JPS5850943A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

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

Puncture is the use of an appropriate puncture needle to remove body fluids or tissue from a target site or organ in the body, or to inject therapeutic drugs or X-ray contrast agents 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 not performed very often due to poor accuracy and high risk. However, in recent years, with the advent of real-time ultrasonic tomographic diagnostic equipment, it has become possible to insert the needle into the elephant's organs or lesions while viewing the ultrasonic tomographic image, that is, by visually identifying the needle to be punctured using the guidance of the ultrasonic tomographic image. As a result, accuracy and safety have improved.

Conventionally, the probes used for this ultrasonic puncture technique are:
A mechanical sector scanning system as shown in FIG. 1 is known. Here, 1 is the probe body, 2 is the puncture needle, 3 is the holding adapter, 4 is the subject, 6 is the lesion,
6 is the direction of the ultrasonic beam, and 7 is a connection cable between the probe and the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In this method, the sound wave emitting surface of the probe is small, so it is relatively easy to operate, and the puncture needle 2 and the ultrasound beam 6 have a moderate intersection, so the lesion 6
The downward position of the needle inserted toward the target is depicted on the image and is relatively easy to distinguish. Shijina-111 and others have a narrow field of view near the body surface, and it is necessary to insert the needle at a considerable angle.As a result, the needle bends due to resistance from the subject's tissue, making it difficult to puncture the target area. It's difficult.

In addition, in the case of mechanical transducer scanning, the mechanical vibration of the probe is large and the reliability is not good. Furthermore, the electronic sector scanning method has the disadvantage that the entire device is extremely expensive.

On the other hand, a puncture probe using the 7FJ near electronic scanning method as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is known. Figure 2(4) shows what is called a lateral puncture type, and Figure 2(B) shows what is called a central puncture type. In FIGS. 2(5) and (B), 21a.

21b is the probe body, 22a, 22b are puncture needles, 23a
.

23b is an adapter that holds the needle, 24a, , 24
b is the subject, 28&, 25b is the lesion, 28a, 26b is the direction of the ultrasonic beam, 27a, 27b is the connection cable with the main body of the device, 28a, 28b is an array of ultrasonic transducers arranged in a straight line, 29b is the a groove for attaching the adapter 23b;
Each mob indicates a defective part of the ultrasonic transducer array.

In the side puncture type probe shown in FIG. 2(f), a normal adapter 23a is added. 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 ropes tends to appear depending on the intersection angle between the ultrasonic beam 26a and the puncture needle 22a.

On the other hand, in the central puncture type shown in FIG. 2(B), a cutout 30b for passing the puncture needle is provided in the center of the ultrasonic transducer array of a normal linear electronic scanning probe, and the puncture needle 22b is held. A groove 29b is provided for attaching an adapter 23b. 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.

In addition, the image (field of view) is generated by the defective part 30b of the ultrasonic transducer array.
This results in a lack of information. Therefore, since the width of the defective part 30b (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. Also, due to the structure, the puncture needle 22b and the ultrasound beam 2 cannot be used.
The angle of intersection with EB is small, and perhaps the depiction of the puncture needle 22b on the image is not sufficient because of the missing portion 30b of the ultrasonic 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 was made in view of the above circumstances, and
The small probe is easy to operate and provides a wide inspection field.
In addition, there is no need to create a defective part in the ultrasonic transducer array, the puncture needle is well depicted on the image, and the puncture needle can be inserted almost vertically, making it highly safe and inexpensive. The purpose is to provide children.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 0 is a probe body, 32 is a puncture needle, 33 is an adapter for holding the puncture needle, 34 is a subject, 36 is a lesion, and 36 is an ultrasonic beam beam. 37 is a connection cable with the main body of the device, 38 is an array of ultrasonic transducers arranged in a circular arc shape, 39a and 39b are acoustic matching layers for acoustic impedance matching with the living body 34, and 4o is a connecting cable with the living body 34. This is an acoustic lens that has a nearly flat contact area to improve adhesion.

In other words, the ultrasonic beam of the present invention consists of the ultrasonic transducer array 38
, and the attached acoustic matching layers 39a, 3jb are arranged in a circular arc shape, and the ultrasonic beam 36 is scanned radially in a second by performing a scan similar to a normal linear electronic scan. Here, the acoustic lens makes the contact part with the living body 34 flat to improve close contact, and by using a material (for example, silicone rubber, Teflon, etc.) whose sound velocity is slower than that of the living body 34 or is thinner, The ultrasonic beam 36 is refracted at the boundary between the living body 34 and the acoustic lens 40, and the radiated ultrasonic beam obtained by the curvature of the ultrasonic transducer row 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 field of view) can be obtained. This means that a sufficiently wide field of view can be obtained with a small probe with a small (short) sound wave emitting surface.

The present invention was made by focusing on the characteristics of this probe. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, an adapter 33 through which a puncture needle 32 is inserted and held is provided on the outer wall of the probe main body as described above to form an ultrasonic probe. Here, the adapter 33 is for guiding and supporting the puncture needle 33 so that the puncture needle does not deviate from the tomographic plane obtained by the ultrasonic beam 3e transmitted and received from the probe.

As is clear from FIG. 3, the ultrasonic puncture probe according to the present invention inserts the puncture needle 32 almost vertically.
'j, However, since it moderately intersects with the ultrasound beam 36, the puncture needle 32 is well depicted in the image and it is easy to distinguish the puncture needle 320 on the tomographic image. Furthermore, since the puncture needle 36 can be inserted almost perpendicularly into the subject 34, even if a thin puncture needle 32 is used, it will not encounter resistance from the living tissue and can accurately puncture the target site. Furthermore, the ultrasonic transducer array 38. Acoustic matching layers 39a, 39
Since there is no need to provide a defective portion in the acoustic lens b 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 compact and has good operability, and unlike the sector scanning method, the field of view near the body surface is not narrow, and as the depth of examination increases,
The field of view is wider. 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 the following features: 1: The ultrasonic transducer rows are arranged in a rectangular shape, and the puncture needle is provided on the outside, so that the ultrasound probe of the present invention has The depiction is good, there are no restrictions on the thickness of the needle, and the puncture needle can be easily controlled. Therefore, the drawbacks of both the lateral puncture type and the central puncture type using the conventional mechanical sector scanning method, +7 near electronic scanning method are eliminated, and puncturing can be performed more safely and accurately.

It goes without saying that the actual puncturing procedure 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 the drawing]

Figures 1, 2, and (B) are schematic diagrams of a conventional ultrasound puncture probe, and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound puncture probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. be. 31...Probe body, 32...Puncture needle, 33...Puncture needle holding adapter 34...
...Subject, 36... Thinning, 36...
・Direction of ultrasonic beam, 37...Connection cable with apparatus main body, 38...--Ultrasonic transducer array, 39
a, aeb...acoustic matching layer, 40...acoustic lens.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Arranging an array of ultrasonic transducers having an acoustic matching layer in a circular arc shape,
An acoustic lens made of a material whose sound propagation speed is slower than or approximately equal to that of a living body is provided in the acoustic matching layer, and a contact portion of the acoustic lens with the living body is formed into a substantially flat surface, and an adapter for holding a puncture needle is provided on the outside. An ultrasonic probe characterized in that it is installed in a section.