JPS6355937B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to the application of ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. In particular, the present invention relates to a device that displays a tomographic image of the position of a needle inserted into a living body for treatment or tissue collection.

[Conventional technology]

Bringing a probe equipped with an array of ultrasonic transducing elements into contact with the surface of a living body, transmitting ultrasonic pulses from this array of ultrasonic transducing elements into the living body, and receiving reflected waves reflected from tissues in the living body. A technique is known in which a needle is punctured from the surface of a living body while visually confirming the inside of the living body using images. This is, for example, JP-A-51-
The device is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 87384, and its main parts are illustrated in FIG. The probe 1 has a large number of rows of ultrasonic transducing elements 2 on its bottom surface, is brought into contact with a living body, and a puncture needle 4 is inserted into the living body through a guide slit 3. FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of the ultrasonic transducer array 2 of the conventional device.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In this case, it is possible to display an image of an approximately constant width in the y direction on a plane parallel to the plane indicated by xz in FIG. If you go outside, you will lose track of the tip. At this time, there is a risk that the user may be under the illusion that the tip of the puncture needle 4 is at the limit point of the width that can be visually recognized by this device, and may perform an operation to puncture deeper.

The present invention improves on this, so that when the tip of the puncture needle deviates from the tomographic plane that can be displayed as an image using ultrasound, the user recognizes the deviation using a color different from the normal color display. The purpose is to provide a device that can.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention divides and arranges an ultrasonic transducing element row into three rows, includes electric circuit means that can use at least the middle row independently, displays images on a color screen, and performs the above-mentioned method. The present invention is characterized in that when the middle row is used alone, it is displayed in a different color than when the three rows are used simultaneously.

〔Example〕

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of ultrasonic transducer elements in the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. As can be clearly seen when compared with the conventional arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the feature is that the ultrasonic transducer array is divided into three rows as shown by 2a, 2b, and 2c. With this structure, the electric circuit is constructed so that the element rows 2a, 2b, and 2c can all be used as transmitting and receiving elements at the same time, and each row can also be used separately. 5 is a passage hole for a puncture needle.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when the probe is brought into contact with the surface of a living body and the puncture needle is inserted into the living body. When the probe 1 is brought into contact with the surface of the living body 7 and an image is displayed using all the ultrasonic transducer arrays 2a, 2b, and 2c at the same time, in this case, the narrow range shown by the broken line N in FIG. It can be displayed on images with high resolution. This is equivalent to the conventional device shown in FIG.

At this time, if the puncture needle 4 is punctured obliquely and its tip goes outside the range of this broken line N, the position of the tip will be lost. At this time, the tip of the puncture needle 4 appears to be at the intersection P of the puncture needle 4 and the broken line N, and there is a risk that the user may perform an operation to push the needle further.

In this state, the electric circuit is switched to use only the middle row 2c of the three ultrasonic transducer rows shown in Figure 3, and the image is compared to the case where all three ultrasonic transducer rows are used. If the images are displayed in different colors, the resolution will decrease in this case, but a wide range of conditions as shown by the chain line W in FIG. 4 will be displayed in different colors, making it easier to recognize the tip position of the puncture needle 4. Become. As a result, the puncture needle 4 can be correctly recognized by adjusting the contact angle of the probe 1 so that the puncture needle 4 and the center line indicated by the dashed line coincide with each other.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a transmitting/receiving circuit, 12 is a scanning circuit, 13
One is a color CRT. The three rows of ultrasonic transducer elements 2a, 2b, and 2c of the feeler 1 are provided with separate electrical wiring, respectively, and are connected to switching circuits 15 and 2c, respectively.
It is connected to the transmitting/receiving circuit 11 via 16 and 17. Transmission/reception circuit 11, scanning circuit 12 and color
The CRT 13 is a known circuit device that transmits ultrasonic pulses from the ultrasonic transducer arrays 2a, 2b, and 2c, receives the reflected waves, and displays them on the color CRT 13.

A color switching signal is taken out from the color CRT 13, and the switching circuits 15', 16', and 17' are connected to each other.
connected to. This switching circuit 15', 16', 1
7' is configured to operate in conjunction with the opening/closing circuits 15, 16, and 17, respectively. This switching circuit 15', 1
The display color on the screen of the color CRT 13 is switched by closing either 6' or 17' or by a combination thereof. For example, when the switching circuit 17' is closed,
When the other switching circuits 15', 16' are closed, the display color is blue, and when the switching circuit 17' is open, the display color is orange, and all switching circuits 15', 16', 17' are displayed. When closed, it turns white.

In such a configuration, the narrow range N shown in FIG.
Different colors are displayed when displaying W on the video and when displaying a wide range W on the video, so
You can recognize the condition at a glance.

Switching circuits 15, 16, 17 and 15', 1
Switching between 6' and 17' may be done manually.
Alternatively, it is also possible to configure the switching operation to be performed automatically.

In addition, each conversion element row 2 can be
A, 2b, and 2c can be connected to independent transmitting/receiving circuits, and each of the three colors can be displayed simultaneously on one screen.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, even if the tip of the puncture needle exceeds the range that can be displayed as an image by ultrasound during operation of the puncture needle, the wide range is displayed in different colors than usual, although the resolution is inferior. Since the condition can be easily recognized at a glance, the position of the tip of the puncture needle can be prevented from being erroneously recognized. According to the device of the present invention, it is highly effective in preventing erroneous operation of the puncture needle.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing how a probe of a conventional device is used. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an arrangement of ultrasonic transducer elements in a conventional device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of ultrasonic transducer elements in an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the state in use. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Probe, 2... Ultrasonic conversion element array, 3...
...Guide slit, 4...Puncture needle, 5...Puncture needle passage hole, 7...Living body, 11...Transmission/reception circuit, 12...
...Scanning circuit, 13...Color CRT, 15,1
5', 16, 16', 17, 17'...Opening/closing circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A probe that is brought into contact with a living body, and an array of ultrasonic conversion elements arranged on a surface of the probe that comes into contact with the living body, the contact surface of the probe The puncture needle is configured to be able to puncture the living body through the puncture needle, and the position of the puncture needle in the living tissue is received by the ultrasound transmitted from the ultrasound transducer array and the ultrasound transducer array. In this ultrasonic imaging device for biological puncture, which is equipped with a means for displaying an image using the reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic transducer row is divided into three rows, and at least one of the middle rows of the three rows is arranged. comprising an electric circuit means that enables the row of ultrasonic transducer elements in the row to be used independently; the means for displaying the image includes a color image display means; and when the row of ultrasound transducer elements in the middle row is used alone; An ultrasonic imaging device for puncturing a biological body, comprising means for displaying on the color image display means a color different from that when the three rows of ultrasonic transducer elements are used simultaneously.