KR20190081382A - Probe apparatus for breast tissue and position tracking method for marker - Google Patents

Abstract

A probe device is provided which comprises: a needle unit extending in a longitudinal direction and invading into the body of a subject to acquire information about a target tissue; and a probe housing supporting the needle unit in the region outside the body of the subject. The needle unit is disposed at an end point of the longitudinal direction and includes a reader for identifying a marker in the target tissue by a designated communication method inside the body of the subject.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a probe apparatus and a marker position detection method for a breast tissue,

The following description relates to a probe apparatus for breast tissue and a marker position detection method.

In the process of breast cancer screening, a method of extracting suspicious tumor of a tumor and inserting a marker into the extracted site of the tissue is widely used. The inserted markers help to identify suspicious tissue of the tumor through ultrasound, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and X-ray inspection procedures, or inform the position to be ablated when breast surgery is performed.

In the past, it took a lot of time to find the marker when a tumor removal operation in the breast was required. In particular, in the case of patients with multiple tumors, considerable time and efforts were spent in finding and identifying target markers among a plurality of markers. In addition, when lesions or abnormal cells around other markers are excised, reoperation must be performed.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0070089 provides a method and apparatus for preparing a tissue of interest in a patient who needs surgery by surgery. Specifically, the patent discloses a method for preparing a tissue of interest comprising separating a biopsy sample from a tissue of interest and positioning the magnetic marker at the biopsy site.

According to one aspect, a probe apparatus is provided. The probe apparatus includes a needle unit extending in the longitudinal direction and infiltrating into the body of a subject to acquire information on a target tissue, and a probe supporting the needle unit in an outer region of the body of the subject. And may include a housing. The needle portion may also be located at an an end point in the longitudinal direction and may include a reader that identifies a marker in the target tissue in a manner specified within the body of the subject .

According to one embodiment, the reader identifies the marker comprising a tag that is matched based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication, the marker comprising an RFID tag and identifying a tumor suspected in the target tissue Can be inserted.

According to another embodiment, the reader can identify a tag having a specified identification value among a plurality of markers included in the target tissue, and track the position of the marker having the tag.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the needle portion is disposed at the other end connected to the probe housing, and propagates the ultrasonic wave outside the body of the subject, detects the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave reflected from the marker, The first ultrasonic sensor may further include a second ultrasonic sensor for calculating the first ultrasonic sensor.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the probe housing may include at least two second ultrasonic sensors disposed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction of the needle portion about the central axis. The second ultrasonic sensor can propagate ultrasonic waves outside the body of the subject, detect reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves reflected from the marker, and compare the sensed reflected waves to determine the direction to the marker.

According to another embodiment, the second ultrasonic sensor includes a second-1 ultrasonic sensor and a second-2 ultrasonic sensor which are disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the center axis and are mapped to each other, The direction of the marker with respect to the first axis direction can be determined by comparing amplitude intensities of the first reflected wave detected by the 2-1 ultrasonic sensor and the second reflected wave detected by the 2-2 ultrasonic sensor.

According to another embodiment, the second ultrasonic sensor is present on a second axis perpendicular to the first axis connecting the second-1 ultrasonic sensor and the second-2 ultrasonic sensor, And a second 3-4 ultrasonic sensor disposed at a symmetrical position with respect to the second ultrasonic sensor and mapped to each other, wherein the third reflected wave sensed by the second ultrasonic sensor and the 2-4 ultrasonic sensor The direction of the marker with respect to the second axis direction can be determined by comparing the amplitude intensity of the fourth reflected wave.

According to another aspect, a marker position detection method is provided. The marker position detection method includes the steps of: identifying a specific marker in a target tissue of a subject using a reader that has been implanted in the body of the subject; propagating ultrasonic waves outside the body of the subject to a distance And determining the direction to the identified marker using at least two ultrasonic sensors disposed at mutually symmetric locations.

According to one embodiment, identifying the particular marker may include identifying a particular marker that includes a matching tag among a plurality of markers in the target tissue based on passive RFID communication.

According to another embodiment, calculating the distance to the identified marker may comprise identifying an amplitude intensity range of the reflected wave corresponding to the marker from a specified look-up table, And calculating a distance to the identified marker using a time delay of the reflected wave having an amplitude within the detected marker.

According to another embodiment, the step of determining the direction to the identified marker may include comparing the intensity of the first reflected wave sensed by the first ultrasonic sensor with the amplitude intensity of the second reflected wave sensed by the second ultrasonic sensor, And determining the orientation of the marker with respect to the axis.

According to another embodiment, the first ultrasonic sensor and the second ultrasonic sensor are disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the central axis, and may be mapped to each other.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a probe apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the probe apparatus of FIG. 1 in detail.
FIG. 3 is an exemplary view illustrating a process of operating the needle unit of FIG. 2;
4 is a flowchart showing a marker position detecting method according to an embodiment.
5A and 5B are exemplary views showing a probe apparatus according to an embodiment.

Specific structural or functional descriptions of embodiments are set forth for illustration purposes only and may be embodied with various changes and modifications. Accordingly, the embodiments are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, and the scope of the present disclosure includes changes, equivalents, or alternatives included in the technical idea.

The terms first or second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but such terms should be interpreted solely for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another. For example, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, although other elements may be present in between.

The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises ", or" having ", and the like, are used to specify one or more of the features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, But do not preclude the presence or addition of steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning of the context in the relevant art and, unless explicitly defined herein, are to be interpreted as ideal or overly formal Do not.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

Overview of probe devices

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a probe apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a probe apparatus for detecting the positions of markers 131 and 132 inserted into a subject 110 is shown. More specifically, the probe device may include a needle part 121 extending in the longitudinal direction and infiltrating into the body of the body 110. The needle part 121 can acquire information on the target tissue of the subject 110. [ For example, the target tissue may represent the breast tissue of the subject 110. In addition, the probe apparatus may include a probe housing 122 for supporting the needle portion 121 in an area outside the body of the subject 110.

1, the needle unit 121 may further include a mammotome device for generating a negative pressure in the body tissue and sucking the abnormal tissue of the body 110. [ In this case, a user such as a doctor can use the needle portion 121 to cut the body tissue with a rotating blade, and insert the marker into the cut tissue. The probe device of this embodiment can quickly and accurately track the position of the marker through the communication module and the sensor disposed in the needle part 121 and the probe housing 122 when it is necessary to identify and recognize the inserted marker later . Hereinafter, the process of tracking the position of the marker into which the probe apparatus is inserted will be described in more detail.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the probe apparatus of FIG. 1 in detail. The probe apparatus 200 may include a needle unit 210 and a probe housing 230. More specifically, the needle unit 210 may include a reader 221 and a first ultrasonic sensor 222. In addition, the probe housing 230 may include a second ultrasonic sensor 241.

The reader 221 may be disposed at one end of the needle unit 210 in the longitudinal direction. The one end may be disposed in a direction in which the subject is invaded into the body. The reader 221 can identify the markers in the target organization in a designated communication manner within the body. In one embodiment, the reader may identify a marker that includes a matched tag based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication. The marker includes an RFID tag and may be inserted into a tumor suspicious site within the target tissue. Specifically, the reader 221 can identify a tag having a specified identification value among a plurality of markers included in the target tissue, and track the position of the marker having the identified tag.

In addition, the needle unit 210 may include a first ultrasonic sensor 222 disposed at the other end connected to the probe housing 230. The first ultrasonic sensor 222 may be implemented as a transceiver that transmits ultrasonic waves having a designated frequency and senses reflected waves corresponding to the ultrasonic waves. The transceiver may include a transmitter and a receiver for ultrasound. Specifically, the first ultrasonic sensor 222 can propagate ultrasonic waves outside the body of the subject, and can sense the reflected wave of the ultrasonic waves reflected from the marker placed in the target tissue of the subject to calculate the distance to the marker. Illustratively, but not limitingly, the first ultrasonic sensor 222 may be disposed at a central position of the needle portion 210 to which the needle portion 210 and the probe housing 230 are connected. Accordingly, the first ultrasonic sensor 222 can calculate the distance from the center of the needle part 210 to the marker.

The probe housing 230 may include at least two second ultrasonic sensors 241 arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction of the needle part 210 as a central axis. The second ultrasonic sensor 241 can propagate ultrasonic waves outside the body of the subject and sense reflected waves of ultrasonic waves reflected from the markers in the target tissue. In addition, the second ultrasonic sensor 241 can determine the direction to the marker by comparing the plurality of sensed reflected waves. Hereinafter, a detailed process of calculating the distance to the marker and determining the direction to the marker will be described in more detail.

Marker  Identification process

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view illustrating a process of operating the needle unit of FIG. 2; Referring to FIG. 3, a reader 221 disposed at one end of the needle unit 210 is shown. The reader 221 can identify the marker 250 by transmitting a radio wave corresponding to the designated frequency and receiving a signal of the marker 250 including the designated tag. Illustratively, the marker 250 may represent a device inserted within a target tissue 260 of a suspected tumor. The marker 250 of this embodiment may further include an antenna and an integrated circuit capable of performing RFID communication. In this case, the reader 221 can perform passive RFID communication with the marker 250. The marker 250 including the tag is activated in response to the radio waves transmitted by the reader 221 and the reader 221 recognizes the serial number transmitted by the marker 250, Markers can be identified. Specifically, when there are a plurality of suspected tumor sites in the subject, a plurality of markers may be identified in the subject. In this case, the reader 221 can identify the target marker by a method of confirming the serial number of the marker 250 to be identified.

Marker position detection method

4 is a flowchart showing a marker position detecting method according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4, the marker position detection method includes the steps of (410) identifying a specific marker in a target tissue of a subject using a reader that has been invaded inside the body of the subject, propagating ultrasonic waves outside the body of the subject Calculating 420 the distance to the identified marker, and determining 430 the direction to the identified marker using at least two ultrasonic sensors disposed at mutually symmetric locations.

In step 410, the probe device may identify a particular marker comprising a matching tag among a plurality of markers in the target tissue based on passive RFID communication. In the process of identifying the marker including the designated tag by the probe apparatus, the description with reference to FIG. 3 may be applied as it is, and a duplicate description will be omitted.

In step 420, the probe apparatus can determine the amplitude intensity range of the reflected wave corresponding to the marker from a specified look-up table. Specifically, the reflected waves can be generated at the interface of tissues having different acoustic resistances in vivo. In addition, there is a tendency that the amplitude intensity (amplitude magnitude) of the reflected wave increases as the magnitude of the acoustic resistance difference between the two media increases. Illustratively, when the target marker is implemented in titanium, the probe apparatus senses reflected waves reflected from titanium, not reflected waves reflected from the target tissue, and uses the reflected wave having the amplitude intensity corresponding to titanium to measure the distance of the marker Can be calculated. The probe apparatus of this embodiment can use the amplitude intensity range of a predefined reflected wave by using a lookup table stored in a storage device such as a memory to remove reflected waves generated from discontinuities of muscles and fats in the body and ribs, The effect of detecting the marker more accurately by identifying the reflected wave transmitted from the target marker can be expected.

Illustratively, but not exclusively, the probe apparatus may preliminarily calculate an amplitude intensity range corresponding to each medium using the acoustic resistance (kg / m ² ) defined in Table 1 below. Acoustic resistance is a parameter that is defined as the product of the density of the medium and the sound velocity, and the amount of energy lost by the friction loss in the medium can be relatively expressed by the propagation propagated by the source pressure.

Material Acoustic resistance (kg / m ² ) Air 0.0004 Aluminum 17 Blood 1.61 Bone 7.80 Brain 1.58 Fat 1.38 Kidney 1.62 Liver 1.65 Muscle 1.70 Oil 1.43 Polyethylene 1.88 Soft tissues 1.63 Water 1.48

The probe apparatus can convert a reflected wave sensed by the ultrasonic sensor into an electronic signal by inputting the reflected wave into a piezoelectric transducer. Further, the probe apparatus can calculate the distance to the marker implemented with the designated material by using the amplitude intensity and the time delay of the converted electronic signal. Specifically, the probe apparatus can calculate the distance to the identified marker using the time delay of the reflected wave with amplitude within the identified amplitude intensity range.

In step 430, the probe apparatus may determine the direction to the identified marker using at least two ultrasonic sensors disposed in mutually symmetrical positions. Hereinafter, the process of determining the direction to the marker by the probe apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the additional drawings.

5A and 5B are exemplary views showing a probe apparatus according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5A, a probe apparatus according to an embodiment is shown. The probe apparatus may include a needle unit 510 for infiltrating the body of the subject to acquire information on the target tissue, and a probe housing 530 for supporting the needle unit 510 in an area outside the body of the subject. Illustratively, there may be cases in which two tumor suspicious tissues are present in the subject and markers 511 and 512 are inserted for each target tissue. In this case, the probe device can identify the target marker among the plurality of markers 511 and 512 by using the reader 521 at the end of the needle part 510. [ The other end of the needle part 510 may be connected to the probe housing 530, and the first ultrasonic sensor 522 may be disposed at the other end. The first ultrasonic sensor 522 can propagate the ultrasonic wave and calculate the distance to the target marker using the ultrasonic waves reflected from the target marker.

In addition, the probe housing 530 may include a plurality of second ultrasonic sensors 541, 542, 551, and 552. Specifically, the probe housing 530 includes a second-1 ultrasonic sensor 541 and a second-2 ultrasonic sensor 542 arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction of the needle part 510 . The 2-1 ultrasonic sensor 541 and the 2-2 ultrasonic sensor 542 are mapped to each other, and the reflected waves sensed by each other can be compared. Specifically, the probe apparatus compares the amplitude of the first reflected wave detected by the 2-1 ultrasonic sensor 541 with the amplitude of the second reflected wave detected by the 2-2 ultrasonic sensor 542, Can be determined. The first axis direction may indicate the east-west direction with respect to the target tissue. The description of the first axis direction above is merely an exemplary description for the sake of understanding, and should not be construed as limiting or limiting other embodiments.

The probe housing 530 may include a second-third ultrasonic sensor 551 and a second-fourth ultrasonic sensor 552 disposed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction of the needle portion 530 have. The second and third ultrasonic sensors 551 and 552 are connected to the first and second ultrasonic sensors 541 and 542, Axis. Similarly, the 2-3 ultrasonic sensor 551 and the 2-4 ultrasonic sensor 552 are mapped to each other, and the reflected waves sensed by each other can be compared. Specifically, the probe apparatus compares the amplitude of the third reflected wave detected by the second-third ultrasonic sensor 551 with the amplitude of the fourth reflected wave detected by the second-fourth ultrasonic sensor 552, The direction of the marker can be determined. As described above, when the first axis direction indicates the east-west direction with respect to the target tissue, the second axis perpendicular to the first axis may indicate the south-north direction with respect to the target tissue . The description of the first axis and the second axis direction is only an example for the sake of understanding, and should not be construed as limiting or limiting other embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 5B, a probe apparatus according to another embodiment is shown. 5A can be applied to the reader 521 and the first ultrasonic sensor 522 of the needle unit 510 as they are. Therefore, the overlapping description will be omitted. The probe housing 520 of FIG. 5B may include three pairs of second ultrasonic sensors 561, 562, 571, 572, 581, 582. The mutually mapped ultrasonic sensors can form one ultrasonic sensor group. For example, the first ultrasonic sensor groups 561 and 562 mapped in the first axial direction, the second axial ultrasonic sensor groups 571 and 572 mapped in the second axial direction, and the third axial ultrasonic sensor groups 571 and 572 mapped in the third axial direction, (581, 582) may be included in the probe housing (530). Each ultrasonic sensor group can determine the position of the marker on the basis of a specific axial direction. Specifically, each ultrasonic sensor group can determine the marker position in a specific axial direction by comparing amplitude intensities of received reflected waves. In the present embodiment, three ultrasonic sensor groups, i.e., six second ultrasonic sensors, are disposed to facilitate understanding, but this should not be construed as limiting or limiting other embodiments. For example, it is also within the scope of the present invention that a probe device including a plurality of second ultrasonic sensors, such as 8 or 10, is implemented.

The embodiments described above may be implemented in hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the devices, methods, and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, such as an array, a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded. The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. Program instructions to be recorded on a computer-readable medium may be those specially designed and constructed for an embodiment or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Although the embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings, various technical modifications and variations may be applied to those skilled in the art. For example, it is to be understood that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, Lt; / RTI > or equivalents, even if it is replaced or replaced.

Claims (12)

A needle unit extending in the longitudinal direction and infiltrating into the body of the subject to obtain information on the target tissue; And
A probe housing for supporting the needle in an area outside the body of the subject,
/ RTI >
Wherein,
And a reader disposed at an end point in the longitudinal direction for identifying a marker in the target tissue within a body of the subject in a designated communication manner.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reader identifies the marker comprising a matched tag based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication, the marker including an RFID tag and inserted into a tumor suspicious region in the target tissue.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the reader identifies a tag having a specified identification value among a plurality of markers included in the target tissue and tracks the position of the marker having the tag.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein,
A first ultrasonic sensor for detecting a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave reflected from the marker and calculating a distance to the marker,
Further comprising:
The method according to claim 1,
The probe housing includes:
And at least two second ultrasonic sensors disposed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction of the needle portion with respect to the central axis,
Wherein the second ultrasonic wave sensor propagates ultrasonic waves from the outside of the body of the subject, detects reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves reflected from the marker, and determines the direction to the marker by comparing the sensed reflected waves.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the second ultrasonic sensor includes a second-1 ultrasonic sensor and a second-second ultrasonic sensor disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the central axis and mapped with each other, And determines the direction of the marker with respect to the first axis direction by comparing the amplitude of the first reflected wave with the amplitude of the second reflected wave detected by the second -2 ultrasonic sensor.
The method according to claim 6,
The second ultrasonic sensor is on a second axis perpendicular to the first axis connecting the second-1 ultrasonic sensor and the second-2 ultrasonic sensor, and is disposed at a position symmetrical with respect to the center axis, A second ultrasonic sensor and a second ultrasonic sensor mapped between the first ultrasonic sensor and the second ultrasonic sensor, wherein the amplitude of the third reflected wave detected by the second ultrasonic sensor and the amplitude of the fourth reflected wave detected by the second- And determines a direction of the marker with respect to the second axial direction.
Identifying a specific marker in the target tissue of the subject using a reader that has been implanted in the body of the subject;
Calculating a distance to the identified marker by propagating ultrasonic waves outside the body of the subject; And
Determining the direction to the identified marker using at least two ultrasonic sensors disposed in mutually symmetric positions
And detecting the marker position.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein identifying the particular marker comprises:
Identifying a particular marker comprising a matched tag among a plurality of markers in the target tissue based on passive RFID communication;
And detecting the marker position.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein calculating the distance to the identified marker comprises:
Identifying an amplitude intensity range of a reflected wave corresponding to the marker from a specified look up table; And
Calculating a distance to the identified marker using a time delay of a reflected wave having an amplitude within the identified amplitude intensity range
And detecting the marker position.
11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein determining the orientation to the identified marker comprises:
Comparing the amplitude of the first reflected wave detected by the first ultrasonic sensor and the amplitude of the second reflected wave detected by the second ultrasonic sensor to determine the direction of the marker with respect to the designated center axis
And detecting the marker position.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the first ultrasonic sensor and the second ultrasonic sensor are disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the center axis and are mapped to each other.

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