WO2018216062A1

WO2018216062A1 - Ultrasound-guided needle puncturing device

Info

Publication number: WO2018216062A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/018997
Authority: WO
Inventors: 謙緒方; 雄一志賀
Original assignee: オリンパス株式会社
Priority date: 2017-05-22
Filing date: 2017-05-22
Publication date: 2018-11-29

Abstract

The ultrasonic probe (2) includes: a tip (2a) provided on a distal end side of an outer tube (2t) to be inserted into a body; an ultrasonic vibrator (21) that is disposed inside the tip (2a); a puncture needle insertion channel (14) that is formed on a base end side of the ultrasonic vibrator (21) inside the outer tube (2t) along the longitudinal direction such that a puncture needle can be inserted therethrough; an actuator (22); and a conversion mechanism (33X). The actuator (22) is provided on a distal end side of the ultrasonic vibrator (21) and has a movable part (32) that reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube (2t). The conversion mechanism (33X) is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube (2t) in tandem with the actuator (22) in the longitudinal direction and in parallel with the ultrasonic vibrator (21) in the longitudinal direction and converts the reciprocating motions of the movable part (32) into oscillating motions for the ultrasonic vibrator (21).

Description

Ultrasound guided puncture device

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic guided puncture device, and more particularly to an ultrasonic guided puncture device that enables a puncture needle to be used under the guidance of an ultrasonic image.

Conventionally, ultrasonic imaging apparatuses have been widely used in the medical field, and ultrasonic probes that can be inserted into body cavities and blood vessels to observe internal organs have also been developed.
An ultrasonic transducer is provided at the tip of the probe, and there are an electronic scanning method and a mechanical operation method as the scanning method of the ultrasonic transducer. Since the probe itself is inserted into a body cavity or the like, it is preferable that the probe has a smaller diameter.

In the case of an electronic ultrasonic probe, if the diameter of the probe is to be reduced, the size of each of a plurality of elements that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves must be reduced. However, in addition to the problem that the size of each element is likely to be affected by ambient noise, the number of signal lines increases as the number of elements increases, resulting in limitations in reducing the diameter of the probe. There is a problem. As a result, there is a problem that the resolution of the obtained image cannot be increased with a thin-diameter electronic scanning ultrasonic probe.

On the other hand, when a mechanical scanning type ultrasonic probe is employed, a structure for mechanically moving the ultrasonic transducer within a small-diameter probe is required. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-275946 proposes an ultrasonic catheter having a conversion mechanism that converts a reciprocating or rotating movement of a wire into a swinging movement of an ultrasonic transducer.

In ultrasonic diagnosis, a biopsy, that is, a part of a living tissue is collected by a puncture needle using a puncture needle under the guidance of an ultrasound image.
When an attempt is made to provide a puncture needle insertion channel in a mechanically operated ultrasonic probe, an opening through which the puncture needle protrudes is formed at the tip of the probe, and a structure for moving the ultrasonic transducer and the insertion channel communicating with the opening is formed. Necessary.

However, in the case of a mechanical scanning ultrasonic transducer, for example, in the apparatus according to the above proposal, the conversion mechanism that converts the reciprocating motion or the rotational motion into the swing motion of the ultrasonic transducer has a swinging ultrasonic transducer. Therefore, the protrusion angle of the puncture needle with respect to the central axis of the probe is reduced.
Therefore, there is a problem that the distance that the puncture needle protrudes from the opening at the distal end and reaches the affected area becomes long, and it is difficult for the operator to operate the puncture needle that appears in the ultrasonic image.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic guided puncture device that can position the position of the opening of the tip portion from which the puncture needle protrudes close to the ultrasonic transducer.

An ultrasonic-guided puncture device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an outer tube that is inserted into a body, a distal end portion provided on a distal end side of the outer tube, and a longitudinal portion of the outer tube that is disposed in the distal end portion. An ultrasonic transducer supported so as to be swingable in a plane along the direction, and a puncture formed on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer so that a puncture needle can be inserted into the outer tube along the longitudinal direction A needle insertion channel, an actuator provided on the distal end side of the ultrasonic transducer and having a movable part that reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube, the actuator and the actuator along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube A conversion mechanism that is arranged in series in the longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel with the ultrasonic transducer and that converts the reciprocating motion of the movable portion into the oscillation motion of the ultrasonic transducer. *

1 is a configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of an ultrasonic guided puncture system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the front-end | tip part 2a of the ultrasonic probe 2 concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the front-end | tip part 2a which shows the state which the puncture needle protruded from the front-end | tip part 2a concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the actuator 22 of the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator arrange | positioned in the front-end | tip part concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the actuator 22 concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a right view of the actuator 22 concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a left view of the actuator 22 concerning embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the actuator 22 concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a section perspective view of front-end | tip part 2a when the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator 21 inclines to the base end side concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a section perspective view of tip part 2a when ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of ultrasonic transducer 21 concerning an embodiment of the invention inclines to the tip side. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip part 2a when the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator 21 exists in the intermediate position which is not rocking | fluctuated concerning embodiment of this invention. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 2a taken along line XII-XII in FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 2a taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip part 2a when the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator 21 inclines to the base end side concerning embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip part 2a when the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator 21 inclines to the front end side concerning embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the front-end | tip part 2a of the ultrasound probe 2 which formed the inclined surface 14a which makes the protrusion angle (alpha) 1 of the contrast tube 3c larger on the front end side of the vicinity of the opening part 15 concerning embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of an ultrasonic guided puncture system.
The ultrasonic guided puncture system 1 includes an elongated ultrasonic probe 2, a puncture needle device 3, a processor 4, and a monitor 5. The ultrasound probe 2 constitutes an ultrasound-guided puncture device that can use a puncture needle under the guidance of an ultrasound image.

The ultrasonic probe 2 is a mechanical scanning probe having an elongated shape that can be inserted into a thin lumen such as a blood vessel, a lung peripheral part, or a pancreaticobiliary system. The ultrasonic probe 2 has an elongated and flexible resin outer tube 2t, and a distal end portion 2a provided and fixed on the distal end side of the outer tube 2t. The diameter of the ultrasonic probe 2 is, for example, 2 to 5 mm. The ultrasonic transducer is disposed in the distal end portion 2a of the ultrasonic probe 2 as will be described later. A puncture needle device connector 2b for connecting the puncture needle device 3 is provided at the proximal end portion of the outer tube 2t.

In the elongated ultrasonic probe 2, a puncture needle insertion channel (not shown) through which the puncture needle is inserted is formed. In the distal end portion 2a, an opening of a puncture needle insertion channel is formed.

A cable 2c, through which a plurality of signal lines for driving signals for driving the ultrasonic transducer and the like are inserted, extends from the puncture needle device connector 2b. A connector 2d that can be connected to the processor 4 is provided at the proximal end of the cable 2c.

The puncture needle device 3 has an elongated puncture needle 3a and a puncture handle 3b for operating the puncture needle 3a. The puncture handle 3b is detachable from the puncture needle device connector 2b and has an insertion channel (not shown) through which the puncture needle 3a is inserted. When the puncture needle 3a is inserted into the insertion channel (not shown), the puncture needle 3a can enter the puncture needle insertion channel in the ultrasonic probe 2, and as a result, the distal end portion of the puncture needle 3a becomes the distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe 2. It becomes possible to project from the opening 2a.

The processor 4 includes a driving device that drives the ultrasonic transducer in the distal end portion 2a, and an image generation unit that generates an ultrasonic image in the subject based on a signal from the ultrasonic transducer. The processor 4 outputs an image signal of the generated ultrasonic image to the monitor 5 that is a display device, and the ultrasonic image is displayed on the monitor 5.

The surgeon can perform a biopsy by inserting the puncture needle 3a into the living tissue while looking at the ultrasonic image displayed on the monitor 5.

(Configuration of tip of ultrasonic probe)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the distal end portion showing a state where the puncture needle protrudes from the distal end portion. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an actuator of an ultrasonic transducer disposed in the distal end portion.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the distal end portion 2a of the ultrasonic probe 2 has a resin casing 2a1. The outer tube 2t and the housing 2a1 provided on the distal end side of the outer tube 2t are configured to be insertable into the body of the subject.
The housing 2a1 has a cylindrical shape, and the tip side portion of the housing 2a1 is formed in a hemispherical shape. The central axis of the casing 2 a 1 having a cylindrical shape coincides with the central axis O of the ultrasonic probe 2.

Inside the housing 2a1, as shown in FIG. 4, there is an internal space IS1 that accommodates the ultrasonic transducer 21, and an internal space IS2 that accommodates the actuator 22 on the tip side of the internal space IS1.

The ultrasonic transducer 21 can be swung around a predetermined axis within a predetermined angle range in the internal space IS1 by an actuator 22 (FIG. 4) disposed in the distal end portion 2a. . The ultrasonic transducer 21 is an element made of a single plate having a substantially rectangular outer shape.
The actuator 22 has an elongated shape in the direction of the central axis O of the ultrasonic probe 2.

In the ultrasonic probe 2, a puncture needle insertion channel 14 is formed. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the puncture needle insertion channel 14 is formed on the upper side of the ultrasonic probe 2 along the axial direction of the ultrasonic probe 2. That is, the puncture needle insertion channel 14 is formed on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer 21 so that the puncture needle 3a can be inserted into the outer tube 2t along the longitudinal direction. An opening 15 communicating with the puncture needle insertion channel 14 is formed on the side surface of the cylindrical housing 2a1 at the tip 2a. The opening 15 is formed on the side surface of the distal end portion 2 a on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer 21. The puncture needle insertion channel 14 is formed so that the puncture needle 3 a is directed to the scanning range of the ultrasonic transducer 21. The tip of the puncture needle 3a can protrude from the opening 15 with respect to the central axis O at a protrusion angle α.

As shown in FIG. 4, the signal line 16 for the ultrasonic transducer 21 extends from the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer 21 into the outer tube 2t. The signal line 16 is disposed along the longitudinal direction on the side opposite to the puncture needle insertion channel 14 with respect to the central axis O of the distal end portion 2a. Two signal lines 16a for the actuator 22 also extend into the outer tube 2t. The plurality of

signal lines

16 and 16a are inserted into the cable 2c.

(Configuration of actuator)
FIG. 5 is a front view of the actuator 22. FIG. 5 is a view as seen from a direction orthogonal to the axis of the distal end portion 2a. FIG. 6 is a right side view of the actuator 22. FIG. 7 is a left side view of the actuator 22. 6 shows a side view of the actuator 22 disposed in the distal end portion 2a when viewed from the proximal end side, and FIG. 7 shows the actuator 22 disposed in the distal end portion 2a viewed from the distal end side. Shows the side. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the actuator 22.

As described above, the actuator 22 is disposed in the internal space IS2 (see FIG. 4) of the distal end portion 2a of the ultrasonic probe 2, and moves the ultrasonic transducer 21 within a predetermined angle around a predetermined axis. This is a drive device for rocking. Here, the actuator 22 is an electromagnetic driving device using a moving magnet type voice coil motor which is an electromagnetic actuator.

In this embodiment, the actuator 22 uses a moving magnet type voice coil motor, but a moving coil type voice coil motor may be used.

The actuator 22, which is an electromagnetic actuator, includes a frame member 31, a movable portion 32 disposed in the frame member 31, and a transducer that is disposed on the proximal end side of the movable portion 32 and on which the ultrasonic transducer 21 is mounted. And a mounting portion 33. The movable part 32 reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube 2t.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the frame member 31 has a cylindrical portion 31a and two arms 31b. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the two arms 31 b are provided so as to extend in the proximal direction in parallel to each other from the proximal end of the cylindrical portion 31 a. Each arm 31b is formed with a hole 31b1 through which a shaft portion 33a2 described later is inserted.

6 and 8, a hole 31a1 is formed on the proximal end side of the cylindrical portion 31a, and a hole 31a2 is also formed on the distal end side of the cylindrical portion 31a. That is, the actuator 22 has a frame member 31 that accommodates the movable portion 32 therein, and a hole 31a2 is formed on the opposite side of the frame member 31 to a conversion mechanism 33X described later. The actuator 22 has a frame member 31 that houses therein a movable portion 32 that reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube 2t. That is, the actuator 22 has a movable portion 32 that is provided on the distal end side of the ultrasonic transducer 21 and reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube 2t. A hole 31 a 1 is formed on the base end side of the frame member 31.

As shown in FIG. 7, the upper side surface 31a3 and the lower side surface 31a4 of the cylindrical portion 31a have flat surfaces. As shown in FIG. 8, a through groove 31a5 extending along the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 31a is formed on the upper side surface 31a3 of the cylindrical portion 31a, and the cylindrical portion 31a is also formed on the lower side surface 31a4 of the cylindrical portion 31a. A through groove 31a6 extending along the axial direction is formed.

Two coil portions 34 formed by winding a coil wire rod are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 31a. As shown in FIG. 7, a part of the outer shape of the two coil portions 34 has a flat surface, and each coil portion 34 has two

flat surface portions

34a and 34b in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 11 described later, the planes of the two

plane portions

34a and 34b are orthogonal to the line connecting the puncture needle insertion channel 14 and the voice coil motor when the outer tube 2t is viewed from the distal end side.
And the movable part 32 has the cylindrical member 32a and the extension part 32b extended in the base end direction from the base end of the column member 32a.
The upper surface and the lower surface of the columnar member 32a have two flat portions 32a1 and 32a2 that are formed by being cut along the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 31a. The flat surface portion 32a1 is parallel to the upper side surface 31a3 of the cylindrical portion 31a, and the flat surface portion 32a2 is parallel to the lower side surface 31a4 of the cylindrical portion 31a.

A convex portion 32at is formed on the plane portion 32a1. The convex portion 32 at has a height at which a part of the convex portion 32 at enters the through groove 31 a 5, and restricts rotation of the movable portion 32 around the axis.
As will be described later, the columnar member 32a is movable along the axial direction of the distal end portion 2a in the cylindrical portion 31a in a state where the convex portion 32at enters the through groove 31a5.

Furthermore, the cylindrical member 32a has an elongated recess 32a4 formed along the axial direction of the cylindrical member 32a. As shown in FIG. 8, the recess 32a4 is formed below the cylindrical member 32a. In the recess 32a4, two permanent magnets 35 are arranged along the axial direction of the cylindrical member 32a. Each permanent magnet 35 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the N pole and the S pole are arranged in the recess 32a4 in a predetermined direction so that the magnetization direction is a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 31a.

As shown in FIG. 8, each coil and each magnet of the coil portion 34 have a shape in which the dimension in the reciprocating motion direction is longer than the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the reciprocating motion direction of the movable portion 32. Therefore, the space efficiency of the tip 2a is good.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, two coil portions 34 formed of a coil wire are arranged in series along the axial direction of the axis O of the tip portion 2a, and the two permanent magnets 35 are also connected to the shaft of the tip portion 2a. Since it is arranged in series along the axial direction of O, the space efficiency of the tip 2a is good.

The cylindrical member 32a is made of a ferromagnetic material. Here, the movable part 32 uses a ferromagnetic member as the material of the cylindrical member 32a that holds the two permanent magnets 35, thereby reducing the magnetic resistance and increasing the output efficiency of the magnetic circuit. The power to move is increased.

Furthermore, the driving of the actuator is affected by disturbances (for example, disturbance acceleration due to the advance and retreat of the probe and bending due to the operator's operation, vibration during insertion of the puncture needle) and variations in solids. For this reason, there is a considerable concern about image degradation such that the swinging motion of the ultrasonic transducer cannot be smoothly performed and the ultrasonic image is blurred. For such a problem, it is desirable to perform feedback control on the actuator. In this case, however, it is necessary to provide a separate sensor, so that the apparatus becomes thick.

In the present embodiment, by using a ferromagnetic material for the movable portion 32, the change in the inductance of the coil with respect to the change in the position of the movable portion 32 is increased, so that the speed or position of the movable portion 32 can be determined without using a sensor. It can be estimated and so-called sensorless control can be applied.

An induced electromotive force is generated in the coil part 34 by the movement of the movable part 32. The ferromagnetic portion of the movable portion 32 is separated from the two coil portions 34 so that the change in the magnitude of the current flowing in the coil portion 34 generated based on the induced electromotive force can detect the terminal movement position of the movable portion 32. Place inside. In order to accurately control the position of the movable portion 32, the length of the ferromagnetic cylindrical member 32a in the axial direction is longer than the length of the two coil portions 34 in the axial direction of the distal end portion 2a. It is preferable.
As a result, the position of the movable part 32 in the actuator 22 can be detected based on the magnitude of the current flowing through the coil part 34.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, since the two permanent magnets 35 are disposed in the recess 32a4 of the cylindrical member 32a, when the cylindrical member 32a is made of a ferromagnetic material, the two permanent magnets 35 are 32a is disposed between the distal end portion 32a5 and the proximal end portion 32a6. That is, the ferromagnetic member is provided on both the distal end side and the proximal end side of the two permanent magnets 35. Therefore, the influence of the magnetic field from the outside in the axial direction of the tip portion 2a can be shielded, and even if a magnetic body exists before and after the tip portion 2a in the axial direction, the magnetic force pulled by the magnetic body is reduced. This reduces the output efficiency of the actuator 22.

Furthermore, the extending portion 32b extending from the cylindrical member 32a is made of a nonmagnetic material or a weak magnetic material. That is, a portion of the movable portion 32 on the conversion mechanism 33X side described later is a nonmagnetic material or a weak magnetic material. If the extending portion 32b is a ferromagnetic material, the inductance change becomes asymmetric when performing the sensorless control described above, and thus the position of the movable portion 32 may not be detected with high accuracy. Therefore, the extension part 32b is made of a non-magnetic material or a weak magnetic material so as not to deteriorate the accuracy of position detection.

As described above, the N pole and the S pole are predetermined along the axial direction of the distal end portion 2a in the two coil portions 34 formed of the coil wire wound around the axis of the distal end portion 2a of the ultrasonic probe 2. Two permanent magnets 35 are arranged so as to face.

The two coil portions 34 and the two permanent magnets 35 of the movable portion 32 form a moving magnet type voice coil motor.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a pin 32 b 1 is formed on the base end side of the extending part 32 b of the movable part 32. The pin 32b1 has a shape that protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the distal end portion 2a.
The transducer mounting portion 33 includes a fixed portion 33a on which the single-plate ultrasonic transducer 21 having a substantially rectangular outer shape is mounted and fixed, and an extending portion 33b extending from the fixed portion 33a.

The fixing portion 33a has a flat surface portion 33a1 for fixing the single-plate ultrasonic transducer 21 with fixing means such as an adhesive (see FIG. 6).
The rectangular fixed portion 33a has two shaft portions 33a2 protruding in opposite directions. The two shaft portions 33a2 are inserted into the two holes 31b1 of the two arms 31b so that the fixed portion 33a can rotate about the shaft of the shaft portion 33a2.

The extending portion 33b extends from the surface opposite to the flat surface portion 33a1. The extending portion 33b has an elongated through slit 33b1. The pin 32b1 of the extending part 32b of the movable part 32 enters the through slit 33b1.

More specifically, the fixed portion 33a is supported by the two arms 31b so as to be rotatable around the axes of the two shaft portions 33a2, and the fixed portion 33a is rotated around the axes of the two shaft portions 33a2. The through slit 33b1 is formed so that the pin 32b1 can sometimes move in the through slit 33b1.

When the extending portion 32b of the movable portion 32 moves back and forth within a predetermined range along the axial direction of the distal end portion 2a, the pin 32b1 also moves in the front and rear direction along the axial direction of the distal end portion 2a. The reciprocating motion of the pin 32b1 moves the extending portion 33b engaged with the pin 32b1, and generates a swinging motion that swings the fixed portion 33a around the two shaft portions 33a2.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the distal end portion 2a when the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic transducer 21 is inclined toward the proximal end side. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the distal end portion 2a when the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer 21 is inclined toward the distal end side. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 2a when the ultrasonic transducer 21 is at an intermediate position where it does not swing. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 2a taken along line XII-XII in FIG. FIG. 12 is a view of the distal end portion 2a as viewed from the distal end side. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 2a taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. FIG. 13 is a view of the distal end portion 2a as viewed from the distal end side.

When the movable portion 32 moves to the distal end side, as shown in FIG. 9, the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer 21 is inclined toward the proximal end side of the distal end portion 2a. When the movable portion 32 moves to the proximal end side, as shown in FIG. 10, the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer 21 is inclined toward the distal end side of the distal end portion 2a.

When the movable portion 32 reciprocates along the axial direction of the distal end portion 2a, the fixed portion 33a alternately turns around the axis of the two shaft portions 33a2 in the first direction and in the second direction opposite to the first direction. The pin 32b1 moves in the through slit 33b1 by rotating.

Therefore, the movable portion 32 having the pin 32b1 and the extending portion 33b having the through slit 33b1 engaged with the pin 32b1 convert the reciprocating motion of the movable portion 32 into the swinging motion of the ultrasonic transducer 21. Configure. The conversion mechanism 33X is disposed in series with the actuator 22 in the longitudinal direction along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube 2t, and is disposed in parallel with the ultrasonic transducer 21 in the longitudinal direction. This is converted into a swing motion of the child 21.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the two signal lines 16 a of the actuator 22 are along the inner wall of the housing 2 a 1 on the actuator 22 side with respect to the central axis O, avoiding the oscillating ultrasonic transducer 21. Arranged.

Note that at least one of the signal line 16 and the two signal lines 16a described above is disposed along the longitudinal direction on the opposite side of the puncture needle insertion channel 14 with respect to the central axis O of the distal end portion 2a. May be.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a seal member 2a2 for sealing the internal spaces IS1 and IS2 is provided in the housing 2a1 of the distal end portion 2a. Specifically, the internal spaces IS1 and IS2 are filled with oil that is an acoustic medium for impedance matching. That is, the seal member 2a2 is provided in the distal end portion 2a, and seals the ultrasonic transducer 21, the actuator 22, and the conversion mechanism 33X.

Therefore, the ultrasonic transducer 21, the actuator 22, and the conversion mechanism 33X are disposed in the acoustic medium. The seal member 2a2 has a plurality of holes through which the

signal lines

16 and 16a are passed. Each hole is provided with a sealing agent such as an epoxy resin for sealing the periphery of each signal line.

Since such a sealing member 2a2 is used to seal only the distal end portion in the distal end portion 2a, the amount of the acoustic medium for impedance matching is small, and the risk of bubbles entering the acoustic medium is reduced. .

As described above, the housing 2a1 of the distal end portion 2a has the opening portion 15 of the actuator 22, the ultrasonic transducer 21, and the puncture needle insertion channel 14 in this order from the distal end side. The actuator 22 is provided on the distal end side of the distal end portion 2a, and the ultrasonic transducer 21 is supported so as to be swingable in a plane along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube 2t. As a result, the ultrasonic transducer 21 fixed to the fixed portion 33a is pivotally supported by the two shaft portions 33a2 and can swing within a predetermined angle range around the axes of the two shaft portions 33a2.

(Function)
Next, operations of the ultrasonic transducer 21 and the actuator 22 in the distal end portion 2a of the ultrasonic probe 2 will be described.

A moving magnet type voice coil motor is formed by the two coil portions 34 and the two permanent magnets. By changing the direction of the current flowing through the coil wires of the two coil portions 34, the moving direction of the two permanent magnets 35 along the axial direction of the tip portion 2a can be controlled.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 2a when the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer 21 is inclined toward the proximal end side. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 2a when the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer 21 is inclined toward the distal end side.

As described above, the housing 2a1 provided on the distal end side of the outer tube 2t has the internal space IS1 that accommodates the ultrasonic transducer 21 and the conversion mechanism 33X, and the internal space IS2 that accommodates the actuator 22. As shown in FIG. 13, the two signal lines 16 a of the actuator 22 are disposed along the opposite side of the puncture needle insertion channel 14 with respect to the central axis O.

When a current in the first direction is passed through each coil wire of the two coil parts 34, the movable part 32 moves to the tip side as shown in FIG. 14 according to the principle of a moving magnet type voice coil motor, It is close to the inner wall on the tip side of the cylindrical portion 31a. At this time, the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer 21 faces the proximal end side. As shown in FIG. 14, the normal line direction of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface 21a is inclined toward the proximal end side by θ1 with respect to the direction orthogonal to the axis of the distal end portion 2a.

When a current in a second direction opposite to the first direction is passed through each coil wire of the two coil portions 34, the movable portion 32 is moved as shown in FIG. 15 according to the principle of a moving magnet type voice coil motor. , It moves to the base end side and approaches the inner wall on the base end side of the cylindrical portion 31a. At this time, the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 21a of the ultrasonic transducer 21 faces the distal end side. As shown in FIG. 15, the normal line direction of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface 21a is inclined toward the distal end side by θ2 with respect to the direction orthogonal to the axis of the distal end portion 2a.

Therefore, by alternately changing the direction in which the current flows, the ultrasonic transducer 21 swings in the range of the angle (θ1 + θ2) around the axis of the shaft portion 33a2.
Therefore, the ultrasonic probe 2 is inserted into, for example, a body cavity or a blood vessel, and the ultrasonic transducer 21 in the internal space IS1 of the distal end portion 2a is swung so that the ultrasonic wave mechanically scans within the subject. By doing so, an ultrasonic image is displayed on the monitor 5.

The ultrasonic image by the ultrasonic transducer 21 is in the range of the angle (θ1 + θ2) described above and includes a portion in the vicinity of the opening 15. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the distance that the puncture needle 3a protrudes from the opening 15 of the distal end portion 2a at the projection angle α and reaches the affected area is shortened, and the operator can observe the ultrasound image while viewing the ultrasonic image. Easy to operate.

It should be noted that the internal organ in the protruding direction of the puncture needle 3a may be made more observable by making θ2 larger than θ1. That is, the scanning range of the ultrasonic transducer 21 may be inclined toward the distal end side of the distal end portion 2a.

Since the ultrasonic transducer 21 can be a single plate type, a high-resolution ultrasonic image can be obtained and the ultrasonic probe 2 can be made to have a small diameter. In particular, according to a single-plate ultrasonic transducer, since the size of the single plate can be increased, an ultrasonic image with high azimuth resolution can also be obtained.

Also, since the ultrasonic transducer can be swung at high speed using a voice coil motor that is an electromagnetic actuator, the obtained ultrasonic image is real time, and the operator can smoothly perform puncture scanning. In other words, the operability of puncturing while viewing an ultrasonic image is good for the surgeon.

In the case of the catheter disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-275946 described above, a conversion mechanism that converts the reciprocating or rotating motion of the wire into the swinging motion of the ultrasonic transducer is used. An image with a high frame rate that can be swung at high speed cannot be obtained. However, in the above-described embodiment, since the voice coil motor that is an electromagnetic actuator is used, the ultrasonic transducer can be swung at high speed and an image with a high frame rate can be obtained.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the actuator 22 is disposed on the distal end side of the distal end portion 2 a, and the opening 15 is disposed on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer 21. Therefore, since the opening 15 of the distal end portion 2a from which the puncture needle 3a protrudes can be disposed in the vicinity of the ultrasonic transducer 21, the distance from the puncture needle 3a protruding from the opening 15 to the lesioned portion is short. .

In the case of the catheter disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-275946, the reciprocating or rotating motion of the wire is converted into the oscillating motion of the ultrasonic transducer, even if an opening through which the puncture needle projects is provided. An opening is disposed on the proximal end side of the conversion mechanism, and a distance from the puncture needle protruding from the opening to the lesion is increased. When the reach distance becomes long, the puncture needle protrudes from the opening in a place that is not reflected in the ultrasonic image, so that it is difficult for the operator to grasp the position of the needle. As a result, the puncture operability while viewing the ultrasonic image is not good.

On the other hand, in the ultrasonic probe 2 according to the above-described embodiment, since the distance from the puncture needle 3a protruding from the opening 15 to the lesioned portion is short, the operator can observe the needle while viewing the ultrasonic image. Easy to grasp the position and good puncture operability.

Furthermore, it is conceivable to oscillate the ultrasonic transducer using a piezoelectric element as an actuator. However, since the frequency of the drive signal of the piezoelectric element is high, there is a problem that noise is easily superimposed on the output of the ultrasonic transducer. is there. In contrast, in this embodiment, since the voice coil motor is used as the actuator, the frequency of the drive signal is lower than that of the actuator using the piezoelectric element, and the influence of noise superposition on the ultrasonic image is small. .

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic guided puncture device capable of positioning the opening of the tip portion from which the puncture needle protrudes near the ultrasonic transducer. it can.

In the example described above, the puncture needle 3a protrudes from the opening 15, but the opening of the puncture needle so that a contrast tube for examination such as ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) can also protrude. The protrusion angle from 15 may be increased. As a result, it can be easily applied to examinations such as ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography).

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 2a of the ultrasonic probe 2 in which an inclined surface 14a for increasing the protrusion angle α1 of the contrast tube 3c is formed on the distal end side in the vicinity of the opening 15. As shown in FIG. 16, since the projection angle α1 of the contrast tube 3c is large, for example, when the distal end portion 2a is in the vicinity of the papilla of the duodenum, the contrast tube 3c can be easily inserted into the bile duct.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

An outer tube inserted into the body,
A tip provided on the tip side of the outer tube;
An ultrasonic transducer disposed in the tip and supported so as to be swingable in a plane along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube;
A puncture needle insertion channel formed on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer so that a puncture needle can be inserted in the outer tube along the longitudinal direction;
An actuator provided on the tip side of the ultrasonic transducer and having a movable part that reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube;
The actuator is arranged in series in the longitudinal direction with the actuator along the longitudinal direction of the outer tube, and is arranged in parallel with the ultrasonic transducer in the longitudinal direction. A conversion mechanism for converting into a swing motion;
An ultrasonic-guided puncture device comprising:
The tip has an opening communicating with the puncture needle insertion channel,
The opening is formed on a side surface of the distal end portion on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer,
The ultrasound-guided puncture device according to claim 1, wherein the puncture needle insertion channel is formed so that the puncture needle is directed to a scan range of the ultrasonic transducer.
The ultrasonic guided puncture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is an electromagnetic actuator.
The ultrasonic guided puncture apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the electromagnetic actuator is a voice coil motor including a coil and a magnet.
The ultrasonic-guided puncture device according to claim 4, wherein the coil or the magnet has a shape in which a dimension in the reciprocating motion direction is longer than a dimension in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating motion direction. .
6. The ultrasonic guided puncture apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the voice coil motor is a moving magnet type in which the movable part has the magnet.
The ultrasonic guided puncture apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the movable part includes a ferromagnetic member.
8. The ultrasonic guided puncture device according to claim 7, wherein the ferromagnetic member is provided on both sides of a distal end side and a proximal end side of the magnet.
The ultrasonic-guided puncture device according to claim 8, wherein a portion of the movable portion on the conversion mechanism side is a nonmagnetic material or a weak magnetic material.
A part of the outer shape of the coil has a flat portion,
5. The ultrasonic wave according to claim 4, wherein a plane of the flat portion is orthogonal to a line connecting the puncture needle insertion channel and the voice coil motor when the outer tube is viewed from the distal end side. Guided puncture device.
The super actuator according to claim 1, wherein the actuator includes a frame member that accommodates the movable portion therein, and a hole is formed on a side of the frame member opposite to the conversion mechanism. Sonic guided puncture device.
A first internal space that is provided on the distal end side of the outer tube and accommodates the ultrasonic transducer and the conversion mechanism, and a second internal space that accommodates the actuator on the distal end side of the first internal space. The ultrasonic-guided puncture device according to claim 1, further comprising a housing having the same.