JP3483053B2 - Needle-like ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a probe for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly, to a needle-like ultrasonic probe suitable for diagnosing a tissue property of a deep layer in a subject and high-resolution imaging, and an ultrasonic probe using the same. The present invention relates to a sound wave image diagnostic apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A biopsy is known as a method for diagnosing a lesion occurring in an organ. this is,
While drawing the internal organs of the body cavity with an ultrasonic imaging device, the puncture needle is inserted into the lesion site, and the living tissue of the lesion site is introduced and collected inside the needle, and this is differentiated to diagnose the disease name. It is a thing. However, with this method, there is a problem in that the tissue cannot be diagnosed immediately because it is inspected after the living tissue is removed from the body, and that the tissue changes from the in-vivo state. Therefore, a needle-like ultrasonic probe has been proposed that attaches an ultrasonic transducer to a puncture needle and directly inserts it into a lesion to measure the tissue properties of the lesion or image surrounding living tissue. . Such a needle-shaped ultrasonic probe that has been proposed so far has, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-78299, a needle is provided with a concave portion and an ultrasonic transducer is provided on its wall surface. In addition, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-125, the inner needle of the puncture needle and the ultrasonic transducer can be exchanged, or as disclosed in JP-A-60-90542. The outer needle is provided with an opening at a part thereof so that the ultrasonic transducer mounted on the side surface of the inner needle is exposed.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
Draw tissue at the cellular level to examine the fine structure of the lesion. For this purpose, a high resolution of at least several tens of μm is required. In order to obtain high resolution, it is desirable that the center frequency of waves transmitted and received by the ultrasonic transducer is a high frequency of 50 MHz or higher, but the higher the frequency, the greater the attenuation of ultrasonic waves by the living body. Frequency 50MHz
In the above, the ultrasonic penetration depth is 1 mm or less. Therefore,
In the needle ultrasonic probe, the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue needs to be as small as possible. On the other hand, it is difficult to mount a large number of ultrasonic transducers on a needle having a diameter of 1 mm or less, and it is essential to scan the ultrasonic transducers for imaging. At this time, if the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue are in direct contact with each other, the living tissue is destroyed during scanning, and accurate diagnosis cannot be performed. Therefore, it is necessary to control the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue, for example, between 300 μm and 1 mm. As described above, the needle-shaped ultrasonic probe has a technical problem different from those of the conventional probes. This is organized below.

First, the ultrasonic transducer requires high positional accuracy. If the image resolution of several tens of μm or more is required, the ultrasonic transducer is required to have higher positional accuracy. For this purpose, it is necessary to prevent blurring during scanning of the ultrasonic transducer and uneven scanning speed. Second
That is, it is necessary to keep the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue, for example, between 300 μm and 1 mm when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. At this time, it is necessary to supply an ultrasonic transmission medium between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue so that the ultrasonic transmission medium does not come into direct contact. Thirdly, there is a problem of connection of a signal line for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and a pipe for supplying an ultrasonic transmission medium when the ultrasonic transducer is continuously rotated and scanned. By devising the connecting portion, it is possible to prevent these from winding around the needle as it rotates. However, it may be difficult to provide a complicated connecting portion inside the needle having a diameter of 1 mm or less. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
The purpose thereof is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional technique, and to perform a needle-like ultrasonic probe suitable for tissue property diagnosis and high resolution imaging of a deep layer in a subject and an ultrasonic image diagnosis using the same. To provide a device.

[0005]

The above object of the present invention is to have an inner needle which is a rigid body inside a hollow outer needle having a puncture needle-like tip, and at least one side needle on the side surface of the inner needle. A needle-shaped ultrasonic probe provided with an ultrasonic transducer, at the time of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, at least a portion of the inner needle provided with the ultrasonic transducer is exposed from the tip of the outer needle, An inner needle is moved with respect to the outer needle to scan the ultrasonic transducer, or an ultrasonic transmission medium is fed into or discharged from the inside of the inner needle. A needle-shaped ultrasonic probe characterized by having a tube, and an ultrasonic wave for imaging surrounding living tissue from a signal obtained by the ultrasonic transducer using the needle-shaped ultrasonic probe An image diagnostic apparatus,
The ultrasonic transducer mounted on the inner needle, when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves while performing reciprocal rotary scanning with respect to the axis of the needle, a signal obtained in the outward path and a signal obtained in the return path, This is achieved by an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus characterized by storing in different storage devices.

Specifically, in order to solve the above-mentioned first problem, the inside of a hollow outer needle having a puncture needle-like tip,
An inner needle that is a rigid body is provided, and an ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the side surface of the inner needle. Here, the distance between the inner diameter of the outer needle and the outer diameter of the inner needle is, for example, 50 μm or less. If an ultrasonic transducer is exposed by providing an opening in a part of the outer needle, the above-mentioned JP-A-60-9
The configuration is similar to the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 0542.
Here, when inserting into the body, the inner needle is stored in the outer needle, and when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, the inner needle is pulled out from the tip of the outer needle (or, conversely, the outer needle is pulled out). ) The ultrasonic transducer shall be exposed. Further, in order to prevent blurring, it is also effective to insert a rigid intermediate tube between the outer needle and the inner needle at a similar interval. If necessary, a small ball, such as a Teflon ball with a diameter of 50 μm or less, should be inserted between the outer needle, intermediate tube, and inner needle to reduce the frictional resistance. In order to scan the ultrasonic transducer, it is necessary to drive this inner needle, and for that purpose, a drive device is directly provided at the end opposite to the sharp end of the outer needle, and a metal wire or the like is used. Instead, it drives the inner needle, which is a rigid body.

In order to solve the above-mentioned second problem, a tube for supplying and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium is provided inside the inner needle, and the transmission medium is provided between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue. Is effective. As a transmission medium, it is a matter of course that a physiologically harmless one such as physiological saline is used. The supply / drainage device for supplying / discharging the transmission medium may be simply a main body of an injector or an injector similar thereto, but more preferably a device provided with a pressure detecting means and a pressure adjusting means. When the transmission medium penetrates into the living tissue and the hydrostatic pressure is not stable,
When it is not desired to bring the transmission medium into contact with the biological tissue, a water bag covering the ultrasonic transducer is provided and the transmission medium is filled therein. For the water bag, use a highly elastic material such as latex rubber. Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, when scanning the ultrasonic transducer, an appropriate gear is provided between the drive device and the inner needle, or a control signal is given to the drive device. The rotational movement of the inner needle with respect to the axis of the needle is reciprocating.
If necessary, the signal obtained on the outward path and the signal obtained on the return path are stored in different storage devices. It can be said that the needle ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus using the same according to the present invention are a combination of these ideas.

[0008]

In the needle-type ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, since the hollow outer needle has a rigid inner needle with a space of 50 μm or less, the inner needle can rotate and translate without shaking. Is. Here, when inserting into the body, the inner needle is housed inside the outer needle, and when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, the inner needle is taken out from the tip of the outer needle to expose the ultrasonic transducer. As a result, the ultrasonic transducer can be rotated around the entire circumference and can scan a wider range than before. Further, since the rigid intermediate tube inserted between the outer needle and the inner needle at the same interval does not need to have a puncture needle-like tip, the inner needle can be held more stably. The small balls inserted between the needles and the intermediate cylinder reduce the frictional resistance between them and operate smoothly. When driving the inner needle, if power is transmitted using a metal wire, etc., uneven speed will occur especially in the rotation direction, but the inner needle, which is a rigid body, will be driven directly by the drive device mounted at the needle end. By doing so, uneven rotation speed can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to achieve the first problem, that is, the improvement of the positional accuracy when scanning the ultrasonic transducer.

If the transmission medium is supplied between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue through the transmission medium supply / discharge tube in the inner needle, the contact between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue can be prevented. Since the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue depends on the hydrostatic pressure of the transmission medium, it is better to control the hydrostatic pressure. The hydrostatic pressure can be controlled by providing the transmission medium supply / discharge device with the pressure detection means and the pressure adjustment means. The water bag covering the ultrasonic transducer is effective in obtaining the above-mentioned effect when the transmission medium penetrates into the living tissue and the hydrostatic pressure is not stable, or when the transmission medium does not want to contact the living tissue. is there. Since the water bag has elasticity, it can be kept in a contracted state when the needle-shaped ultrasonic probe is inserted, and the transmission medium can be injected and inflated before the measurement. Does not hinder the insertion of As a result, the above-mentioned second problem, that is, the control of the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue and the prevention of direct contact can be achieved.

As a scanning method of the ultrasonic transducer, for example, there is a method of simultaneously performing translation and rotation with respect to the axis of the needle so that the scanning line draws a spiral around the axis. Furthermore,
If the rotating operation of the inner needle with respect to the axis of the needle is reciprocating motion, without adding any special device to the joint between the pipe and the pipe for supplying the ultrasonic wave transmission / reception signal line or the ultrasonic transmission medium,
It is possible to prevent these signal lines and pipes from winding around the needle. At this time, since the forward scan line and the backward scan line are not parallel to each other, the signals are stored in different storage devices and imaged separately. It is also effective to take an arithmetic mean on the image if necessary.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the numerical values and materials shown in the following examples are shown as an example, and do not necessarily have to be the same. Further, for ease of explanation, the dimensions in the drawing and the dimensions in the description do not necessarily match. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of a needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to the present embodiment,
A hollow holding intermediate tube 2 is also provided inside a hollow outer needle 1 having a puncture needle-like tip, and the ultrasonic transducer 1 is also provided inside.
It has a structure in which an inner needle 3 on which 0 is mounted is provided. The outer needle, the intermediate cylinder, and the inner needle are all rigid bodies such as stainless steel.
The outer needle has an outer diameter of 1 mm and an inner diameter of 0.8 mm, and the distance between the outer needle and the intermediate cylinder is 50 μm. The outer diameter of the middle cylinder is 0.7 mm, the inner diameter is 0.5 mm,
The distance between the intermediate cylinder and the inner needle is 50 μm. The outer diameter of the inner needle is 0.
It is 4 mm. When the structure is simplified for the purpose of reducing the price, the intermediate cylinder may be omitted, but in that case, it is desirable that the outer diameter of the inner needle is about 0.7 mm.

A signal line 30 for transmitting a transmission / reception signal of the ultrasonic transducer and a pipe 4 for supplying / discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium pass through the inner needle. A drive device 31 and a drive controller 32 are provided at the end opposite to the sharp tip of the outer needle, and directly rotate and translate the inner needle 3 without interposing a metal wire or the like. Here, the drive controller 32 has a gear inside and adjusts the drive speed and changes the rotation direction. In FIG. 1, the cover is cut open to drive the drive device 31 and the drive controller 32 inside.
Is shown. Transmission medium supply / discharge device 41, pressure detector 4
3. By the pressure regulator 42, the transmission medium can be supplied at any pressure. Further, reference numerals 50 to 55 are portions for performing transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves, drive control of the inner needle, signal processing, and image display, and two storage devices (52, 53) are provided.

A needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to this embodiment (hereinafter,
The procedure for using the "probe" will be briefly described below. The details of the state in which the intermediate cylinder 2 and the inner needle 3 are housed inside the outer needle 1 are shown in FIG. This figure is a diagram showing the inside by cutting the outer needle. In this state, the probe is inserted into the region of interest inside the body. Here, the opening at the tip of the outer needle is covered with a non-stretchable membrane 22 such as polyethylene, and the space 23 between the membrane and the tip of the inner needle is filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium. This is to prevent air and unnecessary living tissue from entering the void 23. Also, in order to reduce the frictional resistance between the outer needle and the intermediate cylinder, and between the intermediate cylinder and the inner needle, dozens of silicon balls 5 with a diameter of 50 μm or less are inserted as bearings between them.

Although not shown here, when the probe is inserted into the body, the probe is monitored by a known ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of observing a wider area from the surface of the body. Insert. When the tip of the probe reaches the region of interest, pull the outer needle a little, break the non-stretchable film 22 covering the tip opening, expose the intermediate cylinder and the inner needle, and adjust the position of the intermediate cylinder. Then, the state of FIG. 1 is obtained. Then, the transmission medium is supplied into the living tissue via the tube 4 in the inner needle. Furthermore,
With the outer needle fixed, the inner needle is driven by the drive devices 31 and 32, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received in conjunction with this, and the surface layer tissue image around the ultrasonic transducer is generated by the principle of a known ultrasonic microscope. (C-mode image) is obtained.

Here, FIG. 7 shows a conceptual diagram of an image when the scanning line of the ultrasonic transducer is scanned so as to draw a spiral around the axis of the needle. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis is the coordinate in the axial direction, the vertical axis is the rotational coordinate around the axis, and the cylinder around the axis is cut open. The widths of the scanning lines are about 30 μm and the intervals are about 5 μm, but the widths and intervals of the scanning lines are drawn roughly in the figure for easy explanation. In the case of reciprocating the rotary motion of the transducer with respect to the axis of the needle, the movement direction is changed by the gear in the drive controller 32 or the electric control of the drive control circuit 50. In this case, the signal obtained on the outward path and the signal obtained on the return path are stored in different storage devices 52 and 53, respectively.
Processed separately. If necessary, it is imaged and then averaged.

A conceptual diagram of each image is shown in FIG. By adding the two images, an image similar to that in FIG. 7 is obtained. Here, the storage devices 52 and 53 do not have to be separate hardware, and it is simpler to use one piece of hardware separated by software. When the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue is too long or the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue come into contact with each other, the pressure detector 43
And the pressure regulator 42 regulates the pressure of the transmission medium.
After the inspection is completed, the transmission medium is collected in the supply / discharge device as needed. In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, a diagram in the middle of scanning is shown. Also in FIG. 8, the scanning lines are drawn more coarsely than the actual image.

FIG. 3 is a cross section of the inner needle of the probe of this embodiment.
(AA 'of FIG. 1) is shown. An ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the body 3 of the inner needle, which is provided with an acoustic lens 13 on an acoustic lens material 11 of sapphire, and an electrode 14, a piezoelectric body 12, and a counter electrode 15 are laminated on the surface opposite to the lens. It has a different structure. The body 3 of the inner needle has electrodes 14 'and 15' at positions facing these electrodes.
It is connected to the. Although not shown in order to avoid complication, a cushioning material is provided between the main body side electrode 14 'or 15' and the main body 11 to ensure electrical contact. Further, this may be a structure in which a metal that is easily deformed by pressure such as indium is sandwiched between the electrodes 14 and 14 ′ and 15 and 15 ′.

16 is an electrode (14 and 14 ') and a counter electrode
It is a space for insulating between (15 and 15 '). Four
Is a tube for supplying and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, one ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the inner needle, but it is needless to say that a plurality of ultrasonic transducers should be mounted if mounting is possible. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the expansion and contraction covering the ultrasonic transducer provided when the transmission medium penetrates into the living tissue and the hydrostatic pressure is not stable, or when the transmission medium does not want to contact the living tissue. It is an example showing the structure of a water bag rich in nature. In the example shown in FIG.
A water bag is provided so as to cover the opening of the outer needle when there is no intermediate tube. In this case, the non-stretchable film 22 shown in FIG. 2 is unnecessary.

When the needle is inserted into the living body, the inner needle 2 is housed inside the outer needle 1, and the water bag 20 is contracted so as to close the opening of the outer needle. is doing. The gap between the opening of the outer needle and the tip of the inner needle is filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium, as in the example shown in FIG. When the tip of the inner needle reaches the region of interest 60, the outer needle is pulled out by several mm, and the ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied through the tube 4, and the water bag is inflated by the pressure. As a result, the shape shown in FIG. 4 is obtained. While scanning the ultrasonic transducer 10 inside the water bag,
Ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received via the transmission medium 21 and the water bag 20 to observe the living tissue 60. Although this method has a simple structure, a part of the field of view of the ultrasonic transducer is blocked by the tip of the outer needle, and therefore this point needs to be taken into consideration when using.

The point is improved by a structure as shown in FIG. In this structure, the water bag 20 covers the front end opening of the intermediate cylinder 2 in the structure shown in FIG. By performing the same operation as that described with reference to FIG. 1, the water bag 20 is inflated by the water pressure of the transmission medium, and the shape becomes that shown in FIG. Therefore, similarly to the description with reference to FIG. 4, ultrasonic waves can be transmitted / received to / from the living tissue 60 via the transmission medium 21 and the water bag 20 while scanning the ultrasonic transducer 10 inside the water bag. Figure 6
Is an embodiment in which the water bag 20 is installed in the needle-shaped ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-90542. There is an opening on the side surface of the outer needle, and the opening is covered with a stretchable film.
The transmission medium supply / discharge pipe 4 in the inner needle is bent as shown in the figure and opens near the ultrasonic transducer.

When the needle-shaped ultrasonic probe is inserted, a water bag 20
Does not extend beyond the diameter of the needle and does not interfere with puncture.
After the insertion, the ultrasonic transmission medium is supplied through the tube 4, and the water bag is inflated by the pressure to obtain the shape shown in FIG. In this method, the scanning range of the ultrasonic transducer is narrow, but operations such as adjusting the position of the outer needle to expose the ultrasonic transducer are unnecessary. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the gap between the opening of the outer needle and the tip of the inner needle is filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium before the puncture, as in FIG. It is needless to say that each of the above-mentioned embodiments shows an example of the present invention, and the present invention should not be limited to these. For example, the numerical values and materials do not necessarily have to be exactly as shown.

[0022]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a needle-shaped ultrasonic probe suitable for diagnosing the tissue property of the deep layer in the subject and high-resolution imaging, and ultrasonic image diagnosis using the same. This is a remarkable effect that the device can be realized. More specifically, in the needle ultrasonic probe, the position accuracy of the ultrasonic transducer can be improved, and the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the living tissue can be maintained at an appropriate distance of 300 μm to 1 mm. Further, the rotation scanning of the ultrasonic transducer can prevent the signal line for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and the pipe for supplying the ultrasonic transmission medium from winding around the needle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state before insertion in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a water bag according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(Part 1).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a water bag according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(Part 2).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a water bag according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(Part 3).

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of an image obtained by the present invention (No. 1)
Is.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of an image obtained by the present invention (No. 2)
Is.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 outer needle 2 Intermediate tube for holding 3 inner needle 4 Ultrasonic transmission medium supply / discharge pipe 5 silicon balls 10 Ultrasonic transducer 11 Acoustic lens material 12 Piezoelectric body 13 Acoustic lens 14,14 'electrode 15,15 'counter electrode 16 Insulation void 20 elastic water bag 21 Ultrasonic transmission medium 22 Non-stretchable membrane 23 Gap between the outer and inner needle tips 31 Drive 32 Drive controller 40 Opening and closing pipe 41 Ultrasonic transmission medium feeder 42 Pressure regulator 43 Pressure detector 50 Drive controller 51 Transceiver 52,53 storage device 54 Signal processing device 55 Display 60 living tissue

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Hidezo Sano 1-1-14 Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Hitachi Medical Co. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kanda 1-1-14, Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Hitachi Medical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ryuichi Shinomura 1-280, Higashi Koigokubo, Kokubunji, Tokyo Inside Hitachi Central Research Laboratory (72) Inventor, Hiroshi Masuzawa 1-280, Higashi Koikeku, Kokubunji, Tokyo Hitachi Central In the laboratory (56) Reference JP 59-75047 (JP, A) JP 60-90542 (JP, A) JP 2-107239 (JP, A) JP 2-206441 (JP, A) ) JP-A-2-206447 (JP, A) JP-A-3-45249 (JP, A) JP-A-5-285141 (JP, A) JP-A-6-30938 (JP, A) JP-A-8- 1 17232 (JP, A) JP-A-8-228996 (JP, A) Actually developed 62-74811 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 8/00

Claims (16)

(57) [Claims] 1. A hollow outer needle having a puncture needle at its tip has an inner needle that is a rigid body, and a rigid needle is provided between the outer needle and the inner needle.
A needle-like ultrasonic probe having at least one layer of an intermediate cylinder of a flexible body, and at least one ultrasonic transducer provided on a side surface of the inner needle. At least a portion provided with an ultrasonic transducer is exposed from the tip of the outer needle, and the inner needle is moved with respect to the outer needle to scan the ultrasonic transducer. Sonic probe. 2. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 1.
There are, acicular ultrasonic probe and having a tube for supplying and discharging ultrasound transmission medium to the inside of the inner needle. 3. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 1.
A tube for supplying and discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium inside the inner needle.
A has a supply and discharge device of the ultrasonic transmission medium connected to the supply and exhaust pipe of the ultrasonic transmission medium within said inner needle, detecting means for detecting the pressure of the ultrasonic transmission medium in fed-discharging device, A needle-like ultrasonic probe provided with a means for adjusting the pressure of the ultrasonic transmission medium or both the detecting means and the adjusting means. 4. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 1.
A needle-shaped ultrasonic probe , wherein an opening at the tip of the outer needle is covered with a film. 5. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 4,
There are, acicular ultrasonic probe wherein the film covering the end opening portion of the outer needle has stretchability. 6. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 1.
There are, acicular ultrasonic probe is characterized in that the opening at the tip of the intermediate cylinder is covered with a stretch film. 7. Contact acicular ultrasonic probe according to claim 1
Further , a needle-shaped ultrasonic probe is characterized in that a plurality of spherical bodies having a diameter smaller than the interval between them are inserted between the inner needle and the outer needle. 8. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 1.
In addition, a plurality of spherical bodies having a diameter smaller than the space between them are inserted between the outer needle and the intermediate cylinder, between the intermediate cylinder and the outer needle, or between the intermediate cylinders. A needle-shaped ultrasonic probe characterized in that 9. A hollow outer needle having a puncture needle at the tip, has an inner needle that is a rigid body inside, and at least one ultrasonic transducer is provided on the side surface of the inner needle. A needle-shaped ultrasonic probe for scanning the ultrasonic transducer by moving the outer needle, wherein an opening is provided in a part of the outer needle surrounding a scanning range of the ultrasonic transducer, A needle-like ultrasonic probe having an opening covered with a stretchable film. 10. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 9.
Oite has a tube for supplying and discharging ultrasound transmission medium to the inside of the inner needle, one end of the tube of the outer needle opening, needle, characterized in that open to the inside of the film Ultrasonic probe. 11. The needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 9,
Oite, between the inner needle and outer needle, <br/> needle ultrasonic probe and said plurality that inserted a small spherical body diameter than these intervals. 12. The needle-like ultrasonic probe according to claim 9,
A pipe for supplying / discharging the ultrasonic transmission medium inside the inner needle.
With one end of the tube at the outer needle opening, inside the membrane.
Open to the side, has a supply and discharge device of the ultrasonic transmission medium connected to the supply and exhaust pipe of the ultrasonic transmission medium within said inner needle, detecting the pressure of the ultrasonic transmission medium in fed-discharging device Detection means,
A needle-like ultrasonic probe provided with a means for adjusting the pressure of the ultrasonic transmission medium or both the detecting means and the adjusting means. 13. An end portion on the side opposite to the side forming the puncture needle,
13. The drive device for translating or rotating the inner needle with respect to the axis of the inner needle is provided, and the drive device and the inner needle are directly connected to each other, according to any one of claims 1 to 12 . Needle-shaped ultrasonic probe. 14. The inner needle is translated and rotated simultaneously with respect to the axis of the inner needle, and the scanning line of the ultrasonic transducer draws a spiral around the axis of the needle. 1
13. The needle ultrasonic probe according to any one of 1 to 13 . 15. The reciprocating motion while changing the rotational direction when rotating the inner needle with respect to the axis of the inner needle to scan the ultrasonic transducer.
13. The needle ultrasonic probe according to any one of 1 to 13 . 16. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus, which uses the needle-shaped ultrasonic probe according to claim 14 or 15 and images surrounding living tissue from a signal obtained by the ultrasonic transducer. When the ultrasonic transducer mounted on the inner needle transmits and receives ultrasonic waves while performing reciprocal rotary scanning with respect to the axis of the needle, a signal obtained in the forward path and a signal obtained in the backward path are combined. , An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus characterized in that they are stored in different storage devices.