JPH0736815B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention is for inserting a forceps or the like provided in an endoscope through an insertion passage for inserting a forceps to perform ultrasonic diagnosis inside a body cavity. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

[Prior Art] An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is one in which an ultrasonic transmitter / receiver is attached to the tip of a probe that is inserted inside a body cavity or the like, and such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided inside an endoscope. There is one that is introduced into the body cavity through the insertion passage. That is, a catheter is inserted into this insertion passage, the tip portion is led out from the probe, and the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver is pressed against the inner wall of the body cavity under the supervision of the endoscope, and ultrasonic waves are directed toward the inside of the body. The light is incident and the reflected echo is received.

Here, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver at the tip is opposed to the wall of the body cavity via water or the like or is brought into close contact with each other to perform ultrasonic scanning at the time of diagnosis. The facing condition and the close contact condition are important points for performing ultrasonic diagnosis. However, the ultrasonic transceiver is provided on one side of the distal end, and when observed from the observation window in the endoscope, there are cases where only the back side of the ultrasonic transceiver in the insertion section can be observed.
It may not be possible to confirm the exact position of the ultrasonic transceiver.

For this reason, a display unit is provided at a position completely opposite to the position where the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver is arranged on the hard portion of the catheter, and it is configured to indicate that the transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver is behind the mark. Things are conventionally known.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, an endoscope uses a considerably wide-angle objective lens in order to enable observation in a wide range.
Therefore, when the inside of the body cavity is projected by utilizing such an insertion passage of the endoscope, the amount of this projection is the tip portion of the endoscope,
That is, when the distance from the objective lens is very small, the tip of the ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver in the field of view of the endoscope looks relatively large, and the mark is clearly visible to some extent. However, as the amount of protrusion increases, the visible size of the tip portion in the field of view sharply decreases due to the wide angle, and the mark cannot be clearly confirmed. Moreover, in an endoscope,
The relationship between distance and visible size is such that even a distance of about 1 cm makes it appear to be abruptly small. Moreover, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is, for example, 3 mm because it is inserted into the insertion passage of the endoscope.
As shown below, because the diameter is extremely small, the visible size of the tip is extremely small.As in the prior art, the display unit is placed on the back surface of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver installation position. If it is provided, this display portion cannot be seen, and it is actually useless.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a direction / position of a transmitting / receiving surface of an ultrasonic transmitter / receiver even if the transmitting / receiving surface is far from the position of the objective optical element. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can be easily checked.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention inserts an ultrasonic probe including a catheter having an ultrasonic transmitter / receiver at a distal end thereof into a treatment instrument of an ultrasonic endoscope. Inserted in the insertion passage for, under the monitoring by the endoscope, in performing ultrasonic scanning by pushing and pulling along this insertion passage, on the back side of the ultrasonic transceiver in this catheter, A mark that indicates the direction of this ultrasonic transmitter / receiver is formed linearly at least on the proximal side toward the axial direction of the catheter, and this mark indicates which direction the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver is facing. The feature is that it is configured so that it can be observed by an observation system.

[Operation] Since the ultrasonic transceiver is provided inside the catheter, when the catheter is projected from the insertion portion of the endoscope,
It is difficult to confirm in which direction the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver is oriented by the observation system of the endoscope. However, since the catheter is provided with a mark that indicates the directionality of this ultrasonic transmitter / receiver, the direction of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver can be confirmed with this mark as a reference, and the transmitting / receiving surface of this ultrasonic transmitter / receiver can be reliably confirmed. The ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received by directly contacting the part to be observed with the hook or the close contact. Here, since the catheter is pushed and pulled, the projection length from the insertion portion of the endoscope changes depending on the scanning position when performing ultrasonic scanning. Since the mark is provided linearly in the axial direction of the catheter,
No matter how much the catheter protrudes, this mark can be surely confirmed by the observation system of the endoscope.

Embodiments Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

First, in FIG. 2, 1 is an endoscope, and 10 is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The endoscope 1 includes an insertion portion 2 that is inserted into a body cavity or the like, a main body operation portion 3 that is connected to a proximal end portion of the insertion portion 2, and a universal cord 4 that is connected to the main body operation portion 3. The universal cord 4 is connected to a processor 5 having a light source device and an image signal processing device built therein. A solid-state image sensor such as a CCD is built in the tip of the insertion section 2. The solid-state image sensor converts an optical image in a body cavity into an electric signal to allow the insertion section 2 to operate the main body operation section 3 and the universal unit. The code 4 is sequentially transmitted into the processor 4, processed by the processor 4, and then displayed on the monitor device 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic diagnostic probe 10 is inserted endoscopically into the body cavity, and for this reason, the treatment instrument insertion channel (insertion passage) 7 of the endoscope 1 is used. Is used. The treatment instrument insertion channel 7 is internally provided in the insertion portion 2, one end of which is connected to a treatment instrument introduction portion 7a provided in a connecting portion between the insertion portion 2 and the main body operation portion 3, and the other end is an illumination window. 8 and the observation window 9 are connected to a treatment instrument lead-out portion 7b provided at the distal end portion of the insertion portion 2.

The ultrasonic diagnostic probe 10 includes a catheter 11 to be inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel 7, a control unit 12 having a drive means 12a including a rack-pinion mechanism and an encoder 12b built in a proximal end portion of the catheter 11, and a cable. Have 13 and
An ultrasonic signal processing device 14 is connected to an end of the cable 13. The ultrasonic image signal-processed by the ultrasonic signal processing device 14 can be displayed by the ultrasonic image monitor device 15.

Most part of the catheter 11 is a flexible portion 11a, a swivel joint portion 11b is provided at the distal end portion of the flexible portion 11a, and a distal end hard portion 11c is successively connected to the swivel joint portion 11b. There is. The ultrasonic transceiver 16 is
The ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 is mounted on a flat portion provided on one side surface of the tip hard portion 11c.
11b allows it to be oriented in any direction of 360 °, as indicated by the arrow in FIG.

Therefore, the insertion portion 2 of the endoscope 1 is inserted into the body cavity, and the tip portion thereof is guided to the site where ultrasonic diagnosis should be performed. Therefore, the catheter 11 of the ultrasonic diagnostic probe 10 is inserted from the treatment instrument introducing section 7a into the treatment instrument insertion channel 7 and led out by a predetermined amount from the treatment instrument introducing section 7b. In this state, the catheter
The ultrasonic transmitter / receiver surface 16a of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 provided on the distal end hard portion 11c of 11 is opposed to or brought into contact with the portion to be inspected, and the catheter 11 is pushed out in the direction shown by the arrow or the opposite. Move in the direction to pull in. During this time, ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 16 toward the inside of the body, and the reflected echoes are received. The received signal of this reflected echo, transmitted to the ultrasonic signal processing device 14 together with the signal regarding the position of the ultrasonic transceiver 16 output from the encoder 12b built in the control unit 12, after performing a predetermined signal,
An ultrasonic image can be displayed on the monitor device 15.

Here, the transmitting / receiving surface 16a of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 must be moved along the wall of the body cavity while facing the wall of the body cavity as directly as possible or in close contact with the wall. If the transmission / reception surface 16a of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 is separated from the body cavity wall, the ultrasonic beam impinges obliquely on the body cavity wall, and cannot be satisfactorily incident, and thus the reflected echo is received. It's gone. Therefore, the transmitting / receiving surface 16a of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 must be capable of accurately confirming that it is in contact with the wall of the body cavity.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, this ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16
When abutting against the cavity wall in the state of facing the observation window 9, it is necessary to confirm whether the transmitting / receiving surface 16a of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 is in close contact with the cavity wall through the observation window 9. It can be carried out. However, as shown in FIG. 5, when the rear surface side of the transmitting / receiving surface 16a of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 faces the observation window 9 side, it is determined whether or not the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 is in close contact with the cavity wall. It cannot be confirmed.

Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 of the distal end hard portion 11c of the catheter 11 is used.
A linear mark 17 is drawn from the root to the tip of the surface on the side opposite to the arrangement position. Therefore,
The position of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 can be confirmed by using the mark 17 as a hand. Here, in order to obtain an image inside the body cavity obtained through the observation window 9 of the endoscope 1 with a viewing angle as wide as possible, the objective lens provided in the observation window 9 is extremely small. Wide-angle ones are used. Therefore, the image displayed on the monitor device 6 becomes as shown in FIG. 6, and the catheter 11 in the visual field is displayed.
The root part of is displayed with a certain thickness, but becomes significantly smaller toward the tip. Since the catheter 11 itself is inserted through the treatment instrument insertion channel 7, for example, 3 mm or less,
It has a very small diameter. Therefore, depending on the position where the mark 17 is applied, the confirmation becomes extremely difficult.

Therefore, as described above, by confirming the mark 17 by forming a linear shape from the root portion of the distal end hard portion 11c of the catheter 11, that is, from the position on the side of continuous attachment to the swivel joint portion 11b toward the distal end portion. It will be extremely easy. Further, this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is configured to perform ultrasonic scanning while moving the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 by linearly pushing and pulling the catheter 11 in the ultrasonic diagnostic probe 10, and thus scanning. Depending on the position, the protruding length of the catheter 11 from the treatment instrument insertion channel 7 changes. Since the mark 17 is linear in the axial direction of the catheter 11, the mark 17 can always be captured in the visual field of the observation window 9 in a clear state. Moreover, when the mark 17 is easily seen in this way, the line width can be narrowed. Therefore, the position of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 16 can be displayed more accurately.

As a result, when performing ultrasonic diagnosis with the ultrasonic transceiver 16 facing the side opposite to the observation window 9, the ultrasonic transceiver 16
The ultrasonic transmission / reception can be performed in a state where the transmitting / receiving surface 16a is surely opposed to or closely contacted with the cavity wall, and ultrasonic diagnosis can be performed efficiently and accurately.

Next, FIGS. 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, ultrasonic diagnosis is performed with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 20 inserted in the body. Things are shown. In this way, by inserting into the body, it is possible to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves at a position close to the lesion, etc., and at a position avoiding a site that significantly attenuates ultrasonic waves such as a fat layer, It becomes possible to obtain information regarding accurate ultrasonic diagnosis.

Thus, the distal end hard portion 21c of the catheter 21 is formed to be elongated to some extent, and the position portion of the proximal end portion of the distal end hard portion 21c must be positioned inside the treatment instrument insertion channel 7. The tip end portion of the tip end hard portion 21c is in a sharpened state, and the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 22 is provided in the vicinity of the tip end portion. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, a linear mark 23 is provided on the entire tip hard portion 21c, and the mark 23 is formed with a scale 23a from the tip side.

If the mark 23 is formed in this way, the direction of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 22 can be recognized even when the distal end hard portion 21c is inserted into the body and also when inserted into an arbitrary depth position. Moreover, the insertion depth of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 22 can be recognized by the scale 23a, and the accuracy of ultrasonic diagnosis is significantly improved.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, when the ultrasonic scanning is performed by inserting the catheter of the ultrasonic probe into the insertion passage of the endoscope and pushing and pulling the catheter, On the back side of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver in the catheter, a mark is formed so as to indicate the direction in which the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver provided at least on the proximal end side is facing, and this mark is the axis of the catheter. Since it is formed linearly in the direction, the operator can clearly confirm the direction of the ultrasonic transceiver at any position of the scanning position under the monitoring by the endoscope. The ultrasonic transmitter / receiver can be surely faced to the part of the body cavity where the ultrasonic examination is to be performed, and scanning can be performed while controlling the direction accurately. There is an effect that wave scanning can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an external view of the distal end portion of a catheter, and FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown together with an endoscope. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the ultrasonic diagnostic probe is incorporated in the endoscope, FIGS. 4 and 5 are operation explanatory views, and FIG. 6 is an image displayed on the endoscope monitor device. FIG. 7, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an essential part explanatory view showing a state in which an ultrasonic diagnostic probe is inserted into an endoscope, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an external view of a main part of a catheter. 1: endoscope, 2: insertion part, 7: treatment instrument insertion channel, 10, 20:
Ultrasonic diagnostic device, 11, 21: catheter, 16, 22: ultrasonic transmitter / receiver, 16a: ultrasonic receiving surface, 17, 23: mark, 23a: scale.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-57-57536 (JP, A) JP-A-2-114949 (JP, A) Actual development S54-17682 (JP, U) Actual development S58- 168302 (JP, U) Actually opened 62-61209 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic probe provided with a catheter having an ultrasonic transmitter / receiver attached to its tip is inserted into an insertion passage for inserting a treatment tool of the ultrasonic endoscope, and is monitored by the endoscope. , A mark for indicating the direction of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver on at least the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver in the catheter on the back side of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver in which the ultrasonic scanning is performed by pushing and pulling along the insertion path Ultrasound diagnosis characterized by forming a linear shape toward the axial direction of the catheter, and by using this mark, the direction in which the ultrasonic transceiver is oriented can be observed by the observation system of the endoscope. apparatus.