JP6435668B2 - Optical probe - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical probe, and more particularly to a medical optical probe.

  Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is known as a kind of photochemical medicine. PDT is a treatment method that induces a photochemical reaction caused by a photosensitive substance by irradiating the tumor tissue with a laser beam after administering a photosensitive substance having a tumor affinity to a patient, thereby leading to degeneration or necrosis of the tumor tissue. It is attracting attention because it has less physical burden on patients. As an optical probe used in such a PDT, for example, in Patent Document 1, a configuration in which a polyamide resin chip (ferrule) for irradiating a laser beam guided in an optical fiber is attached to the end of the optical fiber It is shown.

JP 09-047518 A

  In PDT, an optical fiber is inserted into a patient's body. For this reason, it is necessary to strengthen the adhesion so that the chip (ferrule) does not come off the optical fiber. For this purpose, it is desired to check the application state of the adhesive also in the manufacturing process.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical probe having higher adhesive strength and capable of visually recognizing an adhesive in a manufacturing process.

The present invention is
(1) It extends along the optical axis and has a core, a clad part covering the core, and a cover part covering the periphery of the clad part, and the clad part is exposed by removing the cover part at one end side thereof Optical fiber,
A ferrule made of a biocompatible material and fixed to the one end of the optical fiber by an adhesive;
A medical optical probe comprising:
The ferrule is
A first hole extending along the optical axis from a first opening formed in the first surface of the ferrule;
A diameter-reduced portion that continuously extends from the first hole along the optical axis and decreases in diameter as it is separated from the first hole,
A second hole extending continuously from the reduced diameter portion along the optical axis, the diameter of which is smaller than the first hole;
A groove that communicates with an end of the second hole that is opposite to the side that is continuous with the reduced diameter portion, and that communicates with a side surface of the ferrule;
A convex lens portion formed on the second surface opposite to the first surface,
The groove has a first groove surface intersecting the optical axis, and a second groove surface facing the first groove surface and forming a second opening communicating with the second hole. And
The optical fiber is
The covering portion is disposed in the first hole portion and the reduced diameter portion,
The clad part from which the covering part has been removed is disposed in the second hole part and the reduced diameter part,
In a state where the end surface on the one end side is in contact with the first surface, it is fixed by the adhesive introduced into the groove, the first hole, the reduced diameter portion, and the second hole,
In at least a part of the wavelength band of the visible light region, the light transmittance of the adhesive after curing is an optical probe that is 10% or more smaller than the light transmittance of the ferrule.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while having higher adhesive strength, the optical probe which can visually recognize an adhesive agent in a manufacturing process is provided.

It is a schematic block diagram of the PDT apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the optical probe which concerns on this embodiment.

[Description of Embodiment of Present Invention]
First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.

  The optical probe of the present application (1) extends along the optical axis and has a core, a clad portion covering the core, and a covering portion covering the periphery of the clad portion, and the covering portion is removed at one end side thereof A medical optical probe comprising: an optical fiber having a cladding portion exposed; and a ferrule made of a biocompatible material and fixed to the one end side of the optical fiber by an adhesive. The ferrule extends from the first opening formed in the first surface of the ferrule along the optical axis, extends from the first hole along the optical axis, and extends from the first hole. A reduced diameter portion whose diameter decreases as the distance from the first hole portion increases, a second hole portion that continuously extends from the reduced diameter portion along the optical axis, and whose diameter is smaller than the first hole portion, Of the second hole portion, A groove that communicates with the end opposite to the continuous side and communicates with the side surface of the ferrule, and a convex lens formed on the second surface opposite to the first surface. The groove portion includes a first groove surface intersecting the optical axis, a second groove surface that is opposed to the first groove surface and has a second opening communicating with the second hole portion, and The optical fiber has the covering portion disposed in the first hole portion and the reduced diameter portion, and the clad portion from which the covering portion has been removed is disposed in the second hole portion and the reduced diameter portion. And is fixed by the adhesive introduced into the groove, the first hole, the reduced diameter part and the second hole in a state where the end face on the one end side is in contact with the first face, In at least a part of the wavelength band of the visible light region, the light transmittance of the adhesive after curing is 1 than the light transmittance of the ferrule. Wherein the percent smaller.

  According to the above optical probe, the coated portion of the optical fiber is inserted and fixed in the first hole portion and the reduced diameter portion, and the portion where the cladding portion from which the coated portion is removed is exposed is the reduced diameter portion, It is fixed at the two holes and the groove. In this way, by arranging and fixing the end portion of the covering portion to the reduced diameter portion, a large amount of adhesive can be filled at the boundary between the covering portion and the clad portion, so that the adhesive strength between the ferrule and the optical fiber is increased. Is improved. Further, the light transmittance of the adhesive after curing in the visible light region is 10% or more smaller than the light transmittance of the ferrule, so that the adhesive for fixing the ferrule and the optical fiber is sufficiently widened. It becomes visible from the outside.

(2) The first hole portion may include an enlarged diameter portion in which the diameter of the end portion increases toward the first opening portion on the first surface side.

  In the case where the first hole portion includes the enlarged diameter portion, the adhesive strength between the ferrule and the optical fiber can be further increased by the adhesive being accumulated in the enlarged diameter portion at the stage of fixing with the adhesive.

(3) The said ferrule can be made into the aspect formed with a transparent material with respect to the light of the wavelength band of 610 nm-700 nm.

  By forming the ferrule with a material transparent to light in the wavelength band of 610 nm to 700 nm, the light used when using the medical optical probe can be suitably emitted through the optical fiber through the ferrule. it can.

(4) The adhesive may be applied in a fillet shape around the first opening on the first surface.

  By applying the adhesive in a fillet shape, the ferrule and the optical fiber can be firmly bonded to each other on the first surface side where a large tensile force is applied when the optical probe is pulled out, and the adhesive strength in the optical probe is improved. The

(5) The surface roughness of the first groove surface may be smaller than the surface roughness of the second groove surface.

  In this case, the wettability with respect to the adhesive on the second groove surface is enhanced, and the adhesive is preferably transferred from the second opening to the second hole. As a result, the adhesive suitably spreads in the second hole portion, the reduced diameter portion, and the first hole portion, and the adhesive strength is improved.

(6) The surface roughness of the first surface may be larger than the surface roughness of the first hole.

  When the surface roughness of the first surface is larger than the surface roughness of the first hole, a fillet made of an adhesive is suitably formed, and the adhesive strength on the first surface side is easily improved.

(7) The first surface may have an outer periphery that is rounded.

  In this case, since the spread of the uncured adhesive that has reached the first surface to the outer peripheral edge is suppressed, the fillet portion is more suitably formed.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
Specific examples of the optical probe according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and intends that all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to the claim are included.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a PDT apparatus that is a photochemical medical apparatus including an optical probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a PDT apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an optical probe 30 that includes a ferrule 10 and an optical fiber 20, and a semiconductor laser device 40 that is a light source connected to the optical probe 30. , Including.

  The PDT apparatus 1 is an apparatus for performing treatment by irradiating a lesion portion such as a tumor in a patient's body with laser light. Specifically, PDT (photodynamic therapy) is a method in which a photosensitizing substance having a tumor affinity is administered to a patient to collect the photosensitizing substance in the lesion and then irradiating the lesion with a laser beam. It is a local treatment that degenerates and necroses tumor cells in the lesion. The PDT apparatus 1 is an apparatus that irradiates a lesion site with light emitted from the semiconductor laser apparatus 40 via the optical probe 30. Thus, the optical probe 30 is inserted into the patient's body.

  The semiconductor laser device 40 is a light source that emits laser light. The optical fiber 20 is connected to the semiconductor laser device 40 via a connector or the like. Laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser device 40 is guided to the ferrule 10 through the optical fiber 20. The laser beam is emitted from the end of the ferrule 10 toward the patient's lesion. The laser light may be pulsed light.

  Next, the periphery of the ferrule 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In the optical probe 30, the ferrule 10 is fixed so as to cover one end of the optical fiber 20. The ferrule 10 and the optical fiber 20 are fixed with an adhesive.

  The optical fiber 20 includes a core (not shown) that extends along the optical axis X and guides light, a cladding portion 21 that covers the core, and a covering portion 22 that covers the cladding portion 21. The core and the clad portion 21 are preferably made of glass. The diameter of the clad part 21 is, for example, about 0.4 to 0.5 mm. The covering portion 22 is removed in the vicinity of the end portion of the optical fiber 20, and the cladding portion 21 is exposed. Since the optical fiber 20 is also introduced into the living body, the covering portion 22 is also made of a resin material having biocompatibility. As such a material, for example, polyimide, acrylic, or nylon can be used.

  The ferrule 10 is a columnar member that extends along the optical axis X of the optical fiber 20. The ferrule 10 is made of a biocompatible material. The ferrule 10 has a diameter of about 1 mm to 2 mm around the optical axis X, and a length in the direction of the optical axis X of about 5 to 10 mm. The ferrule 10 is preferably formed of a material that can transmit laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser device 40. When used for PDT, for example, 664 nm is selected as the wavelength of the laser beam, and therefore, it is preferably made of a transparent material that absorbs less light in the wavelength band of 610 nm to 700 nm. Furthermore, it is preferable that the ferrule 10 has a high transmittance with respect to visible light. As such a material, for example, polyphenylsulfone resin can be used. The polyphenyl sulfone resin can transmit 90% or more of light having a wavelength of 664 nm when the thickness is 2 mm. In addition, the ferrule 10 can be made of a resin such as polyetherimide or glass.

  Further, the ferrule 10 has a hole 12 for inserting the optical fiber 20 from the first surface 11a on one side. In addition, a convex lens portion 13 is formed on the second surface 11b opposite to the side where the hole portion 12 is formed to control the emission direction of light guided through the optical fiber 20. The ferrule 10 is preferably formed integrally with the convex lens portion 13.

  The hole portion 12 includes a first hole portion 16, a reduced diameter portion 17, and a second hole portion 18.

  The first hole 16 extends from the first opening 12a. The diameter of the first hole portion 16 is substantially the same as the diameter of the optical fiber 20 including the covering portion 22. Moreover, the 1st hole 16 may be provided with the enlarged diameter part 16a from which the diameter becomes large toward the 1st opening part 12a by the side of the 1st surface 11a. In this case, it becomes easy to insert the optical fiber 20 into the hole 12.

  The reduced diameter portion 17 extends along the optical axis X continuously from the first hole portion. The diameter of the reduced diameter portion 17 decreases as the distance from the first hole portion 16 increases. The reduced diameter portion 17 may be configured in a tapered shape having an inclined surface, or may be configured in a staircase shape.

  The second hole 18 extends along the optical axis X continuously from the reduced diameter portion 17. The diameter of the second hole 18 is smaller than that of the first hole 16 and is substantially the same as the diameter of the cladding 21 of the optical fiber 20.

  A groove portion 19 is formed on the end portion opposite to the end portion of the reduced diameter portion 17 of the second hole portion 18. The groove portion 19 is formed by being cut from the side surface 11 c of the main body portion 11 of the ferrule 10 in a direction intersecting the optical axis X (vertical direction in FIG. 2), and opens to the side surface 11 c of the main body portion 11. Moreover, the groove part 19 has the 2nd opening part 12b connected with the edge part on the opposite side to the side connected with the diameter reducing part 17 among the 2nd hole parts 18. FIG. As will be described later, the groove portion 19 has a function of introducing an adhesive into the hole portion 12.

  The groove portion 19 has a first groove surface 19a and a second groove surface 19b. The first groove surface 19a is orthogonal to the optical axis X. The second groove surface 19 b is provided to face the first groove surface 19 a and communicates with the second hole portion 18. The surface roughness of the first groove surface 19a is smaller than the surface roughness of the second groove surface 19b. The laser light from the optical fiber 20 is incident on the first groove surface 19a, which is a region having a small surface roughness, so that scattering of the laser light can be suppressed. Further, when the surface roughness of the second groove surface 19b is larger than that of the first groove surface 19a, the wettability of the second groove surface 19b with respect to the adhesive is enhanced, and as described later, from the second opening 12b. The movement of the adhesive to the hole 12 is promoted. In the present embodiment, the surface roughness refers to arithmetic average roughness.

  Further, the surface roughness of the side surface 11 c is larger than the first groove surface 19 a and the second groove surface 19 b of the groove portion 19. The surface roughness of the second groove surface 19b and the side surface 11c is preferably 10 times or more the wavelength of the laser light guided in the optical fiber 20.

  A lens portion 13 is provided on the second surface 11b. The center of the optical axis of the lens unit 13 substantially coincides with the optical axis X. The outer diameter of the lens portion 13 is smaller than the outer diameter of the second surface 11b. For this reason, the end of the ferrule 10 on the second surface 11b side has a shape in which a flat surface is provided around the lens portion 13 having a curved surface. Note that the outer diameter of the lens unit 13 is appropriately changed according to the beam diameter to be irradiated.

  The first surface 11 a and the second surface 11 b of the main body portion 11 are rounded so that the outer peripheral edge extends to the side surface 11 c of the main body portion 11. Also, the outer peripheral edge of the boundary portion between the side surface 11c and the groove portion 19 is rounded. This is to prevent injury to the patient when the optical probe 30 is inserted into or pulled out from the patient's body.

  The optical fiber 20 is attached to the ferrule 10 by the following method. First, the covering portion 22 at the end of the optical fiber 20 is partially removed to expose the clad portion 21. Next, the optical fiber 20 is inserted from the first opening 12 a of the ferrule 10, and the end of the optical fiber 20 is brought into contact with the first groove surface 19 a of the groove 19. At this time, the length of the region of the optical fiber 20 from which the covering portion 22 is removed is adjusted, and the covering portion 22 is disposed in the first hole portion 16 and the reduced diameter portion 17. In addition, the clad portion 21 is disposed in the second hole portion 18, the reduced diameter portion 17, and the groove portion 19. The end face of the optical fiber 20 is a plane orthogonal to the optical axis X. Thereby, the end surface of the optical fiber 20 can be adhered to the first groove surface 19a.

  Next, an adhesive is introduced from the groove 19. The adhesive must be biocompatible. An adhesive having a high fluidity before curing and a dry curing type can be used. Further, when the ferrule 10 is made of a resin having a high transmittance with respect to UV or glass, a UV curable adhesive can be used. In this case, the curing time can be shortened. Moreover, it is preferable that the transmittance | permeability with respect to the visible light in the state before hardening is lower than the material which comprises the ferrule 10, and it is preferable that especially the difference of the transmittance | permeability is 10% or more. By setting it as such a structure, the adhesive agent which moves the inside of the hole part 12 can be confirmed from the outer side of the ferrule 10. FIG.

  The adhesive introduced from the groove portion 19 spreads along the wall surfaces of the second hole portion 18, the reduced diameter portion 17, and the first hole portion 16 from the second opening 12 b provided in the groove portion 19 by capillary action. Thereby, the space between the optical fiber 20 and the hole 12 in the hole 12 is filled with the adhesive. At this time, when bubbles or the like are included in the adhesive, it can be discharged from the groove portion 19 so as not to remain around the optical fiber 20. Further, the adhesive that has reached the first opening 12a of the hole 12 flows around the first opening 12a and stays in a fillet shape along the optical fiber 20 and the first surface 11a.

  When the adhesive is cured in this state, the outer periphery of the optical fiber 20 and the inner surface of the hole 12 are fixed by the cured adhesive. In particular, by arranging the end portion of the covering portion 22 in the reduced diameter portion 17, the boundary between the covering portion 22 and the cladding portion 21 is filled with many adhesive layers 41. Thereby, the optical fiber 20 is more firmly fixed to the ferrule 10. Furthermore, it is preferable that the transmittance with respect to visible light in a state after curing is lower than the material constituting the ferrule 10, and it is particularly preferable that the difference in transmittance is 10% or more. By setting it as such a structure, it can confirm from the outer side of the ferrule 10 that the inside of the hole part 12 was fully satisfy | filled with the adhesive agent. Note that it is sufficient that the transmittance difference is 10% or more in at least a part of the wavelength band of the visible light region, and the wavelength band can be appropriately selected according to the material.

  Furthermore, on the first surface 11a side of the ferrule 10, the fillet portion 42 is formed by curing the fillet-like adhesive. Thereby, the optical fiber 20 is firmly fixed to the ferrule 10 also on the first surface 11a side. In addition, when the surface roughness of the first surface 11a is larger than the surface roughness of the first hole portion 16, the wettability of the first surface 11a with respect to the adhesive is higher than that of the first hole portion 16, and thus the fillet portion 42. Is suitably formed. Moreover, when the outer periphery of the 1st surface 11a is rounded, since the unhardened adhesive agent which reached the 1st surface 11a is suppressed from spreading to an outer periphery, the fillet part 42 is created more suitably. The

  Like the optical probe 30 of the present embodiment, the covering portion 22 is also inserted into the ferrule 10 and fixed, whereby the adhesive strength between the ferrule 10 and the optical fiber 20 is improved. Specifically, when the optical probe 30 is pulled out, only the optical fiber 20 is pulled out, and the adhesive layer 41 may be peeled against a pulling force of 20 N or more so that the ferrule 10 is not left in the body. As a result, the adhesive strength can be improved.

  The optical probe 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the optical probe 30 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... PDT apparatus, 10 ... Ferrule, 11 ... Main-body part, 12 ... Hole part, 13 ... Lens part, 16 ... 1st hole part, 17 ... Reduced diameter part, 18 ... 2nd hole part, 19 ... Groove part, 20 ... Optical fiber, 30 ... optical probe, 40 ... semiconductor laser device, 41 ... adhesive layer, 42 ... fillet part.

Claims (7)

Light that extends along the optical axis, has a core, a clad portion that covers the core, and a cover portion that covers the periphery of the clad portion, and the clad portion is exposed by removing the cover portion at one end side thereof Fiber,
A ferrule made of a biocompatible material and fixed to the one end of the optical fiber by an adhesive;
A medical optical probe comprising:
The ferrule is
A first hole extending along the optical axis from a first opening formed in the first surface of the ferrule;
A diameter-reduced portion that continuously extends from the first hole along the optical axis and decreases in diameter as it is separated from the first hole,
A second hole extending continuously from the reduced diameter portion along the optical axis, the diameter of which is smaller than the first hole;
A groove that communicates with an end of the second hole that is opposite to the side that is continuous with the reduced diameter portion, and that communicates with a side surface of the ferrule;
A convex lens portion formed on the second surface opposite to the first surface,
The groove has a first groove surface intersecting the optical axis, and a second groove surface facing the first groove surface and forming a second opening communicating with the second hole. And
The optical fiber is
The covering portion is disposed in the first hole portion and the reduced diameter portion,
The clad part from which the covering part has been removed is disposed in the second hole part and the reduced diameter part,
In a state where the end surface on the one end side is in contact with the first groove surface, it is fixed by the adhesive introduced into the groove portion, the first hole portion, the reduced diameter portion, and the second hole portion,
An optical probe in which the light transmittance of the adhesive after curing is 10% or more smaller than the light transmittance of the ferrule in at least some wavelength bands in the visible light region.   2. The optical probe according to claim 1, wherein the first hole portion includes a diameter-expanding portion whose diameter increases toward the first opening on the first surface side.   The optical probe according to claim 1, wherein the ferrule is formed of a material that is transparent to light in a wavelength band of 610 nm to 700 nm.   The optical probe according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is applied in a fillet shape around the first opening of the first surface.   The surface roughness of the said 1st groove surface is an optical probe as described in any one of Claims 1-4 smaller than the surface roughness of the said 2nd groove surface.   6. The optical probe according to claim 1, wherein a surface roughness of the first surface is larger than a surface roughness of the first hole portion.   The optical probe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an outer peripheral edge of the first surface is rounded.

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