Photodynamic therapy device and box for photodynamic therapy device

Abstract

In a photodynamic therapy device, light is efficiently irradiated onto the patient's blood. The photodynamic therapy device (100) disclosed herein comprises: a box (10) comprising a winding core and a tube arranged in a manner surrounding the winding core; a shell (50) for accommodating the box (10); and a light source (60) arranged in the shell (50) and irradiating the tube with light, wherein the cross section of the tube arranged around the winding core and perpendicular to the extension direction has a first dimension in a first direction and a second dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the second dimension is smaller than the first dimension, and the second direction is toward the outside of the winding core.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a photodynamic therapy device and a box for the photodynamic therapy device. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 below discloses a photodynamic therapy device, which includes a linearly extending optical rod that accommodates a plurality of LEDs and leads, and a tube that is wound around the optical rod and connected to the patient's circulatory system. The patient's blood flows in the tube, and the light emitted from the LED irradiates the blood. Photosensitive substances are absorbed in the blood, and the light irradiation from the LED can destroy or affect undesirable components in the blood.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-503579 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, in conventional photodynamic therapy devices, blood flows in a flow path with a circular cross section formed by a tube, and LED light is irradiated from the side of the tube. However, this structure has the problem of not being able to efficiently irradiate the blood with light.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned actual situation, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a photodynamic therapy device and a photodynamic therapy box that can efficiently irradiate light to a patient's blood.

[0009] Technical solutions to solve problems

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the photodynamic therapy device involved in the present disclosure includes: a box, including a core and a tube arranged in a manner surrounding the core; a shell, which accommodates the box; and a light source, which is arranged in the shell and irradiates light to the tube, and the cross-section of the tube arranged around the core that is perpendicular to the extension direction has a first dimension in a first direction and a second dimension in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, the second dimension is smaller than the first dimension, and the second direction is toward the outside of the core. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing the outline of the photodynamic therapy according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2 It is a perspective view showing the appearance of a photodynamic therapy device according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 3It is a perspective view showing the appearance of the cartridge according to the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the box involved in the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5 It is a perspective view showing a winding core according to the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 6 It is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the photodynamic therapy device according to the embodiment.

[0017] Figure 7 yes Figure 2 A partial cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI.

[0018] Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the photodynamic therapy device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using the drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing the outline of the photodynamic therapy involved in this embodiment. Figure 1 In the example shown, the patient 4 is a patient with blood cancer and has tumor cells 5. When orally absorbable aminolevulinic acid (5-aminolevulinic acid: 5-ALA) is administered to the patient 4, the aminolevulinic acid is metabolized into protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), which is a photosensitive substance, during the biosynthesis of heme in the mitochondria in the cells. Protoporphyrin IIX has the property of being accumulated in the mitochondria specifically for tumor cells, and therefore accumulates in the tumor cells 5 of the patient 4.

[0021] The circulatory organs of the patient 4 are connected to the photodynamic therapy device 100 of the present embodiment via the blood circuit 6 and the irradiation blood circuit 7. The blood of the patient 4 contains tumor cells 5 that have accumulated protoporphyrin IIX. The blood flows into the photodynamic therapy device 100 of the present invention via the blood circuit 6 and the irradiation blood circuit 7 through the action of the extracorporeal circulation pump 8 connected to the blood circuit 6. In the photodynamic therapy device 100, when irradiated with light in the wavelength region that protoporphyrin IIX can absorb (for example, near 410nm, near 500-650nm), the protoporphyrin IIX contained in the blood becomes an excited singlet state. Protoporphyrin IIX returns to the ground state from the excited singlet state via the excited triplet state. The oxygen that absorbs the energy at this time becomes singlet oxygen, which can destroy or affect the tumor cells 5 in the blood.

[0022] The light-irradiated blood is returned to the circulatory organs of the patient 4 via the irradiation blood circuit 7 and the blood circuit 6 by the action of the extracorporeal circulation pump 8 .

[0023] In addition, in the above example, protoporphyrin IIX is used as an example of a photosensitive substance, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In addition, in the above example, an example is shown in which patient 4 is a blood cancer patient and has tumor cells 5, but the object of the present disclosure is not limited to tumor cells 5, and any undesirable component in the blood that accumulates photosensitive substances can become the object of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the photodynamic therapy device 100 according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, the photodynamic therapy device 100 of this embodiment includes a box 10 and a shell 50 for storing the box 10. In addition, the photodynamic therapy device 100 also includes a power supply device, a control device, a blood circulation pump, etc., which are not shown in the figure. The shell 50 is a thin box-shaped body, and has a light-emitting portion including an LED light source on the inner surface, and has a left side plate 50L and a right side plate 50R arranged on the left and right and opposite to each other. The upper part of the shell 50 is covered with an upper plate 52U, and the lower part is covered with a bottom plate 52B. In addition, the back side is covered with a back plate 55. A plurality of fans 70 are provided on the back plate 55 to forcibly discharge the heat emitted from the above-mentioned light-emitting portion to the outside. In addition, in order to prevent light leakage, the opening 51 on the front surface is also closed by a cover not shown in the figure. An air inlet can also be provided on the cover.

[0025] Figure 3 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of the box 10. In addition, Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the case 10 . Figure 5 2 is a perspective view showing the winding core 20 provided in the box 10. Figure 3 As shown, the box 10 is entirely covered by a cover 40 and is in the shape of a thin box of a size that can be accommodated in the housing 50. In particular, the cover 40 includes a left cover 40L and a right cover 40R that are arranged on the left and right and are disposed opposite to each other and are substantially flat and have curved front and rear ends. A handle is provided at the front end of the cover 40. Figure 4 The cassette 10 is shown with the cover 40 removed. The cassette 10 includes a winding core 20 and a tube 30 arranged so as to surround the circumference of the winding core 20. The winding core 20 has Figure 5 The outer appearance shown in the figure has a structure with flat surfaces facing each other on the left and right, namely, a left plate 20L and a right plate 20R. Curved wall portions are formed at the front and rear ends of the left plate 20L and the right plate 20R, and the two walls are arranged in a smoothly arranged manner. The horizontal cross-sectional shape has an elliptical shape, that is, a shape obtained by connecting two opposite semicircles with parallel straight lines, or a shape obtained by rounding the four corners of a rectangle. The tube 30 has a length sufficient to wrap around the core 20 a required number of times (here, 24 times), as shown in FIG. Figure 4As shown, it is wound around the winding core 20 without crossing or overlapping in the middle. In particular, multiple parts of the tube 30 located on the respective flat surfaces of the left plate 20L and the right plate 20R (for example, the first part 31 and the second part 32 shown) extend in straight lines and are arranged in parallel. In addition, the multiple parts of the tube 30 located on the flat surface extend in horizontal directions here, but of course they can also extend in an inclined direction. One end of the tube 30 is installed on the blood circulation pump, and the other end is installed on the patient. In addition, on the inner surface of the left plate 50L and the right plate 50R of the shell 50, a guide rail 53 is provided at the upper and lower ends thereof, and the box 10 is guided by the guide rail 53 so that it can be plugged in and out relative to the shell 50, and is disposable for each patient.

[0026] Figure 6 1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the photodynamic therapy device 100 of this embodiment. The photodynamic therapy device 100 shown in this figure has the right side plate 50R removed in order to show its internal structure. Figure 4 As can be seen, a light source 60 is disposed on the inner surface of the right side plate 50R of the housing 50 so as to face the right side plate 20R of the box 10, and the light source 60 irradiates light from the right relative to the tube 30. A light source 60 is also disposed on the inner surface of the left side plate 50L of the housing 50 so as to face the left side plate 20L of the box 10, and the light source 60 also irradiates light from the left relative to the tube 30 (see FIG. Figure 7 ). In addition, as an example, the light source 60 is formed by arranging a plurality of light emitting elements 61 such as LED elements in a matrix on a substrate. The patient's blood flows in the tube 30, and the photosensitive substance is absorbed in the blood. As described above, singlet oxygen is generated by irradiation with light from the light source 60, which can destroy or affect undesirable components in the blood.

[0027] Figure 7 yes Figure 2A partial cross-sectional view along line VII-VII of the tube 30. In this figure, a cross section of the tube 30 perpendicular to the extension direction is shown. The cross section of the tube 30 perpendicular to the extension direction of the tube 30 has a first dimension L1 in a first direction parallel to the side of the core 20 and a second dimension L2 in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second direction is the outer direction of the core 20, that is, the direction of the relatively arranged light source 60. The first dimension L1 represents the maximum length in the first direction, and the second dimension L2 represents the maximum length in the second direction. Here, the second dimension L2 is smaller than the first dimension L1. In order to make the cross-sectional shape of the tube 30 a monomer (itself) and have such a size, a tube with an elliptical ring cross section can also be used as the tube 30. As the elliptical shape, an ellipse, a shape obtained by connecting two opposite semicircles with parallel straight lines, or a shape obtained by rounding the four corners of a rectangle can be used. In addition, a square tube with a rectangular ring cross section can also be used. Alternatively, a round tube may be used as the tube 30, and the surface thereof may be pressed from the outside by the cover 40, so that the cross-sectional shape of the tube 30 has the above-mentioned dimensions when mounted on the box 20. In addition, when the tube itself has the cross-sectional shape of the above-mentioned dimensions, the cover 40 is not necessary.

[0028] This can increase the projection area of ​​the tube 30 with respect to the surface (light emitting surface) on which the light source 60 is provided, and the blood flowing in the tube 30 can be efficiently irradiated with light from the light source 60 .

[0029] In addition, if Figure 7 As shown, since the portion of the inner surface of the cover 40 that contacts the tube 30 is formed flat, the shape of the tube 30 on the light source 60 side can be maintained flat. In addition, since the tube 30 is arranged on the flat portion 20A and the flat portion 20B, the shape of the tube 30 on the side opposite to the light source 60 can also be maintained flat.

[0030] Here, the structure of the winding core 20 is further described in detail. Figure 5 As shown, the winding core 20 is formed by fitting the left side plate 20L and the right side plate 20R as two left and right structures, and the whole has a hollow portion 23 penetrating in the vertical direction (see Figure 7) columnar. The left side plate 20R of the winding core 20 is formed with a number of planar portions 20A corresponding to the number of turns of the tube 30, and similarly, the right side plate 20L of the winding core 20 is formed with the same number of planar portions 20B. All the planar portions 20A are arranged on the first flat surface, and similarly, all the planar portions 20B are arranged on the second flat surface. The first flat surface and the second flat surface are parallel to each other, and the left side plate 20L and the right side plate 20R are formed so that the second flat surface is located at a position where the first flat surface moves in a perpendicular direction thereof. The planar portions 20A are arranged to extend linearly and in parallel along the first flat surface at intervals. The planar portions B are also arranged to extend linearly and in parallel along the second flat surface at intervals. A guide wall 22 is erected between the planar portions 20A, and a guide wall 22 is also erected between the planar portions 20B. The front end of the planar portion 20A and the front end of the planar portion 20B are connected by a curved portion 20C, and the rear end of the planar portion 20A and the rear end of the planar portion 20B are connected by a curved portion 20D.

[0031] Each part of the tube 30 (for example, the first part 31 and the second part 32) is embedded in the space divided by each plane part 20A and the guide walls 22, 22 erected above and below the plane parts 20A, and is also embedded in the space divided by each plane part 20B and the guide walls 22 erected above and below the plane parts 20B, and is arranged as a whole to surround the periphery of the winding core 20. As described above, the winding core 20 is covered by the cover 40, and the tube 30 is arranged in the space surrounded by the plane parts 20A, the plane parts 20B, the guide walls 22, 22 erected above and below the plane parts 20A, and the cover 40. Here, the side surface of the tube 30 may at least partially contact the inner surface of the cover 40. In addition, the side surface of the tube 30 may also at least partially contact the plane parts 20A and the plane parts 20B. In addition, the plane parts 20A and the plane parts 20B extend in the horizontal direction here, but of course, they may also extend in the inclined direction.

[0032] like Figure 7 As shown, the distance between each plane portion 20A and the right plate 50R and the distance between each plane portion 20B and the left plate 50L are equal. Thus, the amount of light irradiated to each part of the tube 30 can be equal. In addition, the tube 30 and the light source 60 can be prevented from being too close to each other and the blood temperature can be prevented from rising.

[0033] Here, the cooling structure of the photodynamic therapy device 100 is described. Figure 6 As shown, a cooling fan 70 is disposed on the back plate 55 of the housing 50. Figure 7 As shown, when viewed from the opening 51 side, there are gaps between the inner surface of the left side plate 50L and the left side surface of the box 10, and between the right side plate 50R and the box 10. Through these gaps, air between the inner side surface of the housing 50 and the box 10 flows easily.

[0034] Moreover, if Figure 4and Figure 5 As shown, the portions (e.g., the first portion 31 and the second portion 32) of the box 30 located on the flat surface portion 20A of the winding core 20 extend in parallel with each other along straight lines. Here, the extending direction of the tube 30 of these straight portions corresponds to the direction of the straight line X which is the installation direction of the cooling fan 70 (the axial direction of the fan), and preferably, the two directions are consistent. As a result, the air from the opening 51 toward the cooling fan 70 and the air from the cooling fan 70 toward the opening 51 flow more smoothly.

[0035] By making the air flow by the cooling fan 70 smooth, the temperature rise of the box 30 can be suppressed. In addition, when an LED element is used as the light emitting element 61 of the light source 60, the center wavelength of the emitted light may change due to the temperature change, but such change in the center wavelength can be suppressed.

[0036] Furthermore, as described above, the winding core 20 has the hollow portion 23 penetrating in the vertical direction. The hollow portion 23 can also promote the waste heat of the cartridge 10.

[0037] Furthermore, at least a portion of the flat surface portion 20A and the flat surface portion 20B of the core 20 may be mirrored. In this way, light from the light source 60 that has passed through the tube 30 is reflected by the mirror surface and enters the tube 30 again, so that the light can be irradiated to the blood more efficiently.

[0038] Figure 8 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the photodynamic therapy device 100. In this modified example, an additional plane portion 25 is arranged between the plane portions 20B of the left side plate 20L. The additional plane portion 25 can be arranged on the same plane as the plane portion 20B. Similarly, an additional plane portion 25 is arranged between the plane portions 20A of the right side plate 20R. The additional plane portion 25 of the right side plate 20R can also be arranged on the same plane as the plane portion 20A. No tube 30 is arranged on these additional plane portions 25.

[0039] In this case, when viewed from the perpendicular direction of the plane portion 20B, that is, the second direction shown in the figure, the plane portion 20B and the additional plane portion 25 of the right side plate 20R may at least partially overlap. Similarly, when viewed from the second direction, the plane portion 20A and the additional plane portion 25 of the left side plate 20L may at least partially overlap. In this case, the left side plate 20L and the right side plate 20R are respectively formed of a translucent member. Alternatively, only the additional plane portion 25, the plane portion 20A, and the plane portion 20B may be formed by a translucent member. As the translucent member, for example, a member having a transmittance of 50% or more for the central wavelength of the light irradiated by the light source 60 is preferably used. Alternatively, in order to make the light from the light source 60 reach the back side more efficiently, an opening may be formed in at least a part of the additional plane portion 25, the plane portion 20A, or the plane portion 20B. In this way, the light from the light source 60 passes between the parts of the parallel tubes 30 and irradiates the tubes 30 on the back side.

[0040] According to the photodynamic therapy device 100 described above, light can be efficiently irradiated to the patient's blood. In addition, the specific structure disclosed herein is an example, and it is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to this. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make appropriate modifications to the disclosed embodiments, and the technical scope of the invention disclosed herein includes such modifications.

[0041] In addition, a temperature control element such as a Peltier element may be arranged on the back of the light source 60, and a thermometer may be arranged near the light source 60, and the operation of the temperature control element may be controlled to keep the temperature of the light source 60 constant. That is, if the temperature of the light source 60 is higher than the reference value, the light source 60 may be cooled by the temperature control element, or if the temperature of the light source 60 is lower than the reference value, the light source 60 may be heated by the temperature control element to keep the temperature of the light source 60 constant. The light emitting element 61 such as an LED element included in the light source 60 has a property that the wavelength changes according to its temperature, so by keeping the temperature constant, the wavelength of the light irradiated to the blood can be kept constant.

[0042] (Note)

[0043] The present disclosure also includes the following contents.

[0044] (1) A photodynamic therapy device comprising:

[0045] A box including a winding core and a tube arranged in a manner surrounding a circumference of the winding core;

[0046] a housing for receiving the box; and

[0047] a light source, disposed in the housing and irradiating light to the tube;

[0048] The winding core holds the tube in a manner such that a portion of the tube extends along a first plane,

[0049] The light source includes a plurality of light emitting elements arranged on a plane opposite to the first plane.

[0050] (2) A box for a photodynamic therapy device, comprising:

[0051] core; and

[0052] The tube is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the winding core.

[0053] The winding core holds the tube in a manner such that a portion of the tube extends along a first plane.

[0054] By adopting the above-mentioned structures (1) and (2), the optical path length from the light source 60 to the tube 30 disposed on the first flat portion 20A can be easily kept constant, and the amount of light irradiated to the blood flowing in the tube 30 can be kept constant. As a result, the amount of light absorbed by the photosensitive substance can be kept constant, so that the effect of destroying or influencing the undesirable components in the blood can be ensured to be above a certain level.

[0055] In addition, by keeping the distance between the tube 30 and the plurality of light emitting elements 61 constant, it is possible to prevent the tube 30 from being too close to the plurality of light emitting elements 61. As a result, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the blood flowing through the tube 30 from rising locally. These effects can be obtained regardless of the relationship between the dimensions L1 and L2 of the tube 30.

[0056] Description of symbols

[0057] 4 Patient, 5 Tumor cells, 6 Blood circuit, 7 Blood circuit for irradiation, 8 Extracorporeal circulation pump, 10 Box, 20 Core, 22 Guide part, 23 Hollow part, 30 Tube, 40 Cover, 50 Shell, 60 Light source, 70 Cooling fan, 100 Photodynamic therapy device, L1 First size, L2 Second size.

Claims

1. A photodynamic therapy device, wherein: The photodynamic therapy device comprises: A box including a winding core and a tube arranged to surround the circumference of the winding core, wherein the winding core has two side plates facing each other; a housing for housing the box; and a light source, disposed in the housing and irradiating light to the tube; The cross section of the tube arranged around the core perpendicular to the extension direction has a first dimension in a first direction and a second dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second dimension is smaller than the first dimension, and the second direction is perpendicular to the two side plates of the core.

2. The photodynamic therapy device according to claim 1, wherein: The winding core holds the tube in a manner that a portion of the tube extends along a first plane, which is a flat surface of either of the two side plates.

3. The photodynamic therapy device according to claim 2, wherein: The tube has a first portion and a second portion that are parallel along the first plane.

4. The photodynamic therapy device according to claim 3, wherein: The first part and the second part are arranged with a gap therebetween, The tube also has a third portion extending along a second plane, the second plane being a flat surface of the other of the two side plates and located on the back side of the first plane. When viewed from a direction orthogonal to the first plane, at least a portion of the third portion is located between the first portion and the second portion, A portion of the core that is closer to the first plane than the third portion is made of a light-transmitting member.

5. The photodynamic therapy device according to claim 4, wherein: The light-transmitting member has a transmittance of 50% or more with respect to a central wavelength of light irradiated by the light source.

6. The photodynamic therapy device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: A cooling fan is disposed in the housing. The first portion and the second portion extend along a straight line corresponding to a direction in which the cooling fan is disposed.

7. The photodynamic therapy device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: The light source includes a plurality of light emitting elements arranged on a plane opposite to the first plane.

8. The photodynamic therapy device according to claim 6, wherein: The inner side surface of the housing and the side surface of the box are arranged with a gap therebetween.

9. The photodynamic therapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The winding core has a mirror surface at least in a portion where the tube is arranged.

10. The photodynamic therapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The photodynamic therapy device further comprises a cover, which clamps the tube between the cover and the winding core. A portion of the cover that contacts the tube is a flat surface.

11. The photodynamic therapy device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The winding core has a cylindrical shape having a hollow portion extending from one end to the other end.

12. A box for a photodynamic therapy device, comprising: A winding core having two side panels facing each other; and The tube is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the winding core. The cross section of the tube arranged around the core perpendicular to the extension direction has a first dimension in a first direction and a second dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second dimension is smaller than the first dimension, and the second direction is perpendicular to the two side plates of the core.

13. The box for photodynamic therapy device according to claim 12, wherein: The winding core holds the tube in a manner that a portion of the tube extends along a first plane, which is a flat surface of either of the two side plates.

14. The box for a photodynamic therapy device according to claim 13, wherein: The tube has a first portion and a second portion that are parallel along the first plane.

15. The box for a photodynamic therapy device according to claim 14, wherein: The first part and the second part are arranged with a gap therebetween, The tube also has a third portion extending along a second plane, the second plane being a flat surface of the other of the two side plates and located on the back side of the first plane. When viewed from a direction orthogonal to the first plane, at least a portion of the third portion is located between the first portion and the second portion, A portion of the core that is closer to the first plane than the third portion is made of a light-transmitting member.

16. The box for photodynamic therapy device according to claim 15, wherein: The light-transmitting member is a member having a transmittance of 50% or more with respect to the central wavelength of light irradiated to the tube.

17. The box for a photodynamic therapy device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein: The winding core has a mirror surface at least in a portion where the tube is arranged.

18. The box for a photodynamic therapy device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein: The photodynamic therapy device box further comprises a cover, which clamps the tube between the cover and the winding core. A portion of the cover that contacts the tube is a flat surface.

19. The box for a photodynamic therapy device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein: The winding core has a cylindrical shape having a hollow portion extending from one end to the other end.

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