JPH0240966B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a microwave measuring device in a living body cavity that can detect temperature distribution deeper than the inner surface of the body cavity.

Recently, it has been discovered that lesions such as cancers and tumors in living tissues are approximately 1°C hotter than other normal tissues, and a method of detecting lesions by measuring this temperature difference has been proposed. Various proposals have been made.

For example, Special Publication No. 33949, Special Publication No. 33949, Special Publication No. 33949, Special Publication No. 1973-
No. 34356, Special Publication No. 50-22351, Actual Publication No. 49-44310
In this method, far-infrared rays emitted by living tissue are measured to measure the inner surface temperature of the living cavity.

Also, Utility Model Publication No. 141687 (1987), Special Publication No. 11157 (1977)
In this method, a temperature measurement probe is inserted through an endoscope and the temperature is measured by pressing the probe against the inner surface of the body cavity. Furthermore, Tokko Akira
In No. 54-18515, temperature is measured by pressing a liquid crystal film against the inner surface of a biological cavity and observing a change in color of the liquid crystal film.

However, all of these known methods measure the temperature of the inner surface of the body cavity, and cannot detect lesions located under the mucosa. Moreover,
This method had the disadvantage that it could not detect lesions in the pancreas, liver, etc., where it could not be inserted.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to be able to detect the temperature state deeper than the inner surface of the body cavity, and to be able to detect temperature conditions deep within the body cavity, while also being able to detect temperature conditions between the distal end of the insertion section of the endoscope and the outside. To provide a microwave measuring device in a biological cavity, which is equipped with an antenna that can be expanded and contracted by operation, and can be contracted when inserted into a biological cavity and expanded after insertion to improve microwave reception sensitivity. There is a particular thing.

In general, as shown in Figure 1, the radiation spectrum of electromagnetic waves in human body tissue extends over a wide frequency range, and as the absolute temperature increases, the radiation intensity also increases, reaching a maximum near the wavelength λ = 10 μm in the air. As mentioned above, wavelengths in this wavelength range hardly pass through living tissue, and the information obtained from this is limited to the surface of the living body. However, in the microwave range, it penetrates the living tissue.

Therefore, the present invention attempts to detect the temperature state deeper than the inner surface of the body cavity by detecting microwaves.

The present invention will be explained below based on an embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an endoscope, which is composed of an operating section 2, a flexible insertion section 3, and a light guide conduit 4. The operating section 2 is provided with an eyepiece section 5, an operating valve 6, an operating knob 7, and the like. Further, the insertion section 3 is equipped with an image guide 8 and a light guide 9 made of an optical fiber bundle. and,
One end of the image guide 8 faces the eyepiece 5, and the other end faces the objective optical system 11 provided in the distal end component 10 of the insertion part 3. Further, one end of the light guide 9 is guided through the light guide conduit 4 to a power supply device 13 connected thereto by a connector 12, and the other end faces an illumination optical system 14 provided in the tip component 10. are doing.

Furthermore, the distal end component 10 is provided with an antenna 15 that protrudes forward from the distal end surface and receives microwaves generated from within the body cavity a.
The antenna 15 is formed of a retractable stainless steel mesh tube attached to the inside of a hollow rubber ring 16, and its opening 17 expands and contracts as the hollow rubber ring 16 expands and contracts. It's becoming like that. Furthermore, the hollow rubber ring 16
An outer cover 18 made of rubber or soft synthetic resin is attached to the outside of the cover 18, and the proximal edge of the cover 18 is attached to the distal end component 10. Further, the proximal edge of the antenna 15 is connected to a waveguide 19 provided concentrically within the tip component 10, and this waveguide 19 passes through the insertion portion 3 and the light guide conduit 4,
It is connected to a power supply device 13 by a connector 12 . Furthermore, the waveguide 19 of the tip component 10
The objective optical system 11 and the illumination optical system 14 are located outside the
An air supply pipe 20 is arranged together with the objective optical system 1.
1. The illumination optical system 14 faces an observation window 11a provided in a part of the antenna 15 and an illumination window 14a.
The distal end of the air supply pipe 20 is connected to the hollow rubber ring 16, and the distal end passes through the insertion section 3 and is further connected to an externally provided air pump (not shown) via the light guide conduit 4. It is connected.

On the other hand, the antenna 15 is connected to the power supply device 13.
An electrical conversion device 21 is provided which is comprised of a resonator that selects only microwaves of a specific frequency from the microwaves received by the microwave and guided through the waveguide 19 and converts them into electrical signals. This electrical conversion device 21 is connected to a display device 24 via an amplifier 22 and a signal processing device 23.
The temperature detected from inside the living body cavity a is displayed.

Therefore, when performing microwave measurement inside the biological cavity a, first, the air in the hollow rubber ring 16 is evacuated, the hollow rubber ring 16 contracts, and the antenna 15 also contracts accordingly. It has approximately the same diameter as the component 10. In this state, the insertion section 3 of the endoscope 1 is inserted into the living body cavity a, and its distal end component 10 is directed toward the region where microwaves are to be measured. At this time, the observation window 11a and the illumination window 1
Since the antenna 4a is provided in a part of the antenna 15, the antenna 15 can be easily directed to the target part of the body cavity a. Next, when the air supply pump is activated and air is supplied to the hollow rubber ring 16 through the air supply pipe 20, the hollow rubber ring 16 expands, and the antenna 15 gradually deforms outward as a result. Section 17 is expanded. That is,
The reception area of the microwaves generated from within the body cavity a is expanded, and the microwaves from within the body cavity a can be received with high sensitivity. The microwave thus received passes through the waveguide 19 and is guided to the electrical conversion device 21, where it is converted into an electrical signal. This electrical signal is transmitted to amplifier 2
2. The measured temperature is input to the display device 24 via the signal processing device 23 and displayed. At this time, if there is a lesion such as cancer or tumor under the mucosa of the body cavity a, the lesion is hotter than other normal tissues, so the microwaves generated are stronger.
A change appears in the temperature distribution displayed on the display device 24. Therefore, based on the temperature distribution displayed on the display device 24, it is possible to discover a lesion under the mucosa of the body cavity a, that is, a lesion that does not appear on the surface.

In addition, after the microwave measurement inside the biological cavity a is completed, the air in the hollow rubber ring 16 is transferred to the air pipe 20.
When the air is exhausted through the hollow rubber ring 16, the hollow rubber ring 16 contracts, and the antenna 15 also contracts to have approximately the same diameter as the tip component 10. That is, when receiving microwaves in the body cavity a, the reception sensitivity can be improved by expanding the opening 17 of the antenna 15, and when inserting and removing the antenna 15 into the body cavity a. It has the effect of reducing the pain it causes to the subject when it contracts.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the invention. Reference numeral 25 denotes a distal end component provided at the distal end of the insertion section 27 of the endoscope 26, and a flexible hood 28 made of rubber or the like is attached to this distal end. Further, an antenna 29 made of a stainless steel reticular tube is attached to the inside of the flexible hood 28, and a jacket 30 is attached to the outside. And antenna 29
and the jacket 30 are connected at the tip of the flexible hood 28, and the base end of the antenna 29 is connected to a waveguide 31 provided concentrically inside the tip component 25.
In addition, the proximal end portions of the outer sheath 30 are fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the distal end component 25, respectively. Further, a cutout 32 is provided at the tip of the tip forming portion 25, and a distal end of a link 34 is rotatably attached to the cutout 32 by a pin 33. The ring 34 protrudes toward the distal end of the distal end component 25 between the flexible hood 28 and the outer sheath 30, and
Its tip is connected to a flexible hood 28 by a pin 35.
is connected to the tip of the Furthermore, this pin 35
One end of a wire 36 is connected to the wire 3.
The other end of 6 passes through a through hole 37 drilled in the tip component 25, and then passes through a coil pipe 38 installed in the insertion section 27 to an operating section (not shown).
It is connected to the. Further, an objective optical system 39 is provided in the tip component 25. This objective optical system 39 is composed of an image guide 40 made of an optical fiber bundle, a connecting lens group 41 provided at the tip of this image guide 40, and a front lens group 42 located optically in front of this connecting lens group 41. ing. The image guide 40 and the connecting lens group 41 are provided outside the waveguide 31, and the front lens group 42 is attached to the inner wall of the waveguide 31. Furthermore, a waveguide 3 located at a portion facing the connecting lens group 41 and the front lens group 42
1 is provided with a through hole 43 whose diameter is less than 1/4 of the wavelength of the microwave to be measured, and the front lens group 42 is molded from plastic to allow the microwave to pass through the waveguide 31. prevents the negative effects of

Thus, when no tension is applied to the wire 36, the elasticity of the flexible hood 28 causes the antenna 15 to contract inward, and the antenna 15 has approximately the same diameter as the tip component 25. Therefore, in this state, the insertion section 27 of the endoscope 26 is inserted into the living body cavity a, and the distal end component 25 is directed to the region where the microwave is to be measured. Next, when the wire 36 is pulled, the link 34 pivots outward about the pin 33, causing the flexible hood 28 and the antenna 29
will be expanded. Therefore, the microwaves generated from within the body cavity a are received by the antenna 29, and are detected and measured in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above.

Further, after the microwave measurement in the living body cavity a is completed, by loosening the wire 36, the elasticity of the flexible hood 28 causes the link 3 to contract inward.
4 is also pivoted inward about the pin 33, and the antenna 29 contracts to approximately the same diameter as the tip component 25. Therefore, when inserting and removing the antenna 29 into the living cavity a, the antenna 29 can be contracted to reduce the pain caused to the subject, and when receiving microwaves, the antenna 29 can be expanded and received. Sensitivity can be improved.

As explained above, in this invention, an antenna for receiving microwaves is provided at the distal end component of the insertion section of the endoscope, and the opening of this antenna can be expanded and contracted, so that the antenna can be inserted into the body cavity. The antenna can be retracted when inserting and removing the microwave, reducing the pain caused to the patient, and the antenna can be expanded when receiving microwaves, improving reception sensitivity. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a curve diagram showing the radiation intensity versus frequency, Fig. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the first embodiment of the invention, Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view with the main parts enlarged, and Fig. 4 is FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the invention. 1, 26... Endoscope, 3, 27... Insertion section, 10,
25...Tip component, 15, 29...Antenna.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A biological cavity characterized in that an antenna for receiving microwaves is provided in the distal end component of the insertion section of an endoscope, and the opening of this antenna can be expanded and contracted by external operation. Microwave measuring device inside.