oscillation source, an applicator connected to the high-frequency oscillation source for supplying high-frequency energy to a living body, and impedance matching means for performing impedance matching between the applicator and the living body.
A means for emitting an alarm sound and light when the impedance matching is incorrect and a means for adjusting the volume and the light quantity are provided.

[0007]

When the impedance matching between the applicator and the living body becomes incorrect, an alarm sound and light are emitted. The volume and the amount of light can be adjusted.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an oscillator which is a high frequency oscillation source, and emits an electromagnetic wave as high frequency energy. The applicators 4 and 5 are connected to the output end of the oscillator 1 via the measuring unit 2 and the matching circuit 3. The applicators 4 and 5 are for irradiating the living body with electromagnetic waves emitted from the oscillator 1. The measuring unit 2 measures an output current and a reflected current of an electromagnetic wave emitted from the oscillator 1. The matching circuit 3 performs impedance matching between the applicators 4 and 5 and the living body.

The measurement result of the measuring section 2 is sent to a reflectance calculation circuit 6 for detecting whether impedance matching is correct. The reflectance calculation circuit 6 calculates the reflectance of electromagnetic waves based on the measurement result of the measuring unit 2. The calculation result is notified to the computer 7.

The computer 7 controls ON / OFF of the operation of the oscillator 1 according to the operation of an output switch 16 which will be described later, and the reflectance of the attached buzzer 8 calculated by the reflectance calculation circuit 6 is equal to or more than a set value. The buzzer 8 is operated at this time and the operation stop of the buzzer 8 is controlled according to the operation of a buzzer switch 17 described later.

On the other hand, 10 is a control board. This control board 10 has an output volume 11 and a matching switch 1
2, lamp 13, output display unit 14, reflectance display unit 15,
An output switch 16 and a buzzer switch 17 are provided.

The output volume 11 is for adjusting the electromagnetic wave output emitted from the oscillator 1. The matching switch 12 is for adjusting the matching circuit 3. Lamp 13
Is for notifying the operator whether the impedance matching is correct or not. When the reflectance calculated by the reflectance calculating circuit 6 is equal to or more than a set value, the LED is turned on when it is determined that the impedance matching is incorrect.

The output display section 14 takes in the output current of the electromagnetic wave measured by the measuring section 2 from the reflectance calculation circuit 6 and displays it. The reflectance display unit 15 displays the reflectance calculated by the reflectance calculation circuit 6.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When performing heating treatment, apply the applicators 4, 5 to the living body,
The output switch 16 is turned on to operate the oscillator 1. Initially, the output volume 11 is operated to set the electromagnetic wave output of the oscillator 1 to about 1/10 of the actual heating. Then, the matching switch 12 is operated to achieve impedance matching between the applicators 4, 5 and the living body.

When the electromagnetic wave is emitted from the oscillator 1, the output current and the reflected current of the electromagnetic wave are measured by the measuring section 2.
The measured values of the output current and the reflected current are sent to the reflectance calculation circuit 6, where the ratio of the two is calculated as the power reflectance. This calculated value is sent to the computer 7.

The value of the measured output current is displayed on the output display unit 14 and the calculated power reflectance is displayed on the reflectance display unit 15. If the power reflectivity is larger than the set value, for example, 10%, the lamp 13 is turned on and the buzzer 8 operates to emit a buzzer sound. The lighting of the lamp 13 and the generation of a buzzer sound are warnings that the impedance matching between the applicators 4 and 5 and the living body is incorrect, and the operator who knows this operates the matching switch 12 to perform impedance matching again. Will be taken.

The lamp 13 is turned off by a predetermined operation in the reflectance calculation circuit 6. The operation of the buzzer 8 can be stopped by operating the buzzer switch 17. Next, the electromagnetic wave output is set to a value at the time of actual heating, and actual heating treatment is performed. If the living body (patient) moves during this heating, the impedance matching may shift and the power reflectance may exceed 10% of the set value. At this time, similarly to the above, the lamp 13 is turned on, and the buzzer 8 is operated to emit a buzzer sound. By this notification, the operator knows that the impedance matching has been deviated, and operates the matching switch 12 to correctly perform the impedance matching.

As described above, since the impedance matching irregularity is notified by both light and sound, the sound is emitted when the main body of the apparatus is not seen, and the light is emitted when the noise cannot be heard by the surrounding people or soundproofing means. , The operator is surely notified of the incorrect impedance matching. Therefore, proper heating treatment can be performed and reliability is improved.

Even if someone operates the buzzer switch 17 to stop the operation of the buzzer 8, the lamp 13 continues to be lit, so that the operator is sufficiently notified. By the way, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the buzzer switch 17 is used only to stop the operation of the buzzer 8. However, a configuration of adjusting the volume of the buzzer 8 by operating the buzzer switch 17 may be added.

In this case, if the impedance matching is deviated, a large volume buzzer sound is emitted from the buzzer 8. The large volume here is for giving a reliable notification to the operator who is away from the apparatus main body.

However, if the buzzer sound is still large, the patient feels discomfort or anxiety, and the operator himself feels noisy. Therefore, when readjusting the impedance matching,
By operating the buzzer switch 17, the volume of the buzzer 8 can be reduced to such an extent that it can be slightly heard by a person who is near the apparatus body.

When the impedance is properly matched and the power reflectivity falls below 10%, the computer 7 stops the operation of the buzzer 8. After that, when the impedance matching again shifts, the buzzer 8 emits a large-volume buzzer sound as described above.

Therefore, the improper impedance matching can be reliably notified without causing discomfort to the patient or the operator. Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A preset unit 9 is provided between the matching circuit 3 and the applicators 4 and 5. This preset section 9
This is for automatically operating the matching circuit 3 in order to achieve an approximate impedance matching which copes with the difference in the types of the applicators 4 and 5.

A thermocouple 20 is attached to the surface of the applicator 5, and the thermocouple 20 is connected to the thermocouple signal processing section 21. The thermocouple signal processing unit 21 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the temperature detected by the thermocouple 20, and performs signal processing such as amplification and insulation on the electric signal. This temperature signal is sent to the temperature comparison unit 22, where the detected temperature is compared with the set value. The set value is the target value of the heating temperature,
For example, 43 ° C is set.

The control unit 23 is informed of the comparison result of the temperature comparison unit 22. A timer 24 and an alarm generation circuit 25 are connected to the control unit 23. The timer 24 counts the heating time. The alarm generation circuit 25 emits an alarm sound for warning.

The control unit 23 controls ON / OFF of the operation of the oscillator 1 in accordance with the operation of the output switch 16 of the control board 10, and sets the alarm generation circuit 25 to the reflectance calculated by the reflectance calculation circuit 6. Operates when the value is higher than the value,
Moreover, the operation stop and volume of the alarm generation circuit 25 are controlled according to the operation of the buzzer switch 17 of the control board 10. The control unit 23 also controls the lamp 13 of the control board 10.
It has the function of adjusting the amount of light.

The operation will be described. When performing heating treatment, the heating time is set by the timer 24. Further, the applicators 4 and 5 applied to the affected part of the living body are connected to the apparatus main body.

A thermocouple 20 is attached to the surface of the applicator 5, and the thermocouple 20 detects the temperature of the affected area. If the detected temperature is lower than the set value, the control unit 23 operates the oscillator 1 to start the actual heating.

In the preset section 9, the applicators 4, 5
The types of the applicators 4 and 5 are automatically identified on the basis of the connector shape, and the matching circuit 3 is automatically operated according to the content of the identification, and approximate impedance matching is achieved. Instead of the automatic identification function, the preset section 9 may be provided with a plurality of buttons corresponding to the types of applicators.

After that, when the detected temperature rises to be equal to or higher than the set value, the controller 23 stops the operation of the oscillator 1 and the heating is interrupted. When the detected temperature falls below the set value due to this interruption, the oscillator 1 operates and the heating is restarted.

On the other hand, the power reflectance is calculated by the reflectance calculation circuit 6, and the calculated value is sent to the control unit 23. If the power reflectivity is greater than the set value, eg 5%, control board 1
The lamp 13 of 0 is turned on, and the alarm generation circuit 25 operates to emit an alarm sound. This lamp 1
The lighting of 3 and the generation of alarm sound are performed by the applicators 4, 5
This is a warning that the impedance matching between the body and the living body is incorrect, and the operator who knows this will operate the matching switch 12 of the control board 10 to achieve impedance matching.

The light quantity of the lamp 13 and the alarm volume of the alarm generation circuit 25 are proportional to the degree of impedance matching. For example, with regard to the alarm volume, the reflectance is 10% or less, 0 dB, 10% to 30%, 30 dB, 30% to 30%.
It is set to 50 dB at 50% and 70 dB above 50%.

As described above, since the impedance matching irregularity is notified by both light and sound, the sound is emitted when the main body of the apparatus is not seen, and the light is emitted when the noise cannot be heard by the noise and the other people around. , The operator is surely notified of the incorrect impedance matching. Incidentally, concrete examples of the matching circuit 3 used in the first and second embodiments are shown in FIGS.

The matching circuit 3 is composed of a variable coil L and a variable capacitor C connected in parallel. The oscillator 1 is connected to the input side and the applicators 4 and 5 are connected to the output side. Since the values of L and C can be easily known, for example, in the case of a rotary type variable capacitor, the rotation angle and the capacitance of the capacitor are measured at several points and the points corresponding to this value are interpolated by a computer. Vector display on coordinate axes such as 4. This is displayed on, for example, a display or the like, and is used as a reference when the operator matches the alignment.

Assuming that the alignment of a certain patient during the first heating matches within the dotted line in FIG. 4, the adjustment can be performed aiming within this dotted line after the second time. (The dotted line is not actually displayed).

If the actual impedance value R is known,
As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents the impedance coordinate and the horizontal axis represents the real number, which can be displayed as a vector. (The dotted line is the same as the description of FIG. 4).

According to such a structure, the operator can visually recognize the degree of incorrect impedance matching, so that the impedance matching can be easily adjusted. As means for adjusting the impedance matching, in addition to the method of automatically rotating the variable coil L, the variable capacitor, etc., it is also possible to manually rotate.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, a high frequency oscillation source, an applicator connected to the high frequency oscillation source for supplying high frequency energy to a living body, and impedance matching between the applicator and the living body. Since the impedance matching means for performing the impedance matching, the means for emitting an alarm sound and light when the impedance matching is incorrect, and the means for adjusting the volume and the light quantity are provided, the operator can be surely notified of the impedance matching incorrectness. It is possible to provide a hyperthermia device having excellent reliability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a specific example of a matching circuit in each embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing vector display of L and C values in FIG. 3;

5 is a diagram showing a vector display of the impedance of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Oscillator, 2 ... Measuring part, 3 ... Matching circuit, 4, 5 ... Applicator, 6 ... Reflectance calculation circuit, 7 ... Computer, 8
... buzzer, 10 ... control board.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A high-frequency oscillation source, an applicator connected to the high-frequency oscillation source for supplying high-frequency energy to a living body, impedance matching means for performing impedance matching between the applicator and the living body, and the impedance matching means. A hyperthermia device comprising: means for emitting a sound and light for alarm in the case of illegality; and means for adjusting the volume and the light quantity.