KR20210077312A - Radiation shielding apparatus using liquid shielding material - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a radiation shielding device using a liquid-type shielding material, wherein the device according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a first body having a curved shape surrounding one part of a patient's body, and forming an inner space filled with a liquid-type shielding material; a second body that is connected to the inner space of the first body, and forming an inner passage through which the liquid-type shielding material moves; and a shielding material storage part that is connected to the inner passage of the second body, and storing the liquid-type shielding material or moving the stored liquid-type shielding material to the inner space of the first body. Therefore, the present invention is capable of preventing radiation exposure to a part of the body.

Description

Radiation shielding device using liquid shielding material {RADIATION SHIELDING APPARATUS USING LIQUID SHIELDING MATERIAL}

The present invention relates to a radiation shielding device using a liquid shielding material, and more particularly, to a radiation shielding device capable of protecting a thyoid vulnerable to radiation by using a liquid shielding material such as an oil-soluble contrast agent.

In general, X-ray equipment is a device capable of imaging and viewing the inside of a subject by detecting radiation that has passed through a subject with a radiation detector, and is used for diagnosis of patients in hospitals, non-destructive testing of test materials in laboratories, etc. It is used in various ways. However, radiation emitted from a radiation generator used for diagnostic purposes has a detrimental effect on the human body. Even if exposed to a small amount of radiation, genes or cells can be altered and various cancers can be induced. It is a well-known fact that it is important not to be exposed to excessive or unnecessary radiation because it is not limited to one generation and is passed on to the next generation when it occurs.

In particular, since the thyroid gland located in the neck is a target organ with a very high possibility of radiation-induced cancer, the neck must be shielded from radiation for proper radiation protection. , in particular, since problems such as metal artifacts occur, proper protection from radiation is not achieved.

In addition, in the case of using a radiographic imaging device that transmits radiation in various directions to photograph a part of the body, the position of the shielding device that shields the thyroid gland from the radiation must be changed according to a change in the direction in which the radiation is projected. However, in the case of a conventional shielding device, it is difficult to change the position of the shielding device every time according to a change in the projection direction of the radiation beam, and accordingly, there is a problem in that it is difficult to prevent exposure of the thyroid gland in continuous radiography.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1689473 (2016.12.26.)

The present invention is to solve the problems described above, and is structured to control the radiation exposure area using a liquid shielding material, and provides a device that can easily perform radiation shielding for a body part sensitive to radiation, such as the thyroid gland. The purpose is to provide

A radiation shielding device using a liquid-type shielding material according to an embodiment of the present invention has a curved shape surrounding a part of a patient's body, a first body having an internal space filled with the liquid-type shielding material, and connected to the internal space of the first body and a second body having an internal passage through which the liquid-type shielding material moves, and a shielding material storage unit connected to the internal passage of the second body and storing the liquid-type shielding material or moving the stored liquid-type shielding material into the internal space of the first body. have.

A portion of the first body according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a tube type that expands as the liquid shielding material is filled into the internal space.

The first body according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first partition wall provided on one side of the internal space to block a part of the internal space, and a first partition wall provided on the other side of the internal space opposite to the first partition wall to block a part of the internal space. 2 Bulkheads may be included.

A first body according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a rail formed along the curved shape of the first body, a first rod provided on the rail and connected to the first partition wall, and a rail provided on the rail to be connected to the second partition wall A second rod may be included. In this case, the first rod and the second rod may be individually moved along the rail.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as the first rod and the second rod respectively pivot on the rail, a portion of the internal space may be blocked or opened by the first partition wall and the second partition wall.

In the center of the second body according to an embodiment of the present invention, a through space may be formed to be detachably attached to the bed of the radiographic imaging apparatus.

The shielding material storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a power unit for extruding the stored liquid-type shielding material into the inner space of the first body.

The liquid-type shielding material according to an embodiment of the present invention may be an oil-soluble contrast agent.

The radiation shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a shielding pad provided outside the shielding material storage unit to cover the open upper portion of the first body.

When the device provided as an embodiment of the present invention is used, a liquid-type shielding material having a higher shielding rate compared to a solid-type shielding material is used instead of a conventionally used solid-type shielding material such as lead or stainless steel for radiation shielding, so the user (eg The radiation exposure area can be conveniently controlled through a simple operation of a clinician, etc.), and radiation exposure to a part of the body can be prevented.

In particular, when performing neurointervention, radiation exposure is allowed only when radiation exposure to the thyroid gland, which can be fatally damaged by prolonged radiation exposure, is required, thereby minimizing fatal damage to the thyroid gland and the occurrence of cancer.

1 is a use state diagram illustrating a state in which a radiation shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a radiographic imaging device.
2 is a perspective view of a radiation shielding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the A-A' axis of the radiation shielding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a state diagram showing a state in which a liquid-type shielding material is stored.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the A-A' axis of the radiation shielding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a state diagram showing a state in which a liquid-type shielding material is moved for radiation shielding.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the A-A' axis of the radiation shielding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a state diagram illustrating partial shielding by the first and second partition walls.
6 shows the results of testing the shielding power between the metal and the oil-soluble contrast agent used in the conventional shielding apron.
7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the A-A' axis of the radiation shielding device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a state diagram showing a state in which the liquid shielding material is stored.
8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the A-A' axis of the radiation shielding device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a state diagram showing a state in which a liquid shielding material is moved for radiation shielding.

Terms used in this specification will be briefly described, and the present invention will be described in detail.

The terms used in the present invention have been selected as currently widely used general terms as possible while considering the functions in the present invention, but these may vary depending on the intention or precedent of a person skilled in the art, the emergence of new technology, and the like. In addition, in specific cases, there are also terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the corresponding invention. Therefore, the term used in the present invention should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of the present invention, rather than the name of a simple term.

When a part "includes" a certain element throughout the specification, this means that other elements may be further included, rather than excluding other elements, unless otherwise stated. In addition, terms such as "...unit" described in the specification mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation. In addition, when a certain part is said to be "connected" with another part throughout the specification, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected" but also the case where it is connected "with another configuration in the middle".

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a use state diagram illustrating a state in which a radiation shielding apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a radiographic imaging apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the radiographic imaging apparatus 10 is attached to a bed 20 on which a patient can lie, a rotating unit 40 moving along the circumferential direction of the patient's torso, and a rotating unit 40 to project radiation. part 30 .

The radiographic imaging apparatus 10 may perform radiographic imaging on a part of the patient's body. The radiographic imaging apparatus 10 may acquire radiographic images for various directions while rotating the projection unit 30 in a circumferential direction with respect to a body part. For example, the radiographic imaging apparatus 10 may perform radiographic imaging of the neck and head by projecting radiation while rotating around the neck and head of the patient or mammal.

Such a radiographic apparatus may be used for angiography. Angiography is an examination of blood vessels using radiation, and a radiologist inserts a thin conduit (with a diameter of about 2 mm) from outside the body into a patient's blood vessel and injects a contrast agent to see the blood vessels in an X-ray image. In this case, by determining whether the blood vessel is abnormal in the X-ray image, the name of the disease, the location of the lesion, and the degree of progression of the disease may be confirmed.

Angiography may be used when selecting a predetermined blood vessel for performing a neuro intervention. In this case, various angiography techniques such as 3D angiography and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) roadmap imaging may be used.

For example, when performing neuro intervention, radiographic imaging of the neck is performed in order to select a predetermined blood vessel required for the procedure among the blood vessels in the neck, and otherwise, blockage of blood vessels in the head of the patient is detected. Radiography of the patient's head is taken for a long time to find or treat. In this case, the radiographic imaging of the neck is shorter than the entire procedure time, but the thyroid gland of the neck may be continuously exposed by continuous radiographic imaging of the head adjacent to the neck. In this case, when the thyroid gland in the body is exposed to radiation for a long time, there is a problem that can greatly increase the possibility of cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to shield the radiation exposure to the thyroid gland of the neck during the rest of the procedure except when selecting a predetermined blood vessel in the neck.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the radiation shielding device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to an area of the bed 20 according to the need for thyroid protection described above and irradiated to a part of the patient's body (eg thyroid area). radiation can be shielded. Since the radiation shielding device 100 is detachable from one region of the bed 20, it can be stored separately from the bed when angiography is not performed. The specific structure and operation principle of the radiation shielding device 100 will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8 .

2 is a perspective view of the radiation shielding device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the radiation shielding apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include a first body 110 on which a part of the patient's body is seated. A cross-section of the first body 110 with respect to the A-A' axis may have a semicircular shape. The semicircular first body 110 may stably fix and/or support a round-shaped body while minimizing patient discomfort. For example, the semicircular-shaped first body 110 may support or fix the neck area while surrounding the neck area in which the patient's thyroid gland is located when neuro interventional surgery is performed. A portion of the patient's neck wrapped by the first body 110 may be shielded during radiographic imaging to minimize exposure.

The radiation shielding apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include a second body 120 connected to a lower side of the first body 110 . A cross-section of the second body 120 with respect to the A-A' axis may have a ring shape. A through space into which the bed is inserted may be formed in the center of the second body 120 for coupling or separation from the bed of the radiographic imaging apparatus. The second body 120 may move along or be fixed to the bed of the radiographic imaging apparatus through the through space. That is, the radiation shielding apparatus 100 may be detachably attached to the bed of the radiographic imaging apparatus through the through space of the second body 120 .

Meanwhile, the second body 120 may have a closed ring shape as shown in FIG. 2 , but may also have an open ring shape in which a portion is opened. When the second body 120 has an open ring shape, the second body 120 may be detachably attached to the bed without necessarily inserting one end of the bed of the radiographic imaging apparatus into the through space of the second body 120 .

The radiation shielding device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include a shielding material storage unit 130 connected to one side of the second body 120 . The shielding material storage unit 130 is configured to store the liquid-type shielding material 200, and based on an external input applied from a user (eg, a clinician), the liquid-type shielding material 200 passes through the inside of the second body 120. 1 It serves to transfer to the inside of the body (110). In this case, a connecting portion 140 that is a passage connecting the two components described above may be provided between the second body 120 and the shielding material storage unit 130 . When the liquid-type shielding material 200 stored in the shielding material storage unit 130 passes through the inside of the connection part 140 and the second body 120 and is delivered to the inside of the first body 110 , the first body 110 is A part of the body covered by the shield is shielded during radiographic imaging, so that exposure can be minimized.

A cross-sectional view along the A-A' axis of the radiation shielding device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a state diagram showing a state in which the liquid shielding material 200 is stored, and FIG. 4 is radiation shielding. It is a state diagram showing the state in which the liquid-type shielding material 200 has been moved.

3 and 4 , the first body 110 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include an internal space 111 filled with the liquid-type shielding material 200 . At this time, the inner space 111 may have a semicircular shape along the shape of the first body 110 , and the thickness of the inner space 111 may be 0.5 cm to 1 cm. When radiation shielding is not required (eg, when imaging of blood vessels in the neck area is performed during nerve intervention), the liquid shielding material 200 is not filled in the internal space 111 of the first body 110 as shown in FIG. 3 . Instead, the liquid-type shielding material 200 is stored in the shielding material storage unit 130 . On the other hand, when radiation shielding is required (eg, when imaging of the patient's head is performed during neurointervention, etc.), the liquid shielding material 200 is produced as shown in FIG. 4 by an external input applied to the shielding material storage unit 130 . 1 is filled in the inner space 111 of the body 110 .

The second body 120 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include an internal passage 121 through which the liquid-type shielding material 200 moves. The internal passage 121 communicates with the internal space 111 of the first body 110 , and may be formed to extend inside the connecting part 140 . The internal passage 121 extending inside the connection unit 140 may be connected to the inside of the shielding material storage unit 130 in which the liquid type shielding material 200 is stored. At this time, the inner passage 121 is an annular second body 120 so that the liquid shielding material 200 stored in the shielding material storage unit 130 can move to the inner space 111 of the first body 110 by the shortest distance. ) may be formed in a portion toward the shielding material storage unit 130 .

The shielding material storage unit 130 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include a power unit 131 for extruding the stored liquid-type shielding material 200 into the internal space 111 of the first body 110 . . At this time, the power unit 131 may include a driving plate 131a that moves up and down inside the shielding material storage unit 130 and a main body 131b that controls the movement of the driving plate 131a. That is, according to an external input (eg, an on/off signal input through a switch provided on the outer surface of the shielding material storage unit 130, a control signal input through an external terminal, etc.) applied from the user, the power unit body 131b is the driving plate The movement of (131a) can be controlled up and down. By adjusting the size of the space in which the liquid-type shielding material 200 is stored according to the movement of the driving plate 131a, the liquid-type shielding material 200 may be stored or extruded into the internal space 111 of the first body 110 .

For example, when the power unit main body 131b is operated by an external input applied from the user, the driving plate 131a rises under the control of the power unit main body 131b and the liquid type stored in the shielding material storage unit 130 . A pressure to extrude the shielding material 200 may be generated. By the pressure generated by the driving plate 131a, the liquid shielding material 200 moves the internal passage 121 formed inside the connecting portion 140 and the second body 120 to move the first body 110 as shown in FIG. ) may be filled in the inner space 111 of the In this case, the power unit body 131b may be a linear motor or a piston using air pressure.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the A-A' axis of the radiation shielding device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a state diagram showing partial shielding by the first partition wall 151 and the second partition wall 152; to be.

The first body 110 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided on one side of the internal space 111 to block a part of the internal space 111 . The second partition wall 152 provided on the other side of the opposite inner space 111 to block a part of the inner space 111 , the rail 160 formed along the curved shape of the first body 110 , the rail 160 ) and may include a first rod 171 connected to the first partition wall 151 and a second rod 172 provided on the rail 160 and connected to the second partition wall 152 .

For example, the rail 160 may be provided on both sides of the inner space 111 of the first body 110 to match the semicircular shape of the first body 110 . A first rod 171 is provided on the inner rail 160 of the first body 110 (ie, the rail 160 in the direction of the surface in which a part of the patient's body is in contact), and the outer rail of the first body 110 ( The second rod 172 may be provided at 160 . In this case, the first rod 171 may move along the inner rail 160 , and the second rod 172 may move along the outer rail 160 .

In addition, the first partition wall 151 is provided integrally with the first rod 171 to move along the inner rail 160 , and the second partition wall 152 is integrated with the second rod 172 and the outer rail ( 160) can be followed. At this time, as shown in the left part of FIG. 5 , the first partition wall 151 and the second partition wall 152 move into the inner space of the first body 110 according to the pivot rotation of the first rod 171 and the second rod 172 . By overlapping at 111 , a portion of the inner space 111 may be blocked from the liquid-type shielding material 200 . Conversely, when the first partition wall 151 and the second partition wall 152 are in close contact with the rail 160 according to the pivot rotation of the first rod 171 and the second rod 172, respectively, as shown in the right part of FIG. The inner space 111 may be completely opened and the liquid shielding material 200 may be filled. That is, the user controls the first partition wall 151 and the second partition wall 152 through pivot rotation of the first rod 171 and the second rod 172 to adjust the shielding area of the first body 110 . can

6 shows the results of testing the shielding power between the metal and the oil-soluble contrast agent used in the conventional shielding apron.

Referring to FIG. 6 , since the more radiation is transmitted through the shielding material, the brighter it is expressed in the image, so it can be seen that the 0.5 mm thick oil-soluble contrast agent has a higher radiation shielding rate than lead (Pb) used in the radiation shielding apron. As a result, if it is possible to secure the liquid-type shielding material 200 of a certain thickness or more, the liquid-type shielding material has better shielding performance than the conventional solid-type shielding material made of lead, carbon steel, tungsten, stainless steel, titanium, etc. It means that the shielding material 200 can be utilized.

In addition, in the case of an oil-soluble contrast agent (e.g. Lipiodol), it is suitable for use as the liquid-type shielding material 200 because it does not generate water vapor at 37°C or higher and has low viscosity like a water-soluble contrast agent (e.g. Parmiray). That is, in the case of the oil-soluble contrast agent, even if it is returned to the shielding material storage unit 130 after filling the internal space 111 of the first body 110 , the viscosity is low, so that residues in the internal space 111 of the first body 110 . no left over In addition, even if a temperature change of the external environment occurs while stored in the shielding material storage unit 130, water vapor is not generated in the internal space 111 of the first body 110 or the internal passage 121 of the second body 120. does not Accordingly, the liquid-type shielding material 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be an oil-soluble contrast agent.

Meanwhile, the radiation shielding device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a shielding pad (not shown) provided on the outside of the shielding material storage unit 130 to cover the open upper portion of the first body 110 . can do. The semicircular shape of the first body 110 has an open top so that a part of the user's body can move, but there may be a case in which the user's body part exposed to the upper part of the first body 110 needs to be shielded from radiation. . In this case, the shielding pad may be provided in a wound state on an outer region of the shielding material storage 130 in order to easily cover the exposed body part of the user including the open upper part of the first body 110 . That is, the user can prevent radiation exposure to the portion of the user's body exposed to the upper portion of the first body 110 by spreading the shielding pad wound on one area outside the shielding material storage unit 130 . In this case, the shielding pad may include a metal including at least one of lead, carbon steel, tungsten, stainless steel, and titanium, or a barium compound such as barium sulfate (BaSO4). In addition, the outer surface of the shielding pad may be coated using a known antireflection coating material such as resin, rubber, other non-conductive film, etc. so that radiation emitted from the radiographic imaging device is not reflected.

A cross-sectional view along the A-A' axis of the radiation shielding device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a state diagram showing a state in which the liquid shielding material 200 is stored, and FIG. 8 is radiation shielding. It is a state diagram showing the state in which the liquid-type shielding material 200 has been moved.

7 and 8 , the radiation shielding device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a liquid-type shielding material 200 into the internal space 111 of the first body 110 unlike the first embodiment. It may be a tube type that expands as it is filled. For example, the first body 110 communicates with the internal passage 121 of the second body 120 to stably move the liquid-type shielding material 200 with a fixed-type part and a tube connected to both ends of the fixed-type open end. It can be divided into type parts. The tube-type part may be selectively contracted or expanded depending on whether radiation is shielded on a part of the patient's body seated on the fixed-type part of the first body 110 .

That is, when radiation shielding is not required (eg, when imaging of blood vessels in the neck area is performed during neurointervention, etc.), the liquid shielding material 200 is stored in the shielding material storage 130 as shown in FIG. 7 , so the tube type part may maintain a contracted state in the upper portion of the second body 120 . On the other hand, when radiation shielding is required (eg, when imaging of the patient's head is performed during neurointervention, etc.), the liquid shielding material 200 is extruded from the shielding material storage unit 130, so the liquid shielding material is inside the tube-type part. As 200 is filled, the tube-type part may be deformed to an expanded state as shown in FIG. 8 . Since the tube-type part expands to enclose a part of the patient's body, the first body 110 according to the second embodiment filled with the liquid-type shielding material 200 may have a semicircular shape similar to that of the first embodiment.

The contents of the first embodiment may be applied to the remaining components except for the first body according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, with respect to the remaining components of the second embodiment, descriptions of the same contents as those of the first embodiment are omitted.

The above description of the present invention is for illustration, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and likewise components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. .

100: radiation shielding device
110: first body 110a: fixed type first body
110b: tube-type first body 111: internal space
120: second body 121: internal passage
130: shielding material storage unit 131: power unit
131a: drive plate 131b: power unit body
140: connection part 151: first partition wall
152: second bulkhead 160: rail
171: first rod 172: second rod
200: liquid-type shielding material

Claims (9)

A radiation shielding device using a liquid shielding material, comprising:
a first body having a curved shape surrounding a part of the patient's body and having an internal space filled with a liquid-type shielding material;
a second body connected to the internal space of the first body and having an internal passage through which the liquid-type shielding material moves; and
and a shielding material storage unit connected to the internal passage of the second body and configured to store the liquid shielding material or move the stored liquid shielding material to the internal space of the first body.
The method of claim 1,
A part of the first body,
The radiation shielding device, characterized in that it is a tube type that expands as the liquid shielding material is filled into the inner space.
The method of claim 1,
The first body,
and a first partition wall provided at one side of the internal space to block a part of the internal space, and a second partition wall provided on the other side of the internal space opposite to the first partition wall to block a part of the internal space. radiation shielding device.
4. The method of claim 3,
The first body,
a rail formed along the curved shape of the first body, a first rod provided on the rail and connected to the first partition wall, and a second rod provided on the rail and connected to the second partition wall;
wherein the first rod and the second rod are individually movable along the rail.
5. The method of claim 4,
The radiation shielding device according to claim 1, wherein the first rod and the second rod respectively pivot on the rail so that a part of the inner space is blocked or opened by the first and second partition walls.
The method of claim 1,
In the center of the second body,
Radiation shielding device, characterized in that the through space is formed so as to be detachably attached to the bed of the radiographic imaging device.
The method of claim 1,
The shielding material storage unit,
and a power unit for extruding the stored liquid-type shielding material into the inner space of the first body.
The method of claim 1,
The radiation shielding device, characterized in that the liquid-type shielding material is an oil-soluble contrast agent.
The method of claim 1,
The radiation shielding device according to claim 1, further comprising a shielding pad provided outside the shielding material storage part to cover the open upper part of the first body.

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