JP2798749B2 - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe which is inserted into a body cavity to scan while irradiating a peripheral organ with an ultrasonic beam to perform ultrasonic diagnosis.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, in order to ultrasonically diagnose the deep part of the body cavity, an insertion section provided with an ultrasonic transducer at the tip is inserted into the body cavity, and radial scanning or linear scanning is performed via an operation section provided near the surgeon. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used in which deep information is obtained by performing a signal processing, a signal is processed by an observation apparatus, and the processed information is displayed on a monitor. The ultrasonic probe used for this purpose has an ultrasonic transmission medium disposed outside the ultrasonic transducer via a balloon in order to efficiently transmit an ultrasonic beam.

As a specific example of the above conventional example, for example, JP-A-56-1365
There is one disclosed in JP-B-36. In this case, a balloon made of an elastic body is provided so as to surround the distal end component, and the opening edge of the balloon is tightly attached to the outer peripheral surface of the distal end component main body. The closed interior space is filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium liquid that can be injected and discharged through an inlet and an outlet formed in the outer surface of the distal end component main body.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

By the way, the balloon or the tube in the vicinity of the balloon is in direct contact with the inside of the body cavity of the subject, and it is desirable to replace the balloon each time it is used for hygiene management. Also,
Balloons are easily damaged and need to be replaced.

However, in the conventional device, the balloon is not fixed so that it can be easily replaced and used. Therefore, in order to perform a predetermined inspection, a necessary number of ultrasonic probes are prepared and executed, or one ultrasonic probe is disinfected while being disinfected. The method was to use an acoustic probe. Therefore, in the former case, there is a problem that a large number of expensive ultrasonic probes must be prepared, and in the latter case, when the balloon is damaged, there is a problem that the expensive probes must be discarded together. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-described problem, and has as its object to provide an ultrasonic probe in which a balloon can be easily replaced.

[Means and actions for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ultrasonic vibrator provided at a distal end of an elongated body cavity insertion section, an exterior tube detachably covering the entire body cavity insertion section, and an exterior tube. Provided on the outer periphery of the outer tube, when attaching and detaching the outer tube, detachably attached to the outer tube,
A balloon configured to be able to fill an ultrasonic transmission medium around the outer periphery of the ultrasonic vibrator.

In this manner, with this configuration, a detachable outer tube that covers the entire body cavity insertion portion, and an outer tube that is provided on the outer periphery of the outer tube and that is integrally attached to and detached from the outer tube when the outer tube is attached and detached. Since the outer circumference of the ultrasonic transducer is provided with a balloon which can be filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium, it is possible to dispose only the outer sheath with the balloon. That is, in the present invention, the balloon can be exchanged together with the outer tube that covers the entire elongated body cavity insertion section (the entire outer surface of the elongated insertion section can be targeted). Since the balloon can be separated from the acoustic probe, if the balloon is damaged or becomes contaminated by contact in the body cavity and needs to be replaced, it can be easily replaced by the user's hand. In this case, since the balloon can be integrally detachable by replacing the outer tube, the balloon can be easily replaced in terms of hygiene management or damage. Further, although there is a possibility that the insertion portion in the body cavity itself becomes dirty in function, the insertion portion in the body cavity can be replaced simultaneously with replacement of the balloon, which is more effective in hygiene management and replacement. In addition, a balloon that is particularly dirty for hygiene can be replaced without directly touching it (it can be replaced by touching the outer tube). Therefore, it is possible to reuse the expensive ultrasonic probe parts, which is advantageous in terms of cost, and it is possible to prevent infection of pathogens between patients.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. Ultrasonic probe tip 1a
Is located in the body cavity by inserting the insertion portion 1b from the forceps port 3 of the endoscope 2. The light source device 4 connected to the endoscope 2 is for illuminating the inside of a body cavity with the endoscope distal end portion 2a when performing endoscopic observation. Reference numeral 5 denotes an operation unit of the ultrasonic probe 1, which is provided at one end of an arm 7 extending from the observation device 6. A cable 8 from the operation unit 5 is connected to the observation device 6 via an interruption box 9. I have. The use state of the ultrasonic probe 1 can be set by connecting the connection section 1c to the connection section 5a of the operation section 5.

In order to use the present apparatus configured as described above, for example, when ultrasonic diagnosis is performed on the affected part 11 on the wall of the esophagus 10, the position of the endoscope 2 is first confirmed by the inserted endoscope 2a of the direct-view type. Next, the insertion portion 1b of the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted through the forceps port 3 of the endoscope 2, and protrudes into the esophagus 10 from the distal end 2a of the endoscope. Next, a syringe or a two-way stopcock (not shown) is attached to the luer bases 12 and 13 provided at the connection portion 1c of the ultrasonic probe 1, and the ultrasonic transmission medium is transmitted from the other base 13 while bleeding air from one luer base 12. inject. After the inside of the insertion portion 1b is filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium, one of the luer caps 12 is closed with a two-way cock and the internal pressure is increased to increase the insertion portion tip 1a.
The ultrasonic transmission medium is pumped into the balloon 14 to expand the balloon,
Closely contact the affected area 11. After doing so, the ultrasonic probe 1 is driven by operating the observation device 6, and an image of the ultrasonic tomographic plane 15 is displayed on the monitor of the observation device 6 to perform ultrasonic diagnosis.

By performing the ultrasound diagnosis as described above,
With the ultrasonic transmission medium fixed at a required position, effective deep information from inside a lumen such as the esophagus can be obtained.
At the same time, a safe and appropriate ultrasonic diagnosis can be performed while confirming the affected part and the state of the balloon under endoscopic observation.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. The insertion portion 1b is a double tube having an inner tube 16 and an outer tube 17. Insertion section
Only the outer tube 17 extends in the tip direction of 1b, and the extended portion 21 has a slightly reduced outer periphery and a small cross-sectional diameter. Therefore, the insertability when inserting into the body cavity is good, and the pain given to the subject can be reduced. The balloon 22 is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the extension portion 21 by tying the leading end and the rear end with a thread 23. In addition, a detachable plug 24 is provided at the tip of the extending portion 21, and passage openings 25 and 26 for the ultrasonic transmission medium are formed at required portions of the portion corresponding to the inside of the balloon 22.

A vibrator unit 19 having an ultrasonic vibrator 18 is provided inside the extension portion 21, and the vibrator unit 19 is connected to a flexible shaft 20 that transmits a rotational torque from an operation unit. The flexible shaft 20 is inserted through the interior of the inner tube 16 while maintaining a predetermined clearance, and extends to the operation unit. A coaxial cable for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic signal is connected inside the flexible shaft 20, and one end of the coaxial cable is connected to the ultrasonic vibrator 18 and the other end is connected to an electric contact in a connection portion on the operation unit side.

FIG. 3 shows a connection portion of the ultrasonic probe 1 on the operation section side. Only near the connecting portion side of the insertion portion 1b,
A protective tube 33 is provided to prevent the outer tube 17 from breaking. The connecting portion 1c has an insertion passage 29 for the flexible shaft 20 on the central axis 28 of the main body 27, and a first lumen 30 for feeding and draining the ultrasonic transmission medium around the insertion passage 29. A first water supply / drainage opening 31 for attaching the luer base 13 in the vertical direction is formed, and a member for holding the flexible shaft 20 and maintaining watertightness is provided at a position near the rear end of the flexible shaft. A second lumen 32 is formed. At the tip of the main body 27, a tapered portion 34 tapering toward the tip direction is formed,
The inner tube 16 of the insertion portion 1b is put over the tapered portion 34, and is pressed down by a first fixed tube 36 through an auxiliary tube 35 in a watertight manner. At the end of the main body 27, outside the fixed tube 36, a connecting main body 37 is fixed in a watertight manner via a ring-shaped elastic member 38. A third lumen 39 for feeding and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium and an inner tube insertion passage 40 continuous with the third lumen 39 are formed on the central axis inside the connecting main body 37. In addition, the third lumen
The inner wall of the tube 39 does not contact the fixed tube 36, and a predetermined clearance is formed between the inner tube 16 and the inner tube insertion passage 40. A second water supply / drain opening 41 for attaching the luer base 12 in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the connecting main body 37 is formed. At the tip of the connecting body 37, a tapered portion 42 tapering toward the tip direction is formed.
Cover the outer tube 17 and hold it down with the auxiliary tube 43,
The protective tube 33 is put on the outside thereof, and the second fixed tube 44
To keep it watertight. At the same time, the second fixed tube 44
Are connected and fixed to the connection body 37. Therefore, since only the outer tube 17 provided with the balloon 22 can be attached and detached, even if the balloon 22 is damaged, only the outer tube 17 needs to be replaced, and the replacement work is easy.
Can be replaced by the user.

A shaft fixing shaft 45 for supporting and fixing the flexible shaft 20 is provided in the second lumen 32 of the main body 27, and a bearing stop is provided between the outer periphery of the shaft fixing shaft 45 and the inner wall of the second lumen 32. By interposing the sliding bearing 46 held by 47, the shaft fixed shaft 45 is rotatable. In addition, the flexible shaft
Reference numeral 20 is fitted to the shaft fixing shaft 45, and the screw 50 is screwed into a screw hole 49 formed in the shaft fixing shaft 45, and an adhesive is poured from the screw hole 49 to be water-tightly fixed. A shaft fixing shaft 45 is fitted near the shaft end of the flexible shaft 20 in the second lumen 32, and ring-shaped elastic members 51 and 52 are provided on the outer periphery and the inner periphery, respectively, to fix the shaft to the main body 27. axis
A cover 48 is provided to maintain watertightness with the cover 45.

An outer tube 55 is provided outside the main body 27, and a screw 54 is screwed into the V groove 53 and fixed. The outer tube 55 has a large diameter in the vicinity of the fixed portion, and a concave groove is formed all around the outer periphery of the large diameter portion.
An outer diameter portion is formed in an arc shape in the concave groove 56, and the diameter of the inner peripheral portion is larger than the diameter of the concave groove, and the diameter of the outer peripheral portion is the outer diameter of the large diameter portion of the outer tube 55. A rotary connection 58 is disposed outside the end of the shaft fixed shaft 45, and a C-shaped metal ring 57 is fitted with a part cut away. A lid 59 is provided between the shaft fixed shaft 45 and the shaft fixed shaft 45 via ring-shaped elastic members 60 and 61.
45 and a pin holding portion 62 to be described later are kept watertight, and are further fixed with screws 63. 64 is a flexible shaft
A stainless steel electrical contact pin for connecting and fixing a certain signal line through the interior of 20, connecting the ground wire to the one facing the central axis direction and the signal line to the orthogonal direction. .

With this configuration, when the rotary connection unit 58 is rotated by the power source of the operation unit 5, the transducer unit 19 at the tip of the ultrasonic probe 1 can be rotated via the flexible shaft 20. . On the other hand, by supplying a signal to the ultrasonic transducer 18 via the signal line 88, ultrasonic scanning can be performed.

At this time, when an ultrasonic transmission medium is sent from the luer base 13 with a syringe or the like, it passes through the interior tube 16 and fills up near the vibrator unit 19, and unnecessary air flows through the conduit between the interior tube 16 and the exterior tube 17. Through the luer base 12. Therefore, the liquid sending property of the ultrasonic transmission medium is good. In order to inflate the balloon 22, a method may be adopted in which the luer cap 12 is closed to increase the pressure in the pipeline, or a liquid is sent from the luer cap 12. Further, a tube of a suction device may be connected to the luer base 12 to suction unnecessary air.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the connection portion 5a of the operation unit 5. A spring contact in which a joint A66 is screw-fixed to a hollow rotary output shaft 65 connected to a motor (not shown), and a signal line 67 passing through the inside of the rotary output shaft 65 is fixed by soldering.
Screw A68 to the joint A66. Further, a joint B69 is screwed so as to face the joint A66 so that the two rotate integrally. In the front part of the joint B69, six concave portions formed by a concave groove 70 and a cut portion 71 cut out in a direction parallel to a central axis continuous with the concave groove 70 are provided in a circumferential direction. A spring contact B with the signal wire 67 soldered inside the joint B69
72 is fitted and fixed.
Numeral 3 is exposed from the cut portion 71. The operation unit 5 is provided with a chassis 74, and the front part of the chassis 74 covers the joints A66 and B69, and is provided with a fixing member 75 so as to be coaxial with them, and is provided at the probe connection part 1c. A receiving groove 76 for receiving the metal ring 57 is formed.

With such a configuration, to connect the ultrasonic probe 1 to the operation unit 5, the ultrasonic probe 1 and the operation unit 5 are joined so that their rotation axes are coaxial. Then, mechanical transmission is performed by the joint B6 on the operation unit 5 side.
Notch 71 of 9 and electrical contact pin 6 on ultrasonic probe 1 side
4 is performed by fitting. In this case, the two may not properly correspond to each other, but the electrical contact pin 64 is guided by the concave groove 70 at the entrance of the notch 71 and guided to the notch 71, so that the fitting can be surely performed.

Next, the electrical connection is performed by the contact portion 7 of the spring contact B72 in which the electrical contact pin perpendicular to the central axis is exposed from the cut portion 71.
3, and furthermore, the electric contact pin in the direction of the central axis contacts the spring contact A68 provided on the joint A66. With such an electrical connection, the configuration can be simplified, the assembly can be facilitated, and the cost can be reduced. At the same time, as described above, the mechanical connection is easy,
Electrical connection can be easily made. Next, the ultrasonic probe 1 is fixed to the operation section 5 by the metal ring 57 of the ultrasonic probe 1.
Is inserted into the receiving groove 76 formed in the fixing member 75 on the operation section 5 side while being elastically deformed.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 18 performs linear scanning, and the flexible shaft 20 connected to the transducer unit 19 is connected to the linear scanning unit 78, and the ultrasonic probe 1
The ultrasonic vibrator linearly scans while moving forward and backward within the distal end portion 1a. The balloon 22 is an outer tube 17
Are provided over a range in which linear scanning is sufficiently performed. The outer tube 17 provided with the balloon 22 is the first tube.
Similarly to the embodiment, the auxiliary pipe 43 and the second fixed pipe 44 are detachably fixed while being pressed down in a watertight manner. Therefore, replacement of the balloon 22 and the outer tube 17 that directly contact the living body can be easily performed.

When performing ultrasonic scanning, the two luer caps 12 and 13 are used to inject an ultrasonic transmission medium from one side while degassing from the other and fill the space between the inner tube 16 and the outer tube 17, so that the balloon 22 As in the first embodiment, the lubrication is performed by closing the luer base 12 on the deaeration side and increasing the internal pressure. In this embodiment, the vibrator unit 19
The ultrasonic transducer 18 is driven while moving forward and backward to perform ultrasonic scanning.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention. The vibrator unit 19 is provided at one end of a piston 79 that moves within the distal end portion 1a of the ultrasonic probe 1, and a signal line for driving the ultrasonic vibrator extends to the operation unit. The piston 79 has a first tube 80 slidably disposed at its center axis position, and the outer periphery of the piston
Rubbed with the tube 81. Then, the second tube 81 is filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium, and when the ultrasonic transmission medium is sent under pressure to a pipe 82 formed by the first tube 80 and the second tube 81, the piston 79 Since the ultrasonic transmission medium is pushed out toward the distal end side of the ultrasonic probe 1, the ultrasonic transmission medium ahead of the piston 79 moves through the first tube 80 to the operation section side, so that the vibrator unit 19 integrated with the piston 79 is smooth. Then, it moves to the ultrasonic probe side.

On the other hand, when the ultrasonic transmission medium is pulled from the pipe 82, the ultrasonic transmission medium is sent from the inside of the first tube 80 toward the piston 79, and the vibrator unit 19 smoothly moves to the rear end side of the ultrasonic probe. .

An outer tube 17 having a balloon 22 at the tip is disposed outside the ultrasonic probe 1 configured as described above. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, two walls 83 facing the central axis are formed inside the outer tube 17, and a first insertion passage 84 and a second insertion passage 85 are formed. A communication port 86 communicating with the balloon 22 is formed in each of the insertion passages so that an ultrasonic transmission medium is fed into the balloon 22. Further, both insertion passages communicate with each other near the distal end of the outer tube 17.

In this embodiment, the outer tube having the balloon 22 is also provided.
17 is detachably connected in the same manner as in each of the above embodiments, so that the balloon 22 and the outer tube 17 can be replaced and used while the expensive vibrator unit and the like are being reused.

FIG. 9 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, an electronic radial scanning ultrasonic transducer 87 is provided at the tip of the flexible shaft 20 instead of the ultrasonic transducer. In this method, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged on a circumference, and transmit and receive ultrasonic waves one after another while rotating the whole. Since there is no mechanically movable part, it goes without saying that a drive unit such as a motor is not required in the operation unit. Other configurations are almost the same as those in the above-described embodiments, and the same applies to replacement use of the balloon 22 and the like.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the balloon can be exchanged together with the outer tube that covers the entire elongated body cavity insertion section (the entire outer surface of the elongated insertion section can be targeted). A detachable outer tube for externally covering the entire insertion portion; and an outer tube provided on the outer periphery of the outer tube, which is integrally attached to and detached from the outer tube when the outer tube is attached to and detached from the outer tube. Since the outer tube having the balloon can be separated from the ultrasonic probe since the balloon is provided with a balloon capable of being filled with the transmission medium, the balloon may be damaged or may be contaminated by contact in the body cavity to be used for replacement. If the need arises, it can be easily replaced and used by the user. In this case, the balloon can be made integrally detachable by exchanging the outer tube, so that the balloon can be easily replaced for hygiene management and damage prevention, and furthermore, the insertion portion in the body cavity is functionally itself. Although there is a possibility of becoming dirty, the replacement of the balloon and the insertion portion in the body cavity can be replaced at the same time, which is more effective on hygiene management and replacement. Can be replaced (can be replaced by touching the outer tube). Therefore, it is possible to reuse expensive ultrasonic probe parts, which is advantageous in terms of cost, and it is also possible to prevent the transmission of pathogens between patients.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of the ultrasonic probe, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a connection portion of the operation unit, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the ultrasonic probe, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the ultrasonic probe, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA, and FIG. 9 is an ultrasonic probe. FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 16 Inner tube 17 Outer tube 18 Ultrasonic transducer 19 Transducer unit 20 Flexible shaft 22 Balloon 23 Thread

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A61B 8/12

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An ultrasonic transducer provided at a distal end portion of an elongated insertion portion in a body cavity; an outer tube for detachably mounting the entire insertion portion in the body cavity; and an outer tube provided on an outer periphery of the outer tube; An ultrasonic probe, comprising: a balloon that is integrally attached to and detached from the outer tube when the outer tube is attached and detached so that an ultrasonic transmission medium can be filled around the ultrasonic vibrator.