JPS60241456A - Applicator for heat 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]

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an applicator for heating therapy, and particularly to an applicator for heating therapy that uses electromagnetic waves to heat a predetermined part of a living body. [Conventional technology] In recent years, heating therapy

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, during in-vivo cancer treatment, the center of the cancer often deviates from the fixed position of the applicator, and in such cases, repeated detailed inspections are required to confirm the center position of the cancer. It takes time and effort to fix the applicator on the living body in an unstable obliquely incident state, which is disadvantageous in that rapid heating treatment cannot be performed. [Object of the Invention] The present invention takes into consideration the disadvantages of the conventional example, and particularly aims to effectively concentrate electromagnetic waves to locally heat cancer even at a position shifted from the set position of the applicator. The purpose is to provide an applicator for heating therapy that can be used for heating therapy. [Means for Solving the Problems] Therefore, in the present invention, a case main body having a function as a waveguide, an electromagnetic wave power 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 are provided. In the applicator for heating therapy, the heating therapy applicator has an opening for transmitting electromagnetic waves formed in the section, and a radio wave lens section is disposed between the opening section and the power feeding section. Each of the plurality of metal plates is rotatably equipped, and the electromagnetic wave feeding section is filled with a dielectric member having a relatively small attenuation of electromagnetic waves and a relatively large dielectric constant. This aims to achieve the above objective. [Function] The case body functions as a waveguide, and the electromagnetic wave feeding section functions as a relay point that sends electromagnetic waves into the case body. The electromagnetic waves sent to the 1i magnetic wave power supply section at one end of the case body are propagated and sent out from the opening at the other end of the case body. In this case, due to the direction changing action of the radio wave lens section, the direction of transmission of the microwave can be changed over a relatively wide angle from one side to the other with respect to the center line of the case body, if necessary. At the same time, with respect to the electromagnetic waves sent into the case body, the attenuation within the case body is greatly reduced by the action of the dielectric material of the electromagnetic wave feeding section, and the applicator is sent out from the opening by that much. The output is increased, and furthermore, the magnetic wave feeding section (1) is significantly reduced in size due to the effect of the dielectric member. [First Embodiment] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 4. 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 A (see FIG. 10). Inside the case body 10, an electromagnetic wave power supply section 12 is provided at the left end in FIG. 1, and a radio wave lens section 13 is provided at the fan-shaped section at the right end in the same figure. Further, the case body 10 is filled with a liquid dielectric member that also serves as a cooling member, and this liquid dielectric member has a structure that allows this liquid dielectric member to flow out from the case body 10 side to the radiation opening 10A on the electromagnetic wave radiation side, as described later. It becomes. As shown in FIG. 1, the size of the electromagnetic wave feeding section 12 is such that its width W is 1/1 of the magnetic wave in the liquid dielectric member.
The dimensions are set to 2 to 1 wavelength. 12A indicates a coaxial connector, and 12B (see FIG. 4) indicates an excitation antenna. On the inner wall of the electromagnetic wave power supply section 12, a dielectric plate 20 (made of plastic, for example) with low loss and a relatively large dielectric constant is mounted on a surface parallel to the electric field direction E of the electromagnetic wave, as shown in FIG. and by this,
As will be described later, the electric field distribution is made uniform. 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 mechanism 11 is used for a living body (A in Fig. 10).
a contact support plate 21 made of a dielectric plate curved to match the contact support plate 21; a contact plate 22 fixed to the outside of the contact support plate 21; A flexible film member 23 is provided. Among these, a square through hole 21A that matches the radiation opening 10A of the case body 10 is formed in the center of the abutting support plate 21, and a square cutting hole 22A that is larger than the square through hole 21A.
are formed on the abutting plate 22 as shown in FIG. 1, thereby creating a structure in which the cooling liquids in the case body 10 and the cooling mechanism 11 can flow very naturally. In this embodiment, the cooling liquid used in the cooling mechanism 11 is water (relative permittivity ε, =80.36; however, at 20°C
, measurement wavelength oo) are used. A coolant inlet 11A for sending the coolant to the cooling mechanism 11 is provided at the center of the case body 10 in FIG. 3, and a coolant outlet 11B is provided in FIGS. 1 to 4. As shown in FIG. 2, they are provided at the four corners of the contact support plate 21, so that the cooling liquid can uniformly and effectively cool the entire range from the inside of the case body 10 to the surface of the living body A. As described above, the radio wave lens section 13 is made up of a plurality of metal plates 13A, 13A, -, and each of the metal plates 13A has a pivot shaft 13B on each power feeding section side. 13B, . are fixed to each other, and this pivot shaft 13B is rotatably supported by the case body 10. Further, on the case body 10 side of the rotation support shaft 13B, a rotation locking means 25 having a rubbed structure in this embodiment is installed via a spring seat (not shown), thereby allowing each of the rotation support shafts 13B to The metal plate 13A can be freely rotated within a predetermined range and can be locked at any position. In addition, 13D indicates a rotating knob used in that case,
13E indicates an indicator needle, and 13F indicates an angle scale plate. Here, to explain the radio wave lens section 13 in more detail, each metal plate of the radio wave lens section 13 in this embodiment is similar to the conventional example described above (see FIGS. 11 to 13).
The same one is used. On the other hand, as for the radio wave lens section 13, as shown in FIG. 5, there are other ones with the same dimensions but different arrangement spacing.
λ is the wavelength), or a structure in which the ends on the radiation opening side are on the same line as shown by dotted lines at the same interval S as shown in FIG. 6, and a long metal plate 13A is placed on the inner wall side. (However, S>λ/2). In this case, in the case of Fig. 5, the phase velocity of the electromagnetic wave is faster on the outside where the interval between the metal plates 13A is narrow, and in the case of Fig. 6, the phase velocity of the electromagnetic wave is faster on the outside where the metal plate 13A is longer. The phase of the electromagnetic waves advances, so that it can function effectively as the radio wave lens section 13 in either case. At the center of the outer end (left end in FIG. 3) of the electromagnetic wave power supply section 12, a liquid discharge section 26 for venting air is provided. The liquid discharge part 26 allows a predetermined amount of cooling liquid to flow out intermittently or a small amount of cooling liquid to flow out continuously as necessary, thereby making it possible to discharge air bubbles generated inside to the outside. ing. Also, 27.27. ~ indicates a dielectric film attached to each metal plate 13A, 13A of the radio wave lens section 13. This dielectric film 27 is connected to the case body 1 described above.
It is made of a dielectric material with the same properties as the one attached to the inner wall of 0. Therefore, this radio wave lens section 13
In this case, it is possible to obtain the same electric field effect as shown in FIG. It became possible to further soften the Further, as mentioned above, the cooling liquid is water (relative dielectric constant ε
, =80.36; However, since a measurement wavelength of 20° C1 (oo) is used, each dimension of the case body 10 and the radio wave lens section 13 is approximately r when air is included.
1/Hashuo] "It has the effect of being downsized to J and at the same time improving the matching with the living body. Next, to explain the overall operation of the first embodiment, first, the electromagnetic wave power supply unit The electric field strength of the electromagnetic waves sent into the case body IO from the excitation antenna 12B in the 1f magnetic wave feeding part 12 is made uniform by the action of the dielectric plate 20 attached to the inner wall of the 1f magnetic wave feeding part 12, and therefore tTliT
The l-method energy is approximately equalized within the cross section of the case body 10 without being biased toward the center, and is sent to the radio wave lens section 13. Therefore, the radio wave lens section 13 effectively exhibits a lens effect on electromagnetic waves and sends out focused electromagnetic waves toward the radiation opening 10A side. This radiation aperture 1
0A is the cooling liquid of the cooling mechanism 11 and the dielectric film 23
Since the radio wave lens section 13 is placed in close proximity to the living body A described above, the focus of the radio wave lens section 13 is formed in the deep part of the living body A. This makes it possible to more effectively heat the deep part of the body than the surface. 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. In contrast, the inflow and outflow of the cooling liquid by the cooling mechanism 11 effectively cools down not only the surface of the living body but also the temperature rise due to Joule loss and dielectric loss within the case body 10, as described above. . In this case, the dielectric plates 20 and 27 attached to the inner wall of the case body 10 and each metal plate 13A of the radio wave lens section 13 form a substantially uniform electric field in a cross section perpendicular to the direction of propagation of electromagnetic waves. The IIM wave energy is also approximately equalized as described above. Therefore, there is no unevenness in heating temperature on the surface of the living body, 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. 9. FIG. 9 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, 1
3A, - is set parallel to the central axis of the case body 10 (no inclination), and Figure (2) shows a heating pattern when the radiation opening 10A on one side is closed, assuming an extreme case. (However, the isotherm line is ΔT=
1°C, model radius 125f1. liquid temperature constant at 20°C). As a result, by variable irradiation by the radio wave lens section 13, the center of deep heating can be moved very easily, and cancer tissue in a relatively wide range can be heated approximately evenly or in a biased position. 16fi reliably against cancer tissue
It has become clear that this method has the advantage of being able to capture waves at the center of its focal point. [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 7 and 8. This second embodiment includes an electromagnetic wave power supply section 40 and a radio wave lens section 5.
0 is removable, and by this, a plurality of radio wave lens sections 50 are prepared in advance, and the optimum radio wave lens section 50 is always selected and used. In addition, in this embodiment, 1 is added to the magnetic wave power supply section 40,
Oil 40A with relative permittivity ε and #2.5 as a dielectric member with relatively small attenuation of TI waves and relatively high relative permittivity
is filled. On the other hand, the metal plates 51, 51 . 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. moreover,
In this embodiment, the coolant inflow portion 11A is provided at the center of the upper and lower ends of the contact support plate 21 in FIG.
It has a structure in which it flows into the living body surface and into the radio wave lens part 50 from the side end of the central part, and flows out from the four corners around the cooling mechanism 11 in the same way as described above. Incidentally, if the direction of inflow and outflow of the cooling liquid is changed as necessary, effective air removal can be achieved. 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 WCmCm type power supply 0 side by a fixing frame 63. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above. As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to having substantially the same effects as the first embodiment described above, the electromagnetic wave energy is It can be delivered efficiently into the body,
It has the advantage that the radio wave lens part can be selectively used according to the shape of the living body. In this second embodiment, the dielectric material filled in the electromagnetic wave power supply section 40 is not necessarily limited to oil, but may be any other liquid or solid dielectric material as long as it has low attenuation of electromagnetic waves and has a high dielectric constant. It may be replaced with a body member. 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. Further, each metal plate 13A, 51 of the radio wave lens section 13.50 may be driven entirely by a motor or the like simultaneously. In this case, as for the rotation locking means, the driving force transmission means can also serve as the rotation locking means. [Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is constructed and functions as described above, even if the heating treatment position deviates from the central axis of the case body, this can be effectively captured by the rotation of the metal plate. It is possible to intensively heat the deep part of the body, and even if the heated area is relatively wide, it can be grasped as a whole in a sequential manner.Furthermore, since there is little loss in the electromagnetic wave feeding part of the case body,
It is possible to provide an unprecedented and excellent applicator for heating therapy in which the overall output efficiency is improved, and at the same time, the size of the power feeding section can be reduced by the action of the dielectric member, and therefore it is easier to handle. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the electric field distribution in the electromagnetic wave feeding section of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1 in a non-sectional state. 4 is a front view of FIG. 3, FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views showing other examples of the radio wave lens section, FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the second embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the experimental results of the first embodiment (11 and +21 are respectively shown), FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the conventional example, and FIG. 10
FIGS. 12 and 13 are explanatory diagrams showing the radio wave lens section equipped in the conventional example shown in FIG. 10---One main body case body including waveguide section, 10A
-1---- Radiation aperture as aperture, 12.40-
- Electromagnetic wave power supply section, 13, 50 - - Radio wave lens section,
1, 3 A, 51--metal plate, 40 A--oil as a dielectric member, 62-- dielectric plate for sealing. 11 Figure 2 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 27 I3A Figure 7 // Figure 9 Figure 1θ

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A case body with a function as a waveguide, an electromagnetic wave power supply section provided at one end of the case body, and an opening for electromagnetic wave transmission formed at the other end of the case body. In the heating therapy applicator in which a radio wave lens part is disposed between the opening part and the electromagnetic wave power supply part, each of the plurality of metal plates forming the radio wave lens part is rotatable. An applicator for heating therapy, characterized in that the electromagnetic wave power supply section is filled with a dielectric member having a relatively small attenuation of electromagnetic waves and a relatively large dielectric constant. (2) The dielectric member is a liquid fluid member such as machine oil, and a dielectric plate for sealing is provided on the opening side of the electromagnetic wave power supply section. The applicator for heating therapy according to item 1.