JPH0117693B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe useful for puncture using ultrasound image guidance.

Puncture is the process of using an appropriate puncture needle to remove body fluids or tissue from a target site or organ within the body, or inject a therapeutic drug or an X-ray contrast agent for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment. Therefore, it is extremely important to puncture the target site more accurately and safely.

Conventionally, this puncture technique was performed completely blindly and intuitively, and was rarely performed due to poor accuracy and high risk. However, in recent years, with the advent of real-time ultrasonic tomographic diagnostic equipment, diagnosis can be made while viewing ultrasonic tomographic images, that is, by being guided by ultrasonic tomographic images.
It has become possible to insert the needle into the target organ or lesion while visually identifying the needle to be punctured, improving accuracy and safety.

Conventionally, as a probe used in this ultrasonic puncture technique, a mechanical sector scanning type probe as shown in FIG. 1 is known. Here, 1 is the probe body, 2 is the puncture needle, 3 is the adapter that holds the puncture needle, 4 is the subject, 5 is the lesion, 6 is the direction of the ultrasound beam, 7 is the probe and the ultrasound diagnostic device This is the connection cable to the main unit. This method is relatively easy to operate because the sound wave emitting surface of the probe is small.
Since there is a moderate degree of intersection between the puncture needle 2 and the ultrasound beam 6, the state of the needle being punctured toward the lesion 5 is depicted on the image and is relatively easy to distinguish. However, the field of view near the body surface is narrow, the needle must be inserted at a considerable angle, and because the tip of a normal puncture needle is shaped like a prong, the needle bends due to resistance from the patient's tissue. It is difficult to puncture the target site. Also, in mechanical sector scanning,
Mechanical vibration of the probe is large and reliability is poor. Furthermore, the electronic sector scanning method has the disadvantage that the entire device is extremely expensive.

On the other hand, puncturing probes using a linear electronic scanning method as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B are known. Second
Diagram A is called a lateral puncture type, and diagram B is a so-called central puncture type. In Figure 2 A and B, 21
a, 21b are probe bodies, 22a, 22b are puncture needles, 23a, 23b are adapters that hold the needles,
24a, 24b are objects to be examined, 25a, 25b are lesions, 26a, 26b are directions of ultrasound beams, 27
a, 27b are connection cables with the device main body, 28
a, 28b are linearly arranged ultrasonic transducer rows, 29b is a groove for attaching the adapter 23b, 3
0b indicates a defective part of the ultrasonic transducer array.

The lateral puncture type probe shown in FIG. 2A is a normal linear electronic scanning type probe to which an adapter 23a for holding a puncture needle is added to the side. In the case of this probe, since the puncture needle 22a is inserted at a considerable angle, the needle is more susceptible to resistance from the subject's tissue and bends, making it difficult to puncture the target site. Further, there is a drawback that a virtual image due to side lobes is likely to appear depending on the intersection angle between the ultrasonic beam 26a and the puncture needle 22a.

On the other hand, the central puncture type shown in FIG. 2B has a cutout 30b in the center of the ultrasonic transducer array of a normal linear electronic scanning probe for passing the puncture needle through, and an adapter that holds the puncture needle 22b. A groove 29b for attaching the groove 23b is provided. In this central puncture type probe, it is extremely difficult to create the defective part 30b of the ultrasonic transducer array, so the probe is expensive. Furthermore, the missing portion 30b of the ultrasonic transducer array causes a missing image (field of view). Therefore, the missing part 30
Since the width of b (usually 2 mm) cannot be made very wide, there is a limit to the thickness of the puncture needle 22b to be used. Therefore, it cannot be used when using a needle with a needle diameter of 4 mm, which is necessary for collecting biopsy samples.
Further, due to the structure, the intersection angle between the puncture needle 22b and the ultrasound beam 26b is small, and furthermore, the depiction of the puncture needle 22b on the image is not sufficient due to the missing portion 30b of the ultrasound transducer array. Another disadvantage is that it is difficult to clean the groove 29b where the adapter 23b is attached.

As described above, both the sector scanning method, the linear electronic scanning method, the lateral puncture type, and the central puncture type have many drawbacks and are not fully satisfactory as ultrasonic puncture probes.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it provides a small probe with good operability, a wide field of view to be examined, and eliminates the need to provide a defective part in the ultrasonic transducer array. , a highly safe and inexpensive ultrasonic probe for puncture that allows the puncture needle to be depicted well on images and to insert the puncture needle perpendicularly to the body surface into all parts of the body from superficial to deep. The purpose is to provide

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 3 shows one embodiment of the present invention.
32 is a probe body, 32 is a puncture needle, 33 is an adapter that holds the puncture needle, 34 is a subject, 35 is a lesion,
36 is the direction of the ultrasonic beam, 37 is a connection cable with the main body of the device, 38 is an array of ultrasonic transducers arranged in an arc shape, and 39a and 39b are acoustic matching layers for acoustic impedance matching with the living body 34. , 4
0 is an acoustic lens whose contact portion with the living body is made almost flat to improve close contact.

That is, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention includes the ultrasonic transducer array 38 and the attached acoustic matching layers 39a, 39.
b are arranged in an arc shape, and the ultrasonic beam 36 is scanned radially by performing scanning similar to normal linear electronic scanning. Here, the acoustic lens 40 has a flat contact portion with the living body 34 for better adhesion, and is made of a material (for example, silicone rubber, Teflon, etc.) whose speed of sound is lower than or almost equal to that of the living body 34, so that the acoustic lens 40 has a flat surface. The acoustic beam 36 is refracted at the boundary between the living body 34 and the acoustic lens 40, and the radial ultrasonic beam obtained by the curvature of the ultrasonic transducer array 38 is further expanded. The plane of the ultrasonic tomographic image obtained by this probe is approximately trapezoidal. The longer the distance, that is, the deeper the inspection depth, the wider the inspection width (examination visual field). This means that the sound wave emission surface is small (short), that is, a sufficiently wide field of view can be obtained with a small probe.

The present invention has been made by focusing on the characteristics of this probe. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a puncture needle 32 is attached to the outer wall of the probe body as described above.
An adapter 33 is provided to hold the probe through the probe, thereby making it an ultrasonic probe. Here adapter 33
is for guiding and supporting the puncturing needle 32 so that the puncturing needle does not deviate from the tomographic plane obtained by the ultrasonic beam 36 transmitted and received from the probe.

As is clear from FIG. 3, in the ultrasonic puncture probe according to the present invention, even if the puncture needle 32 is inserted almost perpendicularly, it intersects the ultrasound beam 36 moderately. The depiction of the puncture needle 32 on the tomographic image is good and the puncture needle 32 can be easily identified. Furthermore, since the puncture needle 32 can be inserted almost perpendicularly into the subject 34, even if a thin puncture needle 32 is used, there is little resistance from the living tissue and the target site can be punctured accurately. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a cutout in the ultrasonic transducer array 38, the acoustic matching layers 39a, 39b, and the acoustic lens 40 for passage of the puncture needle 32, the probe can be manufactured at low cost. Further, since there is no defective part in the ultrasonic transducer array 38, there is no defect in the image (field of view). Moreover, since the probe can be punctured from the side, there is no restriction on the thickness of the puncture needle 32 to be used. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the probe is relatively small and easy to operate, and the field of view near the body surface is not narrow as in the sector scanning method, and the field of view becomes wider as the depth of examination increases. can get. The device itself can be constructed almost in the same way as a normal linear electronic scanning system, so it can be made relatively inexpensive.

As detailed above, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention has
Ultrasonic transducer rows are arranged in an arc shape, and an acoustic lens is provided on top of the array through an acoustic matching layer so that the contact surface with the living body is flat. For every part,
Since the puncture needle is held outside so that it can be inserted perpendicularly to the body surface while viewing the ultrasound tomogram, the needle can be clearly depicted, and there are no restrictions on the thickness of the needle. The puncture needle can easily and safely puncture the target site, has a wide field of view, is small, and is inexpensive. Therefore, the drawbacks of both the lateral puncture type and central puncture type using the conventional mechanical sector scanning method or linear electronic scanning method are eliminated, and the puncture can be performed more safely and accurately.

It goes without saying that the actual puncturing technique using the ultrasonic puncturing probe of the present invention can be performed in exactly the same manner as a commonly known method.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic configuration diagrams of a conventional ultrasonic puncture probe, and FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an ultrasonic puncture probe in an embodiment of the present invention. . 31...Probe body, 32...Puncture needle, 33...
...Puncture needle holding adapter, 34...Subject, 3
5... Lesion, 36... Direction of ultrasound beam, 37
... Connection cable with the device main body, 38 ... Ultrasonic transducer row, 39a, 39b ... Acoustic matching layer, 40
...acoustic lens.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An array of ultrasonic transducers whose plane is perpendicular to the scanning direction of the ultrasound waves is arranged in an arc shape along the scanning direction, and an acoustic matching layer having an arcuate surface is provided on the array of ultrasonic transducers, An acoustic lens made of a material whose sound propagation speed is slower than or approximately equal to that of the living body is formed on the matching layer so that the contact portion of the acoustic lens with the living body is approximately flat, and the contact portion is approximately flat with the contact portion. An ultrasonic probe characterized in that an adapter is provided on the outside of the puncture needle to hold the puncture needle so that the tip of the puncture needle inserted perpendicularly into the living body is displayed at each site from the surface of the living body to the deep part of the living body. Tentacles.