JP5877682B2 - Reference deformable fixture, reference deformable body, ultrasonic probe including the reference deformable body, and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including the ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique of a reference deformable body suitable for evaluating a pressure applied to a subject via an ultrasonic probe when measuring elasticity information representing the hardness or softness of a living tissue.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits an ultrasonic wave to the inside of the subject using an ultrasonic probe, receives an ultrasonic reflected echo signal (RF signal) corresponding to the structure of the living tissue from the inside of the subject, for example, B mode A tomographic image such as an image is constructed and displayed for diagnosis.

  In recent years, a subject is pressed by an ultrasonic probe by a manual or mechanical method to receive a reflected echo signal, and the displacement of each part of the living body caused by the compression based on two RF signal frame data having different measurement times is detected. Obtaining and generating an elasticity image representing the elasticity of the living tissue based on the displacement data. Here, since the displacement data varies depending on the compression (pressure) applied to the subject, the elastic information such as strain of the biological tissue calculated based on the displacement data is objective or absolute (hereinafter, (It is collectively called absolute.) In addition, in order to acquire elastic information such as elastic modulus, stress data acting on each part of the living body is required, so various stress measurement methods have been attempted.

  Therefore, for example, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to acquire absolute elasticity information, a reference deformation is made between the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe and the body surface of the subject. The body is sandwiched and the pressure applied to the subject is evaluated. That is, relational data between pressure and displacement applied to the reference deformable body is acquired, and the tomographic image of the reference deformable body is measured at the same time as the tomographic image is measured by pressing the subject with the ultrasonic probe. Thereby, the displacement data of the tomographic image of the subject can be absolutely evaluated based on the displacement data of the tomographic image of the reference deformable body. Further, Patent Document 1 proposes a fixture for a reference deformation body that facilitates an operation of mounting the reference deformation body on an ultrasonic probe.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that in the case of screening, it is possible to prevent the reference deformable body from being distorted or displaced from a predetermined position. That is, the reference deformable body described in the document is formed to have a rectangular parallelepiped portion and a flange portion that projects from the side surface flush with the lower surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion. Further, the reference deformation body fixing tool includes a lower frame attached to the outer periphery of the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface portion of the ultrasonic probe, and an upper frame that is crowned and locked to the lower frame. Is formed. The lower frame is formed to have a frame-shaped holding surface in contact with the lower surface of the flange portion of the reference deformable body. The upper frame includes a support frame in contact with a side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion of the reference deformable body, and a lower frame And a clamping surface that clamps the collar portion with the clamping surface. Then, the holding surface of the lower frame is mounted on the ultrasonic probe so that it is flush with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface, the buttocks of the reference deformable body are placed on the holding surface of the lower frame, and the support frame of the upper frame Is inserted into the rectangular parallelepiped portion of the reference deformation body, and the upper frame is locked to the lower frame body, so that the heel portion is sandwiched between the sandwiching surface of the lower frame body and the sandwiching surface of the upper frame body, and the reference deformation The body is fixed in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe. As a result, the position of the reference deformable body is prevented from being displaced by the support frame of the upper frame body, and the collar portion is sandwiched between the sandwiching surface of the lower frame body and the sandwiching surface of the upper frame body. It is possible to prevent excessive distortion from occurring.

JP 2008-259541 A JP 2010-263963 A

  However, the reference deformable body and its fixture described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem that no consideration is given to the possibility that air may be mixed between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface. Moreover, in order to improve the adhesiveness of a reference deformation body and an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface, ultrasonic jelly etc. may be apply | coated between them, but in patent documents 1, 2, the application amount of ultrasonic jelly is too much. There is a problem that consideration is not given to cases where the amount is not appropriate.

  That is, when air enters between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface, there is a problem that the ultrasonic wave propagation is affected and artifacts are generated in ultrasonic images such as tomographic images and elastic images. In addition, if the amount of ultrasonic jelly applied between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface is too large, the thickness of the ultrasonic jelly coating film becomes non-uniform, and the distortion of the reference deformable body is biased. . As a result, since the pressure applied to the subject cannot be properly evaluated, there is a problem that appropriate absolute elasticity information of each part of the living body cannot be acquired.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the reference deformable body is configured to remove the air that has entered the contact surface between the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe and the reference deformable body and the extra ultrasonic jelly that has been applied. It is to provide a fixture and a reference variant.

  The present invention that solves the above-described problems is characterized in that a space that communicates with the contact surface between the reference deformation body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface is formed in one of the reference deformation body fixture and the reference deformation body. According to this, when the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion of the reference deformable body attached to the ultrasonic probe is pressed with a hand or a finger, the air that has entered the contact surface between the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface and the reference deformable body It is discharged and removed in the space that leads to the surface. Similarly, excess ultrasonic jelly is discharged and removed to the space that communicates with the contact surface. As a result, artifacts due to air that has entered between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface can be prevented, and distortion of the reference deformable body due to excess ultrasonic jelly can be prevented from being biased.

  Specifically, the reference deformable body fixing tool of the present invention includes a first frame body that is mounted on the outer periphery of the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface portion of the ultrasonic probe, and is locked by being crowned on the first frame body. The one surface of the flange portion of the reference deformation body having a rectangular parallelepiped portion and a flange portion projecting from a side surface on one surface side of the rectangular parallelepiped portion. The second frame body includes a support frame that contacts at least a side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion of the reference deformable body, and the sandwiching of the first frame body. A reference deformation body fixing tool, wherein the reference deformation body is fixed in close contact with an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe. The body is formed to have a space portion that communicates with a contact surface between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface.

  As described above, the first frame of the reference deformation fixture according to the present invention is formed with the space portion that communicates with the contact surface between the reference deformation body and the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface, and thus is attached to the ultrasonic probe. The air that has entered the contact surface between the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface and the reference deformation member by pressing the reference deformation member with a finger from above or pressing the reference deformation member against the body surface of the subject It is discharged and removed in the space that leads to. Similarly, excess ultrasonic jelly is discharged and removed to the space that communicates with the contact surface. Here, if a sufficient volume of the space can be secured, air and excess ultrasonic jelly can be removed from the contact surface. When a sufficient volume of the space cannot be secured, it is preferable to provide an opening that leads to the space on the outer surface of the first frame.

  The reference deformable body according to the present invention includes a rectangular parallelepiped portion and a flange projecting from a side surface on one surface side of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, and a reference deformable body fixing tool having a support frame in contact with at least the side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion. In the reference deformable body, which is fixed by using the ultrasonic probe and is brought into close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe, a space is formed in the contact surface with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface.

  Thus, since the space part opened in the contact | adherence surface with an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface was formed in the reference deformation body of this invention, the reference deformation body with which the ultrasonic probe was mounted | worn is a body surface etc. of a subject. , The air that has entered the contact surface between the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface and the reference deformable body and excess ultrasonic jelly are discharged to the space that communicates with the contact surface and removed. Also in this case, when a sufficient volume of the space portion cannot be secured, it is preferable to provide an opening that leads to the space portion on the outer surface of the reference deformable body.

  Moreover, it can replace with the space part of the reference deformation body of this invention, and can apply the following aspect. That is, you may form the 1 or several groove | channel which goes to the outer surface of a collar part from the edge of the long axis of the contact surface with an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface, or edge vicinity.

  Further, the reference deformation body of the present invention has a rectangular parallelepiped portion that is in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe, and a rectangular cylindrical shape that is suspended from the side surface portion of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, instead of the above configuration. A reference deformation body that is used by covering the outer periphery of the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface portion of the ultrasonic probe with the gripping portion, and the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface formed in a rectangular shape. One end is opened at a portion corresponding to the corner portion of the first and the other end is formed with a hole opened on the outer surface of the gripping portion. Further, instead of this, the grip portion may be formed with a groove along a portion corresponding to a short side of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface formed in a rectangular shape.

  According to the present invention, the reference deformable fixture and the reference configured to remove the air that has entered the contact surface between the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe and the reference deformable body and the excess applied ultrasonic jelly Variants can be provided.

It is a block block diagram of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the basic composition of the reference modification concerning the present invention, and its fixture. It is a figure explaining the problem of the basic composition of the reference modification concerning the present invention, and its fixture. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body fixing tool of Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body fixing tool of Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body fixing tool of Example 3 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body fixing tool of Example 4 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body fixing tool of Example 5 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body of Example 6 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body of Example 7 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body of Example 8 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body of Example 9 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the characteristic structure of the reference deformation body of Example 10 of this invention.

  The configuration of an embodiment of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment acquires a tomographic image of a diagnosis region of a subject using ultrasonic waves, generates an elastic image representing the hardness or softness of a living tissue, and displays the image. It is configured. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic transmission / reception control unit 1, a transmission unit 2, an ultrasonic probe 3, a reception unit 4, a phasing addition unit 5, and a signal processing unit 6. A black and white scan converter 7, an RF signal frame data selection unit 8, a displacement / strain calculation unit 9, an elastic modulus calculation unit 10, an elastic data processing unit 11, a color scan converter 12, and a switching addition unit 13. The image display 14, the pressure calculation unit 15, and the reference deformation body 16 are provided.

  The ultrasonic probe 3 is formed by arranging a large number of strip-like transducers. Generally, the arrangement direction of the transducers is referred to as a major axis, and the direction orthogonal to the major axis is referred to as a minor axis. The ultrasonic probe 3 is driven by the transmission unit 2 controlled by the ultrasonic transmission / reception control unit 1. That is, it is configured to transmit an ultrasonic beam from a plurality of transducers to the subject according to the ultrasonic signal output from the transmission unit 2 and receive a reflected echo signal returning from the subject. Then, the ultrasonic probe 3 scans the ultrasonic beam in the long axis direction by a mechanical method or an electronic method, receives a reflected echo signal from each part of the scanning surface, and outputs it to the receiving unit 4. It has become. Here, the ultrasonic transmission / reception control unit 1 controls the timing of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. The transmission unit 2 generates a transmission pulse for generating an ultrasonic wave by driving the ultrasonic probe 3 and sets a convergence point of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the built-in transmission phasing addition unit. Control to depth.

  The receiving unit 4 amplifies the reflected echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe 3 with a predetermined gain. The reflected echo signals of the plurality of transducers corresponding to the apertures amplified by the receiver 4 are input to the phasing adder 5. The phasing addition unit 5 adds the phases of a plurality of input reflected echo signals and adds them to generate RF signal frame data. The signal processing unit 6 receives the RF signal frame data output from the phasing addition unit 5 and performs various signal processing such as gain correction, log correction, detection, contour enhancement, filter processing, etc., and the black and white scan converter 7 Output to. The black-and-white scan converter 7 acquires the input RF signal frame data at an ultrasonic cycle, reads it at a television system cycle, and converts it into, for example, a digital signal tomographic image data, and is digitized. It includes a plurality of frame memories that store the tomographic image data in time series, a controller that controls these operations, and the like.

  The tomographic image data generated by the monochrome scan converter 7 is sent to the image display 14 via the switching addition unit 13. The image display 14 displays a tomographic image based on time-series tomographic image data obtained by the monochrome scan converter 7. That is, a D / A converter that converts tomographic image data output from the monochrome scan converter 7 into an analog signal via the switching adder 13 and an analog video signal output from the D / A converter are input. A color television monitor that displays a tomographic image is included.

  Next, a system for acquiring an elastic image and displaying it on the image display 14 will be described. The system for acquiring the elasticity image includes an RF signal frame data selection unit 8, a displacement / strain calculation unit 9, an elastic modulus calculation unit 10, an elasticity data processing unit 11, a color scan converter 12, and a pressure calculation unit 15. The reference deformation body 16 attached to the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe 3 is provided. In general, in order to acquire an elastic image, ultrasonic transmission / reception is performed by the ultrasonic probe 3, and stress is applied to a diagnosis site by pressing the subject with the ultrasonic probe 3. In this embodiment, the reference deformable body 16 is attached to the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe 3, the reference deformable body 16 is brought into contact with the body surface of the subject, and the subject is compressed by the ultrasonic probe 3. It is supposed to be.

  The RF signal frame data selection unit 8 sequentially inputs the RF signal frame data output from the phasing addition unit 5 (or may be I and Q signal data obtained by complex demodulation of the RF signal) and sequentially into the frame memory. Remember. Then, two RF signal frame data having different acquisition times are selected and output to the displacement / strain calculator 9 and the pressure calculator 15. For example, the RF signal frame data selection unit 8 includes the latest RF signal frame data N and RF signal frame data N-1 and N-2 acquired in the past in accordance with a control command from a control unit (not shown). , N-3... NM, one RF signal frame data X is selected, and two RF signal frame data N and X are output to the displacement / strain calculator 9 and the pressure calculator 15.

  The displacement / strain calculation unit 9 performs one-dimensional or two-dimensional correlation processing based on the two RF signal frame data N and X selected by the RF signal frame data selection unit 8, and each measurement point on the tomographic image Displacement or movement vector (direction and magnitude of displacement) is calculated to generate displacement frame data and correlation frame data. Then, the distortion at each measurement point is calculated from the displacement frame data. The calculation of distortion is obtained, for example, by spatially differentiating the displacement of each measurement point. In addition, the detection of the movement vector includes, for example, a block matching method and a gradient method as described in Patent Document 1. In the block matching method, the RF frame data X is divided into blocks each composed of, for example, k × k pixels, and a block closest to the RF data of the target block in the RF frame data X is searched from the RF frame data N. And a movement vector is calculated | required from the coordinate difference etc. of those blocks.

On the other hand, the pressure calculation unit 15 first detects the boundary between the subject and the reference deformable body 16 using the two input RF signal frame data N and X, and determines the boundary of the RF signal frame data N and X. Coordinates are detected as boundary coordinate data. Then, the pressure calculation unit 15 extracts the RF signal from the reference deformable body 16 in the two RF signal frame data N and X using the boundary coordinate data, and is given to the boundary between the subject and the reference deformable body 16. Calculate pressure. That is, the relationship data between the displacement of the reference deformable body 16 and the pressure is obtained in advance, the difference between the boundary coordinate data of the two RF signal frame data N and X is obtained, the displacement amount of the reference deformable body 16 is obtained, and the reference deformation Based on the relationship data between the displacement Δx of the body 16 and the pressure p, the pressure applied in the depth direction of the reference deformable body 16 can be obtained. The pressure calculating unit 15 is not limited to this, by setting the reference region of interest (ROI _O) in the reference deformable body 16, in the same manner as the displacement-distortion calculation unit 9 described above, ROI _O For example, the strain ε _O of the reference deformation body 16 can be obtained, and the pressure applied in the depth direction of the reference deformation body 16 can be obtained based on the relationship data between the strain ε of the reference deformation body 16 and the pressure p (or stress σ). Furthermore, the distortion value in the region of interest (ROI) set in the tissue in the subject can be evaluated by expressing the distortion value ε _O of the reference deformable body 16 as an index value such as a ratio.

The elastic modulus calculation unit 10 calculates elastic modulus from the strain information output from the displacement / strain calculation unit 9 and the pressure information output from the pressure calculation unit 15 to generate numerical data (elastic frame data) of the elastic modulus. The data is output to the elasticity data processing unit 11 and the color scan converter 12. For example, the Young's modulus Ym, which is one of the elastic moduli, is calculated by dividing the stress (pressure) at each measurement point by the strain at each measurement point, as shown in the following equation (1). . In Equation (1), i and j represent the coordinates of each measurement point of the frame data.
Ymi, j = p (or σ) i, j / (εi, j) (i, j = 1, 2, 3,...) (1)

  The elasticity data processing unit 11 performs various image processing such as smoothing processing within the coordinate plane, contrast optimization processing, and smoothing processing in the time axis direction between frames on the calculated elasticity frame data. Similar to the black and white scan converter 7, the color scan converter 12 reads input elastic frame data at a television system cycle, and stores a plurality of frame memories for storing the elastic frame data in time series, and these operations. It includes a controller for controlling. Further, the color scan converter 12 performs a predetermined hue according to the measurement point of the elastic frame data or the elasticity information of the pixel, and outputs the color elastic image data to the switching addition unit 13. The switching addition unit 13 individually or side by side arranges the tomographic image data output from the monochrome scan converter 7 and the color elastic image data output from the color scan converter 12, and further superimposes the elastic image on the tomographic image. A composite image is generated and displayed on the image display 14.

  The subject pressing mechanism 18 pressurizes the subject by moving the ultrasonic probe 3 in the vertical direction using a motor or a wire. The operator may manually move the ultrasonic probe 3 in the vertical direction.

  FIG. 2 shows a basic configuration of the reference deformable body 16 and a reference deformable body fixing tool (hereinafter simply referred to as a “fixing tool”) for mounting the reference deformable body 16 on the ultrasonic probe 3. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the fixture 17 includes a lower frame 24 that is a first frame and an upper frame 25 that is a second frame. As shown in FIG. 2E, the reference deformable body 16 includes a rectangular parallelepiped portion 27 and a flange portion 28 that protrudes from the side surface of one surface side (lower surface in the drawing) of the rectangular parallelepiped portion 27, and is integrally formed. Has been. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 2 (c), the lower frame 24 is formed with an opening 24a that can be fitted on the outer periphery of a rectangular ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface (hereinafter simply referred to as a transmitting / receiving surface) 3a. The frame portion 24b and the cylindrical grip portion 24c suspended from the edge of the opening 24a are formed. Further, the upper surface of the frame portion 24b is formed with a frame-shaped sandwiching surface 24d that contacts the back surface (lower surface in the drawing) of the flange portion 28 of the reference deformable body 16. On the other hand, the upper frame body 25 includes a frame portion 25b in which an opening 25a into which the rectangular parallelepiped portion 27 of the reference deformable body 16 can be inserted, and an outer periphery of the frame portion 24b of the lower frame body 24 depending from the outer peripheral edge of the frame portion 25b. And a claw portion 25d that protrudes from the lower end of the engaging portion 25c toward the lower surface of the frame portion 24b of the lower frame body 24. Although not shown, a protrusion or a locking claw that can be engaged with a recess formed on the outer surface of the case of the ultrasonic probe 3 may be provided on the inner surface side of the lower end of the lower frame 24.

  The reference deformable body 16 has excellent acoustic coupling characteristics with a living body such as low acoustic attenuation such as acoustic coupling material and acoustic lens material, sound speed and acoustic impedance close to those in the living body, and at the same time, shape restoring property. In addition, it is preferable to use a material composed of a material excellent in shape retention. For example, the reference deformable body 16 can be formed based on an oil-based gel material, a water-based gel material such as acrylamide, or silicon. If it is made of a material with low viscosity, such as acrylamide, it is suitable for pressure measurement because it responds quickly to the pressing operation.

  2 is formed in this manner, the fixture 17 having the basic configuration shown in FIG. 2 is configured such that the grasping portion 24c of the lower frame 24 is placed on the ultrasonic probe 3 as shown in FIGS. Fit into and attach. At this time, the lower frame 24 is mounted so that the clamping surface 24d is flush with the transmission / reception surface 3a of the ultrasonic probe 3. Next, the back surface of the flange portion 28 of the reference deformable body 16 is placed on the clamping surface 24 d of the lower frame body 24. Then, the opening 25 a of the upper frame body 25 is fitted into the rectangular parallelepiped portion 27 of the reference deformable body 16, and the claw portion 25 d of the upper frame body 25 is locked to the lower surface of the frame portion 24 b of the lower frame body 24. Thus, the flange portion 28 of the reference deformable body 16 is sandwiched between the sandwiching surface 24 d of the lower frame body 24 and the sandwiching surface 25 e formed on the lower surface of the frame portion 25 b of the upper frame body 25, and the lower surface of the reference deformable body 16. Is closely attached to the transmitting / receiving surface 3a of the ultrasonic probe 3. In the reference deformable body 16, the side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion 27 is positioned at the edge of the opening 25 a of the upper frame body 25, and the side surface of the flange portion 28 is positioned at the inner surface of the engaging portion 25 c of the upper frame body 25. . In this manner, according to the fixture 17 shown in FIG. 2, the reference deformable body 16 can be firmly fixed to the transmission / reception surface 3a of the ultrasonic probe 3, and the positional displacement of the reference deformable body 16 can be reduced during screening. Can be prevented. Further, since the flange portion 28 is sandwiched between the clamping surface 24d of the lower frame body 24 and the lower surface (clamping surface) of the frame portion 25b of the upper frame body 25, it is possible to prevent the reference deformable body 16 from being distorted. it can.

  However, according to the reference deformation fixture of the basic configuration shown in FIG. 2, as described in the problem to be solved by the present invention, the lower surface (clamping surface) of the frame portion 25b of the upper frame 25 and the lower frame Since the flange portion 28 of the reference deformable body 16 is sandwiched by the sandwiching surface 24d of the body 24, if air enters between the transmitting / receiving surface 3a of the ultrasonic probe 3 when the reference deformable body 16 is mounted, the air There is a problem that it is difficult to come off. Further, the reference deformable body 16 may be mounted by applying ultrasonic jelly to either one or both of the transmitting / receiving surface 3a and the reference deformable body 16 of the ultrasonic probe 3 or the close contact surface thereof. In this case, if the application amount of the ultrasonic jelly exceeds an appropriate amount, the thickness of the ultrasonic jelly coating film becomes non-uniform, and there is a problem that the pressure applied to the subject cannot be properly evaluated. That is, as illustrated in the ultrasonic image of FIG. 3A, if the air 19 enters the close contact portion between the transmission / reception surface 3 a and the reference deformable body 16, the propagation of the ultrasonic wave is affected, and the tomography An artifact 20 is generated in the ultrasonic image 22 such as an image or an elastic image, and a normal image is not displayed in the ultrasonic image 22 below the portion where the air 19 exists. Further, as illustrated in the ultrasonic image of FIG. 3B, if the amount of ultrasonic jelly applied between the reference deformable body 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a is too large, the location of the extra ultrasonic jelly 21 is increased. Therefore, the thickness of the coating film of the ultrasonic jelly becomes uneven, the distortion of the reference deformable body 16 is biased, and the pressure applied to the subject cannot be properly evaluated. Therefore, there is a problem that proper absolute elasticity information of each part of the living body cannot be acquired.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration of the fixture or the reference deformation body of the present invention that solves the problems of the fixture having the basic configuration shown in FIG. 2 will be described based on examples.
Example 1
In FIG. 4, the schematic diagram of Example 1 of the fixing tool 17 of this invention is shown. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along the dotted line X shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, FIG. 2B is a top view of the lower frame 24, and FIG. 2C is a reference deformation body. It is a perspective view of the fixing tool 17 with which 16 was mounted | worn. The difference between the present embodiment and the basic configuration of FIG. 2 is that the reference deformable body 16 and the transmission / reception surface are formed at the corners of the opening 24a of the lower frame 24 facing the corners of the four corners of the transmission / reception surface 3a formed in a rectangular shape. The through-hole 29 which is the space part which leads to the contact | adherence surface is formed. The through hole 29 is formed between the outer surface of the probe 3 by passing through the lower frame 24 at the corner of the opening 24a. Moreover, the height dimension of the holding part 24c of the lower frame 24 is formed short. However, the height dimension of the grip portion 24c may be formed high as in FIG. Since other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  That is, the fixture of the present embodiment is engaged with the lower frame body (first frame body) 24 attached to the outer periphery of the transmission / reception surface 3a portion of the ultrasound probe 3 and the lower frame body 24. An upper frame body (second frame body) 25 to be stopped, and a fixing tool that fixes the reference deformable body 16 in close contact with the transmission / reception surface 3a. The first frame body 24 includes the reference deformable body 16. And a through hole 29 that is a space portion that communicates with the contact surface between the transmitting and receiving surface 3 a and the outer surface of the probe 3. The through hole 29 that is a space portion is formed through an opening formed on the outer surface of the lower frame (first frame) 24. The through hole 29 which is a space portion communicates with a portion corresponding to a corner portion of the transmission / reception surface 3a formed in a rectangular shape.

  As described with reference to FIG. 2, when ultrasonic jelly is applied and the reference deformable body 16 is sandwiched between the fixtures 17 and brought into close contact with the transmission / reception surface 3a, excess ultrasonic waves are generated between the reference deformation body 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a. There may be jelly or air mixed in during installation. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, since the through hole 29 that is a space portion communicating with the contact surface is formed, when the reference deformable body 16 is pressed with a finger from the upper surface, excess ultrasonic jelly passes through the through hole 29. As a result, the reference probe 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a can be reliably adhered to each other. As a result, when screening or compression is applied, the reference deformation body 16 can be fixed without impairing the flexible deformation of the reference deformation body 16 and without imparting a biased distortion to the reference deformation body 16. Further, since air escapes, artifacts do not occur in tomographic images and elastic images.

  The positions of the through holes 29 are desirably formed at the four corners as shown in FIG. 4B, that is, at the ends in the major axis direction of the transmission / reception surface 3a and at the ends in the minor axis direction. That is, the ultrasonic image of the portion corresponding to the end portion in the long axis direction of the ultrasonic probe 3 is affected by the through hole 29, but the influence can be made small enough to be ignored. Further, the positions of the through holes 29 are not limited to the four corners of the transmission / reception surface 3a as in this embodiment. For example, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained even if the ultrasonic probe 3 is formed on the side in the short axis direction and / or the long axis direction. In short, as long as the position of the through hole 29 is a position that does not affect the image quality of the ultrasonic image, the position of the transmission / reception surface 3a in the short side direction and the long side direction is not limited.

  Further, the number of through holes 29 is not limited to four. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 29 may be a cylinder, a polygonal column, a cone, a polygonal pyramid, or a slit. In short, the effect of the present invention can be obtained by forming in the lower frame 24 a space such as a hole, a depression, a cavity, or a space having a sufficient volume leading to the contact surface between the reference deformable body 16 and the transmitting / receiving surface 3a. Can play. Further, if these space portions are formed by opening on the outer surface of the lower frame 24, air and excess ultrasonic jelly can be discharged to the outside, so that the volume of the space portion can be reduced.

(Example 2)
In FIG. 5, the schematic diagram of Example 2 of the fixing tool 17 of this invention is shown. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the fixture 17 to which the reference deformable body 16 is attached, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X shown in FIG. This embodiment differs from the basic configuration of FIG. 2 and Embodiment 1 in that through holes 30 are formed over the lower frame body 24 and the upper frame body 25 so as to communicate with the close contact surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the transmission / reception surface 3a. It is to have done. Since other configurations are the same as those of the basic configuration and the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, since the through-hole 30 which is a space portion communicating with the close contact surface is formed in the lower frame body 24, when the screening or the compression is applied by the same operation as the first embodiment, the reference deformation body The reference deformation body 16 can be fixed without impairing the flexible deformation of the 16 and without giving a biased distortion to the reference deformation body 16. Further, since air escapes, artifacts do not occur in tomographic images and elastic images.

(Example 3)
In FIG. 6, the schematic diagram of Example 3 of the fixing tool 17 of this invention is shown. FIG. 4A is a top view of the lower frame 24 of the fixture 17 to which the reference deformable body 16 is attached, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line X shown in FIG. The difference between this embodiment and the basic configuration of FIG. 2 and Embodiments 1 and 2 is that the transmission / reception surface 3a is dispersed on two opposite sides in the major axis direction, and the contact surface between the reference deformable body 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a. This is because the hollow 31 that communicates is formed on the clamping surface 24 of the lower frame 24. Since other configurations are the same as those of the basic configuration and the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, since the recess 31 that is a space portion that leads to the close contact surface is formed in the lower frame body 24, the air that has entered the close contact surface and the extra ultrasonic jelly applied to the close contact surface are not deformed. By pressing the upper surface of the body 16, the body 16 moves from the contact surface to the recess 31. As a result, air that has entered the close contact surface is discharged to the recess 31, and excess ultrasonic jelly applied to the close contact surface is discharged to the recess 31. As a result, when screening or compression is applied, the reference deformation body 16 can be fixed without impairing the flexible deformation of the reference deformation body 16 and without giving a biased distortion to the reference deformation body 16. . Further, since air escapes, artifacts do not occur in tomographic images and elastic images.

  In this embodiment, it goes without saying that the recess 31 may have a groove shape. In this case, one end of the recess 31 or the groove is positioned at a portion corresponding to the edge of the minor axis of the transmission / reception surface or in the vicinity of the edge so as to communicate with the contact surface. Moreover, it is preferable to process the depression 31 at a position outside the imaging range of the ultrasonic image. Moreover, you may provide the hollow 31 not only in a longitudinal direction but in a transversal direction. Further, the number and position of the depressions 31 are not limited as long as they are outside the imaging range of the ultrasonic image. The cross-sectional shape may be a hemisphere, a cylinder, a polygonal column, a conical column, a rectangular parallelepiped, a wavy shape, a geometric pattern, or the like.

Example 4
In FIG. 7, the schematic diagram of Example 4 of the fixing tool 17 of this invention is shown. 4A is a top view of the lower frame 24 of the fixture 17, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line X shown in FIG. The present embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that the recess 31 formed in the holding surface 24d of the lower frame 24 is connected to the contact surface between the reference deformable body 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a from the position of the lower frame 24. It is that it was formed even on the surface. Since other configurations are the same as the basic configuration and the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the third embodiment, even if there is a large amount of air that has infiltrated the close contact surface or excessive ultrasonic jelly applied to the close contact surface, It will be discharged to the outside. As a result, the effect that the reference deformable body 16 can be fixed can be reliably realized without giving a biased distortion to the reference deformable body 16 when screening or compression is applied as compared with the third embodiment. In addition, the effect of preventing artifacts from being generated in tomographic images and elastic images can be reliably realized by the escape of air.

(Example 5)
In FIG. 8, the schematic diagram of Example 5 of the fixing tool 17 of this invention is shown. 4A is a top view of the lower frame 24 of the fixture 17, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line X shown in FIG. This embodiment differs from the basic configuration of FIG. 2 and Embodiments 1 to 4 in that the opening 24a of the sandwiching surface 24d of the lower frame 24 is used as a space that leads to the contact surface between the reference deformable body 16 and the transmitting / receiving surface 3a. This is because the notched stepped portion 32 is formed around the outer peripheral edge of the transmitting / receiving surface 3a at the edge. Since other configurations are the same as the basic configuration of FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, the notched step portion 32 that is a space portion that leads to the close contact surface is formed along the edge of the opening 24a of the lower frame 24. The applied ultrasonic jelly is quickly moved to the notch step 32 surrounding the outer periphery of the contact surface by pressing the upper surface of the reference deformable body 16. As a result, when screening or compression is applied, the reference deformation body 16 can be fixed without impairing the flexible deformation of the reference deformation body 16 and without giving a biased distortion to the reference deformation body 16. . Moreover, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of artifacts in the tomographic image and the elastic image due to the escape of air.

(Example 6)
In FIG. 9, the schematic block diagram of Example 6 of the reference deformation body 16 which solves the subject of this invention is shown. 2A is a perspective view of the fixture 17 to which the reference deformable body 16 is attached, FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line X in FIG. 1A, and FIG. It is sectional drawing in line Y. Examples 1 to 5 show the fixture 17 that solves the problem of the present invention. However, the present example solves the problem of the present invention by the reference deformable body 16. As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, this embodiment corresponds to both end portions of the transmission / reception surface 3a in the major axis direction as space portions that communicate with the contact surface between the reference deformable body 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a. In the position of the reference deformable body 16, through-holes 33 that lead from the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion 16 to the transmission / reception surface 3 a are formed. That is, the reference deformable body 16 that is fixed by the fixing tool 17 and used in close contact with the transmission / reception surface 3a of the ultrasound probe 3 is formed with a space portion that opens to the contact surface with the transmission / reception surface 3a. And Since other configurations are the same as the basic configuration of FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, since the through hole 33 is provided in the reference deformable body 16 as a space portion that communicates with the close contact surface between the reference deformable body 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a, it is applied to the air or the close contact surface that has entered the close contact surface. The excess ultrasonic jelly thus formed is discharged from the upper surface of the reference deformation body 16 through the through hole 33 by pressing the upper surface of the reference deformation body 16. Thereby, there can exist the same effect as Examples 1-5. Further, according to the present embodiment, the ultrasonic jelly remains in the through hole 33 of the reference deformable body 16, but by selecting the acoustic characteristics of the ultrasonic jelly that are close to the acoustic characteristics of the reference deformable body 16, The influence on the image quality of the ultrasonic image can be ignored.

(Example 7)
In FIG. 10, the schematic block diagram of Example 7 of the reference deformation body 16 which solves the subject of this invention is shown. 4A is a front view of the reference deformable body 16, FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the reference deformable body 16 viewed from the transmission / reception surface 3a side, and FIG. 4C is the same view as FIG. FIG. The present embodiment is a modification of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the depression 31 is formed on the clamping surface 24d of the lower frame 24. However, in this embodiment, the depression 34 corresponding to the depression 31 is formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 28 of the reference deformable body 16. Is different. Since other configurations are the same as the basic configuration of FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, since the recess 34 is formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 28 of the reference deformable body 16 as a space portion that communicates with the close contact surface between the reference deformable body 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a, the air that has entered the close contact surface The excess ultrasonic jelly applied to the close contact surface is discharged from the side surface of the fixture 28 of the reference deformation body 16 through the recess 34 by pressing the upper surface of the reference deformation body 16. Thereby, the same effect as Example 4 can be produced.

(Example 8)
In FIG. 11, the schematic block diagram of Example 8 of the reference deformation body 16 which solves the subject of this invention is shown. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along the major axis direction, which is a plane passing through the center of the minor axis direction of the reference deformable body 16. FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the reference deformable body 16 viewed from the transmission / reception surface 3a side, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the reference deformable body 16 cut along the short axis direction. This embodiment is a modification of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. That is, in Example 5, the notch step part 32 was formed in the edge part of the opening 24a of the lower frame 24. FIG. In the present embodiment, the difference is that the groove 35 corresponding to the notch step portion 32 is formed at a position surrounding the outer periphery of the transmission / reception surface 3a on the lower surface of the flange portion 28 of the reference deformable body 16. Since other configurations are the same as the basic configuration of FIG. 2, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, the groove 35 is formed at a position surrounding the outer periphery of the transmission / reception surface 3a on the lower surface of the flange portion 28 of the reference deformation body 16 as a space portion communicating with the contact surface between the reference deformation body 16 and the transmission / reception surface 3a. For this reason, air that has entered the contact surface or excess ultrasonic jelly applied to the contact surface moves to the groove 35 and is removed from the contact surface by pressing the upper surface of the reference deformable body 16. Thereby, the same effect as other Examples can be produced. The volume of the groove 35 is preferably large enough to accommodate the air that has entered the contact surface and excess ultrasonic jelly applied to the contact surface. An open groove can be connected to the side surface. According to this, even if there is a large amount of air that has entered the contact surface or excessive ultrasonic jelly applied, it can be reliably removed from the contact surface.

Example 9
In FIG. 12, the schematic block diagram of Example 9 of the reference deformation body 40 which solves the subject of this invention is shown. 4A is a front view of the reference deformable body 40, FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the reference deformable body 40 viewed from the transmission / reception surface 3a side, and FIG. The side view and FIG. 6D are cross-sectional views along the long axis direction in a state where the reference deformable body 40 is crowned on the head portion of the ultrasonic probe 3. As shown in the figure, the reference deformable body 40 of this embodiment is an embodiment in which the reference deformable body 16 and the fixture 17 of the first to eighth embodiments are integrated. As shown in FIG. Is formed in a cap shape so that the head is placed on the head portion of the ultrasonic probe 3 on the transmission / reception surface 3a side.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12, the reference deformable body 40 includes a reference deformable body portion 41 corresponding to the rectangular parallelepiped portion 27 of the first to eighth embodiments. The reference deformable body portion 41 is formed in a flat plate shape having a certain thickness, and has a rectangular parallelepiped portion corresponding to the transmission / reception surface 3 a of the ultrasonic probe 3. A cylindrical gripping portion 42 is formed so as to hang down from the lower surface side of the reference deformable portion 41. The grip portion 42 can be formed integrally with the reference deformable portion 41, for example, using the same material. Further, when the gripping part 42 is put on the head part 3b of the ultrasonic probe 3 by being crowned and mounted, the diameter of the gripping part 42 is widened so that it is crowned. It is preferable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a bellows-like rubber-like portion 43 that can be expanded and contracted is formed on the lower side of the grip portion 42 in order to make it easy to widen the diameter of the grip portion 42 during mounting. Therefore, the reference deformable body 40 of the present embodiment is formed to have a hollow portion into which the head portion 3b of the ultrasonic probe 3 is inserted. The reference deformable body 40 is basically disposable and is not repeatedly attached and detached. Therefore, the repeated deformation strength of the gripping portion 42 and the rubber-like portion 43 is not a problem.

  The feature of the present embodiment is that the through hole is located at the position of the grip portion 42 corresponding to the inner surface 41a of the reference deformable portion 41 corresponding to the transmitting / receiving surface 3a of the acoustic probe 3 to which the hollow reference deformable member 40 is mounted. 44 is formed. In the present embodiment, the through hole 44 is formed at a position communicating with the four corners (corners) of the transmission / reception surface 3a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inner surface 41a and the transmission / reception surface of the reference deformable portion 41 are not limited thereto. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole 44 may be a columnar shape, a polygonal column shape, a conical shape, a polygonal pyramid shape, a slit shape, a wave shape, or a geometric pattern cut as long as it communicates with the contact surface with 3a. Further, the number of through holes 44 may be any number, and the outer surface of the reference deformable portion 41 may be located at a position where it penetrates from the transmitting / receiving surface 3a. For example, the through hole 44 may be bent in an L shape and opened on the side surface of the reference deformable body 40.

  According to the present embodiment thus formed, the reference deformable body 40 is crowned on the ultrasonic probe 3 and the inner surface 41a of the reference deformable body portion 41 is used in close contact with the transmitting / receiving surface 3a. Even when extra ultrasonic jelly or air mixed during attachment is present between the inner surface 41a of the reference deformable portion 41 and the transmitting / receiving surface 3a when the reference deformable portion 40 is pressed with a finger from the top surface, Ultrasonic jelly and air are discharged to the outer surface of the reference deformable body 40 through the through hole 44. As a result, when screening or compression is applied, the reference deformable body 40 is transmitted / received to the transmitting / receiving surface 3a without impairing the flexible deformation of the reference deformable section 41 and without imparting biased distortion to the reference deformable section 41. Can be fixed to.

(Example 10)
In FIG. 13, the schematic block diagram of Example 10 of the reference deformation body 40 which solves the subject of this invention is shown. 4A is a front view of the reference deformable body 40, FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the reference deformable body 40 viewed from the transmission / reception surface 3a side, and FIG. 4C is an ultrasonic probe of the reference deformable body 40. It is sectional drawing along the major axis direction in the state which covered the head part of the child | child 3. As illustrated, the reference deformable body 40 of the present embodiment is different from the reference deformable body 40 of the ninth embodiment of FIG. 12 in that the transmitting / receiving surface 3a of the inner surface 41a of the reference deformable portion 41 is replaced with the through hole 44. That is, the grooves 45 are formed along the edges of both ends in the major axis direction. Since other points have the same configuration as that of the ninth embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, when the reference deformable body 40 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 3, the groove 45 is formed which is a space that communicates with the close contact surface between the inner surface 41a of the reference deformable portion 41 and the transmitting / receiving surface 3a. Therefore, when the reference deformable body 40 is pressed with a finger from the upper surface, excess ultrasonic jelly existing on the contact surface and air mixed at the time of wearing move to the groove 45 and are removed from the contact surface. Thereby, the same effect as other Examples can be produced. The volume of the groove 45 is preferably large enough to accommodate air that has entered the contact surface and excess ultrasonic jelly applied to the contact surface. However, a through-hole opened on the side surface of the grip portion 42 of the reference deformable body 40 can be formed at an appropriate location in the groove 45. According to this, air that has entered the close contact surface or extra applied ultrasonic waves can be formed. Even if there is much jelly, it can be reliably removed from the contact surface.

  Furthermore, in place of the present embodiment and the ninth embodiment, a through hole opened in the close contact surface and the outer surface of the reference deformable body 40 can be provided. In this case, the opening on the close contact surface side of the through hole is preferably formed at a position corresponding to the edge of the short axis (short side) or the vicinity of the edge of the transmission / reception surface 3a. Moreover, the groove | channel 45 can be formed in the inner surface 41a of the reference deformation body part 41 along two opposing sides of the transmission / reception surface 3a formed in the rectangle, or along the outer periphery of the transmission / reception surface 3a.

3 Ultrasonic probe 16 Reference deformable body 17 Reference deformable body fixture 24 Lower frame body 24a Opening 24b Frame section 24c Holding section 24d Holding surface 25 Upper frame body 25a Opening 25b Frame section 25c Engaging section 25d Claw section 25e Holding surface 27 rectangular parallelepiped portion 28 flange portion 29 through-hole 31 recess 32 notched stepped portion 33 through-hole 34 recess 35 groove 40 reference deformable body 41 reference deformable body portion 42 gripping portion 43 rubber-like portion 44 through-hole 45 groove

Claims (19)

A reference deformable body comprising: a first frame body mounted on the outer periphery of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface portion of the ultrasonic probe; and a second frame body that is crowned and locked to the first frame body. In a reference deformable fixture for fixing the ultrasonic probe in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe,
The first frame body is formed to have a space portion that leads to a contact surface between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface ,
The reference deformable body fixing tool , wherein the space portion is formed through an opening formed on an outer surface of the first frame body . A reference deformable body comprising: a first frame body mounted on the outer periphery of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface portion of the ultrasonic probe; and a second frame body that is crowned and locked to the first frame body. In a reference deformable fixture for fixing the ultrasonic probe in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe,
The first frame body is formed to have a space portion that leads to a contact surface between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface,
Furthermore, the space portion leads to a portion corresponding to a corner portion of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface formed in a rectangle,
See variant fixture you wherein the one end is a hole that is opened in the first frame of the portion corresponding to the corner portions of the formed rectangular ultrasonic wave transmission and reception surface. The reference deformation body fixture according to claim 2, wherein the hole has the other end opened from the first frame body to an outer surface of the second frame body. A reference deformable body comprising: a first frame body mounted on the outer periphery of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface portion of the ultrasonic probe; and a second frame body that is crowned and locked to the first frame body. In a reference deformable fixture for fixing the ultrasonic probe in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe,
The first frame body is formed to have a space portion that leads to a contact surface between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface,
The space portion includes one or a plurality of depressions or one or a plurality of depressions formed on a sandwiching surface of the first frame body that sandwiches a flange portion formed on a side surface of the reference deformable body with the second frame body. The reference deformable fixture according to claim 1, wherein one end of the recess or the groove is located at a portion corresponding to the edge of the minor axis of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface or the vicinity of the edge. A reference deformable body comprising: a first frame body mounted on the outer periphery of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface portion of the ultrasonic probe; and a second frame body that is crowned and locked to the first frame body. In a reference deformable fixture for fixing the ultrasonic probe in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe,
The first frame body is formed to have a space portion that leads to a contact surface between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface,
The space portion includes one or a plurality of depressions or one or a plurality of depressions formed on a sandwiching surface of the first frame body that sandwiches a flange portion formed on a side surface of the reference deformable body with the second frame body. The reference deformable fixture, wherein one end of the recess or groove is located at a portion corresponding to an edge of the major axis of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface or a vicinity of the edge. A reference deformable body comprising: a first frame body mounted on the outer periphery of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface portion of the ultrasonic probe; and a second frame body that is crowned and locked to the first frame body. In a reference deformable fixture for fixing the ultrasonic probe in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe,
The first frame body is formed to have a space portion that leads to a contact surface between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface,
The said space part is formed in the clamping surface of the said 1st frame body which clamps the collar part formed in the side surface of the said reference deformation body with the said 2nd frame body, The said ultrasonic transmission / reception formed in the rectangle A reference deformable body fixing tool comprising two notch steps formed on the clamping surface along two opposing sides of the surface. A reference deformable body comprising: a first frame body mounted on the outer periphery of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface portion of the ultrasonic probe; and a second frame body that is crowned and locked to the first frame body. In a reference deformable fixture for fixing the ultrasonic probe in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe,
The first frame body is formed to have a space portion that leads to a contact surface between the reference deformable body and the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface,
The space portion sandwiches a flange portion formed on a side surface of the reference deformable body with the second frame body.
The reference deformable body fixing is a notch step portion formed in the sandwiching surface along the outer periphery of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface formed in a rectangular shape on the sandwiching surface of the first frame. Ingredients. In the reference deformation body that is fixed by the reference deformation body fixing tool and used in close contact with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe,
A space portion is formed in the close contact surface with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface,
The space portion is a hole opened in the contact surface and the outer surface of the reference deformable body, and the opening on the contact surface side of the hole corresponds to the edge of the short axis of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface or the vicinity of the edge. A reference deformation body formed at a position. In the reference deformation body that is fixed by the reference deformation body fixing tool and used in close contact with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe,
A space portion is formed in the close contact surface with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface,
A rectangular parallelepiped portion and a flange portion projecting from one side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, and the space portion of the flange portion along two opposing sides of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface formed in a rectangular shape A reference deformation body characterized in that it is two grooves formed on a surface . In the reference deformation body that is fixed by the reference deformation body fixing tool and used in close contact with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe,
A space portion is formed in the close contact surface with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface,
A rectangular parallelepiped portion and a flange portion projecting from one side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, and the space portion is formed on the surface of the flange portion along an outer peripheral edge of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface formed in a rectangular shape. A reference deformation body characterized by being a formed groove. An ultrasonic probe having a rectangular parallelepiped portion and a flange projecting from one side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, and being fixed by a reference deformable body fixture having at least a support frame in contact with the side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion. In the reference deformation body used in close contact with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of
A reference deformable body, wherein one or a plurality of grooves are formed from an edge of a long axis of a contact surface with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface or from the vicinity of the edge toward an outer surface of the flange portion. In the reference deformation body that is fixed by the reference deformation body fixing tool and used in close contact with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe,
A space portion is formed in the close contact surface with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface,
A rectangular parallelepiped portion and a flange portion projecting from one side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, and the space portion has an edge of a long axis of the contact surface with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface or the vicinity of the edge of the flange portion. A reference deformation body characterized by being one or a plurality of depressions or one or a plurality of grooves toward the outer surface. In the reference deformation body that is fixed by the reference deformation body fixing tool and used in close contact with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe,
A space portion is formed in the close contact surface with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface,
A rectangular parallelepiped portion and a flange protruding from one side of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, and the space is formed from the edge of the short axis of the contact surface with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface or from the vicinity of the edge of the flange A reference deformation body characterized by being one or a plurality of depressions or one or a plurality of grooves toward the outer surface. A rectangular parallelepiped portion that is in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe; and a rectangular cylindrical gripping portion that is suspended from a side surface portion of the rectangular parallelepiped portion; and the gripping portion of the ultrasonic probe In the reference deformation body used by covering the outer periphery of the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface portion,
The gripping part is formed with a hole having one end opened at a portion corresponding to a corner of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface formed in a rectangle and the other end opened on the outer surface of the gripping part. Reference variant. A rectangular parallelepiped portion that is in close contact with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe; and a rectangular cylindrical gripping portion that is suspended from a side surface portion of the rectangular parallelepiped portion; and the gripping portion of the ultrasonic probe In the reference deformation body used by covering the outer periphery of the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface portion,
The reference deformable body, wherein the gripping portion is formed with a groove along a portion corresponding to a short side of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface formed in a rectangular shape. An ultrasonic probe comprising: the reference deformable body fixing tool according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and a reference deformable body fixed by the reference deformable body fixing tool. An ultrasonic probe to which the reference deformation body according to any one of claims 8 to 15 is fixed. An ultrasonic probe comprising the reference deformable body fixing tool according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a reference deformable body fixed by the reference deformable body fixing tool, and the ultrasonic probe. A tomographic image constructing means for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a subject via the signal and generating a tomographic image based on the RF signal frame data of the tomographic part of the subject, and a tissue in the tomographic part based on the RF signal frame data Elastic information calculation means for obtaining the strain or elastic modulus of the image, elastic image construction means for generating an elastic image based on the strain or elastic modulus obtained by the elastic information calculation means, the tomographic image and / or the elastic image are displayed. And an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The reference deformable body according to any one of claims 8 to 15, the ultrasonic probe to which the reference deformable body is fixed, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted to and received from a subject via the ultrasonic probe. A tomographic image constructing means for generating a tomographic image based on the RF signal frame data of the tomographic part of the subject; and an elastic information calculating means for obtaining a strain or elastic modulus of the tissue in the tomographic part based on the RF signal frame data. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: an elastic image forming unit that generates an elastic image based on the strain or elastic modulus obtained by the elastic information calculating unit; and a display unit that displays the tomographic image and / or the elastic image.

Images