KR102154695B1 - Equipment of Effective fixation and precise control the relative position of focal point of the high intensity focused ultrasound probe to induce the region of treatment for the prostate disease treatment by high intensity focused ultrasound therapy - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for precisely controlling the fixation and relative position of a focused ultrasound generator during a transrectal high intensity focused ultrasound prostate treatment procedure, and more particularly, to a pressure control in a sealed rubber membrane constituting the focused ultrasound generator. It is possible to fix the ultrasonic probe by expanding or contracting the sealing rubber film through, and to an apparatus and method capable of precise relative position control.

Description

Equipment of Effective fixation and precise control the relative position of focal point of the high intensity focused ultrasound probe to induce the region of treatment during transrectal high intensity focused ultrasound prostate treatment for the prostate disease treatment by high intensity focused ultrasound therapy}

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for precisely controlling the fixed and relative position of a focused ultrasound generator inserted into a rectum during a transrectal high intensity focused ultrasound prostate treatment procedure, and more particularly, to an expansion of a sealed rubber membrane surrounding an ultrasound probe and The present invention relates to a method and apparatus designed to easily control a relative position of an ultrasound focusing point in order to fix a focused ultrasound generator so as to be in close contact with a rectal wall through contraction control, and to guide it to a prostate treatment site.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a device that focuses ultrasound beams transmitted from multiple directions and treats various lesions such as cancer using heat or mechanical energy generated at this time.

In the treatment of prostate disease using this high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device, when inserted into the rectum using a transrectal ultrasound probe and generated focused ultrasound, the focused ultrasound passes through the rectal wall. As a result, the propagation is focused to the lesion of the prostate, and a focus point is formed in the region of treatment (ROT) of the prostate, thereby resecting the treatment area with heat or mechanical energy generated by ultrasound focused on the localized area.

During the treatment of prostate diseases using a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device for prostate treatment, the focal length of the ultrasound transducer mounted on the ultrasound probe is fixed, and the focal length of the ultrasound transducer is adjusted for resection at the treatment target area. The focus point and the treatment target area must match exactly.

However, in general, the size and shape of the rectum is different for each patient to be treated, and the focal length varies depending on the change of the rectal or prostate condition even if the ultrasound probe is positioned, and it varies whenever the focus point location is changed to a nearby treatment target. Occurs and does not perform accurate treatment, so there is a risk of causing damage to the area outside the target location, which is a factor that degrades the precision of the procedure.

Therefore, in the case of a prostate treatment procedure using a conventional high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device, the focus point position is readjusted every time the focus is moved through images taken using other medical imaging devices such as ultrasound and MRI, and after confirmation, the procedure is performed. As time wasted and safety is not guaranteed, the situation is becoming a major obstacle to prostate treatment using a high-intensity focused ultrasound device, and there is a problem that acts as a great risk for patient safety in the treatment process.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention can fix the ultrasonic probe through pressure control in the sealed rubber membrane constituting the high intensity focused ultrasound device, and in addition, a method devised to enable precise control of the relative position of the focusing point, and The purpose is to provide the device.

In order to solve the above problem, a method of fixing a focused ultrasound generator according to an embodiment of the present invention and precisely controlling its relative position is the expansion or contraction of the sealed rubber membrane wrapped outside of the focused ultrasound generator inserted into the rectum for prostate treatment. The focused ultrasonic generator can be fixed and the relative position can be precisely controlled.

Here, the method of fixing the focused ultrasonic generator includes steps of circulating a cooling liquid and installing a pressure control unit capable of controlling pressure in the circulating cooling liquid to be connected to the sealed rubber membrane; Inserting the ultrasonic probe wrapped with the sealing rubber film into the rectum; It may include the step of circulating a cooling liquid into the sealed rubber membrane, and controlling the pressure control unit to expand the sealed rubber membrane so as to be in close contact with the workplace wall.

In addition, the cooling liquid may be a cooling sterilized physiological saline solution or a liquid containing a gel for controlling the cooled viscosity and lubrication.

In addition, the method of precisely controlling the relative position of the ultrasonic generator may include adjusting the position so that the'A' distance, which is the divergence distance of the ultrasonic probe, is set behind the'B' distance, which is the distance between the ultrasonic probe and the prostate treatment site; A step of in close contact with the sealing rubber membrane on the rectal wall; By gradually increasing the pressure in the sealed rubber membrane in close contact with the rectal wall, the rectal wall is further expanded and the prostate is pushed in the direction of the'A' distance, and the'A' distance and the'B' distance are matched with the focused ultrasound generator. It may include matching the relative position of the prostate treatment site.

On the other hand, the focused ultrasonic wave generator used for the fixed and precise control includes: an ultrasonic probe provided with an ultrasonic transducer to generate a focused ultrasonic wave; A sealed rubber membrane surrounding the ultrasonic probe to form a sealed space, and connected to one side and the other side of the sealed rubber membrane, respectively, are formed to circulate cooling liquid into the sealed space, and the sealed rubber membrane is formed by controlling the pressure of the cooling liquid. It may include a pressure control unit capable of controlling the expansion and contraction.

In addition, the pressure control unit inlet pipe connected to one side of the sealing rubber membrane; A discharge pipe connected to the other side of the sealed rubber membrane; A liquid storage container connected to the other end of the inlet pipe and the discharge pipe, and storing cooling liquid; A circulation pump for circulating the inside of the sealed rubber membrane by pumping the cooling liquid from the liquid storage tank to the inlet pipe; A heat exchanger provided in the liquid reservoir; A cooler connected to the heat exchanger to supply cooling water to the heat exchanger, and a pressure regulator having a piston therein, and connected to the liquid storage container to adjust the pressure of the cooling liquid flowing into the sealed rubber membrane.

The method and apparatus for precisely controlling the fixation and relative position of a focused ultrasound generator during a transrectal high intensity focused ultrasound prostate treatment procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention fix the focused ultrasound generator inserted into the rectum during focused ultrasound prostate treatment. Since the relative position can be precisely controlled, the safety of the procedure is guaranteed and there is an effect of remarkably shortening the procedure time. Accordingly, there is an advantage that can bring great progress in the treatment of prostate diseases.

1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining a problem when treating a prostate gland with a conventional focused ultrasound generator.
3 is a schematic diagram of a focused ultrasound generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an operation diagram when fixing the focused ultrasound generating device of FIG. 3 in a workplace.
5 is a schematic diagram of a focused ultrasound generating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating a method of precisely controlling a relative position of a focused ultrasound generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the description of the present invention with reference to the drawings is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various transformations may be applied and various embodiments may be provided. In addition, the content described below should be understood to include all conversions, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the following description, terms such as first and second are terms used to describe various elements, and their meanings are not limited thereto, and are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one element from other elements.

The same reference numbers used throughout this specification denote the same elements.

Singular expressions used in the present invention include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, terms such as "include", "include" or "have" described below are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification. It is to be construed and not to preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining a problem in treating a prostate gland with a conventional focused ultrasound generator.

First, referring to FIG. 1, a conventional focused ultrasound generator may be inserted into a rectum to focus ultrasound into the prostate, thereby thermally or mechanically resecting a lesion such as a tumor generated in the prostate. Such a conventional focused ultrasound generator is emerging as an innovative technology in the medical field because it has a number of advantages such as a non-invasive treatment, very few side effects on normal tissues, simple treatment, and short recovery time. .

However, referring to FIG. 2, in the conventional focused ultrasound generator, the size and shape of the rectum are generally different for each patient to be treated, and the focal length varies according to the state of the rectum or prostate, resulting in a deviation from the treatment target point. In addition, there was a risk of causing damage to the area outside the target location.

Accordingly, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention can fix the ultrasonic probe through pressure control in the sealed rubber membrane constituting the conventional focused ultrasonic generator, and in addition, an apparatus and method capable of precise relative position control. Want to provide.

Hereinafter, a method and apparatus for precisely controlling the fixation and relative position of a focused ultrasound generator during a transrectal high intensity focused ultrasound prostate treatment procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7.

3 is a schematic diagram of a focused ultrasound generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an operation diagram when the focused ultrasound generator of FIG. 3 is fixed in a workplace.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the focused ultrasound generator capable of being fixed in the workplace according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an ultrasonic probe 10, a sealing rubber membrane 20, and a pressure control unit 30. have.

Specifically, the ultrasonic probe 10 may be equipped with an ultrasonic transducer like a conventional ultrasonic probe to generate focused ultrasonic waves. At this time, the ultrasonic probe 10 may be formed to receive electricity and may be coupled by a socket. In addition, it is provided outside and may be connected to a controller equipped with an output means such as a display. Through this, it is possible to easily observe and control the ultrasonic probe 10 from the outside.

The sealing rubber film 20 surrounds the ultrasonic probe 10 and may create a closed space by forming a distance from the ultrasonic probe 10. The sealing rubber film 20 serves to reduce frictional force when the ultrasonic probe 10 is inserted into the workplace and protect the internal wall of the workplace due to heat generation.

The pressure control unit 30 may be formed to be connected to one side and the other side of the sealing rubber membrane. In addition, the pressure control unit 30 may be formed to circulate the cooling liquid into the closed space. Here, the pressure control unit 30 may adjust the pressure by adjusting the inflow amount of the cooling liquid during circulation of the cooling liquid, and through this, the expansion and contraction of the sealed rubber film 20 may be controlled.

The pressure control unit 30 as described above may expand the sealing rubber film 20 so as to be in close contact with the rectal wall, and fill the liquid into the sealing rubber film 20 so that the ultrasonic probe 10 can be fixed.

To this end, the pressure control unit 30 includes an inlet pipe 31, a discharge pipe 32, a liquid storage container 33, a circulation pump 34, a heat exchanger 35, a cooler 36, and a pressure regulator 37. can do.

Specifically, the inlet pipe 31 is a pipe connected to one side of the sealing rubber film 20, and may introduce a liquid into the sealing rubber film 20. In addition, the discharge pipe 32 is a pipe connected to the other side of the sealing rubber film 20 and is a pipe through which the liquid introduced into the inlet pipe 31 is discharged.

A liquid storage container 33 may be provided at the other ends of the inlet pipe 31 and the discharge pipe 32. That is, the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 33 is a structure in which the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 33 rotates around the inlet pipe 31, the sealed rubber film 20, and the discharge pipe 32.

At this time, a circulation pump 34 may be provided at one side of the inlet pipe 31 or the discharge pipe 32. The circulation pump 34 is a pump for circulating the liquid in the liquid storage tank 33 to the inlet pipe 31 and circulates it to the discharge pipe 32, preferably provided in the inlet pipe 31 to enable pumping with little power. Can be. This is similar to the principle that a vehicle requires less power in the front wheels than in the rear wheels.

In addition, the liquid here may be a cooling liquid, preferably the cooling liquid may be a cooled sterile physiological saline solution. This cooling liquid absorbs some of the heat generated from the ultrasonic probe 10 to prevent the temperature of the ultrasonic probe 10 from increasing exponentially, and also prevents tearing of the sealing rubber film 20 or lowering the fixing force. It has the advantage of being harmless to the body even when it is leaked.

The heat exchanger 35 and the cooler 36 may be provided to maintain the cooling temperature of this cooling liquid.

Specifically, the heat exchanger 35 is provided inside the liquid storage container 33 to absorb heat when circulating inside the sealed rubber membrane 20 to exchange heat of the liquid flowing into the liquid storage container 33 to cool it. Plays a role. In this case, the shape of the heat exchanger 35 is not limited, but the shape of the water-cooled heat exchanger 35 that is commonly used may be formed. Accordingly, a cooler 36 to supply cooling water may be connected to the heat exchanger 35.

The cooler 36 supplies cooling water to the heat exchanger 35, absorbs heat through heat exchange with the liquid circulating through the sealed rubber film 20, and cools the returned water again to produce cooling water.

The cooling liquid through the heat exchanger 35 and the cooler 36 circulates through the sealed rubber film 20 and maintains the cooling temperature even when returning.

The pressure regulator 37 is connected to the liquid storage container 33 to control the pressure of the cooling liquid circulating through the sealed rubber membrane 20. To this end, the pressure regulator 37 may be provided in the form of a cylinder and may have a piston 37a therein.

As such, the pressure regulator 37 can pressurize the cooling liquid by pushing the piston 37a, and the pressurized cooling liquid forms a larger amount of inflow into the sealed rubber membrane 20 to expand the sealed rubber membrane 20 You can do it.

In addition, on the contrary, the pressure regulator 37 can depressurize the cooling liquid by pulling the piston 37a, and the depressurized cooling liquid forms a small amount of inflow into the sealed rubber membrane 20 so that the sealed rubber membrane 20 contracts. can do.

Through this method, the pressure control unit 30 may fix the focused ultrasonic generator.

On the other hand, the focused ultrasonic generator according to an embodiment of the present invention may be formed so that the cooling liquid does not circulate inside the sealed rubber film 20 and is individually controlled to both sides.

5 is a schematic diagram of a focused ultrasound generating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 5, a flow pipe 50 in which a bidirectional pump 55 capable of pumping in both directions may be provided at one side and the lower portion of the other side of the sealing rubber film 20 may be formed. In addition, a liquid storage container 33 may be provided at the other ends of the two flow pipes 50.

In addition, a partition film 60 may be provided around the ultrasonic probe 10 so as to divide the inside of the sealing rubber film 20 into two inside the sealing rubber film 20.

That is, while the liquid is formed to be injected into both sides of the sealing rubber film 20, not the above-described circulation method, the liquid is individually injected into one side and the other side, and the ultrasonic probe 10 is pushed to one side or the other side. It has the ability to Due to this function, it is not easy to move the ultrasonic probe 10 after fixing the sealing rubber film 20 in the rectal wall in the circulation method, but in the individual control method, the volume of the rubber film on both sides can be adjusted respectively. There is an advantage of being able to control the movement of the ultrasonic probe 10 to one side and the other side while fixing (20).

In addition, a non-return valve 65 may be provided at one end connected to the sealing rubber membrane 20 of the flow pipe 50 to prevent reverse flow.

Hereinafter, a method of fixing the focused ultrasound generator in the workplace will be described.

Specifically, the sealing rubber membrane provided with the pressure control unit may be inserted into the rectum together with the ultrasonic probe. Thereafter, the cooling liquid may be supplied into the sealed rubber membrane through the pressure control unit 30.

At this time, the pressure control unit 30 can pressurize the cooling liquid circulating through the pressure regulator 37, and when the cooling liquid is pressurized, the amount of cooling liquid flows into the sealed rubber film 20 so that the cooling liquid is The sealing rubber film 20 is expanded, and at this time, the sealing rubber film 20 expands until it is in close contact with the rectal wall, and may eventually coincide with the rectal wall.

Here, the inside of the sealing rubber film 20 in close contact with the work wall is filled with cooling liquid so that the ultrasonic probe 10 between the cooling liquids may also be fixed.

When the ultrasonic probe 10 is fixed as described above, there is no fear that the ultrasonic focusing point will be disturbed, so that the ultrasonic wave is not focused to a place other than the target treatment area, and the precision of the procedure can be greatly improved.

In addition, the focused ultrasound generator of the present invention has an advantage in that it is easy to precisely control the relative position in addition to being fixed in the workplace.

Hereinafter, a method of precisely controlling a relative position with respect to a prostate treatment site after fixing the focused ultrasound generator will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating a method of precisely controlling a relative position of a focused ultrasound generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, after first inserting the ultrasound probe 10 into the rectum, when performing ultrasound treatment, the focus for forming the focal point of the ultrasound probe 10 and the location of the treatment site must be correct so that the procedure can be performed properly. In this case, considering that the ultrasound divergence distance of the ultrasound probe 10 is constant, there are two methods of moving the ultrasound probe 10 to fit the treatment area or fixing the ultrasound probe 10 and then moving the treatment area.

Here, since the ultrasound probe 10 is originally formed to move according to the control, it is simple to move the ultrasound probe 10 to fit the treatment site, but the rectum or prostate is not formed to be fixed at all times, but has fluidity according to the biorhythm. Have. For this reason, it is difficult to maintain the focus after moving the ultrasonic probe 10 to focus.

Accordingly, in the present invention, after fixing the ultrasound probe 10, a method of controlling the rectum or prostate is selected.

Specifically, after first inserting the ultrasound probe 10 into the rectum, the position of the ultrasound probe 10 may be adjusted. At this time, the location of the ultrasound probe 10 is the ultrasound divergence distance between the ultrasound probe 10 and the ultrasound probe 10, that is, the target focal length (hereinafter referred to as'A' distance), the ultrasound probe 10 and the prostate treatment area. It is possible to adjust the position so that the distance between the cells is set to the rear of the treatment area to be treated (hereinafter referred to as'B' distance).

Thereafter, the sealing rubber film 20 surrounding the ultrasonic probe 10 may be in close contact with the rectal wall through the pressure regulator 37 to fix the ultrasonic probe 10.

Thereafter, the cooling liquid is gradually pressurized through the pressure regulator 37 to gradually expand the rectal wall. At this time, the prostate is pushed in the direction of expansion due to the expansion of the rectal wall.

Thereafter, when the'B' distance, which is the treatment site of the prostate, is pushed along the prostate, when it matches the'A' distance, which is the target focal length of the ultrasound probe 10, the control of the pressure regulator 37 is stopped to match the'A' distance. You can match the'B' distance.

In such a method, since the sealing rubber membrane 20 is bound to move the rectum or prostate together with an expansion force, the deviation of focus can be minimized even if the rectum or prostate is partially moved, so there is a fear of forming a focal point in a region other than the treatment site. Less.

In addition, even when the focus point is moved to the treatment target area and a wide area is sequentially excised, an accurate procedure can be performed without checking the location of the focus point, so that a safe procedure may be possible.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. You can understand. Therefore, the embodiments described above are illustrative and non-limiting in all respects.

1: Conventional focused ultrasonic generator
10: ultrasonic probe
20: sealing rubber membrane
30: pressure control unit
31: inlet pipe
32: discharge pipe
33: liquid storage container
34: circulation pump
35: heat exchanger
36: cooler
37: pressure regulator
37a: piston
50: flow pipe
55: two-way pump
60: divider
65: non-return valve
CL: cooling liquid
U: ultrasound
FU: ultrasonic focusing point
R: rectum
RW: rectal wall
P: prostate
ROT: Treatment site

Claims (6)

delete delete delete delete In the focused ultrasonic generator,
The focused ultrasound generating device,
An ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer to generate focused ultrasonic waves;
A sealing rubber film surrounding the ultrasonic probe to form a closed space, and
The sealed rubber membrane is connected to one side and the other side, respectively, is formed to circulate a cooling liquid into the sealed space, and includes a pressure control unit capable of controlling the expansion and contraction of the sealed rubber membrane through pressure control of the cooling liquid.
The pressure control unit,
An inlet pipe connected to one side of the sealed rubber membrane;
A discharge pipe connected to the other side of the sealed rubber membrane;
A liquid storage container connected to the other end of the inlet pipe and the discharge pipe, and storing cooling liquid;
A circulation pump for circulating the inside of the sealed rubber membrane by pumping the cooling liquid from the liquid storage tank to the inlet pipe;
A heat exchanger provided in the liquid reservoir;
A cooler connected to the heat exchanger to supply cooling water to the heat exchanger, and
A focused ultrasonic generator comprising a piston provided therein, and a pressure regulator connected to the liquid reservoir to control the pressure of the cooling liquid flowing into the sealed rubber membrane. delete

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