JPH02268751A - Ultrasonic medical treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform operation safely, certainly and stably by a method wherein the temp. of a perfusate is detected by a temp. sensor when said temp. rises to a value dangerous to a human body and the intermittent time of the pulse oscillation of an ultrasonic vibrator is made long to lower the temp. of the perfusate and the abnormal overheating of the ultrasonic vibrator and the probe is suppressed. CONSTITUTION:The outflow temp. of the perfusate flowing through a liquid flow passage 10 in the vicinity of the tip of a flue 5 is monitored by a temp. sensor 21 and the signal thereof is inputted to a temp. detector 22. The temp. signal of the perfusate calibrated and amplified by the temp. detector 22 is inputted to a pulse controller 23. The pulse controller 23 performs control so that the ratio of a time stopping pulse oscillation is made high when the outflow temp. of the perfusate imparts damage such as heat damage to the affected part or becomes high enough to thermally damage a probe 4. The pulse signal controlled by the pulse controller 23 is transmitted to an ultrasonic oscillator 16 to be taken in the matching with an ultrasonic vibrator 2 and amplified to be supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator 2.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention is directed to emulsification and ablation of living tissue by ultrasonic vibration.
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic treatment device for crushing stones, etc.

[Conventional technology] In the medical field, ultrasonic vibrations are used to emulsify or cut affected areas such as tumors and stones formed in living tissue to be removed.
Ultrasonic treatment devices are commonly used that crush particles and expel them from the body.

That is, FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of a conventional general ultrasonic treatment device, and 1 is a tip piece. This hand piece 1 includes a grip part 3 that houses an ultrasonic transducer 2 inside, a probe 4 attached to the tip of this grip part 3, and a probe 4 attached to the tip of the grip part 3.
A suction hole 6 is formed in the probe 4 and the ultrasonic transducer 2 to penetrate in the axial direction.

A suction tube 7 is connected to the rear end of the suction hole 6, and the tube 7 is led to a drainage tank 9 via a suction pump 8 on the way. Further, a gap is maintained between the probe 4 and the flue 5, and this gap is formed as a liquid feeding path 10. A perfusion liquid tank 12 is connected to the rear end of the liquid feeding path 10 via a liquid feeding tube 11 . The perfusion liquid 13 in the perfusion liquid tank 12 passes through the liquid supply tube 11, flows into the liquid supply path 10, and flows out from the tip of the flue 5. Further, an ultrasonic oscillator 16 is connected to the piezoelectric element portion 14 of the ultrasonic transducer 2 via an electric cord 15.

In the ultrasonic treatment device having such a configuration, the ultrasonic driving signal generated by the ultrasonic oscillator 16 is transmitted to the piezoelectric element section 14 of the ultrasonic vibrator 2 through the electric cord 15, where the ultrasonic wave that is electrical energy is transmitted. The drive signal is converted into ultrasonic vibration, which is mechanical energy. The ultrasonic vibrations generated in the piezoelectric element section 14 are amplified by the horn section 17 and then transmitted to the probe 4, and the tip of the probe 4 has an ultrasonic vibration of 200 to 4
Ultrasonic vibrations with a large amplitude of about 0.001 are generated. Then, place the tip of the probe 4 on the affected area (not shown).
The ultrasonic vibrations emulsify, cut, or crush unnecessary tissues such as tumors and stones.

In addition, the perfusion liquid 13 flowing through the liquid supply path 10 between the probe 4 and the flue 5 removes heat due to internal friction generated within the probe 4 by ultrasonic vibration, cools the probe 4, and then transfers heat to the tip of the flue 5. Rinse and wash the area around the affected area. The perfusate 13 that perfuses and cleanses the affected area and the cut and crushed tissue are mixed together and sucked into the suction hole 6 by the suction force of the suction pump 8, and then passed through the suction tube 7 and the suction pump 8. and is excreted into the drainage tank 9.

Incidentally, such an ultrasonic treatment apparatus includes one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 41219/1983, for example, and is currently widely used. However, if ultrasonic vibrations are generated with a large amplitude, both the ultrasonic transducer and the probe may become abnormally overheated due to internal friction, and may even be thermally damaged.

Therefore, as shown in US Pat.
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 68445, a temperature sensor is attached near the ultrasonic transducer, and this sensor detects the temperature of the ultrasonic transducer, and when the ultrasonic transducer becomes high temperature, the ultrasonic wave is emitted. to stop the oscillation, or
The above problem (abnormal overheating of the ultrasonic transducer and probe) has been dealt with by a method of cooling with air, as shown in SP3,694,675.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the ultrasonic treatment devices disclosed in the above-mentioned US Pat. The entire device suddenly stopped, which was extremely dangerous, especially in surgeries that required urgent and delicate operations.

Moreover, the ultrasonic treatment apparatus must be restarted each time, which not only takes a lot of effort but also prolongs the operation time, causing great pain to the patient. In addition, in the device disclosed in USP 3,694,675, air is used for cooling, but when large amplitude ultrasonic vibrations are generated, air does not have as high a cooling capacity as liquid. However, a sufficient cooling effect could not be obtained. Therefore, in order to supply a sufficient amount of air, the air passage within the gripping portion must be made large, resulting in a gripping portion that is large and difficult to hold, making it difficult to use. Furthermore, although this has not been considered so far, it is possible to control the flow rate of the cooling perfusion fluid, which is sufficient to prevent thermal damage to the ultrasonic transducer and probe; The substance itself becomes so hot that it can cause burns to living tissue near the affected area, which is extremely dangerous for the patient.

The present invention has been made with attention to the above circumstances, and even when ultrasonic vibrations are generated with large amplitude, a sufficient cooling effect can be obtained so that the ultrasonic vibrator and probe will not be damaged by heat. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic treatment device that can perform surgery safely, reliably, and stably.

[Means and actions for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above object, in the ultrasonic treatment device of the present invention,
A temperature sensor is installed near the outlet of the irrigation fluid to detect the temperature of the irrigation fluid, and when the ultrasonic vibrator is oscillating, the temperature sensor detects when the temperature of the irrigation fluid rises to a level dangerous to the human body. , by increasing the intermittent time of pulse oscillation of ultrasonic vibrations, the temperature of the perfusion fluid is lowered and abnormal overheating of the ultrasonic transducer and probe is suppressed.

[Example] Hereinafter, a first example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In explaining this embodiment, since its basic configuration is the same as the conventional one shown in FIG. Only parts will be explained.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of the main parts of the ultrasonic treatment device according to the present invention, and the inner wall of the tip of the flue 5 is equipped with one or more temperature sensors 21 such as a Cu-constantan thermocouple or a heat-sensitive semiconductor. 1) It is installed. An ultrasonic oscillator 16 is connected to this temperature sensor 21 via a temperature detector 22 and a pulse controller 23, and this ultrasonic oscillator 16 connects to the piezoelectric element portion 14 of the ultrasonic vibrator 2 via an electric cord 15. It is connected to the.

The temperature sensor 21 monitors the outflow temperature of the perfusate 13 flowing through the liquid supply path 10 near the tip of the flue 5, and its signal is input to the temperature detector 22. The temperature signal of the perfusate 13 calibrated and amplified by the temperature detector 22 is input to the pulse controller 23, and the pulse controller 23 generates ultrasonic vibration pulses from the ultrasonic oscillator 16 based on the temperature information inputted in advance. Change the intermittency of oscillation. In other words, the pulse oscillation of ultrasonic vibration means 11 in FIG.
This is a method of oscillation that repeatedly oscillates the time and pauses for the time t2, but if the outflow temperature of the perfusate 13 becomes high enough to cause harm such as burns to the affected area, or to the point where the probe 4 is damaged by heat. If the temperature rises, the temperature detector 22
The pulse controller 23 that has obtained this information controls the intermittency of pulse oscillation, t2/(t1+t2), to increase the ratio of the resting time. Pulse controller 23
The pulse signal controlled by is transmitted to the ultrasonic oscillator 16, matched with the ultrasonic transducer 2, amplified, and then supplied to the ultrasonic transducer 2.

Therefore, in the ultrasonic transducer 2 and the probe 4, the pause time of ultrasonic oscillation is increased, so the generation of internal frictional heat is reduced, and as a result, the temperature of the irrigation fluid 13 for cooling the probe 4 can be lowered. can. This results in
During surgery, ultrasonic oscillation can be continued without completely stopping the oscillation, and it is possible to prevent burns in the affected area or ultrasonic transducer 2. Surgery can be performed safely, reliably, and stably while suppressing thermal damage to the probe 4.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, the probe 4 is located near the tip of the flue 5.
A temperature sensor 21 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the irrigation fluid 13 to monitor the outflow temperature of the irrigation fluid 13. Note that the other basic configurations, functions, and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, the flow rate of the irrigation fluid 13 is controlled to increase or decrease depending on the temperature of the irrigation fluid 13 detected by the temperature sensor 21. That is, the perfusion liquid tank 12 and the liquid supply path 10
A liquid feeding pump 31 is provided in the middle of the liquid feeding tube 11 that communicates with the liquid feeding tube 11 , and the pump 31 pumps the irrigation liquid 13 in the irrigation liquid tank 12 to the liquid feeding path 10 . Also,
As in the first embodiment, a temperature sensor 21 provided on the inner wall of the tip of the flue 5 is connected to the liquid feeding pump 31 via a temperature detector 22 and a pump controller 32. Note that the other basic configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

After the temperature signal from the temperature sensor 21 is calibrated and amplified by the temperature detector 22, it is input to the pump controller 32, and the pump controller 32 changes the voltage applied to the liquid pump 31. That is, when the outflow temperature of the perfusion liquid 13 is high, the voltage is increased to increase the head of the liquid sending pump 31, thereby increasing the flow rate of the perfusion liquid 13 and lowering the temperature of the perfusion liquid 13. If the temperature of the irrigation fluid 13 is not high enough to cause harm, the voltage is lowered to lower the lift of the fluid pump 31 and the flow rate of the irrigation fluid 13 is reduced to save the amount of irrigation fluid 13.

In this way, when the outflow temperature of the perfusate 13 is high, fl
Since the flow rate of the R flow liquid 13 is increased and its temperature is lowered, the same effect as in the first embodiment is achieved.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the temperature sensor 21 may be provided separately from the handpiece 1 at a portion of the distal end of the handpiece 1 that is filled with the irrigation fluid 13. It goes without saying that various other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the ultrasonic treatment device of the present invention, there is no abnormal overheating of the perfusate for cooling the probe and the ultrasonic transducer and perfusing and cleaning the affected area. In such cases, the temperature of the perfusate can be lowered without stopping ultrasonic oscillation, thereby preventing burns near the affected area and thermal damage to the ultrasonic transducer and probe, making the surgery safe, reliable and stable. It can be done. Furthermore, since ultrasonic oscillation is not completely stopped in order to lower the temperature of the perfusion fluid, it can be used with confidence even in cases of emergency surgery that requires delicate operations.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the main part, FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of pulse oscillation,
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of main parts showing a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the main parts showing the third embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the main parts showing a modified example, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of an ultrasonic treatment apparatus showing a conventional example. 2...Ultrasonic transducer, 4...Probe, 5...Flue 6...Suction hole, 10...Liquid feeding path, 13...Irrigation liquid, 2]...Temperature sensor, 22...Temperature detector,
23...Pulse controller. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Tsuboi Original drawings

Claims (1)

[Claims] A liquid feeding path is formed between the ultrasonic vibrator, the probe connected to the tip of the ultrasonic vibrator and transmitting the ultrasonic vibrations generated by the ultrasonic vibrator, and the probe coated on the outer periphery of the probe. a cover formed through the probe in the axial direction, a suction hole for suctioning the perfusate flowing through the liquid feed path, and a suction hole provided at the tip of the liquid feed path to detect the temperature of the perfusion liquid. What is claimed is: 1. An ultrasonic treatment device comprising: a temperature sensor that detects a temperature sensor; and means for changing the intermittency of ultrasonic oscillation of the ultrasonic transducer in accordance with a detection signal of the temperature sensor.