JP3231526B2 - Ultrasound endoscope - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic endoscope which performs ultrasonic scanning with an ultrasonic transducer and a reflecting mirror for observation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a diagnostic device using a mechanical scanning ultrasonic endoscope for ultrasonically diagnosing deep organs by inserting it into a body cavity, conventionally, an ultrasonic transducer is rotatable at the tip of a flexible insertion portion. And mechanically scans the inside of a body cavity while rotating the ultrasonic vibrator via a flexible shaft or the like extending from a hand operation unit to perform ultrasonic diagnosis.

On the other hand, there has also been proposed a system in which a vibrator is fixed and a reflecting mirror is rotated to perform scanning, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-169761.

[0004]

According to the above-mentioned proposal, the ultrasonic vibrator is fixed, and therefore, the ultrasonic vibrator is used in comparison with the system in which scanning is performed while rotating the ultrasonic vibrator. Because it can be configured not to scan while rotating,
Although it has advantages such as a simpler structure, improvements can be made from the following points.

That is, a diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic endoscope that performs scanning by mirror reflection employs a structure in which one vibrator for a predetermined frequency is fixed. Inspection cannot be performed by switching between multiple frequencies.

[0006] In ultrasonic endoscopy, high-resolution high-frequency is used for diagnosing the depth of penetration into the digestive tract wall, and the like.
In the diagnosis of organs such as the pancreas and gallbladder, a low frequency with a large depth is used. However, with a single-frequency ultrasonic endoscope, if you want to perform ultrasonic scanning and observation using the optimal frequency for the diagnosis site, you need to replace the endoscope according to the required frequency Therefore, the pain of the patient associated with removal and insertion of the endoscope is great, and the burden on the operator is great. In this respect, there is still room for improvement.

[0007] The present invention provides an ultrasonic endoscope which is improved from the above-mentioned point and which can switch a plurality of frequencies while utilizing the advantages of the method of scanning using a rotating reflecting mirror. It is intended to do so.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic endoscope which is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion portion and is provided on a same surface by dividing the first frequency portion. An ultrasonic vibrator having a first vibrating part for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and a second vibrating part for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves having a second frequency different from the first frequency, the first vibrating part and the second vibration An ultrasonic scanning reflection mirror rotatably provided at the distal end of the insertion portion in opposition to the portion, and switching means for electrically switching transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by the first vibrating portion or the second vibrating portion. It is characterized by having.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the first vibrating portions respectively corresponding to the first frequency and the second frequency are provided on the same surface of the ultrasonic vibrator disposed opposite to the rotatable ultrasonic scanning reflecting mirror. And the second vibrating section are provided, and the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wave by the first vibrating section or the second vibrating section are electrically switched by the switching means, so that the first and second vibrating sections are joined back to back. Compared to the case where the vibrating part is mechanically switched by rotating it, the reliability can be improved without relying on the switching accuracy, and the advantages of the method using the reflecting mirror for ultrasonic scanning can be utilized. In addition, it is possible to switch between a plurality of frequencies, and it is possible to achieve both of them, and it is possible to reduce the pain of the patient and the burden on the operator.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a first development example of an ultrasonic endoscope diagnostic apparatus prior to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the details of the distal end of the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope, and FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the distal end cover and the distal end hard portion, respectively. Referring to FIG. 1, in FIG. 1, what is denoted by reference numeral 1 is an endoscope insertion portion, and the insertion portion 1 is a distal end portion 2,
It comprises a curved portion 3 and a flexible portion 4.

At the rear end of the endoscope insertion section 1, an endoscope operation section 5 is provided.
Is provided. The endoscope operation section 5 is provided with a vibrator rotation knob 6 which will be described later in the present embodiment, and a bending operation knob 7 for bending the bending section 3, an air supply / water supply button 8, and the like. And the universal cord 9 is connected. The distal end of the universal cord 9 is provided with a scope connector 10 connected to a light source device (not shown). The vibrator rotating knob 6 is a knob operated by an operator as described later when it is desired to perform ultrasonic diagnosis and observation by changing the frequency used according to the diagnostic site or the like.

At the further rear end of the endoscope operation section 6, there is provided a sub operation section 11 for amplifying the ultrasonic signal and controlling the motor. An ultrasonic code 12 is connected to the sub-operation unit 11, and an ultrasonic connector 13 connected to an ultrasonic observation device (not shown) is provided at an end of the ultrasonic code 12.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the details of the distal end portion 2 of the endoscope insertion portion 1 in which the relevant portion is enlarged and a part is cut away. It consists of nineteen. The distal end hard portion 19 includes the illumination lens 1
5. It has an objective lens 16, an air / water nozzle 17 and a channel 18. A light guide fiber (not shown) and an image guide fiber (not shown) are mounted inside the illumination lens 15 and the objective lens 16 after the objective lens 16, respectively. Then, they are guided toward the hand side.

Further, the distal end cover 14 and the distal end hard portion 19
Includes an ultrasonic vibrator having a plurality of vibrating surfaces, an ultrasonic scanning reflecting mirror attached to a rotating shaft so as to face the ultrasonic vibrator, and an ultrasonic vibrator vibrating surface switching mechanism. Components are located. FIG. 3 shows an example of the internal configuration of the distal end cover 14 and the distal end hard portion 19. As shown in the drawing, inside the distal end cover 14, a motor 20, a reflection mirror 21, an ultrasonic transducer 22, and an ultrasonic wave The transmission medium 23 and the like are stored. Here, the ultrasonic transmission medium 23 is enclosed by a sealing screw 24 and an O-ring 25.

The motor 20 is buried in the rigid distal end portion 19 and includes an electric cable 26 guided from the near side.
Transmits a drive / rotation control signal, and controls the drive / rotation. The reflection mirror 21 is a reflection mirror for ultrasonic scanning that is rotated by the motor 20. A rotation shaft 27 is provided between the reflection mirror 21 and the motor 20, whereby the rotation of the reflection mirror 21 attached to the rotation shaft 27 is performed. Is made. An O-ring 28 is inserted in the portion of the rotation shaft 27 for driving the reflection mirror.

An ultrasonic vibrator, which is arranged to face the rotating reflecting mirror 21 and is used for performing ultrasonic diagnosis, has a plurality of vibrating surfaces. Here, the form having a plurality of vibration surfaces is preferably a combination form of a plurality of elements. The number is preferably 2 or 3, and may be 4 or more.

In this embodiment, a combination form of a plurality of elements is employed. Specifically, here, the ultrasonic vibrator 22 has two vibrators having different frequencies bonded to each other on the front and back. It has a shape. In this case, there are two types of vibrators, one for high frequencies and one for low frequencies. In this way, in this example, the ultrasonic transducer 22 is
It has a total of two vibration surfaces. In the drawings, the appended circular broken lines indicate the shape of the vibrator (the shape as viewed from the front), and the vibrator is a disk (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

In the ultrasonic vibrator 22 of the present embodiment, the ultrasonic vibrator 22 is rotatably disposed in the front end cover 14 while being supported on a rotating shaft. Signal transmission cable 2 for signal supply to vibrator
9 extends from the ultrasonic vibrator 22, and the cable 29 is wound around, for example, twice about one vibrator rotation shaft 30a (the upper rotation shaft portion in FIG. 3), and thereafter the distal end hard portion. It is led into 19.

A water-tight member 32 to which an O-ring 31 is attached is water-tightly fixed to a portion of the signal transmission cable 29 which is introduced into the distal end hard portion 19. Thus, the signal transmission cable 29 introduced into the distal end hard portion 19 is
It is guided to the hand side and is connected to an amplifier (not shown) in the sub-operation unit 11 via the flexible unit 4 and the operation unit 5 in FIG. In the present example, the signal transmission cable 29 also serves as a means for transmitting a force for rotating the ultrasonic vibrator 22 so as to switch between the front and back vibrators of the ultrasonic vibrator 22 as described later. It is.

On the other hand, the signal transmission cable 29
Between the other transducer rotating shaft 30b (the lower rotating shaft portion in FIG. 3) and the front end cover 14 on which the is not wound.
A rotation biasing spring 33 is interposed.

The spring 33 normally has two elements (2
A first position (initial state position) where the surface of one of the vibrators of the ultrasonic vibrator 22 in the form of a single vibrator faces the reflecting mirror 21 as shown in FIG. 3, and In the second position state in which the other transducer surface is directly opposed to the reflection mirror 21 by the rotation operation of the ultrasonic transducer 22, the initial state (initial state) of the first position from the rotation state. The spring acts to apply a restoring force for returning the ultrasonic vibrator 22 to the rotation by the spring force.
Therefore, when the vibrator rotates, the operation is performed against the spring force of the spring 33 to rotate the vibrator.

Here, in the case of this example, switching between high and low frequencies is performed. The manner of installing the two front and back vibrators for the high frequency and the low frequency is described in the first position (initial position). The ultrasonic transducer used in the state position), that is, the ultrasonic transducer to be used in a normal state, is used for ultrasonic scanning more than usual for diagnosis according to the specific application of the ultrasonic endoscope. It is a preferable embodiment to set the frequency for the frequency that becomes In this case, the one having a relatively low frequency of use is the transducer used for ultrasonic scanning in the second position state. This increases usability.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the structure of the above-described vibrator rotating mechanism (vibrator inverting mechanism), which is mainly used for explaining the rotational force transmitting mechanism on the hand side. FIG.
In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, the vibrator rotating knob 6 of the endoscope operating section 5 is fixed to the operating lever 34 with a screw 40, and rotates around a central axis 35. I do. The central axis of a bending operation knob (not shown in FIG. 4) (see FIG. 1) is fitted inside the central axis 35.

The mechanism further includes a first link 36 and a second link 36.
Of the operation lever 3
4 is also fixed with screws. The first link 36 is also connected to a second link 38 via a pin 37, and is connected from the second link 38 to the cable connecting member 39 using the pin 37. Then, the signal transmission cable 29 (see FIGS. 4 and 3) that is movably inserted through the watertight member 32 (FIG. 3) and guided to the sub-operation unit 11 (FIG. 1) side is inserted into the cable connecting member 39. The middle part of () is adhesively fixed. Thus, the signal transmission cable 29
Can be moved back and forth in the endoscope insertion section 1 by operating the knob 6, and therefore the ultrasonic transducer 22 (FIG. 3)
Can be also acted as a means for transmitting a force to rotate (therefore, switch the vibration surface of the ultrasonic transducer).

In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer vibrating surface switching mechanism including the above-described mechanism is constituted, and in the case of an ultrasonic endoscope which performs ultrasonic scanning and observes using the ultrasonic transducer and the reflecting mirror. An ultrasonic vibrator 22 having two vibrating surfaces, and a rotating shaft 2 facing the ultrasonic vibrator 22
7 can be provided with the ultrasonic scanning reflection mirror 21 attached to the ultrasonic transducer 7 and its ultrasonic transducer vibrating surface switching mechanism.

In the mirror reflection type ultrasonic endoscope having the above-mentioned structure, the frequency can be switched as follows. In the ultrasonic endoscope of this example, during the ultrasonic diagnosis,
If the operator wants to perform an ultrasound diagnosis using a frequency different from the frequency currently used for diagnosis, the knob for rotating the transducer can be used without changing the endoscope. 6 can be operated.

That is, when the vibrator rotation knob 6 is operated, the operation of the knob 6 causes the operation lever 34 to operate.
Perform a rotary motion, which is converted into a linear motion of the second link 38 via the first link 36, and the signal transmission cable 29 can be advanced and retracted via the cable connecting member 39.

Therefore, for example, now, the ultrasonic vibrator 22
Is used in the first position (initial state position) using the vibrator side for one frequency in the normal state and thus for one frequency. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the surface of one of the transducers faces the reflecting mirror 21 which is rotating through the rotating shaft 27 by the motor 20, and the frequency is used for diagnosis and the ultrasonic wave is used. Scanning and observation are performed.

However, in such a case, when it is desired to use the second position using the vibrator side for the other frequency, the operator operates the knob 6, thereby pulling the signal transmission cable 29. Then, the signal transmission cable 29 is pulled in such a manner, whereby the vibrator rotating shaft 30
The ultrasonic vibrator 22 rotates around the axes a and 30b, and the other vibrator face faces the rotating reflecting mirror 21 in this way, so that different frequencies can be easily used.

When the knob 6 is returned from the switching state and the signal transmission cable 29 is returned, the rotation urging spring 3 is turned off.
With a force of 3, the ultrasonic transducer 22 returns to its original state. That is, it is possible to return to the initial normal first position state and return to the initial position state.

According to this embodiment, a mirror reflection type ultrasonic endoscope which can selectively switch between high and low frequencies can be realized in this way, and the pain of the patient and the burden on the operator can be reduced. The mechanical scanning type ultrasonic endoscope also makes use of the advantage of the type in which the scanning is performed by rotating the side of the reflection mirror 21 without scanning while rotating the ultrasonic transducer, and achieving compatibility with this. Thus, the ultrasonic inspection can be performed while switching to a different frequency. Ultrasound endoscopy can be performed according to the case where it is better to use high frequency of high resolution or the case where it is appropriate to use low frequency with deep penetration, and it can be used selectively, and At this time, this is possible without exchanging the endoscope, and accordingly, it is possible to avoid increasing the pain of the patient and the burden on the operator.

In this embodiment, two vibrators are used. However, if a shape combining three or more vibrators is used, three vibrators are used.
Switching of one or more frequencies is possible. Further, in this example, if the switching of the signal supply of the plurality of vibrators is linked to the operation of the vibrator rotating member, the usability is further improved. Further, the switching of the signal supply to the vibrator may be performed by providing switch means or the like separately from the vibrator rotating member.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the overall configuration of FIG. 1 and the components related to FIG. 2 described in the first development example may be basically the same. Hereinafter, the main part of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the internal configuration of the distal end cover and the distal end hard portion of the endoscope insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope in this embodiment. In the figure, the ultrasonic transducer 50 is fixed to the distal end cover 14 in this embodiment. The signal transmission cable 51 extended from the ultrasonic vibrator 50 is guided to the distal end hard portion 19 and reaches the hand operation portion. Here, in the present embodiment, a portion where the signal transmission cable 51 is guided to the distal end hard portion 19 is sealed by a sealant 52 in a watertight manner. In the figure, the same components as those in the first development example are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Further, in this embodiment, the fixed ultrasonic vibrator 50 has a configuration having a plurality of vibrating surfaces as follows. FIG. 6 is a view from the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 5. In this example, the ultrasonic transducer 50 includes two transducers 50 a and 50 b which are annularly divided on the same surface. I have. In the center, a hole 53 for injection of an ultrasonic transmission medium is provided.
Is open. In the illustrated example, the vibrating surface has two vibrators, that is, the vibrator 50a and the vibrator 50b.

As described above, in this embodiment, the vibrators are combined by surface division, and the signal supply to these two vibrators 50a and 50b is switched. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, instead of using the rotation of the ultrasonic vibrator, the endoscope operation section 5 in FIG. The ultrasonic vibrator vibration surface switching means can be provided, and includes such a switch means. The other points are the same as those in the first development example, and the configuration and operation are the same.

In this embodiment, the same effects as in the first development example can be obtained. In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration is made as described above. Therefore, the vibrator is divided into surfaces without using the mechanical vibrator reversing mechanism (rotating mechanism) used in the first development example. The two frequencies are electrically switched by switch means. By doing so, the first
Compared to the case where the vibrator is mechanically switched as in the development example, the vibrator can be fixed and arranged, so that the configuration can be simplified and the ultrasonic scanning direction is not affected by the vibrator switching accuracy. Therefore, the reliability in ultrasonic diagnosis can be improved. Moreover, the ultrasonic endoscope 50 in which the ultrasonic vibrator 50 is fixed and which uses the rotating reflecting mirror 20 to perform scanning by mirror reflection in a system using the mirror 20 is utilized to the maximum extent, and high compatibility is realized.

The ultrasonic transducer 50 may be divided not from concentric circles as shown in FIG. 6 but from the center as shown in FIG. 7, for example. Also, other surface division modes may be used. FIG. 6 or FIG.
In any of the division modes, the number of divisions is not limited to two, and may be three or more.

Next, a second development example will be described. This example is based on the first development example. Hereinafter, the main part of the present example will be described. FIG. 8 shows an example of the internal configuration of the distal end cover and the distal end hard portion of the distal end insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope of the present example. In this example, the reflecting mirror 21 is held by the rigid distal end portion 19 in a flexible and rotatable manner by a bearing 70. The reflecting mirror 21 is configured to rotate by transmitting a rotational force of a driving unit such as a motor provided inside the sub-operation unit 11 by the driving shaft 71.

Here, the drive shaft 71 constitutes a rotating member, and in this embodiment, a rotating reflecting mirror 21 for ultrasonic scanning attached to the drive shaft 71 is provided. Other parts are the same as those in the first development example, and are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In this development example, the same effects as in the first development example can be obtained. Further, in addition, in this example, the following operation and effect can be obtained. That is, in the present example, unlike the first development example and the example, the motor 20 is not built in the hard distal end portion 19, and the rotational force of the driving portion provided in the sub-operation portion 11 is transmitted to the driving shaft 70. The light is transmitted to the reflection mirror 21 in the distal end portion 2 through the intermediary.

Thus, the structure inside the distal end hard portion 19 is simplified, the outer diameter and the length of the distal end hard portion are both reduced and shortened, and this has the advantage of further reducing pain to the patient. can get.

FIGS. 9 and 10 and FIGS. 11 and 12 show another preferred embodiment of the drive shaft.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show an example of this. In this example, a square shaft 81 having a sectional shape as shown in FIG. 10 is used as a drive shaft for rotating the reflection mirror. is there. By using this, in the case of this example, the cable 80 can be passed outside the shaft,
An additional function such as a light emitting function can be added to the reflection mirror, and the probe itself can be further reduced in diameter.

FIGS. 11 and 12 also show the structure of the drive shaft. In this example, a shaft 82 having an external shape as shown in FIG. 12, that is, a shaft having a square cross-sectional shape is used as a driving shaft for rotating the reflection mirror. According to the present example, by doing so, the resistance to the ultrasonic transmission medium 83 is further reduced, and the advantage that the rotation is smoother is further obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, a case has been described in which each of the above embodiments is applied individually, but it is of course possible to combine these embodiments with one another.

Further, in this case, for example, at least one vibrator side of a combination of a plurality of vibrators is not divided into the side surfaces of the vibrator, and only the other one or more vibrator side surfaces are not divided. A combination mode in which the above-described surface division is performed, or a combination mode in which the surface division is performed on each of the transducer side surfaces on any of the transducer side surfaces may be employed. Such a configuration is also included in the present invention, and in this case, it is possible to respond to finer frequency switching while suppressing an unnecessary increase in the diameter of the ultrasonic endoscope distal end portion. Inspection of ultrasonic scanning and observation can be performed, and the correspondingness can be improved accordingly.

For example, in the ultrasonic transducer shown in FIG. 3, one of the transducers on the front and back is back-to-back, and the other transducer is left as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG.
If the method of dividing the surface of the vibrator described above is combined, the switching of the two types of frequencies in the case of FIG. 3 can be easily performed even if the sizes are almost the same. What you can do is feasible.

[0050]

According to the present invention, the first and second frequencies corresponding to the first frequency and the second frequency are provided on the same surface of the ultrasonic transducer disposed opposite the rotatable ultrasonic scanning reflection mirror. A first vibrating part and a second vibrating part are provided, and the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by the first vibrating part or the second vibrating part are electrically switched by the switching means, so that the first and second vibrating parts are back to back. Compared to the case of joining and rotating the vibrating part to mechanically switch the vibrating part, the vibrator can be fixedly arranged, the configuration can be simplified, and the ultrasonic scanning direction is affected by the vibrator switching accuracy. Therefore, reliability in ultrasonic diagnosis can be improved. Moreover,
The advantage of the method using the reflecting mirror for ultrasonic scanning can be utilized, and a plurality of frequencies can be switched, so that both can be achieved and the pain of the patient and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a first diagram of an ultrasonic endoscope diagnostic apparatus prior to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of a development example.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of details of a distal end portion of the endoscope insertion section in the same example.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of an internal configuration of a distal end cover and a distal end hard portion of the distal end portion.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a vibrator rotating mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a main part of an ultrasonic endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a distal end cover and a rigid distal end portion in an endoscope insertion portion.

FIG. 6 is a view showing one configuration example of an ultrasonic transducer applicable in the same example, and is a view as seen from an arrow A in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view showing another example of the configuration of the ultrasonic transducer which can be applied similarly.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a main part of an ultrasonic endoscope according to a second development example prior to the present invention, showing an example of an internal configuration of a distal end cover and a distal end hard portion in an endoscope insertion portion. It is.

FIG. 9 is a diagram provided for describing another example of the drive shaft applicable to the example.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining still another example of the drive shaft applicable in the same example.

FIG. 12 is an external view showing the drive shaft extracted therefrom.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first device for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave of a first frequency, which is provided at a distal end portion of an insertion portion and divided and provided on the same surface.
An ultrasonic vibrator having a vibrating part and a second vibrating part for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave having a second frequency different from the first frequency; and an ultrasonic vibrator facing the first vibrating part and the second vibrating part. An ultrasonic wave comprising: an ultrasonic scanning reflection mirror rotatably provided at a distal end; and switching means for electrically switching transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by the first vibrating unit or the second vibrating unit. Endoscope.