Ultrasonic probe

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic probe capable of easily grasping a guide direction by a puncture guide.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe for being inserted into the body cavity comprises an ultrasonic transducer 22 for emitting ultrasonic waves, and a case 20 for housing the ultrasonic transducer 22. The case 20 has a first puncture guide 50 which is a hole or a notch into which a puncture needle 130 is inserted and which guides a puncture direction of the puncture needle 130, and a guide marker 60 which is provided on an outer surface of the case 20 and which indicates a guide direction of the puncture guide 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification discloses an ultrasound probe for insertion into a body cavity. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a technique for performing ultrasound diagnosis by inserting an ultrasound probe into a body cavity in order to grasp the internal state of an organ of a subject (e.g., a patient or an animal). In such ultrasound diagnosis, an ultrasound probe is placed in contact with the surface of the organ, and in this state, ultrasound waves are transmitted from the ultrasound probe toward the interior of the organ and the reflected waves are received. Then, an ultrasound tomographic image representing the internal state of the organ is formed based on the obtained reflected wave signal. An operator, such as a doctor, performs various procedures on the interior of the organ, such as collecting cells using a puncture needle or injecting a drug, while referring to the obtained ultrasound tomographic image.

[0003] Conventionally, ultrasonic probes having a puncture guide that guides the direction of travel of a puncture needle have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic probe that is inserted into a body cavity and has a puncture guide. In Patent Document 1, the puncture guide is a hole or groove that extends in the direction of guiding the puncture needle. The puncture guide stabilizes the direction of travel of the puncture needle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2015 / 166302 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with conventional ultrasound probes, it is difficult to grasp the direction of travel of the hole or groove that serves as the puncture guide. As a result, conventionally, there has been a problem in that it is difficult for the surgeon to grasp the guiding direction of the puncture guide.

[0006] In the case of a puncture probe used outside the body, a large puncture guide is attached to the side of the ultrasound probe. The surgeon can easily understand the guide direction by looking at the shape of this large puncture guide. In the case of an ultrasound probe used inside a body cavity, it is not possible to attach such a large puncture guide, making it difficult for the surgeon to understand the guide direction.

[0007] Therefore, this specification discloses an ultrasound probe that allows the guide direction of the puncture guide to be easily grasped. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The ultrasonic probe disclosed in this specification is an ultrasonic probe to be inserted into a body cavity, and comprises an ultrasonic vibrator that emits ultrasonic waves and a case that houses the ultrasonic vibrator, wherein the case has a hole or notch into which a puncture needle is inserted, a puncture guide that guides the puncture direction of the puncture needle, and a guide marker that is provided on the outer surface of the case and indicates the guide direction of the puncture guide.

[0009] By providing the guide marker, the surgeon can easily grasp the guide direction of the puncture guide.

[0010] In this case, the guide marker may be a graphic that indicates the inclination of the wall at the axial end of the puncture guide.

[0011] With this configuration, the surgeon can intuitively grasp the guide direction of the puncture guide.

[0012] In addition, the puncture guide may have a tapered section whose front-to-rear dimension narrows as it progresses from the entrance into the case, and the guide marker may be approximately triangular in shape surrounded by a first line indicating the slope of the wall at one axial end of the puncture guide, a second line indicating the slope of the wall at the other axial end of the puncture guide, and a third line connecting the first line and the second line.

[0013] With this configuration, the guide markers are large and conspicuous, allowing the surgeon to easily grasp the guide direction. In addition, by simply referring to one guide marker, the surgeon can intuitively grasp the range in which the puncture needle can be inserted.

[0014] The guide marker may also include a line indicating the trajectory of the central axis of the puncture needle advancing along the wall of the axial end of the puncture guide.

[0015] With this configuration, the surgeon can easily estimate the movement trajectory of the central axis of the puncture needle, thereby enabling more appropriate puncture treatment.

[0016] The color of the guide marker may be the opposite color to the color of the case.

[0017] With this configuration, the surgeon can more clearly recognize the guide marker. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, the surgeon can easily understand the guide direction of the puncture guide. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing how an ultrasonic probe is used. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tip of an ultrasonic probe. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are a side view and an ultrasonic tomographic image of the tip of an ultrasonic probe. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 taken along line B-B. [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a guide hole, a puncture needle, and a guide marker. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a guide hole and a guide marker. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of another ultrasonic probe. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing the relationship between the radiation direction of ultrasound and the target area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The configuration of the ultrasound probe 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing how the ultrasound probe 10 is used. Note that the following description will be given taking a laparoscopic probe used in the abdominal cavity as an example. However, the technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to laparoscopic probes, and other types of ultrasound probes 10 may be used as long as they are inserted into the subject 110. Furthermore, the subject may be a human or an animal.

[0021] The ultrasonic probe 10 of this example is used in laparoscopic surgery. In laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon inserts the endoscope 100, the ultrasonic probe 10, and other surgical instruments (not shown, for example, forceps, an electric scalpel, etc.) into the abdominal cavity 112 through ports. The endoscope 100 has a built-in camera, and images captured by the camera are displayed in real time on a display (not shown). The surgeon operates the ultrasonic probe 10 and other surgical instruments while observing the images on the display.

[0022] The surgeon also grasps the internal state of an organ (such as the liver) in the body cavity using the ultrasonic probe 10. Then, based on the obtained information, the surgeon performs a predetermined treatment (such as puncture) on the organ.

[0023] The ultrasound probe 10 is broadly divided into an operation unit 12, an insertion unit 14, and a tip unit 16. The operation unit 12 is the part that the surgeon holds in his / her hand. The operation unit 12 is provided with a plurality of operators (e.g., buttons, dials, etc.) that accept various operations.

[0024] The insertion section 14 is a tubular member that is inserted into the subject. The insertion section 14 is bendable by operating the operation section 12, and bending the insertion section 14 changes the position and orientation of the tip section 16. Inside the insertion section 14, a signal cable for sending and receiving electrical signals and a transmission cable for transmitting a force to bend the insertion section 14 are built in.

[0025] A tip portion 16 is attached to the distal end of the insertion portion 14. The tip portion 16 has an ultrasonic transducer 23 (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIGS. 4 and 5) and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. The tip portion 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tip portion 16. Fig. 3 is a side view of the tip portion 16 and an image diagram of an ultrasonic tomographic image 120 obtained by the ultrasonic probe 10. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 4. In the following, to clarify the directions, the axial direction of the case 20 will be referred to as the "front-rear direction," the direction parallel to the radiation direction D of the ultrasonic waves will be referred to as the "up-down direction," and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction will be referred to as the "left-right direction."

[0027] The tip portion 16 has a substantially cylindrical case 20 and an ultrasonic transducer 23 housed inside the case 20. The ultrasonic transducer 23 has a plurality of transducer elements 24 (see FIG. 5) that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. Note that in FIG. 5, the transducer elements 24 are illustrated larger and fewer than in actuality for ease of understanding. The ultrasonic probe 10 of this example is a linear probe that scans an ultrasonic beam in a straight line, and the plurality of transducer elements 24 are arranged linearly in the front-to-rear direction (i.e., the axial direction of the case 20). A matching layer 28 and an acoustic lens 26 are arranged in the thickness direction of the transducer elements 24. The ultrasonic beam passes through the matching layer 28 and the acoustic lens 26 and is emitted to the outside of the ultrasonic probe 10. Therefore, the outer surface of the acoustic lens 26 serves as a radiation surface 30 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves.

[0028] When ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer 23 to the object, the transmitted ultrasonic waves are reflected successively by discontinuous surfaces of acoustic impedance in the object. The ultrasonic transducer 23 receives the reflected waves and converts them into electrical signals (i.e., reflected wave signals). These reflected wave signals are transmitted to an ultrasonic diagnostic device (not shown) as needed. The ultrasonic diagnostic device generates an ultrasonic tomographic image 120 (see FIG. 3) of the object based on the reflected wave signals output from the ultrasonic probe 10.

[0029] The ultrasonic vibrator 23 is housed in a case 20. As described above and shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the case 20 is substantially cylindrical. In this example, the case 20 has a first case piece 20a and a second case piece 20b. The first case piece 20a is a substantially cylindrical member with a portion of its circumferential surface missing. The circumferential surface of the first case piece 20a is formed with a lens hole 21 (see FIG. 5) into which the acoustic lens 26 is fitted, and an assembly hole 22 (see FIG. 5) into which the second case piece 20b is fitted. The assembly hole 22 is a hole opposite the lens hole 21. During the manufacturing process of the ultrasonic probe 10, the ultrasonic vibrator 23 is placed in the case 20 via the assembly hole 22. The second case piece 20b is attached to the first case piece 20a after the ultrasonic vibrator 23 and other components are assembled.

[0030] However, this configuration of the case 20 is just one example and may be modified as appropriate. Therefore, the case 20 may be composed of one part, or may be composed of three or more parts. Furthermore, in this example, the acoustic lens 26 is exposed to the outside through the lens hole 21. However, the acoustic lens 26 may also be completely housed inside the case 20. In this case, the lens hole 21 is not formed in the case 20, and the case 20 is made of a material that is ultrasonically transparent. Furthermore, in this case, the portion of the case 20 that faces the acoustic lens 26 becomes the radiation surface 30.

[0031] A range bar 44 is provided on the case 20 at a location circumferentially close to the ultrasonic wave emission surface 30. As shown in FIG. 4, two range bars 44 are provided, one on each side of the circumference of the emission surface 30. The range bar 44 is a long strip-shaped pattern extending in the front-to-rear direction. The front-to-rear range of this range bar 44 coincides with the front-to-rear range of the ultrasonic wave emission range Ae (see FIG. 3). This range bar 44 is formed, for example, by painting, plating, laser printing, etc. This range bar 44 functions as a range marker 42 that indicates the ultrasonic wave emission range Ae. The reason for providing such a range marker 42 will be described later.

[0032] A scale 38 is further provided on the circumferential surface of the case 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the scale 38 has a center mark 40 and a plurality of lines 41 arranged at equal intervals from the center mark 40. The center mark 40 is a mark that indicates the axial center of the ultrasound emission range Ae. In this example, the center mark 40 is an isosceles triangle facing downward (i.e., facing the emission surface 30). A plurality of lines 41 are arranged at equal intervals on both sides of the center mark 40 in the front-to-rear direction. Each line 41 extends circumferentially from the inside of the range bar 44 to the outside of the range bar 44. Therefore, it can be said that part of the scale 38 overlaps with the range markers 42.

[0033] A recess 32 recessed from the surrounding area is formed on the 180-degree opposite side of the radiation surface 30 of the case 20. A direction plate 36 is disposed in this recess 32. The direction plate 36 is a flat plate with a flat upper surface. The surface of this direction plate 36 is perpendicular to the radiation direction D of the ultrasonic waves and functions as a direction marker 34 indicating the radiation direction D of the ultrasonic waves, which will also be described later.

[0034] The case 20 is further provided with two puncture guides 50, 62 (see FIGS. 2 and 5). Both puncture guides 50, 62 guide the puncture needle 130 (see FIG. 6) in the direction of travel. The first puncture guide 50 is located proximal to the recess 32. The first puncture guide 50 includes a guide hole 52 that penetrates the case 20 in the vertical direction and a horizontal hole 58 (see FIG. 2) that connects the side of the case 20 to the guide hole 52. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide hole 52 has an hourglass shape whose front-to-rear dimension decreases as it approaches the center in the vertical direction. In other words, the guide hole 52 is roughly divided into an upper tapered portion 52a, whose front-to-rear dimension decreases as it advances from the entrance into the case 20, and a lower tapered portion 52b, whose front-to-rear dimension decreases as it advances from the exit into the case 20. Hereinafter, one end surface in the front-rear direction of the upper tapered portion 52a will be referred to as the "first wall 54," and the other end surface in the front-rear direction will be referred to as the "second wall 56." When inserting the puncture needle 130, the surgeon slides the puncture needle 130 while pressing it against the first wall 54 or the second wall 56. This allows the puncture needle 130 to advance stably in the direction defined by the first wall 54 or the second wall 56.

[0035] The second puncture guide 62 is disposed at the end of the case 20. In this example, the second puncture guide 62 includes a guide groove 64 (see FIGS. 2 and 5) formed on the end face of the case 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide groove 64 has a third wall 66 that progresses proximally as it advances downward. When inserting the puncture needle 130, the surgeon slides the puncture needle 130 while pressing it against the third wall 66. This allows the puncture needle 130 to advance stably in the direction defined by the third wall 66.

[0036] 2 and 3, in this example, a guide marker 60 is provided on the side of the case 20. The guide marker 60 is a pattern that indicates the direction in which the first puncture guide 50 guides the puncture needle 130. More specifically, the guide marker 60 is a triangle surrounded by a first line L1 that indicates the inclination of the first wall 54 of the guide hole 52, a second line L2 that indicates the inclination of the second wall 56, and a third line L3 that connects the first line L1 and the second line L2.

[0037] The reason for providing such a guide marker 60 will be explained. Generally, when inserting a puncture needle 130 into a target site 122 inside an organ, the surgeon estimates the actual position of the target site 122 based on the ultrasound tomographic image 120. Then, the surgeon adjusts the position of the ultrasound probe 10 (and thus the puncture guides 50, 62) and the insertion angle of the puncture needle 130 so that the puncture needle 130 can reach the estimated position of the target site 122. However, the puncture guide is usually a hole or a groove, and it has been difficult for the surgeon to visually confirm the angle of the wall surface thereof from the outside. In particular, when the ultrasound probe 10 is inside a body cavity, the surgeon can only confirm the ultrasound probe 10 through an image captured by the camera of the endoscope 100. Furthermore, the field of view 102 of the camera of the endoscope 100 is narrow. Therefore, when the ultrasound probe 10 is inside a body cavity, it has been difficult for the surgeon to accurately grasp the angle of the wall surface of the puncture guide. As a result, conventionally, the surgeon may not be able to insert the puncture needle 130 at the appropriate position or angle because he or she does not know the direction in which the puncture guide is guiding the puncture needle 130. If the position or angle of the puncture needle 130 is inappropriate, the puncture needle 130 must be reinserted. This increases the invasiveness of the puncture procedure.

[0038] Therefore, the ultrasound probe 10 of this example is provided with a guide marker 60 on the side surface of the case 20, which indicates the guiding direction of the first puncture guide 50. As described above, the guide marker 60 is a graphic that indicates the inclination angle of the first wall 54 and the inclination angle of the second wall 56 of the guide hole 52. Therefore, by referring to the guide marker 60, the surgeon can easily grasp the traveling direction of the puncture needle 130 that has been inserted along the first wall 54 or the second wall 56.

[0039] In a puncture procedure, the central axis of the puncture needle 130 is required to reach a target position (e.g., the center of the target region 122). Therefore, in this example, the guide marker 60 is configured to indicate the trajectory of the central axis of the puncture needle 130 as it advances along the first wall 54 or the second wall 56. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the guide hole 52, the puncture needle 130, and the guide marker 60. As shown in FIG. 6, the first line L1 is a line obtained by projecting the trajectory of the central axis of the puncture needle 130 advancing along the first wall 54 onto the circumferential surface of the case. Similarly, the second line L2 is a line obtained by projecting the trajectory of the central axis of the puncture needle 130 advancing along the second wall 56 onto the circumferential surface of the case. With this configuration, the surgeon can easily grasp the movement trajectory of the central axis of the puncture needle 130 by referring to the guide marker 60. This makes it easier for the surgeon to cause the central axis of the puncture needle 130 to reach the target position.

[0040] However, this configuration is just one example, and the guide marker 60 may have other forms as long as it indicates the guide direction of the puncture guide. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the first line L1 and the second line L2 may be lines obtained by projecting the first wall 54 and the second wall 56 onto the peripheral surface of the case 20, respectively. With this configuration, the guide marker 60 has a shape that is independent of the diameter of the puncture needle 130. Therefore, one guide marker 60 can accommodate multiple types of puncture needles 130 with different diameters.

[0041] Furthermore, the guide marker 60 is not limited to a closed shape such as a triangle, and may be a simple line as shown in Fig. 8. Furthermore, in the example described above, the guide marker 60 is provided only beside the guide hole 52 (i.e., the first puncture guide 50). However, the guide marker 60 may also be provided beside the guide groove 64 (i.e., the second puncture guide 62), as shown in Fig. 8. With this configuration, the surgeon can easily grasp the guide direction even when using the second puncture guide 62.

[0042] As is clear from FIG. 2 , the guide marker 60 is slightly spaced from the entrance of the guide hole 52, and a small blank area exists between the guide marker 60 and the guide hole 52. This simplifies the printing process of the guide marker 60. That is, the guide marker 60 is formed, for example, by laser printing. In the case of laser printing, it is not possible to print the entire circumference of the cylindrical case 20 in a single printing process. Therefore, in the case of laser printing, the case 20 is divided into multiple areas (e.g., three) in the circumferential direction in advance, and printing is performed on each of these multiple areas in sequence. In this example, the case 20 is divided into three areas in the circumferential direction, and the guide marker 60 is sized to fit into one of these three areas. With this configuration, although a blank area exists between the guide marker 60 and the guide hole 52, the guide marker 60 can be formed in a single printing process, thereby simplifying the printing process. Note that the guide marker 60 is not limited to laser printing, and may be formed by other processes, such as plating or painting.

[0043] As is clear from the above description, the ultrasonic probe 10 of this example has a direction plate 36, a range bar 44, and a scale 38. The reason for providing these elements will be explained below. As described above, the ultrasonic probe 10 of this example is inserted into the abdominal cavity 112 for use. At that time, the position and posture of the ultrasonic probe 10 are confirmed by the camera of the endoscope 100. The surgeon also understands the internal state of the organ from the ultrasonic tomographic image 120 obtained by the ultrasonic probe 10.

[0044] Now, consider a case where a predetermined treatment is performed on a target area 122 shown in an ultrasonic tomographic image 120 (see FIG. 3). In this case, the surgeon estimates the actual position of the target area 122 from the position of the target area 122 in the ultrasonic tomographic image 120. When estimating the actual position of the target area 122, it is necessary to accurately grasp the radiation range Ae and radiation direction D of the ultrasonic waves.

[0045] For example, when resecting the target region 122, the surgeon specifies the distance from the edge of the ultrasonic tomographic image 120 to the target region 122 as the resection margin Mc. This resection margin Mc corresponds to the actual distance from the edge of the ultrasonic wave emission range Ae to the target region 122. Therefore, in order to grasp the actual position of the target region 122, it is important to grasp the edge of the ultrasonic wave emission range Ae.

[0046] Furthermore, even if the ultrasonic tomographic image 120 is the same, the actual position of the target region 122 differs depending on the ultrasonic radiation direction D. For example, if the ultrasonic radiation direction D is direction D1 in FIG. 9, it can be estimated that the target region 122 is at position P1. Similarly, if the ultrasonic radiation direction D is direction D2 in FIG. 9, it can be estimated that the target region 122 is at position P2, and if the ultrasonic radiation direction D is direction D3 in FIG. 9, it can be estimated that the target region 122 is at position P3. In this way, the ultrasonic radiation direction D is very important in estimating the actual position of the target region 122.

[0047] Therefore, in this example, in order to easily grasp the radiation range Ae and the radiation direction D, a range bar 44 and a direction plate 36 are provided on the case 20. The anterior-posterior range of the range bar 44 coincides with the anterior-posterior range of the ultrasound radiation range Ae and functions as a range marker 42 indicating the radiation range Ae. Therefore, the surgeon can easily grasp the radiation range Ae by referring to the range bar 44. Furthermore, the range bars 44 are provided on both circumferential sides of the radiation surface 30. Therefore, even when the radiation surface 30 is pressed against the surface of an organ, the surgeon can easily see the range bars 44. Furthermore, because the range bars 44 are provided on both sides of the radiation surface 30, the surgeon can clearly grasp the radiation range Ae regardless of whether the endoscope 100 is on the left or right side of the ultrasound probe 10.

[0048] Incidentally, in order to perform appropriate treatment on the target site 122, markers indicating the ends of the radiation range Ae may be marked on the surface of the organ. Marking is performed, for example, by burning a small portion of the surface of the organ. At this time, if the range bar 44 is far away from the surface of the organ, the marking position is likely to shift. In this example, the range bar 44 is positioned close to the radiation surface 30. Therefore, when the radiation surface 30 is pressed against the surface of the organ, the range bar 44 naturally moves close to the surface of the organ. This allows the surgeon to accurately mark the ends of the radiation range Ae on the surface of the organ.

[0049] As described above, the scale 38 is arranged to partially overlap with the range bar 44. This allows the surgeon to clearly grasp the radiation range Ae as well as the distance, thereby enabling the surgeon to clearly grasp the actual position of the target area 122.

[0050] As described above, the ultrasonic probe 10 is further provided with a direction plate 36. The front-rear range of this direction plate 36 coincides with the front-rear range of the radiation range Ae. Therefore, the direction plate 36 also functions as a range marker 42 indicating the radiation range Ae. As a result, the ultrasonic probe 10 of this example can be said to have three range markers 42 in the circumferential direction. The spacing between these three range markers 42 is less than 180 degrees. Therefore, at least one range marker 42 is visible from any direction around the casing 20 (360 degrees). This allows the surgeon to reliably grasp the range markers 42 and, by extension, the radiation range Ae, even in an endoscope 100 that only has a narrow field of view 102 (see FIG. 1 ). For example, depending on the positional relationship between the endoscope 100 and the ultrasonic probe 10, the range bar 44 may not be visible on the camera of the endoscope 100. Even in such cases, the surgeon can clearly grasp the radiation range Ae by looking at the direction plate 36.

[0051] Furthermore, the top surface of the direction plate 36 is perpendicular to the radiation direction D of the ultrasound waves, and the direction plate 36 functions as a direction marker 34 that indicates the radiation direction of the ultrasound waves. Therefore, by observing the direction plate 36, the surgeon can grasp the radiation direction D of the ultrasound waves and, ultimately, the actual position of the target area 122. The direction plate 36 is a rectangle that is long in the front-to-back direction. By making the direction plate 36 a simple geometric shape such as a rectangle, the surgeon can easily recognize the inclination of the direction plate 36 and, ultimately, the radiation direction D of the ultrasound waves from the appearance of the angles of the sides and corners of the direction plate 36.

[0052] The direction marker 34 may have other forms as long as it can grasp the radiation direction D of the ultrasonic waves. For example, a plane parallel to the radiation direction D of the ultrasonic waves may be provided on the case 20 as the direction marker 34. The number of planes functioning as the direction marker 34 is not limited to one, and multiple planes may be provided. For example, a plane perpendicular to the radiation direction D may be provided on the top surface of the case 20, and a plane parallel to the radiation direction D may be provided on a side surface of the case 20.

[0053] The colors of the range bar 44, scale 38, direction plate 36, and guide marker 60 are all the opposite of the color of the case 20. For example, if the case 20 is a light color such as white or silver, the range bar 44 and the like are a dark color such as black or gray. This color scheme improves the visibility of the range bar 44 and the like, allowing the surgeon to easily recognize the ultrasound emission range Ae, the emission direction, and the guide direction of the puncture needle.

[0054] Note that the configurations described so far are all examples, and other configurations of the ultrasound probe 10 may be changed as appropriate as long as it has the features recited in claim 1. Therefore, as long as the ultrasound probe 10 has a guide marker 60 indicating the guide direction, the range marker 42, the direction marker 34, and the scale 38 may be omitted. Furthermore, although the ultrasound probe 10 described above is a linear probe in which multiple transducer elements 24 are arranged in a straight line, the technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to linear probes and may be applied to other probes, such as convex probes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10 ultrasonic probe, 12 operation unit, 14 insertion unit, 16 tip unit, 20 case, 21 lens hole, 22 assembly hole, 23 ultrasonic transducer, 24 transducer element, 26 acoustic lens, 28 matching layer, 30 radiation surface, 32 recess, 34 direction marker, 36 direction plate, 38 scale, 40 center mark, 41 line, 42 range marker, 44 range bar, 50 first puncture guide, 52 guide hole, 54 first wall, 56 second wall, 58 side hole, 60 guide marker, 62 second puncture guide, 64 guide groove, 66 third wall, 100 endoscope, 102 field of view, 110 subject, 112 abdominal cavity, 120 ultrasound tomographic image, 122 target area, 130 puncture needle.

Claims

1. An ultrasound probe to be inserted into a body cavity, an ultrasonic vibrator that emits ultrasonic waves; a case that houses the ultrasonic vibrator; Equipped with The case is a puncture guide which is a hole or notch into which a puncture needle is inserted and which guides the puncture direction of the puncture needle; a guide marker provided on an outer surface of the case and indicating a guide direction of the puncture guide; having An ultrasonic probe characterized by:

2. 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, The ultrasonic probe, wherein the guide marker is a graphic that indicates the inclination of a wall at an end of the puncture guide in the axial direction.

3. 3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, the puncture guide has a tapered portion whose front-to-rear dimension narrows as it advances from the entrance into the case, the guide marker has a substantially triangular shape surrounded by a first line indicating the inclination of the wall at one axial end of the puncture guide, a second line indicating the inclination of the wall at the other axial end of the puncture guide, and a third line connecting the first line and the second line. An ultrasonic probe characterized by:

4. 4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, An ultrasound probe, wherein the guide marker includes a line indicating a trajectory of a central axis of the puncture needle that advances along a wall of an axial end of the puncture guide.

5. 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, The ultrasound probe according to claim 1, wherein the color of the guide marker is the opposite color to the color of the case.

Images