JPH0215452Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a balloon for an ultrasonic probe, which enables observation using ultrasonic waves by interposing the balloon between an object and the ultrasonic probe. The present invention relates to balloon forceps that cover a wide range and make it possible to obtain high-quality ultrasonic diagnostic images.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] In recent years, ultrasonic diagnostic devices that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to provide acoustic information inside a body cavity are used for diagnosis. This ultrasonic diagnostic device emits ultrasonic pulses to a target object from, for example, the body surface, and when the emitted ultrasonic waves propagate, the acoustic impedance, which is expressed as the product of the density of the medium and the speed of sound, increases. Since it is reflected at a discontinuous boundary surface, the reflected ultrasonic pulse wave is received and acoustic information such as its reflection intensity is used for diagnosis.

Compared to X-ray devices, such ultrasonic diagnostic equipment has the following advantages: it can easily obtain information about living soft tissue without using a shaping agent, it does not destroy living tissue with radiation, it is easy to handle, and it is not dangerous. It has many advantages such as a small size, and furthermore, as technology related to ultrasound has advanced in recent years and the quality and quantity of information obtained has improved, it is becoming popular as a clinical diagnostic device in the medical field.

For the above-mentioned diagnosis that transmits and receives ultrasound pulses from the body surface, an ultrasound probe is installed at the distal end of the insertion section inserted into the body cavity, and ultrasound pulses are transmitted and received from a position close to the target object such as a living organ. Intrabody ultrasound diagnostic methods make it possible to transmit and receive high-frequency ultrasound waves that (relatively) attenuate as they propagate, making it possible to obtain high-resolution and high-precision information. It has many advantages, such as being unaffected by the subcutaneous fat layer interposed between the objects and objects, so it is likely to be used more and more in the future. This intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic device, which is inserted into a body cavity, is used either as an integrated unit with an endoscope as a means of optical observation, or with a removable endoscope (optical viewing tube) attached. It is common that

However, when inserting into a body cavity, it is desirable that the outer diameter of the insertion part be as small as possible, so a balloon filled with a liquid for ultrasound transmission is inserted between the object and the ultrasound probe. The size of is restricted.

Therefore, Utility Model Application No. 57-70309 and Utility Model Application No. 57
- Figures 1 and 2 disclosed in Publication No. 79513
As shown in the figure, balloons 3 and 4 are inflated to a large extent and inserted between the ultrasonic probe 1 and the object 2 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, thereby expanding the acoustic observation range using ultrasonic waves. Even if you try, each balloon 3,
Since the surface tension of 4 increases and it does not adhere to the uneven surface of an organ such as liver cirrhosis, the quality of the obtained ultrasound image, such as the signal-to-noise ratio (SN ratio), deteriorates.
Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the scanning ranges 3A and 4A of the ultrasonic waves also have narrow angles, which has the disadvantage that their functions cannot be fully demonstrated.

Further, a balloon catheter has been disclosed which is used to correct a stenosis in a body cavity by inflating a balloon inserted into a body cavity and maintaining that state for a certain period of time. It is easy to insert and remove balloon forceps that have a built-in supply/exhaust pipe or have a hard outer periphery, but they are not designed as balloon forceps for ultrasound, so when used as balloon forceps for ultrasound, When interposed between the sonic probe and the target area, the pipe part or the hard part on the outer periphery may not transmit the ultrasonic waves smoothly.
Reflection etc. occur, noise increases, and the observable range becomes narrower as in the above-mentioned conventional example. or,
Balloons without a hard part have the drawback that they are too soft and can hardly be inserted into or removed from the trocar, and can be damaged during insertion.

In addition, as balloon forceps
The forceps described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-54487 and the forceps described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 54-54487 are known, but both are used to be inserted into blood vessels, and these are also used as the forceps of the present invention. Even if it is used to reduce the attenuation of ultrasonic waves by interposing it between an object and an ultrasonic probe, the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the balloon is circular, as in the conventional example shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, the adhesion to the object is poor, and the ultrasonic scanning range is also narrow.

The present invention was developed in view of these circumstances, and it has a large contact area between the ultrasonic probe and the object, and has good adhesion to objects with uneven surfaces.
It has a large signal-to-noise ratio and enables acoustic observation over a wide angle, and can also evacuate air bubbles mixed into the ultrasound transmission liquid and into the balloon to the upper part of the periphery that is outside the ultrasound scanning angle range. Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide balloon forceps that can be inserted into a body cavity without damage.

To achieve the above object, the balloon forceps of the present invention are balloon forceps that are interposed between an object and an ultrasound probe in order to obtain an ultrasound image of the object using the ultrasound probe. A balloon is attached to a balloon attachment part around one end of the cylindrical body, and an ultrasonic transmission liquid supply and discharge means is formed on the other end communicating with the one end, and the balloon is , the contact surface side with the ultrasonic probe is made into a flat shape so that the contact area with the ultrasonic probe is large, and the contact surface side with the object is made into a flat shape so that the contact area with the object is large and it is easy to make close contact with the ultrasonic probe. While forming,
A thick part is provided at the tip.

[Embodiments of the invention] The invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

3 to 8 relate to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows the structure of the first embodiment in cross section,
Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of the first embodiment, Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of the tip of the balloon when a guide rod is attached, and Fig. 6 shows the shape of the balloon when inserted into a body cavity. , Figure 7 shows the first part inserted into the body cavity.
The state in which the ultrasonic probe is in contact with the embodiment is shown, and FIG. 8 shows the state in which the ultrasonic probe is in contact with the first embodiment.

Balloon forceps 11 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
is the (balloon forceps) main body 12 shown in FIG. 4a.
and FIG. 4b attached to the distal end side of the main body 12.
The balloon 13 shown in FIG. 4, the cylinder 15 shown in FIG. and a guide rod 17 shown in FIG. 4d, which serves as a guide when inserting into the body cavity via the trocar 16.

The main body 12 includes an elongated cylindrical insertion section 18 that is inserted into a body cavity, a balloon attachment section 19 formed at the distal end of the insertion section 18, and an operation section connected to the rear end of the insertion section 18. It consists of 20.

The balloon attachment part 19 is provided with a fixing groove 21 on the outer periphery of a short cylindrical member fitted to the open end of the insertion part 18, and a fixing groove 21 is provided on the outer periphery of the short cylindrical member, and the outer periphery of the liquid supply/drain port 22 formed at the opening of the short cylindrical member. The open end of the balloon 13 covers the outer periphery of the groove 21, and the balloon 13 can be fixed by wrapping the thread-like member 23 around the outer periphery of the groove 21. The balloon 13 has a contact surface side with the ultrasonic probe so as to have a large contact area with the ultrasonic probe, and a contact surface side with the object so as to have a large contact area with the object and with the object. The surface side is formed into a flat shape.

Operation section 2 formed on the rear end side of the insertion section 18
0 is a cylinder mounting branched into a side that communicates linearly with the hollow part of the insertion portion 18 and a side that communicates with the diagonally upper side, and the cylinder 15 is removably attached to the side that communicates with the diagonally upper side. A mouth 24 is formed;
The cylinder 15 can be mounted by fitting the small diameter end of the cylinder 15 into the cylinder mounting port 24, and
The pipe can be opened and closed at Kotoku 25.

As shown in FIG. 3 or 4c, the cylinder 15 attached to this cylinder mounting port 24 is
By sliding the piston 26 provided with a flange portion that fits into the inner wall of the cylinder 15,
(Ultrasonic) transmission liquid 14 is supplied to the balloon 13 through the hollow part of the insertion part 18,
The transmission fluid 14 inside can be drained.

On the other hand, the insertion section 1 in the operation section 20 of the main body 12
An opening/closing knob 27 is formed in the middle on the side that communicates linearly with the hollow part of 8, and the guide rod 17 is formed at the rear end.
A guide rod attachment opening 29 is formed to allow the guide rod to be detachably attached.

Guide rod 17 attached to this guide rod attachment port 29
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 d, an elongated guide rod main body 30 that can be inserted through the guide path formed in the hollow part of the insertion portion 18 from the guide rod attachment port 29
and a large-diameter gripping part 31 to which the rear end of the guide rod body 30 is fixed, and a screw 32 is formed on the outer periphery of the large-diameter front end to connect the threaded hole 3 of the mounting port 29.
3, and an O-ring 34 for maintaining liquid tightness is fitted into a groove formed on the outer periphery adjacent to this screw 32. Further, a hole is formed in this grip portion 31 into which the rear end of the guide rod body 30 can be inserted, and the guide rod body 30 is fixed from the side of the hole with a screw 35.

By the way, the balloon 13, which is detachably attached to the balloon attachment part 19 by winding or unwinding the thread-like member 23, is attached to the guide rod 1 as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4b, or FIG.
A thick portion 35 is formed to prevent damage when the tip of 7 is protruded. That is, this thick part 3
5 has a recess that fits into the hemispherical portion of the tip of the guide rod 17 at the portion where the guide rod 17 protrudes and abuts, and the outer circumferential portion of this recess is made thicker.

Therefore, a thick portion 35 is formed on the tip side of the balloon 13.
Attach the base (rear end) side of the balloon 13, which has been formed, to the balloon attachment portion 19, and on the other hand, attach the guide rod 17 to the guide rod attachment port 29 of the main body 12, and attach the guide rod 17 to the insertion portion 18.
A guide rod 1 protrudes inside the balloon 13 from the tip of the
The tip of the balloon 13 is brought into contact with the thick part 35, and the balloon 13 is wound around the outer periphery of the guide rod 17 (of the guide rod main body 30) to make the diameter small, as shown in FIG. It is formed so that it can be easily inserted into the trocar 16 for introduction.

Also, the piston 26 of the cylinder 15 attached to the cylinder attachment port 24 of the main body 12 is pushed out to supply the transmission fluid 14 to the balloon 13.
When the balloon is inflated, its shape can be made sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the ultrasonic probe 36, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and by controlling the amount of the transmission liquid 14, The tension of the balloon 13 can be reduced, and the balloon 13 can be brought into contact with the target part of the target object 37 such as an organ, and the ultrasound probe 36 can be placed over the balloon 13.
By pressing the balloon 13, the pressed part of the balloon 13 is deformed, and as shown in FIG. It's summery. Furthermore, even if there are small bubbles inside the balloon 13, the pressure applied when pressing the balloon 13 can push the bubbles 38 to the outside of the scanning angle α, as shown in FIG. This is done so that it does not adversely affect the ultrasound diagnostic images.

The operation of the first embodiment configured in this way will be described below.

First, the outer periphery of the groove 21 of the balloon attachment part 19 of the main body 12 shown in FIG. 4a is covered with the open end side of the balloon 13 shown in FIG. 4b, and the thread-like member 23 is wound and fixed. Next, open the lid 27 of the main body 12,
The guide rod 17 is inserted from the rear of the guide rod attachment port 29 on the tip side of the guide rod 17, and the guide rod 17 is fixed by screwing. At this time, the tip of the guide rod main body 30 comes into contact with the thick part 35 of the balloon 13, as shown in FIG. Next, a cylinder 15 filled with an ultrasonic transmission liquid 14 such as sterilized physiological saline is fitted into the cylinder mounting opening 24 and the cap 25 is opened.
Then, the piston 26 of the cylinder 15 is pushed out and the transmission fluid 14 in the cylinder 15 is transferred to the balloon 13.
Supply fluid inside. In this state, balloon 1
3 contains a mixture of transmission fluid 14 and air bubbles, but the air bubbles can be collected around the liquid supply/drainage port 22 by supplying the liquid, and by pulling the piston 26 of the cylinder 15 toward the hand side, The air bubbles are suctioned, and the transmission liquid 14 is also suctioned into the cylinder 15 side following the air bubbles, so that almost no air bubbles are mixed into the balloon 13, and there is (a small amount) of the transmission liquid 14 inside the balloon 13. You can be in a fulfilled state.

Next, the balloon 13 is wound around the guide rod main body 30, the outer shape of the balloon 13 is made thin as shown in FIG. After it has completely protruded, the transfer liquid 14 in the cylinder 15 is again fed into the balloon 13 to inflate the balloon 13 with the transfer liquid 14. As a result of the above-described operation, the hollow portion of the main body 12 and the inside of the balloon 13 are almost completely filled with the transfer liquid 14, so that even if there are any air bubbles mixed into the balloon 13, there are only a few. Next, the guide rod 17 and cylinder 15 are removed, and each pot 27 and 25 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the balloon 13 inflated with the transfer fluid 14 is brought into close contact with the surface of a target part of an object 37 such as an organ from which an observation image is to be obtained;
Furthermore, an ultrasonic probe 36 inserted into the abdominal cavity guided by another puncture such as a trocar is pressed against it. In this pressed state, as shown in FIG. 8, the portion in close contact with the outer periphery of the ultrasonic probe 36 is wide, and therefore the ultrasonic scanning angle α can also be widened. In addition, the air bubbles 38 slightly mixed in,
As shown in FIG. 8, by pressing the ultrasonic probe 36, it is pushed to the periphery outside the scanning angle α, so that it does not interfere with the ultrasonic observation image.

Furthermore, even if there are irregularities on the surface of the part to which the balloon 13 is pressed, by pressing the balloon 13, the outer shape of the balloon 13 will be deformed according to the irregularities, and there will be a gap between the part and the recess. In this state, the ultrasonic probe 36 transmits ultrasonic waves and receives echo signals of the transmitted ultrasonic waves.
It is possible to obtain an ultrasonic diagnostic image with a high signal-to-noise ratio for organs, etc. inside the abutted surface.

After transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves with the ultrasonic probe 36 to obtain an ultrasonic diagnostic image, open the handle 27 and remove the guide rod 1.
7 and fix it by screwing, and also connect the cylinder 15 to the cylinder mounting port 24 and tighten the cylinder 25.
, and the transmission liquid 14 inside the balloon 13 is completely sucked toward the proximal side. Next, while rotating the main body 12, the balloon 13 is wound around the guide rod main body 30, and can be easily removed from the trocar 16 while rotating.

Ultrasonic probe 36 to obtain ultrasound diagnostic images
According to the first embodiment, which is interposed between the object 37 and the object 37, the scanning angle α can be made large, and the object 37 can be closely contacted even with uneven parts, and furthermore, it is hardly affected by air bubbles, etc. This allows you to obtain high-quality ultrasound images.

In addition, since a thick wall portion 35 is formed on the distal end side of the balloon 13 from which the guide rod 17 protrudes from the distal end of the insertion portion 18, the guide rod 17 can be repeatedly inserted and removed within the trocar 16. Even if the balloon 13 is damaged, the balloon 13 can be prevented from being damaged.

In the first embodiment, the tip of the guide rod 17 may be formed into a hemispherical shape with a slightly larger diameter, and the inside of the thick portion 35 may also be formed into a recessed portion that fits into this hemispherical portion.

FIG. 9 shows the vicinity of the balloon attachment part in the second embodiment.

As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a thin thick part 41 is formed at the open end of the balloon 13, and the thick part 41 is elastically attached to the outer periphery of the groove 21 of the balloon attachment part 19. I'm starting to be able to do it.

Other aspects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the effects are also substantially the same.

Note that, depending on the case, a structure may be adopted in which the thick portion side can be inserted into the balloon attachment port 19.

FIG. 10 shows the vicinity of the balloon attachment part in the third embodiment.

As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, when the balloon 13 is attached to the balloon attachment part 19, it is fixed by fitting a C ring 42 around the outer periphery of the open end of the balloon 13 on the outer periphery of the groove 21. At the same time, the attachment can be released by removing the C-ring 42.

Other than this, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment,
The effects are also approximately the same.

FIG. 11 shows the vicinity of the balloon on the distal end side of the insertion section 18 in a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

This embodiment eliminates the need for a guide rod, and therefore has a structure in which only the cylinder mounting port 24 side is formed on the operating section 12 side of the main body 12 in FIG. 3, and the guide rod mounting port 29 side is not formed. (not shown).

On the other hand, a short cylindrical member having a groove 21 formed on its outer periphery is fixed to the distal end side of the insertion portion 18 as in the first embodiment. The rear end side of a cylindrical member 44 is fixed further inside this short cylindrical member, and an opening is provided in the side of this cylindrical member 44 to form a liquid supply/drainage port 45.
The open tip of the cylindrical member 44 is closed by a tip member 46 having a hemispherical front end.

The balloon 47 that covers the tip side from the groove 21 is
It is flattened in a square or rectangular shape, with both front and rear corners protruding along one side, and one (rear side) open to cover the outer periphery of the groove 21, and can be fixed by winding the thread-like member 23. The other end on the front end (tip) side is thick and formed to cover the hemispherical tip member 46, and when inserted into or removed from the trocar 16, it is wound around the outer circumference of the cylindrical member 44 to form a thin diameter It is made so that it can be done.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned effects,
Since there is no need for a guide rod and there is no need for the operating section to have a bifurcated structure, the structure is simplified and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

In addition, the balloon 47 is made into a flat shape to increase the contact area between the object 37 and the ultrasound probe 36.
Moreover, it has a structure that makes it easy to adhere. Furthermore, since the flattened portion is formed to be biased to one side with respect to the axis of the insertion portion 18, even when abutting not only a horizontal portion but also a portion inclined from the horizontal, the cylindrical member 44 side is placed on the upper side. If the balloon 47 side, which is flattened on the side, is placed on the lower side, the balloon 47 will not be too deformed due to the weight of the built-in transmission fluid 14 when it is not formed on one side, and it will be in close contact with the target area. The guiding operation can be performed easily.

Note that the present invention uses balloons 13, 47 having the above-mentioned shapes.
The present invention is not limited to the above, and includes, for example, a method in which a flat balloon is attached without being pushed to one side.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the cylinder 15 fitted into the cylinder attachment port 24 is configured to be detachably attached, but other attachment means such as screwing may also be used. Furthermore, devices that are not detachable but are integrated also belong to the present invention.

Furthermore, the attachment means that can be detachably attached to the balloon attachment portion 19 and the like is not limited to the above-described one. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to one that can be detachably attached to the balloon attachment part 19, etc., and also one in which the balloons 13, 47 are fixed with an adhesive or the like.

The present invention is applicable not only to mechanical sector scanning type ultrasonic probes but also to electronic type linear scanning type ultrasonic probes.

[Effects of the invention] As explained above, according to the invention, the contact area between the ultrasonic probe and the target object can be increased, the adhesion with uneven objects is good, and the SN
It has a large ratio and enables acoustic observation over a wide angle, and it is also possible to evacuate air bubbles mixed into the ultrasonic transmission liquid and into the balloon to the upper part of the periphery that is outside the ultrasonic scanning angle range. It has the advantage that it can be inserted into a body cavity without damage.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a balloon in use in a conventional example, Fig. 2 is a front view showing a balloon in use in another conventional example, and Figs. 3 to 8 are a front view showing a balloon in use in another conventional example. For example, Figure 3 is
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the overall structure of the embodiment; FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the first embodiment; FIG. 4A is a side sectional view showing the balloon forceps body; FIG. Side view, Figure c is a side sectional view showing the cylinder, Figure d is a side sectional view showing the guide rod,
Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the distal end of the balloon with the guide rod inserted, Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the shape of the balloon wrapped around the guide rod for insertion into the trocar, and Figure 7 is a body cavity. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the balloon interposed between the ultrasound probe and the object in use, and FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the balloon in use. FIG. 10a is a side sectional view showing the vicinity of the balloon attachment part in the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
Figure 0 b is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in figure a,
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the distal end side of the insertion portion in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. 11... Balloon forceps, 12... (Balloon forceps) body, 13, 47... Balloon, 14...
(Ultrasonic) transmission fluid, 15... cylinder, 16...
Trocar, 17... Guide rod, 18... Insertion part,
19...Balloon attachment part, 20...Operation part, 21
... Groove, 22, 45 ... Liquid supply and drainage port, 24 ... Cylinder installation port, 25, 27 ... Kotoku, 29 ... Guide rod installation port, 30 ... Guide rod body, 35 ... Thick part, 36...Ultrasonic probe, 38...Bubble, 41
... Thick part, 42 ... C ring, 44 ... Cylindrical member, 46 ... Tip member.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) In a balloon forceps inserted between an object and an ultrasound probe to obtain an ultrasound image of the object using the ultrasound probe, A balloon is attached to a balloon attachment part around one end of the cylindrical body, and a means for supplying and discharging an ultrasonic transmission liquid is formed on the other end side communicating with the one end. The contact surface side with the ultrasound probe is formed into a flat shape so that the contact area with the ultrasound probe is large, and the contact surface side with the object is formed into a flat shape so that the contact area with the object is large and it is easy to make close contact. On the other hand, balloon forceps are characterized by having a thick part at the tip. (2) The balloon forceps according to claim 1, wherein the balloon attachment portion forms attachment means to which the balloon can be detachably attached. (3) The balloon forceps according to claim 2, wherein the attachment means is formed by winding a balloon covering the outer periphery of the end portion with a thread-like member. (4) The balloon forceps according to claim 2, wherein the attachment means is formed using a C-ring. (5) The balloon forceps according to claim 1, wherein the supply/discharge means is detachably formed.