JPS60190974A - Applicator for heating treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an applicator for heating therapy, and more particularly to an applicator for heating therapy that uses electromagnetic waves to heat a predetermined part of a living body.

[Prior art and its problems]

In recent years, a treatment method using hyperthermia-1 (also called hyperthermia-1) has been in the spotlight, especially when treating malignant tumors with continuous heat treatment for 1 to 2 hours at temperatures close to 43°C.
11□At the same time, there have been a number of research reports showing that by repeating this at regular intervals, it is possible to inhibit the regenerative function of cancer cells and at the same time kill many of them (Measurement and Control vol. 1.22). .fJo,
10). This type of heating therapy includes a general heating method and a local heating method. Among these, as local heating methods for selectively warming only the cancerous tissue and its surroundings, a force method using electric waves, a method using electric Ffi induction, a method using ultrasound, and the like have been proposed.

On the other hand, the inventors have proposed and are conducting research on the effectiveness of heating treatment for cancer deep within the body using electromagnetic waves. In this case, for the heating applicator for injecting electromagnetic waves into the cow's body, we adopted a conventional method of mounting a radio wave lens due to the need to focus the J energy of the electromagnetic waves. are doing.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an applicator 1, a case body 3 equipped with a waveguide 11, and an applicator installed in one end of the case body 3. The main parts are an electromagnetic wave power supply section 2 and a radio wave lens section 4 provided in the other end, and a cooling plate 5 is provided at the output stage of the radio wave lens section 4 to prevent overheating of the surface of the living body. At the same time, the cooling plate 5 can be cooled with cooling water.)
It has become.

As shown in FIG. 2, the radio wave lens section 4 is made up of metal plates 6A, 6A arranged at a constant interval a, and each metal plate 6Δ is provided with an electric current sent from the power supply section 2. In order to convert spherical electromagnetic waves into plane waves, the arrival side of the electromagnetic waves is formed into a concave shape as a whole, as shown in FIG.
Furthermore, in order to focus the plane wave formed by the action of the concave portion, the central part of the electromagnetic wave transmission example is
Short metal plates are arranged as shown in FIG. 4, and the arrangement on the electromagnetic wave sending side is generally arranged and fixed in a concave shape.

However, in such a conventional example, in the waveguide section 3Δ of the power feeding section 2 of the applicator 1 and the waveguide section 311 of the radio wave lens section 4, each waveguide is There is a problem in that the propagation force is concentrated in the center of the tube, and as a result, the radio wave lens section 4 cannot fully exhibit its original lens effect.

To explain this in detail, for example, Figure 5 (1)
When the N fat waves (now assumed to be microwaves of Tu+o7-1-) are directly sent to the radio wave lens section 4, the excitation intensity of each zone partitioned by the interval a in FIG. If we consider the case where the inside of wave tube 3B is divided into seven parts and look directly at the electric field strength in the center zone, there will be rG on each side.
, 90J I'0.62j rO, 22J and the fifth
The distribution is as shown in Figure (2), and as a result, the energy distribution on the inner wall side is small, so the radio wave lens section 4 cannot form a sufficiently focused electromagnetic wave, and therefore the deep inside of the cow's body is stimulated. This had the inconvenience of interfering with the temperature.

On the other hand, when treating cancer in vivo, the center of the cancer often deviates from the fixed position of the applicator.
In such a case, it takes time to re-examine the central position of the cancer or to fix the applicator on the living body in an unstable oblique incidence state, which is inconvenient in that prompt heating treatment cannot be performed. there were.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention takes into consideration the disadvantages of the conventional example, and particularly aims to provide a iiJ system that can locally heat a cancer by intensively irradiating electromagnetic waves even if the cancer is located at a position deviated from the set position of the applicator. It is an object of the present invention to provide an applicator for heating therapy that has a variable radio frequency fRN.

[4 Requirements of the Invention] Therefore, the present invention includes a case main body having a function as a waveguide, an electromagnetic wave feeding section provided at one end of the case main body, and an electromagnetic wave feeding section provided at the other end of the case main body. A heating therapy device comprising: an opening for transmitting electromagnetic waves; the opening is equipped with a biological cooling mechanism; and a radio wave lens section is disposed between the opening and the power feeding section. In this applicator, each of a plurality of metal plates forming the lens portion is rotatably mounted, thereby achieving the above object.

[First Embodiment of the Invention] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 6 to 11.

In these figures, 10 indicates a case body that functions as a waveguide, and 11 indicates a cooling mechanism for cooling the surface of the living body Δ (see FIG. 1). Inside the case body 10, there is a power supply unit 12 at the left end in FIG. 6, and at the right ◇:1 in the same figure.
A radio wave lens portion 13 is provided in each of the fan-shaped portions. Further, the main body 10 of this gator is filled with a liquid dielectric member that also serves as a cooling member, and this liquid dielectric member
As will be described later, the structure is such that the radiation amount can flow from the case body IO side to the electromagnetic radiation L1 portion 10Δ on the electromagnetic radiation η·j side.

The size of the J power supply section 12 is set so that its width W is 1/2 to 1 wavelength of the electromagnetic wave reflected in the coolant, as shown in FIG. 8, based on the Xj method. 12Δ indicates a coaxial connector, and 12B (see FIG. 7) indicates an excitation antenna. As shown in FIG. 8, a dielectric plate 20 (made of plastic, for example) with low loss and a relatively large relative dielectric constant is attached to the inner wall of the power feeding section 12 in a plane parallel to the electric field direction E of the electromagnetic wave. , thereby making the electric field distribution uniform as will be described later. This dielectric plate 20 has a structure that extends to the inner wall of the case body 10.

As shown in the figure, the cooling means 11 includes a contact support plate 21 made of a dielectric plate curved to fit the living body (see A in FIG. 1), and a contact support plate 21 fixed to the outside of the contact support plate 21. It is provided with a contact plate 22 and a soft film portion +423 which is separately attached to the outside of the contact plate 22. Among them, the center part of the contact support 1.1 plate 21 is provided with the case body 1.
A square-shaped through hole 21△ that matches and crosses the opening IO8 of No. 0 is formed, and a square cut-out hole 22 that is larger than this through-hole 21Δ is formed.
Δ is formed on the abutting plate 22 as shown in FIG. 8, thereby causing a cooling f! 5ift￥
The structure is such that each cooling liquid in 11 can pass through '/AL very naturally.

Furthermore, the cooling liquid used in the cooling jiii mechanism 11 is as follows:
In this example, water (relative permittivity ε, =80', 36; measured wavelength (g) at 20° C.) is used. A coolant inlet 11Δ for sending the coolant to the cooling mechanism is provided at the center of the case body 10 as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the cooling liquid is provided at the four corners of the abutting support plate 21, thereby effectively cooling the entire range from the inside of the body 10 to the surface of the living body. I'm starting to get it.

As described above, the radio wave lens section 13 is made up of a plurality of metal plates 13Δ, ISA, -, and each of the metal plates 13Δ has a rotation shaft 13B on the power supply side.

13B are fixed to each other, and the pivot shafts 13 and 3 are rotatably supported by the case body 10. Furthermore, on the side of the case body 10 of the rotation support shaft 13B, a means 25 is installed in the rotation member 1, which has a rubbed structure in this embodiment, via a spring seat (not shown). Each metal plate 13A can be freely rotated within a predetermined range and can be locked at any position. Further, 13D indicates a rotating knob used in that case, 13E indicates an indicator hand, and 13F indicates the number of angle scales.

Here, to explain the radio wave lens section 13 in more detail, the metal plates of the radio wave lens section 13 in this embodiment are the same as those in the conventional example described above (see Figs. 2 to 4). ing.

On the other hand, regarding the radio wave lens section 13, there is also a 10th
As shown in the figure, those with the same dimensions but different spacing (however,
a>b>c>λ/2; λ is the wavelength), or the radiation amount at the same interval S as shown in FIG. It may be of a structure in which long metal plates are arranged respectively (however,
S〉λ/2).

In this case, in the case of Fig. 1O, the phase velocity of the electromagnetic wave is faster on the outside where the spacing between the metal plates 13Δ is narrow, and in the case of Fig. 11, the irradiation surface is on the outside where the length of the metal plate 13A is longer. The phase of the electromagnetic waves advances, and therefore, in either case, it can function effectively as a radio wave lens section.

At the center of the outer end (left end in FIG. 6) of the power supply section 12, a liquid discharge section 26 for venting air is provided. This discharge part 26 allows a predetermined amount of cooling liquid to flow out intermittently or a small amount of cooling fluid to flow out continuously as necessary, thereby making it possible to discharge air bubbles generated inside to the outside. There is.

Also, 27.27. - indicates a dielectric film attached to each metal plate 13Δ, 13A, ~ of the radio wave lens section 13. This dielectric film 27 has the same properties as the one pasted on the inner wall of the case body 10 described above.
It is formed of a dielectric part 10A. Therefore, the same electric field effect as shown in FIG. 9 described above can be obtained in this radio wave lens section 13 as well, thereby making the temperature of the heating surface to the living body more uniform and heating treatment. It has become possible to further alleviate the patient's pain caused by partial heating during treatment.

Further, as mentioned above, the cooling liquid is water (relative dielectric constant ε
, =80.36 i However, since 20°C and measurement wavelength (■) are used, each dimension of the case body], 0 and the radio wave lens part 13 is approximately 1
/n" is miniaturized to "π-", and at the same time has the effect of improving alignment with the living body.

Next, to explain the overall operation of the first embodiment, first, the electromagnetic waves sent into the case body 10 from the excitation antenna 12A in the power feeding section 12 are
The electric field strength is made uniform by the action of the dielectric plate 20 attached to the inner wall of the XZ, which causes the accumulated electric wave energy to be approximately equalized within the cross section of the case body 10 without being biased toward the center, and to generate radio waves. It is sent to the lens section 13.For this reason, the radio wave lens section 13 effectively exhibits a lens effect on electromagnetic waves and sends out focused electromagnetic waves toward the radiation opening IOΔ side. Since it is placed close to the living body described above via the cooling liquid of the cooling mechanism 11 and the dielectric film 23, the focus of the radio wave lens section 13 is formed deep inside the living body A.For this reason, the focus of the radio wave lens section 13 is formed in the deep part of the living body A. It is now possible to effectively heat the deep part of the body.

Furthermore, since the surface of a living body has a large absorption of electromagnetic waves, the temperature rise is relatively large in addition to the lens effect.

On the other hand, due to the inflow and outflow of the cooling liquid by the cooling mechanism 11, as mentioned above, the Joule loss in the gauge body IO from the biological surface and the temperature increase due to the dielectric member are increased.
is also effectively cooled. In this case, the dielectric film 20.27 attached to the inner wall of the case body 10 and each metal plate 13 of the radio wave lens section 13 forms a substantially uniform electric field -υ 'The electric (metal wave energy) should also be approximately equalized as mentioned above.For this reason, the JJII
(5) There is no unevenness in temperature, and the disadvantage of the conventional example in which the central part of the surface of the living body is heated more than the surrounding area is greatly improved.

On the other hand, the effect when the radio wave lens section 13 is rotated will be explained with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 shows the results of a heating experiment using a phantom model with electrical and thermal constants equivalent to those of a living body. In the same figure (1), each metal plate 13A
, 13A, - are set parallel to the central axis of the case body 10 (no inclination).
) shows the heating pattern when the radiation opening 10A on one side is closed, assuming an extreme case (however, uniformly opened cotton has Δ
1゛-1℃, model radius 125+n, liquid temperature constant 20℃).

As a result, by variable irradiation by the radio wave lens section 13, the center of deep heating can be moved very easily, and thereby the cancer tissue can be spread over a relatively wide area approximately evenly or in a skewed position. It has become clear that this method has the advantage of being able to reliably capture electromagnetic waves at the center of the focal point even for certain cancerous tissues.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 12 and 13.

This second embodiment has a structure in which the power feeding section 40 and the radio wave lens section 50 are detachable, so that a plurality of radio wave lens sections 50 are prepared in advance and the optimum radio wave lens section 50 is always selected. intended for use.

Further, in this embodiment, the power supply section 40 is filled with oil having a relative dielectric constant εr=2.5. This oil is selected to have extremely low attenuation of electromagnetic waves. On the other hand, the metal plates 51, 51. of the radio wave lens section 50. are the pivot points 51B, 51B.

- is provided approximately at the center of each metal plate 51, thereby facilitating the rotational movement of each metal plate 51. Furthermore, the coolant inflow portion 11A is connected to the contact support plate 21 in this embodiment.
is provided at the center of the upper and lower ends (on the center axis of the case body 60) in FIG.
0 and flows out from the four corners around the cooling mechanism 11 in the same way as described above. Note that air removal can be made more effective by changing the inflow and outflow directions of the coolant as necessary. Reference numerals 42 and 52 each indicate a connection flange portion for attachment and detachment, 61 a seal member, and 62 an oil sealing plate. Further, the periphery of this oil-filled plate 62 is fixed to the power supply section 40 side by a fixing frame 63. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

As described above, the second embodiment has substantially the same effects as the first embodiment described above, and in particular, because the power supply section 40 is filled with oil with extremely low dielectric loss, it is possible to efficiently transmit electromagnetic energy. It has the advantage that it can be delivered into a living body and that the radio wave lens part can be selectively used according to the shape of the living body.

In this second embodiment, the dielectric substance filled in the power supply section 40 is not necessarily limited to oil, but may be any other liquid or solid dielectric substance as long as it has low attenuation of electromagnetic waves and has a high dielectric constant. You may replace it with other parts.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the cooling mechanism 11 may have a flat shape. Further, the coolant inflow portion 11A may be provided in the center between the metal plates of the radio wave lens portion 13.50. Furthermore, each of the metal plates 13.DELTA.51 of the radio wave lens section 13.50 may be driven entirely by a motor or the like at the same time. In this case, as for the rotation locking means, the driving force transmission means can also serve as the rotation locking means.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a case body having a function as a waveguide, an electromagnetic wave feeding section provided at one end of the case body, and an electromagnetic wave generated at the other end of the case body. An applicator for heating therapy, which has an opening for delivery, the opening is equipped with a cooling mechanism for a living body, and a radio wave lens section is disposed between the opening and the power feeding section, Since each of the plurality of metal plates forming the lens part is rotatably equipped, even if the heating treatment position is off from the central axis of the case body, this can be effectively captured and the heating treatment can be performed intensively. Can deeply warm the body,
It is possible to provide an unprecedented and excellent applicator for heating therapy that can sequentially capture the whole area even if the area to be heated is relatively wide.

Furthermore, in claim 2, it is possible to further cool the living body and the inside of the applicator at the same time.
This has the effect of enabling long-term heating therapy and increasing the durability of the device.

Furthermore, in claim 3, there is an advantage that the electric field distribution of the electromagnetic waves sent to the radio wave lens section is made uniform, thereby fully demonstrating the focusing function of the radio wave lens and improving the efficiency of deep heating. be.

In addition, in claim 4, the electric field distribution on the output side of the radio wave lens section is made uniform, thereby making it possible to make the temperature distribution uniform on the /-L body surface, thereby reducing the burden on the patient. It has some advantages.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional example, Fig. 2 is an explanatory view showing the radio wave lens section installed in Fig. 1, and Figs. Figure 5 (11F2+ is an explanatory diagram showing the propagation situation of electromagnetic waves in the waveguides shown in Figures 1 and 2 respectively, Figure 6 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the propagation situation of electromagnetic waves in the waveguides shown in Figures 1 and 2. Top view, Figure 8 is a lui rfi diagram along the line ■-■ in Figure 7, and Figure 9 is an explanation showing the '1'' L field distribution in the power feeding section from the right direction lj and h in Figure 8. 10 and 11 are schematic plan views showing other examples of the radio wave lens section, FIG. 12 is a front view showing the second embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing other examples of the radio wave lens section, and FIG. A cross-sectional view along the line, No. 141 (1) (21 is an explanatory diagram showing the experimental results of the first example, respectively. 10- Main body case body including waveguide section, 11- Cooling as cooling means Mechanism, 12-Electromagnetic wave power supply section, 13-1-
--Radio Lens Club, 13A, 51 Transfer Play 1~. 25
- Dielectric plate, 27-- Dielectric film. Figure 2 Figure 2 Figure J Figure 6 /''' Figure 8 W/2'1 Figure 9 Figure 70 Figure 1'3A Figure 12 Direction Figure 73 Figure 74 Procedural amendment (voluntary) 1980 February 15th, 2015] Manabu Shiga, Commissioner of the Office of Administrative Authority], Indication of the case, Patent Application No. 040797, filed in 1982, Title of the invention: Applicator for heating therapy 3, B 4 Agent making the amendment 16410003) 3610819 ■ "A brief explanation of one drawing in the specification" column. 6. Details of the amendment Name Makoto Mori Address Tokyo Metropolitan University [L1 Ward Minami Kamata 2J-16-46 Name (338) Tokyo Co., Ltd. Sl Representative +iiJ Shunsuke No Figure 1O/'3A Figure 77 Procedural Amendment (Spontaneous) March 13, 1985 1, Display of the case 1988 Patent Application No. 040797 2, Name of the invention Applicator for warming therapy 3, Person making the amendment Relationship with the case Patent Applicant Address: Mr. 3, 1-16-19 Inokashira, Mitaka City, Tokyo
Name: Makoto Kikuchi (3 others) 4. Agent: 16410003) 361-08195
, Subject of amendment: Specification and Drawing 7, Patent applicant address other than the above Address: 2-26-14 Nerima, Nerima-ku, Tokyo Name
Yoshi Nikawa Hibashira Tokyo LI (1-31-6 Okusawa, Taya-ku)
Name Makoto Mori Honorable Mention Place 2-16-46 Minami Kamata, Ota-ku, Tokyo Name (338) Tokyo Iil Co., Ltd. Representative Shunsuke Kono Spontaneous writing of procedural amendments) April 17, 1985 1, Incident Display Showa 1959 Patent Application No. 040797 2, Name of the invention: Applicator for heating therapy 3, Relationship with the person making the amendment Patent applicant Address: Mr. 1-16-19-1 Inokashira, Mitaka City, Tokyo
Name: Makoto Kikuchi (3 people) 4. Agent: 16410003) 361-08196
, Contents of the Amendment The entire text of the amended specification submitted on March 13, 1985 (A) will be amended as follows. (1) Delete "Cooling liquid" in the 19th line of page 8 of the specification, and insert "1 liquid dielectric member" in the deleted place. (2) Correct "Mechanism" on page 9, line 9 of the specification. (3) "Metal plate 1" at the beginning of line 14 on page 10 of the specification is amended to "metal plate as metal plate 1-". (4) Page 11 of the specification Delete rlOΔ1 on the 15th line.
Corrected to ``liquid discharge section''. (6) "12Δ" in the 1st O line of page 13 of the specification is corrected to r12BJ. (7) "Film" on page 14, line 13 of the specification
Delete -1 and ``Insert plate J in this deleted place. (8) Correct ``Ten'' written at the end of line 15 on page 20 of the specification to 1-kin. (9), "25" on page 20, line 16 of the specification is replaced with "
20,” he corrected. (] O), [-film] on page 20, line 17 of the specification is corrected to "temporary". 7. Address of patent applicant other than the above: 2-26-14 Nerima, Nerima-ku, Tokyo Name
Yoshi Nikawa Fire Pillar Address G-31 Okusawa I-chome, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo Name
Written by Makoto Mori Address 2-16-46 Minami Kamata, Ota-ku, Tokyo Name
(33B) Shunsuke Kono, Representative of Tokyo Keiki Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim] An applicator for therapeutic heating, characterized in that each of a plurality of metal plates forming the lens portion is rotatably provided. In the legal applicator, each of the plurality of metal plates forming the FfiJ radio wave lens is rotatably equipped, and a rotation locking means is provided for locking each metal plate at a predetermined rotation position. An applicator for heating therapy, characterized in that each of the electromagnetic wave power supply section and the radio wave lens section is filled with a cooling liquid, and the cooling liquid is communicated with the cooling liquid of the cooling mechanism. In the legal applicator, each of the plurality of metal plates forming the radio wave lens portion is rotatably equipped, and a rotation locking means is provided for locking each metal plate at a predetermined rotation position. An applicator for heating therapy, characterized in that a dielectric plate having a low loss and a relatively large dielectric constant is laid on a plane parallel to the direction of the electric field, so that the electromagnetic waves on the inner wall of the power feeding section are parallel to the direction of the electric field. In the legal application, each of the plurality of metal plates forming the radio wave lens portion is rotatably equipped, and a rotation locking means is provided for locking each metal plate at a predetermined rotation position. the law of nature,
The jJI+ thermotherapy applicator is characterized in that each metal plate is equipped with a dielectric plate with low loss and a relatively large dielectric constant.