JPH10248854A - Ultrasonic treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic treatment device capable of changing a treatment position through a simple operation in a short time and treating a target part while reducing pain to a subject. SOLUTION: In an ultrasonic probe 31 employed in an ultrasonic treatment device, an electronic scan type diagnostic ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer 1 is placed at a diagnostic part at the end of an inserted part, and a plurality of treatment ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers A2, B3, C4 having different foci when stacked from above along the direction for radiating ultrasonic waves are placed in a treatment part. The treatment ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers A2, B3 can be rotary driven by rotary driving parts 5, 6. When one of the treatment ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers is selected to apply ultrasonic waves, the piezoelectric transducer located along the radiating direction of the piezoelectric transducer selected is rotated to a retreated position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic treatment apparatus for performing treatment using powerful focused ultrasonic waves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a strong ultrasonic wave is focused in a living body,
Protein denaturation can be caused in the living tissue at the focus position. When a focused tissue is irradiated with intense focused ultrasound on a diseased tissue such as a tumor tissue to cause protein denaturation, the tissue is necrotic or shed, so that the diseased tissue can be removed.
In recent years, devices for treating prostatic hypertrophy by irradiating the prostate through the rectal wall with the focused ultrasound have been put to practical use. The advantage of this treatment is that it can treat lesions inside the tissue without damaging the tissue surface, or can treat deep organs such as the pancreas and liver through the epidermis and the digestive tract wall without laparotomy. Is mentioned.

[0003] As a conventional example of an ultrasonic probe for performing such treatment and diagnosis, Japanese Patent Application No. 8-94239 previously proposed by the present applicant is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-94239. There is an apparatus for treating prostatic hypertrophy transrectally. First, B-mode image diagnosis is performed with a diagnostic transducer, and after observing a lesion position, the focal position of the therapeutic transducer is adjusted to the lesion position, and a continuous-wave drive voltage is applied to the therapeutic transducer. The treatment is performed by irradiating powerful continuous wave ultrasonic waves.

[0004]

However, with the above-mentioned conventional treatment apparatus or the apparatus proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-94239, the focal length of the treatment transducer could not be changed. In other words, the distance between the treatment transducer and the treatment site is constant, and when performing treatment at a deeper or shallower position, a thin rubber balloon is attached to the sheath surface of the insertion section, and ultrasonic transmission is performed. It was necessary to adjust the distance between the insertion portion and the lesion site by adjusting the size of the balloon by filling it with a medium such as water. But,
In a narrow lumen, the position adjustment range is limited, and the operation of moving the insertion portion or inflating the balloon has a problem of causing pain to the subject.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is capable of changing a treatment position by a vibrator for high-intensity ultrasonic treatment. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic treatment apparatus capable of treating a target site while reducing pain to a subject in time.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to the present invention is an ultrasonic therapy apparatus for performing treatment using powerful focused ultrasound, wherein a plurality of therapeutic ultrasonic waves radiating therapeutic ultrasonic waves to only one side thereof. The transducers are arranged in the direction of ultrasonic radiation, and when any one of the plurality of therapeutic ultrasonic transducers is selected to emit therapeutic ultrasonic waves, the selected therapeutic Retreat the other ultrasonic transducer for treatment superimposed on the ultrasonic radiation direction side than the ultrasonic transducer out of the ultrasonic propagation path, and at least apply the therapeutic ultrasonic wave to the selected ultrasonic transducer for treatment. Supply drive voltage for generation.

In the above-mentioned ultrasonic therapy apparatus, when a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer to be used is selected by an operator's instruction, the ultrasonic therapeutic apparatus is located closer to the ultrasonic radiation direction than the selected therapeutic ultrasonic transducer. In addition to being located, the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer is retracted from the ultrasonic radiation path. Thereafter, a drive voltage is applied to the selected therapeutic ultrasonic transducer. as a result,
Intense therapeutic ultrasound is emitted toward the target site.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall block configuration diagram of an ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an ultrasonic probe applied to the ultrasonic treatment apparatus. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG.
It is B sectional drawing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic therapy apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment mainly includes an ultrasonic probe 31, an ultrasonic observation device 32, and a control device 33. The ultrasonic probe 31 includes an electronic scanning type diagnostic ultrasonic vibrator 1 and three therapeutic ultrasonic vibrators A2, B3, and C4, which are mainly built in the insertion section 21 (see FIG. 2). A rotation drive unit A5 that rotationally drives the therapeutic ultrasonic transducers A2 and B3.
B6 and a probe operation unit (not shown). The ultrasonic observation device 32 is connected to the diagnostic ultrasonic transducer 1, and generates an ultrasonic diagnostic image based on a signal captured by the diagnostic ultrasonic transducer 1.

The control device 33 mainly includes a diagnostic ultrasonic transducer driving circuit 35 for driving the diagnostic ultrasonic transducer 1,
A therapeutic ultrasonic transducer driving circuit 36 for driving the therapeutic ultrasonic transducers A2, B3, and C4;
5 or B6, and a selecting circuit 37 for selecting the therapeutic ultrasonic transducers A2, B3, and C4 to be ultrasonically driven.
And an input device 38 for instructing selection of a driven ultrasonic transducer and a display device 3 for displaying a diagnostic image, a control state, and the like.
9 and a control unit 34 for controlling each of the above control elements. Note that a monitor is applied to the display device 39, and a keyboard, trackball, foot switch, and the like are applied to the input device 38.

Next, the insertion section 2 of the ultrasonic probe 31
Structure 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. An acoustic window 25 for transmitting ultrasonic waves is provided at the tip of the insertion portion 21.
The diagnosis unit 23 and the treatment unit 24 are arranged below the unit. The diagnosis unit 23 is configured by the electronic scanning type ultrasonic transducer for diagnosis 1. The acoustic window 25 is formed by the ultrasonic transducer 1 for diagnosis.
The scanning of the parallelogram diagnostic region 41 on the outside is performed.

On the other hand, the treatment section 24 is composed of a plurality of treatment ultrasonic transducers arranged in a superposed state. In other words, the vibrator acoustic emission surfaces are each set to the acoustic window 25.
The ultrasonic transducer A2, the ultrasonic transducer B3, and the ultrasonic transducer C4 from above in the ultrasonic radiation direction D0 in FIG.
Are arranged in a stacked state.

The ultrasonic transducer A2 and the ultrasonic transducer B3
Are rotatably supported at the operating position and the retracted position via support members 9 and 10 and drive shafts 7 and 8 by rotation drive units A5 and B6 with a built-in motor. The therapeutic ultrasonic transducer C <b> 4 on the bottom side is fixedly supported at the operating position by the distal end rigid member 22 via the support member 11. The curvature of the acoustic radiating surface of each of the above-mentioned therapeutic ultrasonic transducers is the ultrasonic transducer A
2, the ultrasonic vibrator B3, and the ultrasonic vibrator C4 are gradually increased in this order. Then, when each of the transducers is in the operating position, the focal point at which the ultrasonic wave is emitted is positioned at the lower part of the diagnostic area 41 which can be observed by the diagnostic ultrasonic transducer 1 as shown in FIG. The focal position P1 of the ultrasonic transducer A2, the focal position P2 of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer B4, and the focal position P3 of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer C3 are sequentially spaced above the acoustic window 25.

The treatment section 2 is sealed watertight and airtight,
The inside thereof is sealed with water as a sound transmission medium 26. On the vibrator acoustic radiation surface side, a propagation path R0 of therapeutic ultrasonic waves is formed by the acoustic transmission medium 26 and the acoustic window 25 that transmits ultrasonic waves. The acoustic window 25 is a flat acoustic window formed of a polymethylpentene plate.
Further, as shown in the sectional view of FIG.
The shape of the first insertion portion 21 viewed from the insertion axis direction is a substantially rectangular shape.

Next, the structure of each of the above-mentioned ultrasonic transducers for treatment will be described. Each treatment ultrasonic transducer A2, B3, C
Reference numeral 4 denotes a shape obtained by cutting each spherical shell into a substantially rectangular shape as shown in a cross-sectional view as viewed from the ultrasonic irradiation side in FIG. In the following description of the structure of the transducer, the treatment ultrasonic transducer A2 will be described, but the other ultrasonic transducers B3 and C4 have the same structure.

As shown in the enlarged longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 5, the treatment ultrasonic transducer A2 has an acoustic matching layer 2a having a concave shape,
It is composed of a piezoelectric element 2b, a back air layer 2c, a back cover 2d, and an edge spacer 2e for surrounding the space of the air layer 2c with the back cover 2d to provide a watertight and airtight space. I have. Electrodes (not shown) are formed on both surfaces of the piezoelectric element 2b, and a coaxial cable 13b for power supply is provided.
(See FIGS. 6 and 7) are connected.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer A2.
It is a side view which shows the drive state by the rotation drive part A5 of FIG.
FIG. 6 shows a state in an operating position capable of emitting ultrasonic waves,
FIG. 7 shows a state at the retreat position where the retreat is made outside the ultrasonic wave propagation path R0. The rotation drive unit A5 has a motor as an actuator built therein, drives the motor to drive the drive shaft 7 to rotate by approximately 90 °, and drives the drive shaft 7 through the support member 9 fixed to the drive shaft 7. The ultrasonic transducer A2 is rotationally driven to the retracted position or the operating position. The direction of the drive shaft 7 is a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the probe insertion axis. Further, a lead wire 13a for driving a motor is connected to the rotation drive unit A5.

Next, an explanation will be given of an ultrasonic treatment operation by the ultrasonic treatment apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above. First, the ultrasonic probe 31 is inserted into the body cavity, and the parallel ultrasonic diagnostic region 41 is
(See FIG. 2) (steered linear scanning).
This is a commonly used technique,
Detailed description is omitted.

A diagnostic image of the diagnostic region 41 in the body cavity by the diagnostic ultrasonic transducer 1 is generated by the ultrasonic observation device 32 and displayed on the display device 39. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the positions of the focal points P1, P2 and P3 by the transducers A2, B3 and C4 are also displayed as markers in the diagnostic area 41.

While observing the ultrasonic diagnostic image on the display device 39 and the markers of the focal points P1, P2, P3, the ultrasonic probe operator moves the ultrasonic probe 31 to the focal points P1, P2, P2,. The position is adjusted so that any one of P3 is superimposed. Thereafter, the operator operates the input device 38 to select the ultrasonic transducers A2, B3, and C4 for treatment to be superimposed, and performs treatment using the selected ultrasonic transducer.

For example, a case in which the operator operates the input device 38 and selects the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer A2 will be described. The insertion portion of the ultrasonic probe 31 is shown in a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion in FIG. Set to state. That is, the rotation driving unit B is controlled by the control circuit 34 via the selection circuit 37.
The drive shafts 6 and A5 are rotationally driven to rotate the therapeutic ultrasonic transducers B3 and A2 to the operating position. Therefore, all the ultrasonic transducers for treatment are in the operating position, and ultrasonic waves can be irradiated from the ultrasonic transducer A2 at the uppermost position in the ultrasonic radiation direction D0.

Then, when the start of the emission of the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is instructed, the control circuit 34 causes the therapeutic ultrasonic vibrator drive circuit 3
6, a transducer drive voltage is generated, and the transducer drive voltage is changed according to an instruction from the selection circuit 37.
Is applied to

The piezoelectric element 2b (see FIG. 5) of the vibrator A2 to which the driving voltage has been applied is driven to vibrate. At this time,
Since the rear air layer 2c is formed on the convex side of the piezoelectric element 2b, the ultrasonic wave is emitted only to the concave side of the piezoelectric element 2b. Since the piezoelectric element 2b has a shape obtained by cutting a part of a spherical shell into a substantially rectangular shape, the ultrasonic waves radiated from the piezoelectric element 2b are focused near the geometric center axis of the spherical shell. That is,
Focusing is performed at the focal point P1 shown in FIG. At the focal point P1, a high sound pressure is generated, which is absorbed in the living body and turned into heat. Due to this heat, the living tissue at this position undergoes protein denaturation and necrosis. The necrotic tissue then falls off and is absorbed. With the above operation sequence, the abnormal tissue at the target position can be removed.

Next, a case where the ultrasonic transducer for treatment B3 is selected will be described. The insertion portion of the ultrasonic probe 31 is set in the state shown in the cross-sectional view of the distal end portion in FIG. That is, the control circuit 34 drives the rotation drive section A5 via the selection circuit 37 to rotate the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer A2 to the retracted position, and the ultrasonic radiation direction D0 side of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer B3. In a state where there is no vibrator.

Therefore, when the start of the emission of the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is instructed, a vibrator drive voltage is generated in the therapeutic ultrasonic vibrator drive circuit 36 under the control of the control circuit 34, and the drive voltage is selected by the selection circuit 37. Is applied to the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer B3. Ultrasonic waves radiated from the piezoelectric element of the transducer B3 are focused at a focal point P2 shown in FIG. A high sound pressure is generated at the focal point P2, which is absorbed in the living body and changes into heat. This heat causes protein denaturation in that part of the living tissue.

Next, the case where the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer C4 is selected will be described. The insertion portion of the ultrasonic probe 31 is set in the state shown in the cross-sectional view of the distal end portion in FIG. That is, the control circuit 34 drives the drive shafts of the rotation drive units A5 and B6 via the selection circuit 37 to rotate both the therapeutic ultrasonic transducers A2 and B3 to the retracted position,
It is assumed that only the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer C4 is located at the operating position where ultrasonic radiation can be performed.

Thereafter, when the start of the emission of the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is instructed, a vibrator drive voltage is generated in the therapeutic ultrasonic vibrator drive circuit 36 under the control of the control circuit 34, and the vibrator drive voltage is selected by the selection circuit 37. Is applied to the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer C4 selected by the operator. Ultrasonic waves emitted from the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic transducer 4 are focused at a focal point P3 shown in FIG. A high sound pressure is generated at the focal point P3, which is absorbed in the living body and changes into heat. This heat causes protein denaturation in that part of the living tissue.

According to the ultrasonic therapy apparatus of the present embodiment,
As described above, a plurality of rotatable therapeutic ultrasonic transducers having different focal lengths are incorporated in one therapeutic ultrasonic probe 31, and the therapeutic position is changed by changing the focal position of ultrasonic irradiation. The degree of freedom in position setting increases. As a result, the number of applied cases can be increased, the time required for medical treatment can be shortened, and the patient's discomfort due to this can be reduced.

In the ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to the present embodiment, the number of rotatable therapeutic ultrasonic transducers incorporated in one set of the ultrasonic probes 31 is three. The number of children may be two or four or more.

Although the diagnostic ultrasonic transducer 1 incorporated in the ultrasonic probe 31 in the present embodiment is of a linear type, a convex type may be used as a modification. According to this modification, the diagnostic field of view is widened, so that it is easy to grasp the relationship with the surrounding organs.

Further, as the actuators of the rotary driving units 5 and 6 of the ultrasonic probe 31 in this embodiment,
Although a structure in which the motor is used to drive the rotating shaft via a reduction gear or the like is used, a structure in which the rotating shaft is driven via a timing belt may be employed as a modified example. Further, it is also possible to apply a shape memory alloy, an arbitrary mechanical operation mechanism such as a piezoelectric actuator or a hydraulic piston as an actuator of the rotation drive unit of another modified example.

Furthermore, in the ultrasonic transducer for treatment of the ultrasonic probe 31 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the back air layer 2c on the convex side of the piezoelectric element 2b, that is, on the side that does not emit ultrasonic waves, is formed. In place of the back air layer 2c, a vibrator using a resin layer containing a large amount of air bubbles, a cork layer, or the like and using any material having a lower acoustic impedance than the acoustic transmission medium 26 is also proposed. it can.
An ultrasonic probe to which the vibrator of this modification is applied is shown in FIG.
Since the spacer 2e and the back cover 2d are unnecessary, the number of parts can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to prevent an electrical short circuit due to intrusion of water and oxidation of an electrode on the piezoelectric element.

Further, it is possible to propose a configuration in which all the ultrasonic transducers for treatment of the ultrasonic probe 31 in the present embodiment drive the piezoelectric elements at the same drive frequency. In this configuration, the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer driving circuit 36 shown in FIG.
In this case, it is only necessary to generate a drive voltage of a single frequency, so that the apparatus is inexpensive.

Further, it is also possible to propose a modification in which the piezoelectric element of each ultrasonic transducer for treatment of the ultrasonic probe 31 in the present embodiment is driven at a driving frequency. According to this modification, the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer having a long focal length is driven at a low frequency that easily penetrates the living body, and the ultrasonic transducer having a short focal length is a piezoelectric element having a small effective area. However, by driving at a high frequency at which protein denaturation is likely to occur, a target biological site can be reliably treated.

Next, an ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to the present embodiment stops the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer that can be driven to rotate the applied ultrasonic probe at an arbitrary rotation position and adjusts the focal position of the ultrasonic wave. It is. Other configurations are the same as the configurations of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components will be described with the same reference numerals.

In the ultrasonic probe 61 applied to the ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to the present embodiment, as shown in the sectional view of the distal end portion of the insertion portion 51 in FIG.
Reference numerals 2, B53 and C54 denote rotation drive units A having a built-in motor
All are rotatably supported by 55, B56, and C57, and can be rotated and stopped between the full rotation position and the adjustment rotation position or between the retracted positions retracted from the ultrasonic wave propagation path R0.

Each of the above-mentioned ultrasonic transducers for treatment A52, B5
When the C3 and C54 are in the fully rotated positions, the ultrasonic waves radiated from the respective transducers are focused on the initial focal positions P10, P20 and P30 in the diagnostic area 41 as shown in FIG. However, it is assumed that the other vibrators located on the ultrasonic wave emitting direction D0 side with respect to the vibrator that emits ultrasonic waves are in the retracted position.

Further, each of the above-mentioned ultrasonic transducers for treatment A5
2, B53, C54 are provided with the above-mentioned rotation drive units A55, B5.
6, C57, it is possible to rotate by an arbitrary adjustment angle from the complete rotation position toward the retreat position, and when driven to the adjustment rotation position, the ultrasonic wave radiated is, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the light is focused on the adjustment focal positions P11, P22, and P31. However, it is assumed that the other vibrator in the ultrasonic radiation direction D0 is at the retracted position rotated by approximately 90 degrees.

The above-mentioned therapeutic ultrasonic transducers B53, C
An area where no ultrasonic radiation is performed is provided in a part of each of the piezoelectric elements constituting the 54. The provision of such a region can be realized by providing no electrode on the corresponding portion of the piezoelectric element. The portion that emits ultrasonic waves is defined as an effective area. For example, in the case of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer B53, as shown in FIG. 11, a region 53g in which the ultrasonic radiation is not performed is provided, and a portion in which the ultrasonic radiation is performed is defined as an effective region 53f.

Next, a description will be given of an operation for performing a treatment by the ultrasonic treatment apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above. The ultrasonic probe 61 is inserted into the body cavity, diagnosed by the ultrasonic transducer for diagnosis 1, and until the treatment site is confirmed on the display device 39, the ultrasonic treatment device of the first embodiment is used. Perform the same operation as in the case.

Thereafter, the treatment operator observes the treatment site and the initial focus positions of the selected treatment ultrasonic transducers A52, B53, and C54. Therefore, when the displacement is confirmed, the rotation drive unit adjusts the rotation position of the selected ultrasonic transducer via the input device 38. For example, when the selected ultrasonic transducer is the transducer B53, FIG.
As shown in (5), it is rotated from the full rotation position S20 to the adjustment rotation position S21 and stopped. The focal position is the initial focal position P20
To the adjustment focus position P21. At the stage of the adjustment operation, the adjustment focus position of the treatment site and the treatment ultrasonic transducer is superimposed, and the focus position is confirmed. Then, an ultrasonic wave is applied to perform treatment.

According to the ultrasonic treatment apparatus of the present embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the apparatus of the first embodiment, the degree of freedom in selecting a treatment position is further increased. In addition, reliable treatment can be performed.

[Supplementary Note] Based on the embodiment of the present invention described above, an ultrasonic therapy apparatus having the following configuration can be proposed. That is, 1. In an ultrasonic treatment apparatus that performs treatment using powerful focused ultrasonic waves, a plurality of treatment ultrasonic transducers that emit treatment ultrasonic waves only on one side thereof are arranged in an ultrasonic radiation direction, and the plurality of treatments are performed. When any one of the ultrasonic transducers for use is selected, the ultrasonic wave propagates through the other ultrasonic transducers for treatment that are superposed in the direction of ultrasonic radiation from the selected ultrasonic transducer for treatment. An ultrasonic therapy apparatus, wherein the ultrasonic therapy apparatus is retracted outside a path and supplies a drive voltage for generating a therapeutic ultrasonic wave to at least the selected therapeutic ultrasonic transducer.

(Function and Effect of Supplementary Note 1) In the above-described ultrasonic therapy apparatus, the ultrasonic transducer for treatment to be used is selected according to the instruction of the operator. The ultrasonic transducer for treatment is retracted from the ultrasonic radiation path in addition to being located on the ultrasonic radiation surface side of the selected ultrasonic transducer for treatment. Thereafter, a drive voltage is applied to the selected ultrasonic transducer for treatment, and strong ultrasonic waves for treatment are emitted toward the target site. According to the ultrasonic treatment device, the treatment position can be changed in a short time by a simple operation by changing the ultrasonic focusing position of the treatment ultrasonic treatment transducer by a simple mechanism, and the , And treatment of the target site can be performed.

2. The ultrasonic treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of therapeutic ultrasonic transducers have different focal lengths, and are sequentially arranged in a direction opposite to the ultrasonic radiation direction from a short focal length. .

(Effect of Supplementary Note 2)
The same effect as the effect of Appendix 1 can be obtained.

3. The therapeutic device according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of therapeutic ultrasonic transducers have the same frequency.

(Effect of Supplementary Note 3) According to the ultrasonic treatment apparatus, the same effect as the effect of Supplementary Note 1 or 2 is obtained,
Further, since the driving frequencies of the plurality of therapeutic ultrasonic transducers are the same, the driving frequency of the drive circuit of the transducer becomes single, the circuit configuration is simplified, and cost reduction can be realized.

4. The therapeutic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of therapeutic ultrasonic transducers have different frequencies.

(Effect of Supplementary Note 4) According to the ultrasonic treatment apparatus, the same effect as the effect of Supplementary Note 1 or 2 is obtained,
Further, since a plurality of therapeutic ultrasonic transducers can be driven at a specific frequency that matches the characteristics of the transducer, for example, at a frequency that matches the shape of the transducer, or the focal length, etc. By driving, a target body part can be treated reliably and efficiently.

5. The ultrasonic treatment apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer can be stopped and held at an arbitrary position during the retreat.

(Effect of Supplementary Note 5) According to the above-described ultrasonic therapy apparatus, the same effects as the effects of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4 can be obtained, and the ultrasonic transducer for treatment can be stopped at an arbitrary position.
Since the focal position of the ultrasonic wave can be adjusted, it is possible to irradiate the target body part with the ultrasonic wave with higher accuracy.

[0053]

As described above, according to the ultrasonic therapy apparatus of the present invention, the ultrasonic focusing position of the ultrasonic therapeutic transducer is changed by a simple mechanism, so that the operation can be performed in a short time with a simple operation. In addition, the treatment position can be changed, the pain on the subject can be reduced, and the treatment of the target site can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall block configuration diagram of an ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an ultrasonic probe applied to the ultrasonic treatment apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer applied to the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic therapeutic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a driving state of a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer applied to the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic therapeutic apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a driving state of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer applied to the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic therapeutic apparatus in FIG. 1 by the rotation drive unit and in a retracted position.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the insertion section of the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic therapy apparatus of FIG. 1, showing a state when the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer at the uppermost position is selected.

9 is a cross-sectional view of the insertion section of the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic therapy apparatus of FIG. 1, showing a state when a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer at an intermediate position is selected.

10 is a cross-sectional view of the insertion section of the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic treatment apparatus of FIG. 1, showing a state when a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer at the lowest position is selected.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a distal end portion of an insertion portion of an ultrasonic probe applied to the ultrasonic treatment device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2,52 ... Therapeutic ultrasonic transducer A (Therapeutic ultrasonic transducer) 3,53 ... Therapeutic ultrasonic transducer B (Therapeutic ultrasonic transducer) 4,54 ... Therapeutic ultrasonic vibration Child C (therapeutic ultrasonic vibrator) D0: Ultrasonic radiation direction R0: Ultrasonic propagation path

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic treatment apparatus for performing treatment using powerful focused ultrasonic waves, wherein a plurality of therapeutic ultrasonic transducers for emitting therapeutic ultrasonic waves are arranged on only one side thereof in an ultrasonic radiation direction. When selecting any one of the plurality of therapeutic ultrasound transducers to emit therapeutic ultrasound,
Retreating the other therapeutic ultrasonic transducer, which is superposed on the ultrasonic radiation direction side of the selected therapeutic ultrasonic transducer, to the outside of the ultrasonic wave propagation path, and at least selects the selected therapeutic ultrasonic vibration. An ultrasonic therapy apparatus for supplying a drive voltage for generating therapeutic ultrasonic waves to a child.