JP4627769B2 - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasound probe, and more particularly to an improvement in the form of an ultrasound probe used during surgery.

  An ultrasonic probe is a probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a living body. There are various types of ultrasonic probes. For example, an intraoperative probe that makes direct contact with the surface of an organ, tissue, or the like during an operation and performs ultrasonic diagnosis inside thereof is known.

  An intraoperative probe (that is, an ultrasonic probe for operation) generally has a small and easy-to-grip shape, for example, as described in Design Registration No. 1018626 (Patent Document 1). In the conventional example, a cable is drawn from the back side of the probe case, and an array transducer composed of a plurality of vibration elements arranged in the left-right direction is provided at the lower part of the probe case. In addition, a pair of depressions as a constricted surface are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the probe case. The ultrasonic probe can be held by piercing the pair of depressions with, for example, the index finger and the middle finger and sandwiching the probe case. In this holding state, the lower surface (transmission / reception surface) of the probe case is brought into contact with the organ surface, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received in this state. In this conventional example, the front surface of the probe case is a vertical plane, the upper surface is a horizontal plane, and a right-angled corner is formed between them. Patent Document 2 discloses a related technique.

Design Registration No. 1018626 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-288840

  Incidentally, it is desired to improve the operability of various types of ultrasonic probes. The same applies to the intraoperative probe described above. For example, depending on the diagnosis location for an organ, a holding method different from the above may be desired.

  In addition, improvement in operability at the time of puncture is desired. Some ultrasonic probes that come into contact with the body surface can be equipped with an attachment for a puncture needle, but such an attachment is a complex mechanism. It is necessary to be able to puncture more easily and smoothly without using such a complicated mechanism. In particular, in the case of an intraoperative probe, since the probe itself is small and is often used after being inserted into a body cavity through an incision, it is realistic to attach a complicated mechanism to an ultrasonic probe. Not.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the operability of an ultrasonic probe.

  Another object of the present invention is to improve the operability of the surgical ultrasonic probe.

  Another object of the present invention is to increase the degree of freedom in holding a surgical ultrasonic probe.

  Another object of the present invention is to improve the operability of an ultrasonic probe when performing puncturing.

  Preferably, the ultrasonic probe includes a main body case, an ultrasonic transducer that is provided at a lower portion of the main body case and transmits / receives ultrasonic waves, and a cable drawn from the back side of the main body case. A pair of depressions having a size that allows a finger to pierce is formed on the right side surface and the left side surface of the body case. An inclined notch having a size that can be contacted is formed.

  According to the above configuration, since the notch is formed in the communication portion at the top of the main body case, it is easy to grip the ultrasonic probe with a plurality of fingers. For example, put the belly of a finger on each of the notch and the pair of depressions, hold the ultrasonic probe with three fingers, and use the held ultrasonic probe on the surface of the organ under operation Can contact. However, the above configuration (combination of a pair of depressions and notches) can also be applied to probes other than intraoperative probes.

  Preferably, the notch has an arc shape.

  Preferably, at least one of the right side surface and the left side surface of the main body case is formed with a planar portion below the recess, and a puncture needle guide is formed on the planar portion. According to this configuration, the puncture needle can be guided by the puncture needle guide.

  Preferably, a pair of planar portions are formed below the pair of depressions on the right and left sides of the main body case, and a pair of puncture needle guides are formed on the pair of planar portions. According to this configuration, it is possible to shift the belly of the finger in contact with the depression downward and press (hold) the puncture needle by pressing the belly of the finger against the planar portion.

(2) The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe used during surgery, a main body case, an array transducer that is provided at a lower portion of the main body case and includes a plurality of arranged vibration elements, and is drawn from the main body case. The main body case is formed with at least one puncture needle guide.

  According to the above configuration, puncture can be performed together with ultrasonic diagnosis using an intraoperative probe during surgery.

  Preferably, the puncture needle guide is formed such that a puncture path of a puncture needle held using the puncture needle guide is positioned on a scanning surface of an ultrasonic beam formed by the plurality of vibration elements. The

(3) The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe used during surgery, a main body case, an ultrasonic transducer provided under the main body case, for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and drawn from the main body case. And at least one puncture needle groove is formed on the side surface of the main body case, and the puncture needle can be held by the groove and the abdomen of the finger.

  According to the above configuration, puncturing can be performed without using a complicated mechanism for holding the puncture needle as in the prior art. That is, such a mechanism is omitted by utilizing the belly of the finger for the holding action. The present invention can also be applied to probes other than intraoperative probes. If grooves are formed on both side surfaces, puncturing can be performed smoothly without depending on the dominant arm, or regardless of the diagnosis site or the contact posture.

  Preferably, the right side surface and the left side surface of the main body case are formed with a recess having a size capable of inserting a finger and a planar portion having the groove, and the upper surface and the front surface of the main body case are formed. The connecting portion is formed with an inclined notch having a size capable of contacting the belly of the finger.

  Preferably, a hardened member for hardening the cable is provided at one end of the cable on the main body case side. Preferably, the hardened member is a tubular member that covers one end of the cable and is connected to the main body case, and the tubular member is provided with a coating. According to the hardened member, the cable itself can be picked or gripped, and the portion can function as a handle. For example, it is possible to pick one end and send the body of the ultrasonic probe into a narrow space in the body.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the operability of the ultrasonic probe can be improved, and in particular, the operability of the surgical ultrasonic probe can be improved. There is also an advantage that puncture can be performed smoothly.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view thereof.

  The ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 1 is roughly composed of a main body 10 and a cable 11. One end of the cable 11 is connected to the main body 10, and the other end of the cable 11 is connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown). This ultrasonic probe is a so-called intraoperative probe, that is, for making ultrasonic diagnosis in contact with the surface of an organ exposed by incision, for example, inside the organ.

  The main body 10 has a probe case 12 and an ultrasonic transducer (not shown). The lower surface of the probe case 12 is a wave transmitting / receiving surface 24, and the wave transmitting / receiving surface 24 has a gently convex shape as shown in FIG. Thus, a so-called convex-type ultrasonic probe is configured. A plurality of vibration elements are arranged along the transmission / reception surface 24, and an array transducer (ultrasonic transducer) is constituted by the plurality of vibration elements.

  An ultrasonic beam is formed by the array transducer, and when the ultrasonic beam is electronically scanned, a scanning surface 200 is formed. A B-mode image, which is a two-dimensional tomographic image, is formed based on each echo data captured on the scanning plane 200. The front surface 12B of the probe case 12 is formed as a vertical plane.

  On the other hand, one end of the cable 11 is connected to the back side of the probe case 12, that is, the base end portion 12C. That is, the cable 11 is pulled out from the base end portion 12 </ b> C of the probe case 12. Although the upper surface of the probe case 12 is a flat surface, the upper surface 12A and the front surface 12B are not cornered, and a notch 26 is formed at the connecting portion thereof. The notch 26 is curved in an arc shape as shown in FIG. 1, and it forms an inclined surface.

  For example, the index finger can be brought into contact with the notch 26. This will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  Constrictions 14 and 16 as depressions are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the probe case 12, respectively. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 2, the constricted portions 14 and 16 extend the index finger and the middle finger in the axial direction of the cable 11, that is, the X direction, and are inserted into the two constricted portions 14 and 16. By this, the probe case 12 is held. Further, the probe case 12 can be held and held as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 by using the constricted portions 14 and 16 and the cutout portion 26 later.

  Planar portions 20 and 22 are respectively formed below the right side and the left side of the probe case 12. The planar portions 20 and 22 constitute steep inclined surfaces, and puncture grooves 20A and 22A are formed along the vertical direction at the centers thereof. These puncture grooves 20A and 22A are grooves having a U-shaped or V-shaped cross section, and the angle of the puncture needle can be kept constant by dropping the puncture needle into the groove. As will be described later, when a puncture needle is attached to any of the puncture grooves 20A and 22A, the puncture path of the puncture needle exists in the scanning plane 200. That is, the inclination angle of the planar portions 20 and 22 and the orientation of the puncture grooves 20A and 22A are set so that the puncture needle can be observed on the tomographic image. The insertion angle of the puncture needle is fixed in this embodiment, but of course, a mechanism for changing the angle may be provided.

  Since the puncture grooves 20A and 22A are respectively formed on the right side and the left side of the probe case 12, a desired puncture groove 20A and 20B is selected and used according to the manner in which the probe is applied to the organ and the dominant arm. Is possible. Of course, if at least one puncture groove is formed, there is an advantage that puncture can be performed during the operation.

  As described above, in the intraoperative probe according to the present embodiment, since the cutout portion 26 is formed in addition to the pair of constricted portions 14 and 16, it is possible to bring diversity to the holding method.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the index finger 100 and the middle finger 102 can be pierced through the pair of constricted portions 14 and 16, and the intraoperative probe can be sandwiched between two fingers. In this case, the cable 11 is pulled out between the two fingers 100 and 102.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, the intraoperative probe can be held by the thumb 104, the index finger 100, and the middle finger 102. In this case, for example, the belly of the thumb 104 is brought into contact with the constricted part 14, the belly of the middle finger 102 is brought into contact with the constricted part 16, and the belly of the index finger 100 is brought into contact with the notch part 26. Just like holding a shogi piece, you can hold the intraoperative probe in a very natural form.

  In the state shown in FIG. 3, for example, when it becomes necessary to perform puncturing, puncturing can be performed using any of the puncturing grooves 20A and 22A.

As shown in FIG. 4, the puncture needle 110 is pierced through the puncture groove 20 </ b> A, and in this state, the planar portion 20 is pressed by the belly of the thumb 104. In this case, the puncture needle 110 is firmly held between the belly of the thumb 104 and the planar portion 20. In this state, for example, the puncture needle 110 can be actually pulled out by pushing the proximal end portion of the puncture needle 110 forward, and the puncture needle 110 can be easily pulled out. In the state shown in FIG. 4, the intraoperative probe is held by three fingers, and in this case, the thumb 104 functions to hold both the intraoperative probe and the puncture needle 110. In other words, in FIG. 4, the belly of the index finger 100 is applied to the notch, and the planar portion (inclined surface) on one side and the depression (constricted portion) on the other side are sandwiched by the thumb 104 and the middle finger 102 from the left and right. It is.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, it is desirable to harden one end of the cable 11 (the part pulled out from the probe case 12). This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the ultrasonic probe. The internal mechanism is omitted. The cable 11 is pulled out from the probe case 12, and a tubular member 30 made of a hard material (metal, hard resin, etc.) is provided at one end thereof (portion connected to the probe case 12). Yes. One end of the tubular member 30 is inserted into the probe case 12 and fixed. The tubular member 30 is covered with the heat-shrinkable tube 40, and the surface of the tubular member 30 is not exposed to the outside. According to such a configuration, one end of the cable 11 is gripped with the thumb and forefinger, or spans the tapered base end 12C (see FIG. 1) of the probe case 12 and one end of the cable 11. The ultrasonic probe can be picked and held by applying the belly of the thumb, applying the belly of the index finger to the notch 12A, and further adjusting the middle finger. Of course, there are many other ways to hold it. That is, the one end part of the cable 11 can be functioned like a handle. For example, it is easy to pick the part and send the main body into a narrow space such as an incision site or a tissue.

1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the 1st way of holding the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the 2nd way of holding the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating how to hold at the time of the puncture of the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of an ultrasonic probe.

Explanation of symbols

  10 body, 11 cable, 12 probe case, 14, 16 constricted portion, 20, 22 planar portion, 24 transmitting / receiving surface, 26 notched portion.

Claims (4)

In the ultrasound probe used during surgery,
A main body case having an upper surface, a front surface, a right side surface, and a left side surface and held by a plurality of fingers ;
An ultrasonic transducer provided at a lower portion of the main body case and including a plurality of vibration elements for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves;
A cable drawn from the back side of the body case;
Including
The main body case right side and the left side surface of each, and depression of the upper having the level allowing piercing a finger along the cable axis, and the planar portion of the slope in its lower side Formed,
Each of the planar portions is formed with a groove for a puncture needle,
The inclination angle of each planar portion and the direction of each groove are set so that the puncture path is positioned on the scanning surface of the ultrasonic beam formed by the plurality of vibration elements,
An ultrasonic probe characterized in that the puncture needle can be held by the abdomen of a finger in contact with the one-side planar portion in a state where the one-side planar portion and the other-side depression are held. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 ,
Ultrasonic probe is characterized in that notches inclined with contactable size to the ball of the finger is formed on the contact portion between the upper surface and the front surface of the front Stories body case. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 ,
An ultrasonic probe, wherein a hardened member for hardening the cable is provided at one end of the cable on the main body case side. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3 ,
The rigid member is a tubular member that covers one end of the cable and is connected to the main body case,
An ultrasonic probe, wherein the tubular member is provided with a coating.

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