JPH069569B2 - Ultrasonic therapy device - Google Patents

Description

Description: [Industrial field of use] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic therapeutic device for performing treatment using ultrasonic vibration.

[Prior Art] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Sho 61-62 has been proposed as a general ultrasonic therapy device of this type.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 159953. The probe (vibration transmitting member) of this ultrasonic therapy apparatus is composed of a pipe or the like, and its tip is the treatment work end. Further, the probe has a structure in which an ultrasonic transducer (ultrasonic vibration generator) is connected to the base of the probe through a horn portion.

The ultrasonic transducer vibrates the tip of the probe at a drive frequency defined in the antinode of the vibration, amplifies the vibration at the horn part, and transmits this to the tip side of the probe to generate the necessary amplitude at the tip. I am trying. The periphery of the ultrasonic transducer and the horn portion is covered with a cover so that the operator can grasp it with his / her hand, and thereby constitutes a hand piece (grasping portion).

Regarding the configuration of the probe portion, those shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-32013, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-145644, and PCT WO 87/00422 are known. That is, the structure shown in FIG. 5 consisting of the probe 1 and the metal or plastic flue 2 that is coaxial with the probe 1 and wraps the probe 1, or simply as shown in FIG. There is a configuration that is provided, or one in which an air supply water tube is inserted up to the tip side in the suction pipeline in the probe.

Then, a fluid such as sterilized physiological saline is sent through the inside of the flue 2 or through the water supply tube 3, and the probe 1
It is designed to cool down and clean the working area. further,
The probe 1 is provided with a suction hole 4, and suction is performed through this.

When using the ultrasonic therapy device of such a configuration,
The tip of the probe 1 is applied to the affected area, and the living tissue of the affected area is crushed and emulsified. The affected part to be treated is constantly washed with fluid during the work, and the crushed or emulsified tissue is sucked from the suction hole 4 of the probe 1 to wash the periphery of the tip working part.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the water supply mechanism in such a conventional ultrasonic therapeutic device has the following problems. First, in the structure in which the water supply tube is provided in the suction pipe, the suction passage is narrowed so that sufficient suction cannot be performed, and a sufficient suction passage cannot be secured. In order to secure a sufficient suction path, the outer diameter of the probe inevitably becomes large, making it difficult to perform fine surgery.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a water supply tube 3 is arranged along the probe 1 up to near the tip of the probe 1 and is fixed at the tip of the probe 1. Wide observation field cannot be obtained. Further, there is a possibility that normal tissue may be damaged due to contact between the normal tissue portion other than the affected area and the side surface of the probe 1 that is vibrating ultrasonically.

Therefore, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-32013 and PCT
The structure of WO 87/00422, that is, the outer circumference of the probe 1 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 is covered with a flu 2 coaxial with the probe 1, and an annular shape is formed between the probe 1 and the flu 2. A method of supplying a fluid through the space 5 is common.

The conventional flu 2 is made of metal or hard plastic. In order to improve the operability of the handpiece and to secure the operative field, it is necessary to form the flu 2 as thin as possible, and usually the inner and outer surfaces of the flu 2 are tapered along the outer peripheral surface.

However, when a hard plastic is used, it is necessary to secure the workability and strength of Flu 2 and
The wall thickness of Flu 2 must be at least 1mm,
It was not possible to make a sufficiently thin flue 2 with a thickness less than that.

Further, in the case of the metal flue 2, it was extremely difficult to form a strong taper shape due to the processing, and the manufacturing cost was high.

Further, when the probe 1 in which the flu 2 made of hard plastic or metal is bent is made, the flu 2 must be attached / detached, so that the flu 2 covers only the linear portion on the tip side of the bent probe 1. I can't
The base side of the bent portion of the probe 1 has a fixing structure of the flue 2 and must be covered with a cover thicker than the flue 2, which causes a problem of obstructing the operative field.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to configure a thin tapered flue that does not hinder the operative field and easily cope with a bent probe. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic therapeutic device having a flue.

[Means and Action for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to an ultrasonic vibration generator, a probe having an inflection part for transmitting ultrasonic vibration from the ultrasonic vibration generator, In an ultrasonic therapeutic device that includes a hollow flue surrounding the probe and uses the gap between the flu and the probe as a liquid delivery channel,
The flue is formed of a flexible material to have a thin wall.

Thus, the flue covering the outer circumference of the probe can be made thin and flexible. It is also easy to form the portion of the flue covering the tapered portion on the outer circumference of the probe into a tapered shape in accordance with the taper degree of the probe. Further, the probe portion of the handpiece can be made thin, so that the operative field can be secured and the operability of the handpiece can be improved.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the ultrasonic treatment device, and reference numeral 11 denotes a grip portion composed of a cover. An ultrasonic transducer (ultrasonic vibration generator) 12 is arranged in the grip portion 11. A probe 14 made of an ultrasonic wave transmission member is connected to the ultrasonic wave oscillator 12 via a horn 13. Then, the ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 12 has its amplitude enlarged by the horn 13 and is transmitted to the probe 14.

The probe 14 is covered with a cylindrical flu 15. The flu 15 is connected at its base end side to the grip portion 11 via a connecting member 16, and is concentrically arranged so as not to contact the outer peripheral surface of the probe 14. The vicinity of the tip working portion of the probe 14 is exposed from the tip of the flu 15.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The gap between and forms a flow path 18 through which a fluid such as sterilized water or physiological saline that has flowed in from a water supply cap 17 described later flows. The flow path 18 communicates with a water supply cap 17 connected to the connection member 16, and a fluid such as sterilized water or physiological saline is supplied to the flow path 18 through a water supply tube (not shown) connected to the water supply cap 17. It is supposed to be supplied.

As shown in FIG. 2, the probe 14 is made of a metal hollow pipe, and the inside thereof serves as a suction hole 20. Further, the outer periphery of the probe 14 is formed in a tapered shape with a thin tip side. Further, the probe 14 is detachably connected to the tip of the horn 13. Then, a probe different from this can be selected and linked.

In addition, the suction hole 20 in the probe 14 is the horn 1
3 and the passage 21 formed through the inside of the ultrasonic transducer 12 communicates with the suction mouthpiece 22. A suction tube (not shown) is connected to the suction mouthpiece 22 so that suction can be performed by a suction pump (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the flu 15 covering the probe 14 is made of a flexible resin material in a tapered shape having a uniform thickness and a thin wall. As the flexible resin material, for example, thin flexible fluororesin can be considered.

Then, when using the ultrasonic treatment device of this configuration, the procedure is as follows. First, probe 1
It is introduced together with 5 into the body cavity where the treatment target site is located. Then, a fluid such as sterilized water or physiological saline is supplied from the water supply mouthpiece 17 to a flow passage 18 formed by a gap between the probe 14 and the fluid 15, and is made to flow from the tip opening of the fluid 15 into the body cavity through this fluid passage 18. . This allows the probe 14
Is cooled and the periphery of the treatment target site is washed.
Further, the washed liquid in the body cavity is sucked and discharged to the outside by the suction pump through the suction hole 20, the passage 21, the suction mouthpiece 22 and the suction tube in the probe 14.

In this state, the ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 12 has its amplitude enlarged by the horn 13, and the probe 14
Is transmitted to the working section at the tip through. The tip of the probe 14 is applied to the affected area to crush or emulsify the living tissue. The crushed or emulsified tissue is discharged to the outside through the suction hole 20, the passage 21, the suction mouthpiece 22 and the suction tube in the probe 14 together with the cleaning fluid. Reference numeral 23 is a drive power cord that communicates with the ultrasonic transducer 12.

By the way, the flu 15 for covering the probe 14 is formed of a flexible resin material into a thin taper shape having an equal thickness. Therefore, this flu 15 can be manufactured by molding a fluororesin tube into a tapered shape. Therefore, the processing is easy and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, although the wall thickness is practically made to be about 0.2 to 0.3 mm, it is possible to sufficiently form such a thin wall, so that the outer shape of the flu 15 can be made thin over the entire length. Therefore, it is less likely to obstruct the operative field during the operation in which it is used. Furthermore, because of its flexibility, it is easy to adjust the center positions of the probe 14 and the flu 15 during assembly. Further, since the flu 15 is formed of a fluororesin, it has heat resistance of 200 ° C. or higher, and even if the probe 14 generates heat during ultrasonic oscillation, the flu 15 may be deformed or damaged during the operation. There is no need to operate safely.

FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, which is the probe 14 and the flu 15 in the above-mentioned ultrasonic treatment device.
Is an example in which a curved inflection part is formed in the middle, and the other configuration is substantially the same as that of the ultrasonic therapeutic device described above. And, including the curved portion of the curved probe 14,
The probe 14 is covered with a flexible fluororesin flu 15 which is integrated from the root side to the tip side. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment.

According to this structure, in addition to the function and effect of the first embodiment, since the probe 14 can be configured with the integral flu 15 before and after the bending, the flu 15 near the bending portion can be achieved.
It is not necessary to provide a connecting portion of the above, and it can be thinly configured by the flu 15 composed of a single member. Further, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic therapeutic device having a thin outer shape even near the curved portion of the probe 14.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a bent probe 14 is used. Then, including the bent portion of the curved probe 14, a flexible fluororesin fluid 1 is integrally formed from the root side to the tip side thereof.
5 covers the probe 14.

According to this structure, the same function and effect as those of the second embodiment, that is, even the bending probe 14 can be covered with the integral flu 15. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a connecting portion for the flu 15 near the bent portion, and the flu 15 can be configured by a single member. Further, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic therapeutic device having a thin outer shape even near the curved portion of the probe 14. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the flu may be formed of a transparent material (for example, fluororesin), and by doing so,
Even when the tip working portion of the probe is in the shadow of the flu, the tip working portion of the probe can be visually recognized, and the ultrasonic therapy apparatus with higher operability can be obtained. Furthermore, the material of the flu is silicon resin in addition to fluororesin,
Nylon or the like may be used. Further, the probe may be a single member or a plurality of vibration transmission members connected,
The above-mentioned flu has only to be hollow so as to surround at least the most advanced vibration transmitting member. Of course, it is more preferable that the flue be a hollow circular one that surrounds the probe coaxially with the most advanced vibration transmission member.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a flue surrounding a probe formed of at least one or more vibration transmitting members for transmitting the ultrasonic vibration from the ultrasonic vibration generating unit to a target position of the living body is possible. Since it is made of a flexible material to have a thin wall, it is possible to form a thin outer flue that does not interfere with the operative field. It is also easy to form a taper shape, for example, according to the outer peripheral shape of the probe.

Further, the probe covering the bent or curved inflection portion does not need to have a structure for connecting a plurality of members, and the diameter can be reduced. Therefore, it does not interfere with the surgical field. That is, the probe portion of the handpiece can be made thin, and the operative field can be secured and the operability of the handpiece can be improved.

Moreover, by forming the flue with a flexible resin, it is possible to easily produce a thin flue and reduce the production cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an ultrasonic therapeutic device having a basic structure premised on the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a side view of the ultrasonic therapeutic device.
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the relationship between the probe and the flu, FIG. 3 is a side view of the ultrasonic treatment device showing the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a second embodiment of the present invention. An example of a side view of the ultrasonic therapeutic device, FIGS. 5 and 6 are side views showing a conventional ultrasonic therapeutic device, respectively, and FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the relationship between the conventional probe and the flue. Is. 11 ... Gripping part, 12 ... Ultrasonic transducer, 13 ... Horn, 14 ... Probe, 15 ... Flue, 18 ... Flow path, 20 ... Suction hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic vibration generator, a probe for transmitting ultrasonic vibrations from the ultrasonic vibration generator, and a hollow flue surrounding the probe, wherein a gap is provided between the flu and the probe. An ultrasonic therapeutic device used as a liquid feeding channel, characterized in that the above-mentioned flute is formed of a thin material with a flexible material, and the probe is provided with an inflection portion.