JPH09122121A - In-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device, in-vivo lithodialysis treatment device, ultrasonic thermal treatment device and in-vivo insertion tool posture detector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform effective utilization in the posture detection of an output monitor and a catheter during the ultrasonic lithodialysis treatment of an in-vivo calculus such as a gallstone and a urethra caculus or the like and ultrasonic living body heating, etc., by using an acoustooptical element whose output is changed by ultrasonic waves and measuring ultrasonic wave intensity inside a living body in real time. SOLUTION: The ultrasonic waves radiated to the inside of the living body from an ultrasonic wave source 10 are received by the acoustooptical element 2 and the change of a deflection degree corresponding to the ultrasonic wave intensity is received in a photodetector 8 from the lens 4b and the beam splitter 6 of a main body part 13 through a polarizer 3, the lens 4a and an optical fiber 5. The output of the photodetector 8 corresponding to the ultrasonic wave intensity is displayed at the display device of a signal processor 9 and control signals for adjusting the intensity of the ultrasonic wave source 10 are outputted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic treatment, and an in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device for detecting an ultrasonic focusing condition in a living body, an in-vivo calculus crushing treatment device, an ultrasonic hyperthermia treatment device, and an internal insertion instrument. The present invention relates to a posture detection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, as a treatment for in-vivo stones such as gallstones and ureteral stones, ultrasonic waves are projected onto the affected stones for crushing treatment. In this treatment, ultrasonic waves are rapidly attenuated in the living body, so that the ultrasonic waves with a huge output are crushed.

[0003]

As described above, in ultrasonic therapy, high-power ultrasonic waves are applied to a living body, but the focal position is calculated using a convenient focal position. However, the ultrasonic intensity in the living body is not monitored. Therefore, it is quite difficult to finely adjust the focus position while confirming whether the ultrasonic wave is actually focused on the treatment site.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitor device capable of measuring ultrasonic wave intensity in real time.

[0005]

An in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device according to claim 1 of the present invention provides an element whose output changes in response to sound pressure and an output of this element. It is composed of a signal transmission path for transmission and a monitor means for monitoring the output change of the element transmitted via the signal transmission path outside the body.

In this in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitor, when an ultrasonic wave is applied to a diseased part of a living body, an element whose output changes in response to the ultrasonic wave in the vicinity of the affected area is introduced into the living body and the output of this element is introduced. Is sent to the monitor means outside the body via the signal transmission path, and the output change is displayed on the monitor means, for example. The in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device according to claim 2 is the device according to claim 1, wherein the element is an acousto-optic crystal and the signal transmission path is an optical fiber.

Further, the in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device according to a third aspect is the device according to the first aspect, wherein the element is a piezoelectric element. Further, the in-vivo stone calculus treatment device according to claim 4 transmits an ultrasonic wave source for irradiating the affected area with ultrasonic waves, an element that receives ultrasonic waves in the vicinity of the affected area and changes its output, and input / output of this element. It is composed of a signal transmission path and a control unit for controlling the ultrasonic output of the ultrasonic source according to the output change of the element transmitted through the signal transmission path.
In this in-vivo stone crushing treatment device, when ultrasonic waves are applied to the in-vivo stones, an element whose output changes by receiving ultrasonic waves in the vicinity of the affected part is introduced, and the output of this element passes through the signal transmission path, For example, the focus of the ultrasonic source is adjusted so that the output is sent to an external control unit and the output thereof is maximized.

An ultrasonic thermotherapy apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention transmits an ultrasonic source for irradiating an affected area with ultrasonic waves, an element which receives ultrasonic waves in the vicinity of the affected area and changes its output, and the output of this element. And a monitor means for monitoring the output change of the element transmitted through the signal transmission path outside the body. In this ultrasonic thermotherapy device,
When ultrasonic waves are irradiated from the ultrasonic source to the affected part of the living body, an element that receives ultrasonic waves in the vicinity of the affected part and whose output changes is introduced, and the output of this element goes through a signal transmission path, and external monitoring means. And the heating state is displayed on the monitor means, for example, by the change in the output.

Further, the posture detection apparatus for an internal insertion instrument according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is an internal insertion instrument provided with an ultrasonic wave source for irradiating ultrasonic waves toward the body and an element whose output changes upon receiving the ultrasonic wave. And means for relatively rotating the ultrasonic insertion source with the body insertion instrument or the body in which the body insertion instrument is inserted, and estimating the angle of the body insertion instrument from the output change of the element obtained in the rotation process. And means. In this body-insertion instrument posture detection device, receiving an ultrasonic wave, the body-insertion instrument equipped with an element whose output changes is introduced near the affected part, and the ultrasonic source is rotated with respect to the body-insertion instrument, or vice versa. For the ultrasonic source, rotate the instrument inserted in the body, and each time, from the output change of the element obtained in the rotation process, for example, the line connecting the instrument inserted in the body and the initial ultrasonic source is used as the reference line, and the maximum element output Find the angle.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device has a tip portion 11a.
And a probe 12 including a signal transmission unit 11b and a main body unit 13.

The tip portion 11a is composed of a mirror 1, an acousto-optic element 2, a polarizer 3 and a lens 4a. The acousto-optic element is an element whose output changes when ultrasonic waves are applied, and is, for example, an acousto-optic crystal or a piezoelectric element that changes the polarization state of light by applying ultrasonic waves. The tip portion 11a is formed on the catheter, but it is not always necessary to form it on the catheter, and it may be a module introduced through a lumen inside the catheter.

The signal transmission line 11b is composed of an optical fiber 5. If a polarization plane holding fiber is used as the optical fiber 5, the polarizer 3 can be omitted. Depending on the case, the optical fiber 5 may use an electric wire instead of this. When using an electric wire, the mirror 1 is not used, and instead of the acousto-optic crystal 2, a probe in which a piezoelectric element that outputs an electric signal according to the strength of ultrasonic waves is connected to the tip of the electric wire is used. The main body (monitor means) 13 includes a lens 4b, a beam splitter 6, a light source 7, a photodetector 8, and a signal processor 9. The lens 4b may be on the probe side or the main body side. As shown in FIG. 2, the signal processor 9 includes an A / D converter 21 for converting the signal photoelectrically converted by the photodetector 8 from analog to digital, a peak hold circuit 22, and an A / D converter 21. Comparator 23 that compares the input from each time with the peak value held in the peak hold circuit 22 and outputs the ultrasonic control signal.
And a display device 24 for displaying the detected output change.

In this in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitor, the light emitted from the light source 7 is emitted by the beam splitter 6,
After passing through the lens 4 b, the optical fiber 5, the lens 4 a, the polarizer 3, and the acousto-optic element 2, the light is reflected by the mirror 1 and, conversely, from the acousto-optic element 2, the deflector 3, ..., The optical fiber 5 ,. After that, the light enters the photodetector 8 and is photoelectrically converted. When the acousto-optic element 2 receives an ultrasonic wave, its polarization characteristic changes, so that the amount of light detected up to the photodetector also changes accordingly. Therefore, the ultrasonic intensity can be monitored by displaying the received light amount on the display device 24. At this time, when the focal position of the applied ultrasonic wave is changed and the display value becomes the highest, it can be seen that the position of the acousto-optic crystal is the focal position. After that, if necessary, the positional relationship (distance) between the ultrasonic-irradiated affected area and the acousto-optic crystal can be corrected to make the affected area the focal point. The output of the A / D converter 21 and the peak hold circuit 22
The output of and may be displayed on the display device at the same time.

When a piezoelectric element is used as an element whose output changes in response to ultrasonic waves, the output of the element may be sent to the signal processor as an electric signal through an electric wire. Also, the output of the piezoelectric element may be converted into an optical signal and transmitted outside the body by an optical fiber. The piezoelectric element can also be used as a transducer of an ultrasonic endoscope. Next, a case where the in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device of FIG. 1 is used for crushing in-vivo stones such as gallstones and urethral stones will be described.

First, as shown in FIG.
Is introduced to the vicinity of the affected area. An X-ray monitor or an endoscope module is used as the guiding means. In the catheter body 14,
When the ultrasonic monitor probe is not mounted, the ultrasonic monitor probe is introduced to the vicinity of the affected area through the inner lumen. While radiating ultrasonic waves from outside the body, the position of the ultrasonic source is moved so that the output of the main body (ultrasonic monitoring device) 13 is maximized. The ultrasonic intensity at this time does not need to be high output. After moving the position of the ultrasonic source to a position where the output of the ultrasonic monitoring device becomes maximum, the monitor probe is taken out of the body, and ultrasonic waves for crushing are irradiated.

As the probe of the ultrasonic intensity monitor, as shown in FIG. 3, a pressure sensitive portion, that is, an acousto-optical element 2 downsized to about the size of a single optical fiber 5 can be used. An in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device using this probe can be adopted in an ultrasonic thermotherapy device as shown in FIG. Here, it is used in combination with a fiber thermometer or the like to monitor an affected area during cancer thermotherapy.

The ultrasonic intensity monitor device shown in FIG. 1 can be used as a catheter posture detecting device. In this case, a catheter with an ultrasonic monitor formed at the tip,
Alternatively, prepare an ultrasonic monitor probe that can be introduced into the internal lumen. A living body is fixed to a bed, an ultrasonic source is placed outside the body, and ultrasonic waves are emitted. By considering the straight line connecting the original position of the ultrasonic source and the ultrasonic monitor probe as the reference line, and rotating the ultrasonic source in the circumferential direction around the probe, the ultrasonic monitor probe outputs a sinusoidal output. .
The angle at which this output becomes maximum is the angle between the initial ultrasonic source and the probe pressure-sensitive surface, and the angle of the catheter can be estimated from the above information.

The ultrasonic control signal in the circuit of FIG. 2 is the catheter rotation control signal here. The principle of detecting the angle (posture) of the catheter will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that ultrasonic waves are incident on the acousto-optic element 2 from diagonally above. It is assumed that the acousto-optic element 2 is cut so as to obtain the maximum sensitivity to the ultrasonic wave incident from the upper surface.
This may be provided with a mechanism for attenuating ultrasonic waves from the side and bottom surfaces. If the ultrasonic wave intensity is U _f , the ultrasonic wave energy that is incident on the acousto-optic element 2 and effectively acts on the element surface is U
_f cos θ. This energy becomes detection energy. At this time, the amount of change in θ when the ultrasonic source is rotated and the detected energy becomes maximum indicates the angle of the catheter with respect to the initial position of the ultrasonic source.

In the above embodiment, the catheter is used as the body insertion instrument, but it may be an endoscope. Further, although the ultrasonic source is rotated to detect the posture, the catheter may be rotated, or the bed on which the body is fixed may be rotated. In short, it is preferable to relatively rotate the body-insertion instrument or the body in which the body-insertion instrument is inserted and the ultrasonic source.

[0020]

According to the present invention, it is possible to measure the ultrasonic wave intensity in a living body in real time by using an acousto-optic device whose output is changed by the ultrasonic wave, and to detect in-vivo stones such as gallstones and urethral stones. It can be effectively used for ultrasonic crushing treatment, output monitoring during ultrasonic living body heating, and catheter posture detection.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a signal processor of the in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a probe used in the in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram when the in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device is used for ultrasonic hyperthermia treatment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram when the in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device is used for in-vivo stone crushing.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram when the in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device is used for catheter posture detection.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Acousto-optic element 3 Polarizer 4a, 4b Lens 5 Optical fiber 6 Beam splitter 8 Photodetector 9 Signal processor 10 Ultrasonic source 11a Probe tip 13 Main body

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A device which changes its output upon receiving sound pressure, a signal transmission line for transmitting the output of the device, and a change in the output of the device transmitted through the signal transmission line outside the body. An in-vivo ultrasonic wave intensity monitoring device comprising a monitoring means for monitoring. 2. The in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the element is an acousto-optic crystal, and the signal transmission path is an optical fiber. 3. The in-vivo ultrasonic intensity monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the element is a piezoelectric element. 4. An ultrasonic wave source for irradiating an affected area with ultrasonic waves, an element which receives ultrasonic waves in the vicinity of the affected area and changes its output, a signal transmission path for transmitting input / output of this element, and this signal transmission path. An in-vivo calculus treatment device for gallstones, ureteral calculi, etc., which comprises a control unit that controls the ultrasonic output of the ultrasonic source according to the output change of the element transmitted via the device. 5. An ultrasonic wave source for irradiating an affected area with ultrasonic waves, an element which receives an ultrasonic wave in the vicinity of the affected area and changes its output, a signal transmission path for transmitting the output of this element, and a signal transmission path through this signal transmission path. And a monitoring means for monitoring the output change of the element transmitted and received outside the body. 6. An ultrasonic wave source for irradiating ultrasonic waves into the body, an internal insertion instrument equipped with an element whose output changes upon receiving the ultrasonic wave, and this internal insertion instrument or this internal insertion instrument is inserted. An internal insertion instrument comprising means for relatively rotating the body and the ultrasonic source, and means for estimating the angle of the internal insertion instrument from the output change of the element obtained in the rotation process.