Puncture needle guide adapter and ultrasound probe

Abstract

The objective is to allow for easy attachment of the puncture needle guide adapter to the ultrasound probe outside the abdominal cavity, and to easily confirm the attachment status of the puncture needle guide adapter inside the abdominal cavity. Alternatively, it is to enable smooth insertion and removal of the ultrasound probe from the guide tube passing through the abdominal wall. [Solution] The puncture adapter 400 is detachably attached to the head portion 210 of the probe 200 outside the abdominal cavity. The puncture adapter 400 has a main body portion that covers a through hole for guiding the puncture needle, an insertion portion that is inserted into the through hole, and a needle guide hole that communicates with the main body portion and the insertion portion and guides the puncture needle, which is inserted from the needle entrance portion in the main body portion, to the needle entrance portion in the insertion portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a puncture needle guiding adapter and an ultrasonic probe.

Background Art

[0002] An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits ultrasonic waves into a subject using an ultrasonic probe, and receives the reflected waves to acquire biological information of the subject. The acquired biological information is displayed as an ultrasonic image representing the state of the subject. For example, when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used in a laparoscopic surgery using a laparoscope, the ultrasonic probe is inserted into the abdominal cavity through a trocar placed on the body wall of the subject. In laparoscopic surgery, puncture may be performed. The surgeon inserts a puncture needle into the abdominal cavity, observes the laparoscopic image, and confirms the position of the puncture needle. Then, after the tip of the puncture needle reaches the target site, the surgeon performs tissue sampling of the target site, injection of a drug into the target site, and the like.

[0003] In order to assist the surgeon in puncture, a needle guide for guiding the puncture needle may be attached to the ultrasonic probe. In this case, the needle guide is grasped with forceps, and the puncture needle is passed through the needle guide.

[0004] However, when the ultrasonic probe is moved or rotated, the position of the needle guide may fluctuate, or when the needle guide is replaced in the abdominal cavity, the attachment to the ultrasonic probe may fail. Therefore, a puncture adapter that can be attached to the ultrasonic probe has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

[0006] The puncture needle guide adapter can be attached to the ultrasound probe outside the body cavity, but it is desirable that it be easy to attach to the ultrasound probe. Furthermore, it is preferable that the structure allows for easy confirmation of whether the puncture needle guide adapter has come off outside the body cavity and whether the puncture needle guide adapter is attached.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to enable easy attachment of a puncture needle guide adapter to an ultrasound probe outside the body cavity, and to enable easy confirmation of the attachment status of the puncture needle guide adapter inside the body cavity. Alternatively, the purpose of this disclosure is to enable smooth insertion and removal of the ultrasound probe from a guide tube passing through the body wall. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The puncture needle guide adapter according to this disclosure is a puncture needle guide adapter that is detachably attached to an ultrasonic probe, which is inserted into a body cavity from an internal passage of a guide tube that passes through the body wall, and which has a transducer array and a through hole for guiding a puncture needle at its tip, and comprises an adapter body and a pair of clip mechanisms having at least a part of an elastic member, extending in opposite directions from the adapter body and curving along the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe, wherein the adapter body, when attached to the ultrasonic probe, has a plate-shaped main body portion that is disposed to cover the needle entrance portion of the through hole, an insertion portion that is inserted into the through hole, and a needle guide hole that communicates with the main body portion and the insertion portion and guides the puncture needle inserted from the main body portion, and is fixed to the ultrasonic probe by the clip mechanism gripping the ultrasonic probe when attached to the ultrasonic probe.

[0009] Furthermore, the main body may be formed such that the thickness of both ends in the direction in which it is inserted into or removed from the guide tube while attached to the ultrasonic probe is reduced.

[0010] Furthermore, the needle guide hole may be formed such that, when light is irradiated into the body cavity, the needle entrance portion of the needle guide hole is easily distinguishable from its surroundings by visual inspection.

[0011] Furthermore, the needle guide hole may be formed in a funnel shape, with the diameter of the needle entrance portion being larger than the inner diameter of the needle guide hole.

[0012] Furthermore, the outer shape of the insertion portion may be formed according to the shape of the through hole.

[0013] The ultrasonic probe according to this disclosure is characterized in that a recess corresponding to the shape of the main body is formed in the portion of the puncture needle guide adapter that contacts the main body.

[0014] Furthermore, a marking may be provided on the outer surface corresponding to the mounting position of the lancet guide adapter to guide the installation of the lancet guide adapter.

[0015] Furthermore, when the puncture needle guide adapter is not attached, puncture may be possible at any angle within a predetermined range of angles, and when the puncture needle guide adapter is attached, puncture may be possible at a predetermined fixed angle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to this disclosure, the attachment of the puncture needle guide adapter to the ultrasound probe can be easily performed outside the body cavity, and the attachment status of the puncture needle guide adapter inside the body cavity can be easily confirmed. Alternatively, according to this disclosure, the insertion and removal of the ultrasound probe from the guide tube passing through the body wall can be performed smoothly. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1]It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the present embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing an enlarged example of the head portion of the probe in the present embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view of the head portion of the probe in the present embodiment. [Figure 4A] It is a front view of the head portion of the probe in the present embodiment. [Figure 4B] It is a plan view of the head portion of the probe in the present embodiment. [Figure 4C] It is a right side view of the head portion of the probe in the present embodiment. [Figure 4D] It is a bottom view of the head portion of the probe in the present embodiment. [Figure 4E] It is a cross-sectional view when the head portion shown in FIG. 4A is cut along the line A-A' and viewed from the left side direction. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view of the puncture adapter in the present embodiment. [Figure 6A] It is a front view of the puncture adapter in the present embodiment. [Figure 6B] It is a plan view of the puncture adapter in the present embodiment. [Figure 6C] It is a right side view of the puncture adapter in the present embodiment. [Figure 6D] It is a bottom view of the puncture adapter in the present embodiment. [Figure 6E] It is a cross-sectional view when the probe shown in FIG. 6A is cut along the line C-C' and viewed from the left side direction. [Figure 7A] It is a front view of the head portion of the probe with the puncture adapter attached in the present embodiment. [Figure 7B] It is a plan view of the head portion of the probe with the puncture adapter attached in the present embodiment. [Figure 7C] It is a right side view of the head portion of the probe with the puncture adapter attached in the present embodiment. [Figure 7D]This is a right side view of the probe head with the puncture adapter attached in this embodiment. [Figure 7E] Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view of the probe shown in Figure 7A, when it is cut along the DD' line and viewed from the left side. [Figure 8] This figure shows how to attach the puncture adapter to the head of the probe in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] The embodiments relating to this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] (Configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 in this embodiment. The ultrasound diagnostic device 10 in this embodiment includes a device body 100, a probe 200, and a laparoscope 300. The ultrasound diagnostic device 10 can also be called an ultrasound diagnostic system. The ultrasound diagnostic device 10 has the function of performing ultrasound diagnosis using the probe 200 and the laparoscope 300.

[0020] The main unit 100, also called the "console," has interfaces (IFs) 102 and 104 for connecting the probe 200 and the laparoscope 300, respectively, and a first display unit 106, a second display unit 108, and an operation panel 110 as a user interface. The first display unit 106 displays an ultrasound image generated based on the ultrasound signal received by the probe 200. The second display unit 108 displays an image taken by the laparoscope 300. Each display unit 106 and 108 is an image display device and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The operation panel 110 is a device operated by the operator (hereinafter also called the "user") to input parameters and control the display in ultrasound diagnosis.

[0021] Console 100 provides ultrasonic diagnostic processing functions and includes a transmit / receive control unit 112, a beamforming (BF) unit 114, a signal processing unit 116, an image processing unit 118, a display processing unit 120, and a control unit 122.

[0022] The transmit / receive control unit 112 controls the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by each vibrating element in the probe 200. This control includes, for example, supplying electrical transmission signals to each vibrating element and amplifying electrical reception signals from each vibrating element. In supplying transmission signals, the transmit / receive control unit 112 forms an ultrasonic transmission beam by controlling the timing of supplying transmission signals to each vibrating element.

[0023] The beamforming unit 114 performs phase-alignment summing on the received signals from each vibrating element in the probe 200. This phase-alignment summing process forms a received beam. As a result of the phase-alignment summing process, the beamforming unit 114 outputs echo data obtained along the received beam. In addition, when performing transmit beamforming, the beamforming unit 114 generates multiple transmit signals for transmit beamforming.

[0024] The signal processing unit 116 performs various signal processing on the echo data output by the beamforming unit 114, including gain correction, logarithmic amplification, envelope detection, and filtering.

[0025] The image processing unit 118 has coordinate transformation and interpolation functions, and forms a display frame, i.e., an ultrasonic image, based on multiple beam data output from the signal processing unit 116. The beam data from the signal processing unit 116 is coordinate system data for beam scanning, and consists of multiple data points along the beam direction corresponding to the beam data. For example, the image processing unit 118 transforms the signal value of each data point of the beam data into the display coordinate system, i.e., the coordinate system of the ultrasonic image (generally a Cartesian coordinate system represented by a pair of x and y coordinates). The image processing unit 118 also interpolates the value of a pixel with no value from the values ​​of surrounding pixels. Through such coordinate transformation and interpolation, the image processing unit 118 forms an ultrasonic image, such as a B-mode tomographic image.

[0026] The display processing unit 120 synthesizes various informational images or characters onto the ultrasound image formed by the image processing unit 118 to form display screen data. The information synthesized onto the ultrasound image includes, for example, ROIs representing the display range of various display modes such as color Doppler mode, and lines indicating the sample volume and the beam where the sample volume is located in pulsed Doppler mode. The display processing unit 120 then displays the display screen data formed in this manner on the first display unit 106.

[0027] The control unit 122 controls the execution of the ultrasound diagnostic process by controlling the operation of each component included in the console 100.

[0028] Each component 102 to 122 in console 100 is realized through the coordinated operation of the computer installed in console 100 and the program running on the CPU installed in the computer.

[0029] The probe 200 is connected to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 by a cable 12. In this embodiment, the probe 200 is an intraperitoneal ultrasound probe. The "abdominal cavity" is the internal space of a person, etc., the part enclosed by the abdominal wall below the diaphragm, more specifically the space enclosed by the abdominal wall that contains digestive organs such as the stomach and intestines. The "body cavity" refers to the space between the body wall and the digestive tract, mainly the thoracic cavity, pericardial cavity, and abdominal cavity. In this embodiment, "abdominal cavity" and "body cavity" are used synonymously.

[0030] The probe 200 mainly comprises a grip portion 202 for the operator to grasp and an insertion portion 204 that extends from the grip portion 202 and is inserted into the abdominal cavity. The probe 200 may also include the aforementioned cable 12 as a component. The grip portion 202 is provided with an operating portion 206 for the operator to operate. A trocar (guide tube) 22 that passes through the abdominal wall 20 is attached to the abdominal wall 20 of the body wall for the probe 200, and the insertion portion 204 of the probe 200 is inserted into the abdominal cavity 24 from the internal passage of the trocar 22. If the inner diameter of the trocar 22 is about 12 mm, the outer diameter of the insertion portion 204 of the probe 200 needs to be smaller than that, for example, about 10 mm.

[0031] The insertion section 204 has a bendable section 208 that bends up and down or left and right in response to the operation section 206, and a tip section (hereinafter referred to as the "head section") 210 extending from the bendable section 208. A transducer array 212 is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the head section 210. The transducer array 212 corresponds to the "each vibrating element" described above. The ultrasound diagnostic device 10 diagnoses the inside of the body cavity with ultrasound by emitting ultrasound from the transducer array 212. The operator bends the bendable section 208 by operating the operation section 206, thereby securing a diagnostic field of view. A through hole for guiding the puncture needle is provided on the bendable section 208 side of the head section 210. A notch for guiding the puncture needle may be provided on the tip side of the head section 210.

[0032] Then, a puncture needle guide adapter (hereinafter simply referred to as "puncture adapter") 400, which is a feature of this embodiment, is attached to the position where the through hole is provided. The specific structure of this puncture adapter 400 and the structure of the head portion 210 of the probe 200 to which the puncture adapter 400 is attached will be described in detail later. The puncture needle 26 is inserted through the abdominal wall 20. The tip of the puncture needle 26 passes through the needle guide hole provided in the puncture adapter 400 and reaches the target site, for example, a tumor 30 on an organ 28.

[0033] Furthermore, a tracar 32 is attached to the abdominal wall 20 for inserting the laparoscope 300 into the abdominal cavity 24. A light source (not shown) is provided at the tip of the laparoscope 300, and the laparoscope 300 is operated by the user to capture images of the area illuminated by the light source, for example, the area including the head portion 210 of the probe 200.

[0034] The configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 and the relationship between the human body to be examined and the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 have been explained using Figure 1 above. The ultrasound diagnostic device 10 in this embodiment may basically have the same hardware configuration as before. This embodiment is characterized by the shape of the puncture adapter 400 and a part of the probe 200 to which the puncture adapter 400 is attached as needed. The structure of the puncture adapter 400 and the head portion 210 of the probe 200 to which the puncture adapter 400 is attached will be described below.

[0035] (Structure of probe 200) Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of the head portion 210 of probe 200 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, a puncture adapter 400 can be attached to the head portion 210. First, the configuration of the head portion 210 without the puncture adapter 400 attached will be explained using Figures 1, 3 and 4A to 4E.

[0036] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the head portion 210 of the probe 200 used in this embodiment. While Figure 2 is a perspective view of the right side of the head portion 210 from the direction of the bent portion 208, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the left side of the head portion 210 from the direction of the tip of the head portion 210. Figure 4A is a front view of the head portion 210. In Figure 4A, the front view is taken from the direction of the tip of the head portion 210. Figure 4B is a plan view of the head portion 210. Figure 4C is a right side view of the head portion 210. Figure 4D is a bottom view of the head portion 210. Figure 4E is a cross-sectional view of the head portion 210 shown in Figure 4A, taken from the left side when cut along line AA'. Note that components such as circuits for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals may be built into the head portion 210, but these are omitted from the illustration in Figure 4E.

[0037] The head portion 210, i.e., the tip of the probe 200, is provided with a transducer array 212 and a through hole 214 for guiding the puncture needle. In this embodiment, the probe 200 has the through hole 214 on the bent side of the transducer array 212. The through hole 214 may also be located on the tip side of the transducer array 212. In this embodiment, a notch 216 for guiding the puncture needle is formed at the tip of the head portion 210. By increasing the amount of the notch 216 from the upper surface to the lower surface of the head portion 210, the tip of the puncture needle 26 can be guided to enter below the transducer array 212.

[0038] The cross-sectional shape of the needle entry point of the through-hole 214 is an inverted triangle. In other words, the through-hole 214 tapers from the needle entry point to the needle exit point. This allows the tip of the puncture needle inserted into the through-hole 214 to be guided to enter below the transducer array 212. When the puncture adapter 400 is not attached to the probe 200, this shape of the through-hole 214 allows puncture within a predetermined angle range. In the following explanation, puncture that guides the puncture needle at any angle within a predetermined angle range will be referred to as "area puncture".

[0039] As shown in Figure 4B, a notch 218 is provided on at least one side of the through hole 214, and in this embodiment, only on the left side of the probe 200. By providing the notch 218, the user can remove the probe 200 from the puncture needle 26 while the puncture needle 26 is still inserted into the tumor or the like 30.

[0040] On the other side (the right side in this embodiment) where the notch 218 is not provided, an inverted triangular mark 220 is attached to the head portion 210. The mark 220 is a guide for attaching the puncture adapter 400. Specifically, the mark 220 is printed on the outer surface at a position corresponding to the through hole 214, in the shape of an inverted triangle of the through hole 214. This allows the user to know the position and size of the needle entry portion of the through hole 214 by using the mark 220, even if the right side is visible and the position of the through hole 214, or more specifically, the needle entry portion of the through hole 214, is not visible on the second display unit 108. In other words, even if the needle entry portion of the through hole 214 is not visible, the user can rely on the mark 220 to insert the puncture needle 26 into the through hole 214.

[0041] A recess 222 is formed in the needle entry portion of the through-hole 214 on the upper surface of the head portion 210. The puncture adapter 400 is mounted so as to abut against this recess 222. As a result, the main body of the puncture adapter 400 is positioned so as to cover the needle entry portion of the through-hole 214 in the portion with the recess 222. The amount of protrusion of the main body of the puncture adapter 400 from the outer surface of the probe 200 can be reduced by this recess 222.

[0042] Furthermore, when attaching the puncture adapter 400 to a probe 200 that does not have a recess 222, the outer surface of the probe 200, that is, the area where the puncture adapter 400 will be attached, may be processed to form a recess.

[0043] (Structure of the puncture adapter 400) Next, the structure of the puncture adapter 400 will be explained using Figures 1, 5, and 6A to 6E.

[0044] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the puncture adapter 400 in this embodiment. The puncture adapter 400 shown in Figure 5 is a perspective view from the direction of arrow B, i.e., from the side of the bent portion 208 when attached to the probe 200. Figure 6A is a front view of the puncture adapter 400. In Figure 6A, the front view is from the side of the bent portion 208 when attached to the head portion 210 of the probe 200. Figure 6B is a plan view of the puncture adapter 400. In Figures 6B to 6E, the right side of the drawing is the tip side of the head portion 210, and the left side of the drawing is the side of the bent portion 208. Figure 6C is a right side view of the puncture adapter 400. Since the puncture adapter 400 has a symmetrical shape, the left side view is omitted. Figure 6D is a bottom view of the puncture adapter 400. Figure 6E is a cross-sectional view taken from the left side when the probe 200 shown in Figure 6A is cut along line CC'.

[0045] The structure of the puncture adapter 400 can be broadly divided into the adapter body and the clip mechanism. The adapter body has a main body portion 402 and an insertion portion 404, and further has a needle guide hole 406 that communicates with the main body portion 402 and the insertion portion 404.

[0046] The main body portion 402 is formed in a thin plate shape and is positioned to cover the needle entrance portion of the through hole 214 of the probe 200 when attached to the probe 200. The main body portion 402 is formed in a thin plate shape. That is, the main body portion 402 is shaped to allow smooth insertion and removal from the tracar 22 when attached to the probe 200. In this embodiment, the main body portion 402 is further formed so that the thickness of both ends of the probe 200 in the insertion and removal direction from the tracar 22 is reduced. It is formed in a so-called streamlined shape. As a result, the main body portion 402 does not get caught on the tracar 22, or is less likely to get caught, making it easier to insert and remove the probe 200 from the tracar 22. As mentioned above, the inner diameter of the tracar 22 is about 12 mm, and the outer diameter of the insertion portion 204 of the probe 200 is about 10 mm. Therefore, when the puncture adapter 400 is attached to the head portion 210, the outer diameter of the insertion portion 204 of the probe 200, including the top of the main body portion 402, should be kept within 12 mm. In other words, the amount of protrusion of the puncture adapter 400 from the head portion 210 should be kept within 2 mm. In this embodiment, a recess 222 is provided in the head portion 210, which reduces the amount of protrusion from the outer circumference of the insertion portion 204.

[0047] The insertion portion 404 is inserted into the through-hole 214 formed in the probe 200 when the puncture adapter 400 is attached to the head portion 210. The insertion portion 404 may be formed according to the shape of the through-hole 214 formed in the probe 200. In this embodiment, the insertion portion 404 is formed in the shape of an inverted triangle to match the shape of the inverted triangle through-hole 214.

[0048] The needle guide hole 406 extends linearly from the needle entrance portion on the upper surface of the main body portion 402 to the needle exit portion on the tapered tip of the insertion portion 404, guiding the puncture needle 26 inserted from the main body portion 402 to the target site (in this embodiment, a tumor, etc. 30). As shown in Figure 6E, the diameter of the needle entrance portion of the needle guide hole 406 is funnel-shaped, larger than the inner diameter of the needle guide hole 406. By making the needle guide hole 406 funnel-shaped and widening the needle entrance portion of the needle guide hole 406, it becomes easier for the user to insert the puncture needle 26 into the needle guide hole 406. Even if the tip of the puncture needle 26 reaches the funnel-shaped portion, the tip will slide down the slope of the funnel shape and be guided into the needle guide hole 406.

[0049] Furthermore, the needle entry portion of the needle guide hole 406, that is, the area around the hole, may be further processed by chamfering or curved surface processing. The needle entry portion of the needle guide hole 406 is illuminated by the light source of the laparoscope 300, but when light is irradiated inside the abdominal cavity 24, the processed needle entry portion of the needle guide hole 406 will reflect light in a different direction from its surroundings. This makes it easier for the user to visually distinguish the needle entry portion of the needle guide hole 406 from its surroundings.

[0050] Incidentally, with the puncture adapter 400 attached, the probe 200 allows for puncture at a fixed angle. In the following explanation, puncture in which the puncture needle is guided at a predetermined fixed angle will be referred to as "line puncture."

[0051] According to this embodiment, area puncture can be performed with the probe 200 when the puncture adapter 400 is not attached. Furthermore, since the puncture adapter 400 in this embodiment is shaped to be attached to the through-hole 214 that allows for area puncture, line puncture can be performed with the probe 200 when the puncture adapter 400 is attached. In other words, the user can perform area puncture or line puncture using the same probe 200 by choosing whether or not to attach the puncture adapter 400 to the probe 200 outside the abdominal cavity.

[0052] In this embodiment, the puncture adapter 400 is provided with one needle guide hole 406, but multiple needle guide holes 406 may be provided. For example, multiple needle guide holes 406 may be provided, each having an angle or inner diameter that differs from the others. Alternatively, multiple puncture adapters 400 may be provided, each having a needle guide hole 406 with an angle or inner diameter that differs from the others.

[0053] On the other hand, the clip mechanism is formed by a pair of clips 408 that extend in opposite directions from the side of the main body 402 and curve to follow the outer surface of the probe 200. The pair of clips 408 have an elastic material such as spring steel. For example, the base portion of each clip 408, that is, the portion that joins to the main body 402 (hereinafter referred to as "joint portion 408a"), is made of spring steel or the like. The joint portion 408a of each clip 408 is joined to the main body 402 by laser welding, brazing, or soldering.

[0054] To prevent the clip 408 of the puncture adapter 400 from getting caught when the insertion portion 404 of the probe 200 is inserted into or removed from the tracal 22, it is preferable that the curved shape of the clip 408 be formed to match the outer surface of the mounting position of the probe 200, as shown in Figure 7A.

[0055] In this embodiment, a metal such as stainless steel with a circular cross-section is curved to form a U-shaped clip 408. As described above, both ends of the clip 408 are connected to the main body 402. More specifically, the clip 408 is formed of a connecting portion 408a that is connected to the main body 402, two legs 408b that extend away from the connecting portion 408a, and a connecting portion 408c that connects the two legs 408b. Since the clip 408 has no corners, it is less likely to injure the abdominal wall 20 when the probe 200 is inserted into or removed from the tracal 22. As in this embodiment, even if the probe 200 is provided with a notch 218, the puncture adapter 400 can be securely fixed to the head portion 210 with three of the four legs 408b.

[0056] Of course, the shape of the clip 408 does not have to be limited to this; it is sufficient if its attachment to the probe 200 can be visually confirmed. For example, it may be formed from a curved flat plate spring or the like.

[0057] In this embodiment, the puncture adapter 400 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. If it is made of a material such as resin, there is a possibility that the puncture needle 26 will penetrate it, as it is not as hard as metal. However, it may be made of a material such as resin as long as it can perform its function as a puncture adapter 400.

[0058] (Engagement relationship between the puncture adapter 400 and the head unit 210) Next, the configuration in which the puncture adapter 400 is attached to the head portion 210 of the probe 200 will be explained using Figures 1, 2, and 7A to 7E.

[0059] Figure 7A is a front view of the head unit 210. In Figure 7A, the head unit 210 is shown as a front view when viewed from the tip direction of the probe 200. Figure 7B is a top view of the head unit 210. Figure 7C is a right side view of the head unit 210. Figure 7D is a bottom view of the head unit 210. Figure 7E is a cross-sectional view of the head unit 210 shown in Figure 7A, when cut along the DD' line and viewed from the left side. Figures 7A to 7E basically show the head unit 210 shown in Figures 4A to 4E with the puncture adapter 400 shown in Figure 5 attached. Note that the head unit 210 may contain components such as circuits for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals, but these are omitted from the illustration in Figure 7E. Incidentally, a perspective view of the puncture adapter 400 attached to the head unit 210 of the probe 200 is shown in Figure 2.

[0060] When the puncture adapter 400 is attached to the head portion 210 of the probe 200, the main body portion 402 of the puncture adapter 400 covers the through hole 214 of the head portion 210, for example as shown in Figure 7B. Furthermore, by forming the clip 408 in a U-shape, even when the puncture adapter 400 is attached to the probe 200, the mark 220 located on the right side of the head portion 210 can be seen from between the legs 408b of the clip 408, for example as shown in Figure 7C.

[0061] (How to attach and detach the puncture adapter 400 to the probe 200) Next, we will explain how to attach and detach the puncture adapter 400 to the probe 200.

[0062] In this embodiment, the puncture adapter 400 is attached to the probe 200 outside the abdominal cavity. As illustrated in Figure 8, the user aligns the puncture adapter 400 with the through-hole 214 of the probe 200. If the through-hole 214 is not visible, the user aligns it directly above the mark 220 on the probe 200. The user then brings their fingers, which are holding the puncture adapter 400 and the probe 200, closer together. For example, the user applies force in the direction of arrow E shown in Figure 8 with the fingers supporting the puncture adapter 400. This pressing force causes the joint portion 408a of the puncture adapter 400, which is formed of an elastic material, to open, and the main body portion 402 of the puncture adapter 400 is pushed in until it contacts the recess 222 of the probe 200. The connecting portion 408c of each clip 408 slides along the outer surface of the probe 200 once it is pushed into the probe 200. When the main body 402 contacts the recess 222 of the probe 200, no force is applied to the joint 408a in the opening direction. The spread-open clip 408 then returns to its pre-attachment state. As a result, the puncture adapter 400 is attached to the head portion 210 of the probe 200, as shown in Figure 2.

[0063] Furthermore, when the puncture adapter 400 is pushed from above, the tip of the insertion portion 404 slides down the slope of the through hole 214. Therefore, the user can easily attach the puncture adapter 400 to the predetermined position on the head portion 210 simply by pushing the puncture adapter 400 from above.

[0064] The puncture adapter 400 is inserted into the abdominal cavity 24 together with the insertion portion 204 of the probe 200 while attached to the head portion 210. The puncture adapter 400 then functions as a guide to guide the puncture needle 26 within the abdominal cavity 24.

[0065] In this embodiment, the puncture adapter 400 is securely fixed to the probe 200 by the gripping force of the spring steel that forms part of the clip 408. However, since the puncture adapter 400 has a detachable structure, there is a possibility that it may come off the probe 200 for some reason. In this embodiment, the clip 408 that fixes the puncture adapter 400 to the probe 200 is exposed on the outer surface of the probe 200, so the attachment state of the puncture adapter 400 in the abdominal cavity can be easily confirmed visually by images taken with the laparoscope 300.

[0066] The puncture adapter 400 is removed from the abdominal cavity 24 via the tracal 22 while still attached to the head portion 210 of the probe 200. The user removes the puncture adapter 400 from the probe 200, for example, by pushing up the connecting portion 408c of the clip 408 of the puncture adapter 400 from below, or by pulling the main body portion 402 of the puncture adapter 400 from above.

[0067] According to this embodiment, a puncture adapter 400 that can be attached to and detached from the probe 200 outside the abdominal cavity 24 can be provided. Furthermore, by designing the puncture adapter 400 to minimize its protrusion from the outer circumference of the probe 200, insertion and removal of the probe 200 via the tracal 22 can be performed smoothly. In addition, the attachment status of the puncture adapter 400 to the probe 200 inside the abdominal cavity 24 can be easily confirmed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10 Ultrasound diagnostic device, 12 Cable, 20 Abdominal wall, 22, 32 Tracar, 24 Abdominal cavity, 26 Puncture needle, 28 Organ, 30 Tumor, etc., 100 Console, 106 First display unit, 108 Second display unit, 110 Operation panel, 112 Transmit / receive control unit, 114 Beamforming (BF) unit, 116 Signal processing unit, 118 Image processing unit, 120 Display processing unit, 122 Control unit, 200 Probe, 202 Grip unit, 204 Insertion unit, 206 Operation unit, 208 Bending unit, 210 Head unit, 212 Transducer array, 214 Through hole, 216 Notch for puncture needle guide, 218 Notch, 220 Mark, 222 Indentation, 300 Laparoscope, 400 Puncture adapter, 402 Main unit, 404 Insertion part, 406 needle guide hole, 408 clip, 408a joint part, 408b leg part, 408c connecting part.

Claims

1. An ultrasound probe is inserted into a body cavity through an internal passage of a guide tube that passes through the body wall, and the probe has a transducer array and a through-hole for guiding a puncture needle at its tip. In this puncture needle guide adapter, the puncture needle guide adapter is detachably attached to the ultrasound probe. The adapter body and A pair of clip mechanisms having at least a portion of an elastic member, extending in opposite directions from the adapter body and curving to follow the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe, It has, The adapter body is When attached to the ultrasonic probe, the plate-shaped main body portion is arranged to cover the needle entrance portion of the through hole, An insertion portion inserted into the aforementioned through hole, A needle guide hole that communicates with the main body and the insertion portion and guides the puncture needle inserted from the main body, It has, When attached to the ultrasonic probe, the clip mechanism secures the ultrasonic probe by clamping it, thereby fixing it to the ultrasonic probe. A lancet guide adapter characterized by the following features.

2. In the puncture needle guide adapter according to claim 1, The main body is formed such that the thickness of both ends in the direction in which it is inserted into or removed from the guide tube is reduced when it is attached to the ultrasonic probe. A lancet guide adapter characterized by the following features.

3. In the puncture needle guide adapter according to claim 1, The needle guide hole is formed such that, when light is irradiated into the body cavity, the needle entrance portion of the needle guide hole is easily distinguishable from its surroundings by visual inspection. A lancet guide adapter characterized by the following features.

4. In the puncture needle guide adapter according to claim 1, The needle guide hole is formed in a funnel shape, with the diameter of the needle entrance portion being larger than the inner diameter of the needle guide hole. A lancet guide adapter characterized by the following features.

5. In the puncture needle guide adapter according to claim 1, The outer shape of the insertion portion is formed according to the shape of the through hole. A lancet guide adapter characterized by the following features.

6. An ultrasonic probe characterized in that a recess corresponding to the shape of the main body is formed in the portion of the puncture needle guide adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 5 that the main body contacts.

7. In the ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, The outer surface of the aforementioned lancet guide adapter is marked with a symbol indicating the correct placement of the lancet guide adapter. An ultrasonic probe characterized by the following features.

8. In the ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, When the aforementioned puncture needle guide adapter is not attached, it allows puncture at any angle within a predetermined range of angles. When the aforementioned puncture needle guide adapter is attached, it enables puncture at a predetermined fixed angle. An ultrasonic probe characterized by the following features.

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