Puncture needle position indication device

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The device uses orthogonal ultrasonic array probes and adjustable guides to enhance needle positioning accuracy by offering clear, overlapping images, addressing the limitations of conventional devices and improving puncture precision.

JP7728033B2Active Publication Date: 2025-08-22UNAX CORP

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Patent Information

Application Number: JP2023575072
Authority / Receiving Office: JP · JP
Patent Type: Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date: 2022-01-22
Filing Date: 2022-10-28
Publication Date: 2025-08-22
Estimated Expiration: 2042-10-28

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional puncture needle position display devices struggle to accurately determine the position of the needle relative to tubular organs, especially at varying depths, due to limitations in ultrasonic array probe configurations and beam angles, leading to inaccuracies in puncture operations.

Method used

The device employs a combination of long-axis and short-axis ultrasonic array probes arranged orthogonally, with adjustable needle guides and image synthesis units to provide clear, overlapping short-axis and long-axis images, allowing precise needle positioning and depth adjustment, and ultrasonic steering for beam alignment.

Benefits of technology

This configuration enables accurate real-time monitoring and guidance of the needle, ensuring it remains at a constant angle and orientation, enhancing puncture accuracy by providing clear images without acoustic shadows, regardless of organ depth.

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Abstract

Provided is a device for displaying the position of a puncture needle, the device being capable of more accurately ascertaining the position of a puncture needle relative to a tubular organ and making a puncture operation greatly accurate.　This device 24 for displaying the position of a puncture needle comprises an ultrasound probe 12 that includes a long axis ultrasound array transducer 30, a first short axis ultrasound array transducer 26, and a second short axis ultrasound array transducer 28, wherein the first short axis ultrasound array transducer 26 and the second short axis ultrasound array transducer 28 are aligned on a straight line perpendicular to the alignment direction of a plurality of short axis ultrasound oscillators ae1 to aen of the long axis ultrasound array probe 30 and constitute one short axis ultrasound array probe; and a display 72 that displays a short axis image G1 and a long axis image G2. The device 24 for displaying the position of a puncture needle comprises a display controlling unit 92 that causes the display 72 to display the short axis image G1 indicating a transverse plane within a range R displayed as the long axis image G2 of an artery 20 on the basis of a reflection signal received by the first short axis ultrasound array transducer 26 and the second short axis ultrasound array transducer 28.

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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a needle position display device that displays an image of a tubular organ beneath the skin of a living body using an ultrasonic probe and displays the position of a needle inserted into the tubular organ. [Background technology]

[0002] Puncture of tubular organs under the skin of living bodies, such as blood vessels (arteries and veins) and lymphatic vessels, is performed for purposes such as blood sampling and injection of medicinal or transfusion fluids. During the puncture procedure, it is desirable to insert the puncture needle into the center of the tubular organ without piercing the tubular organ. However, for workers with little experience, it can take a long time to insert the puncture needle into the tubular organ, which can be a significant burden on the patient. Furthermore, even workers with a lot of experience cannot see whether the puncture needle has been inserted accurately into the tubular organ, which can make it difficult for the worker to notice any variations in the puncture procedure.

[0003] In response to this, a puncture needle position display device has been proposed in which the beam direction of ultrasound output from the short-axis ultrasonic array probe is set to be inclined toward the long-axis ultrasonic array probe, a positioning unit that determines the insertion position of the puncture needle by abutting the tip of the puncture needle on the transducer installation surface located on the bottom surface of the ultrasound probe body, on the extension line of the long-axis ultrasonic array probe and on the side where the short-axis ultrasonic array probe is located, and an attachment has an angle adjustment mechanism that can adjust the insertion angle of the puncture needle in multiple stages while it is inserted and abutting the positioning unit by rotating the puncture needle in the circumferential direction of a circle centered on the positioning unit, and is fixed to the lower part of the side of the ultrasound probe body on the side where the positioning unit is located. For example, a puncture needle position display device is described in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6078732 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The above-mentioned conventional puncture needle position display device is said to have the advantage of being able to more accurately grasp the movement of the puncture needle because it is possible to reduce the dead zone area where the image of the puncture needle is not displayed between the short axis image showing the cross section and the long axis image showing the longitudinal section.

[0006] However, with the above-mentioned conventional puncture needle position display device, although the positional relationship between the tubular organ and the puncture needle can be grasped in the long axis image, the tilt of the short axis ultrasonic array probe is small and fixed, and the distance between the cross section of the tubular organ and the puncture needle in the short axis image is large, and this distance changes depending on the depth of the tubular organ, so there is a drawback in that it is not possible to accurately observe the puncture point of the puncture needle into the tubular organ.The puncture point of the puncture needle into the tubular organ is preferably at the center of the tubular organ in the width direction.

[0007] The present invention was made against the background of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a puncture needle position display device that enables more accurate grasping of the position of the puncture needle relative to a tubular organ regardless of the depth of the tubular organ, thereby making the puncture operation significantly more accurate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Based on the above circumstances, the inventors of the present invention have conducted various studies and discovered that by arranging the ultrasonic oscillators of a short-axis ultrasonic array probe so as to cross over the multiple ultrasonic oscillators arranged in a long-axis ultrasonic array probe in the orthogonal direction, and by translating a puncture needle at a constant tilt angle in the vertical direction according to the depth of the tubular organ, the puncture point of the puncture needle into the tubular organ can be grasped more accurately in both short-axis and long-axis images, thereby making the puncture operation significantly more accurate. The present invention was made based on this finding.

[0009] That is, the gist of the first invention is a puncture needle position display device comprising: (a) an ultrasonic probe having, on a flat bottom surface to be placed on the skin of a living body, a long-axis ultrasonic array probe in which a plurality of long-axis ultrasonic vibrators are linearly arranged, and a short-axis ultrasonic array probe in which a plurality of short-axis ultrasonic vibrators are linearly arranged in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the long-axis ultrasonic vibrators; and a display that displays the position of a puncture needle with respect to a tubular organ located under the skin in a short-axis image showing a cross section of a tubular organ in a living body and a long-axis image showing a longitudinal section of the tubular organ in the living body, together with the tubular organ itself; (b) the short-axis ultrasonic array probe comprises a first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and a second short-axis ultrasonic array probe that are arranged on a straight line perpendicular to the long-axis ultrasonic array probe with the long-axis ultrasonic array probe sandwiched therebetween; and (c) the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe is arranged on a straight line perpendicular to the long-axis ultrasonic array probe with the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe that are ... (d) the ultrasonic probe is provided with a puncture needle guide mechanism having a frame-shaped guide mechanism fixing part fixed to the ultrasonic probe by fitting, and a needle guide member which is attached to the guide mechanism fixing part so that the distance to the skin can be adjusted by moving parallel in the height direction along a guide rail extending in the height direction of the ultrasonic probe, and which guides the puncture needle at a certain inclination angle with respect to the skin in a plane including the arrangement direction of the long-axis ultrasonic transducers and the height direction; and (e) the needle guide member has a guide groove which guides the puncture needle in the longitudinal direction of the puncture needle and has a U-shaped cross-section which opens toward the skin.

[0011] The gist of the second invention is that, in the first invention, it includes (f) a depth calculation unit that calculates the depth from the skin surface of the upper surface of the tubular organ displayed on the long axis image, and (g) an image display control unit that causes the display to display the depth from the skin surface of the upper surface of the tubular organ calculated by the depth calculation unit or the manual operation position of the angle holding device based on the depth, and (h) the distance of the needle guiding member to the skin is adjusted according to the depth from the skin of the tubular organ displayed in the depth display area of the display.

[0012] The gist of the third invention is that in the first invention, the image display control unit includes: (i) a steering angle control unit that tilts the radiation directions of the ultrasonic beams emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe in directions in which the beams approach each other using ultrasonic steering; and (j) a first image synthesis unit that generates a first short-axis image and a second short-axis image based on reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe, respectively, and synthesizes the short-axis image from the first short-axis image and the second short-axis image.

[0013] The gist of the fourth invention is that, in the first invention, (k) the long-axis ultrasonic array probe includes a third short-axis ultrasonic array probe arranged adjacent to the end of the long-axis ultrasonic array probe and parallel to the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe, and (l) the image display control unit generates a third short-axis image based on the reflected signal received by the third short-axis ultrasonic array probe and displays it on the display.

[0014] The gist of the fifth invention is that, in the first invention, (m) the first short axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe are arranged on a straight line perpendicular to the long axis ultrasonic array probe, sandwiching the central part in the longitudinal direction of the long axis ultrasonic array probe.

[0015] The gist of the sixth invention is that, in the first invention, (n) the first short axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe are fixed to the ultrasonic probe in a state in which the radiation directions of the ultrasonic beams emitted from the first short axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe are inclined so that the radiation directions approach each other as they approach the tubular organ, and (o) a second image synthesis unit is included that generates a first short axis image and a second short axis image based on reflected signals received by the first short axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe, respectively, and synthesizes the short axis image from the first short axis image and the second short axis image. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the puncture needle position display device of the first invention, an ultrasonic probe has a flat bottom surface to be placed on the skin of a living body, and the flat bottom surface is provided with a long axis ultrasonic array probe in which a plurality of long axis ultrasonic transducers are linearly arranged, and a short axis ultrasonic array probe in which a plurality of short axis ultrasonic transducers are linearly arranged in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the long axis ultrasonic transducers. The puncture needle position display device displays the position of the puncture needle relative to the tubular organ located under the skin together with the tubular organ in a short axis image showing a cross section of the tubular organ in the living body and a long axis image showing a longitudinal section of the tubular organ in the living body. and a display that displays the short-axis image of the tubular organ, the short-axis ultrasonic array probe comprising a first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and a second short-axis ultrasonic array probe arranged on a line perpendicular to the long-axis ultrasonic array probe with the long-axis ultrasonic array probe sandwiched therebetween, and an image display control unit that displays the short-axis image on the display, the short-axis image showing a cross section of the tubular organ within a range to be displayed as the long-axis image, based on reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe. This makes it possible to show the puncture point of the puncture needle in the tubular organ on both the short-axis image and the long-axis image, allowing the position of the puncture needle in the tubular organ to be grasped more accurately and making the puncture operation significantly more accurate.

[0017] Furthermore, a puncture needle position display device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a puncture needle guide mechanism having a frame-shaped guide mechanism fixing portion fixed to the ultrasonic probe by fitting, and a needle guide member attached to the guide mechanism fixing portion so that the distance to the skin can be adjusted by translating in the height direction along a guide rail extending in the height direction of the ultrasonic probe, and guiding the puncture needle at a constant inclination angle relative to the skin in a plane including the arrangement direction of the long-axis ultrasonic transducers and the height direction. The needle guide member has a guide groove with a U-shaped cross section that guides the puncture needle in the longitudinal direction of the puncture needle and opens toward the skin. This makes it possible to grasp the shape, arrangement, and tip of the puncture needle in real time. Furthermore, the position of the puncture needle immediately after insertion can be observed from a long-axis image, the puncture needle can be maintained at a constant inclination angle relative to the skin, and the orientation of the puncture needle can be maintained so that the puncture needle advances straight through the ultrasound beam (scanning line) from the long-axis ultrasonic array probe, so that advanced techniques are not required to manipulate the puncture needle.

[0018] A puncture needle position display device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a depth calculation unit that calculates the depth from the skin surface of the upper surface of the tubular organ displayed on the long-axis image, and an image display control unit that causes the display to display the depth from the skin surface of the upper surface of the tubular organ calculated by the depth calculation unit or a manual operation position of the angle holding device based on the depth, and the distance of the needle guide member from the skin is manually adjusted according to the depth from the skin surface of the upper surface of the tubular organ displayed in the depth display area of the display. This makes it possible to more accurately grasp the position of the puncture needle relative to the tubular organ, regardless of the depth from the skin surface of the upper surface of the tubular organ, resulting in significantly more accurate puncture operations.

[0019] According to the puncture needle position display device of the third aspect of the invention, the image display control unit includes a steering angle control unit that tilts the emission directions of the ultrasonic beams emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe in directions that bring the beams closer to each other using ultrasonic steering, and an image synthesis unit that generates first short-axis images and second short-axis images based on reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe, respectively, and synthesizes the short-axis images from the first short-axis images and the second short-axis images. This allows the position of the puncture needle relative to the tubular organ to be grasped more accurately, making the puncture procedure significantly more accurate.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the puncture needle position display device includes a third short-axis ultrasonic array probe disposed adjacent to the end of the long-axis ultrasonic array probe and parallel to the first and second short-axis ultrasonic array probes, and the image display control unit generates a third short-axis image based on the reflected signals received by the third short-axis ultrasonic array probe and displays it on the display. This makes it easy to position the long-axis ultrasonic array probe directly above the tubular organ by shifting the position of the ultrasonic probe unit so that the short-axis image G1 and the third short-axis image G3 are positioned at the horizontal centers of their respective display areas on the display.

[0021] According to the puncture needle position display device of the fifth aspect of the invention, the first short axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe are arranged on a straight line perpendicular to the long axis ultrasonic array probe, sandwiching the longitudinal center of the long axis ultrasonic array probe. As a result, the first short axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe and the long axis ultrasonic array probe are arranged in a cross shape, and the long axis ultrasonic array probe has a part that protrudes beyond the intersection with the first short axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe, so that the puncture needle can be displayed in the long axis image before it reaches the tubular organ, making the puncture operation easier.

[0022] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the first and second short-axis ultrasonic array probes are fixed to the ultrasonic probe in a state in which the ultrasonic beams emitted from the first and second short-axis ultrasonic array probes, respectively, are inclined toward each other as they approach the tubular organ, and the device includes a second image synthesis unit that generates first and second short-axis images based on reflected signals received by the first and second short-axis ultrasonic array probes, respectively, and synthesizes the short-axis image from the first and second short-axis images. This makes it possible to obtain clear short-axis images without using ultrasound steering, compared to the usual case in which a thin, metallic puncture needle generates a shadow known as an acoustic shadow, making the short-axis image unclear. This makes it possible to more accurately grasp the position of the puncture needle relative to the tubular organ, and significantly improves the accuracy of the puncture operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a puncture needle position display device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a front view showing a probe main body that constitutes the ultrasonic probe unit of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a bottom view showing a probe main body that constitutes the ultrasonic probe unit of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4]2 is a side view showing a probe main body that constitutes the ultrasonic probe unit of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] 2A and 2B are a front view and a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic probe unit of FIG. 1, respectively, and a subcutaneous area where the ultrasonic probe unit is placed. [Figure 6] 6 is a right side view of FIG. 5 showing the ultrasonic probe unit of FIG. 1, and a schematic diagram of the area under the skin where the ultrasonic probe unit is placed. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the ultrasonic probe unit of FIG. [Figure 8] 5 showing the ultrasonic probe unit of FIG. 1 and a schematic diagram of the area under the skin where the ultrasonic probe unit is placed, showing a case where the arterial blood vessels are deeper from the skin than in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 8 and showing an ultrasonic probe unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 and showing an ultrasonic probe unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. [Example]

[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the overall configuration of a puncture needle position display device 24 that supports the insertion of a puncture needle 22, such as a catheter or syringe needle, into a tubular organ, such as an arterial blood vessel 20, located from above the skin 18 (strictly speaking, the epidermis) to below the skin 18 in a part of a living body, preferably the upper arm, neck, groin, etc., using an ultrasound probe unit 12 supported by an operator's hand 10.

[0026] The ultrasonic probe unit 12 functions as an ultrasonic sensor for detecting a short-axis image G1 representing a cross section of the arterial blood vessel 20, a long-axis image G2 representing a longitudinal section of the arterial blood vessel 20, and the tip of the puncture needle 22 located within the short-axis image G1 and the long-axis image G2. The ultrasonic probe unit 12 may be supported by a sensor support fixed to a base (not shown) instead of being supported by the operator's hand 10.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the ultrasonic probe unit 12 includes a box-shaped probe body 34, and a first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and a second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, each of which is made up of a plurality of piezoelectric elements ae1 to aem arranged linearly in a direction intersecting, preferably perpendicular to, the arterial blood vessel 20 when attached to the probe body 34. and a third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32 which, like the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, is composed of a plurality of piezoelectric elements ae1 to aen arranged along a straight line parallel to the arterial blood vessel 20 and passes between the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, and is arranged in parallel to the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28. The first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26, the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 and the long-axis ultrasonic array transducer 30 are arranged to form a cross shape on the bottom surface 36 of the probe body 34.

[0028] The piezoelectric elements ae1 to aem of the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the piezoelectric elements ae1 to aem of the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 are mutually arranged on a straight line perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the long-axis ultrasonic array transducer 30, sandwiching a piezoelectric element at any one of the intermediate positions of the piezoelectric elements ae1 to aem of the long-axis ultrasonic array transducer 30, in this embodiment, a piezoelectric element at a position corresponding to 1 / 3 of the way from the end of the long-axis ultrasonic array transducer 30 on the puncture needle guide mechanism 36 side of the both ends of the long-axis ultrasonic array transducer 30.

[0029] Due to this cross arrangement of the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26, the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, and the long-axis ultrasonic array transducer 30, the ultrasonic beam B1 emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the ultrasonic beam B2 emitted from the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 are irradiated within the range R of the arterial blood vessel 20 where the ultrasonic beam B3 from the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30 hits, so that a short-axis image G1 showing a cross section of the arterial blood vessel 20 within the range R displayed as the long-axis image G2 is displayed on the display 72. Furthermore, due to the cross arrangement, the long-axis ultrasonic array probe has a portion that protrudes beyond the intersection with the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe, so that the puncture needle 22 can be displayed in the long-axis image G2 before it reaches the arterial blood vessel 20, making the puncture operation easier.

[0030] The third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32 is disposed adjacent to one of the ends of the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30 on the side opposite to the puncture needle guide mechanism 38, and is arranged parallel to the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28. The third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32 is disposed so that its longitudinal center intersects with an extension line of the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30 in the longitudinal direction.

[0031] 5, 6, and 7, the ultrasonic probe unit 12 further includes a puncture needle guide mechanism 38. The puncture needle guide mechanism 38 integrally includes a rectangular frame-shaped guide mechanism fixing part 40 that is fixed by fitting to the box-shaped probe main body 34, and a needle guide member 44 that is attached to the guide mechanism fixing part 40 so that the distance from the skin 18 in the vertical direction is adjustable, and that has a guide groove 42 with a U-shaped cross section that guides the puncture needle 22 in the longitudinal direction of the puncture needle 22 at a constant inclination angle θn, for example, an inclination angle θn of 45 degrees, with respect to the skin 18 in a plane including the arrangement direction of the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 28. The guide groove 42 enables the ultrasonic probe unit 12 to be detached from the puncture needle 22 after the puncture needle 22 has punctured the skin 18.

[0032] 7, guide mechanism fixing part 40 is provided with a pair of guide rails 48 extending parallel to the height direction of box-shaped probe main body 34, each having an inward flange 46, and locking teeth 50 formed on the opposing surfaces of guide rails 48. Guide mechanism fixing part 40 is also provided with a scale 49 indicating the height position of needle guide member 44.

[0033] The base of the needle guide member 44 is formed with a pair of locking portions 52 that protrude in opposite directions so as to be fitted into the pair of guide rails 48, a slit 54 that is cut from the probe body 34 side to form a space in the thickness direction of the base of the needle guide member 44 and allows the pair of locking teeth 52 to approach each other by elastic deformation, and a pair of knobs 56 for applying an operating force in the thickness direction of the base of the needle guide member 44.

[0034] As a result, when the pair of knobs 56 are not operated, the elastic restoring force of the base of the needle guide member 44 engages the pair of locking portions 52 with the locking teeth 50 formed on the opposing surfaces of the guide rail 48, fixing the needle guide member 44 to the guide mechanism fixing part 40. However, when the pair of knobs 56 are operated in directions approaching each other by a manual operating force applied to them, the engagement between the pair of locking portions 52 and the locking teeth 50 formed on the opposing surfaces of the guide rail 48 is released, and the needle guide member 44 is guided in the height direction of the probe body 34 by the guide rail 48, and when the manual operating force applied to the pair of knobs 56 is released, the needle guide member 44 is fixed to the guide mechanism fixing part 40 at that position.

[0035] 5 shows a case where the depth dimension D of the arterial blood vessel 20 from the skin 18 is relatively small, and Fig. 8 shows a case where the depth dimension D of the arterial blood vessel 20 from the skin 18 is relatively large. In either case, by manually adjusting the vertical position of the needle guide member 44 as described above, the puncture point P of the puncture needle 22 is set near the intersection of the ultrasonic emission planes L of the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 and the arterial blood vessel 20. For example, in the case shown in Fig. 5, the needle guide member 44 is adjusted upward relative to the guide mechanism fixing part 40 or the skin 18, and in the case shown in Fig. 8, the needle guide member 44 is adjusted downward relative to the guide mechanism fixing part 40 or the skin 18.

[0036] 1 , the puncture needle position display device 24 includes an electronic control device 70 that emits ultrasonic signals from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26, the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30, and the third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32, and generates a short-axis image G1 showing a cross section of the arterial blood vessel 20, a long-axis image G2 showing a longitudinal section of the arterial blood vessel 20, and a short-axis image G3 showing a longitudinal section of the arterial blood vessel 20 based on the reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26, the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30, and the third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32, and displays them on a display 72. The electronic control device 70 functions as an image display control unit that controls the images to be displayed on the display 72. The display 72 displays the short-axis image G1, the long-axis image G2, and the short-axis image G3 so that a point indicating the depth dimension D of the arterial blood vessel 20 from the skin 18 is common. The spaces between the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26, the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30, and the third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32 and the skin 18 are filled with ultrasonic jelly.

[0037] The electronic control device 70, which functions as an image display control unit, functionally comprises an ultrasonic drive control unit 80 including a steering angle control unit 90, a detection processing unit 82, an ultrasonic signal processing unit 84, a blood vessel depth calculation unit 86, and a display control unit 92. These control functions are functionally provided in the electronic control device 70, but some or all of these control functions may be configured as control units separate from the electronic control device 70, and may perform the control described in detail below by communicating information with each other.

[0038] The ultrasound drive control circuit 74 controls the emission of ultrasound waves from the ultrasound probe unit 12 to the arterial blood vessel 20 in accordance with commands from an ultrasound drive control unit 80 provided in the electronic control device 70. For example, among the numerous ultrasound transducers ae1 to aen arranged in a row in the long-axis ultrasound array probe 30, a certain number of ultrasound transducers, for example, 64 ultrasound transducers a1 to a64, called aperture transducers, are simultaneously driven at a frequency of about 10 MHz while applying a predetermined phase difference to each of the ultrasound transducers, thereby sequentially emitting convergent ultrasound beams toward the arterial blood vessel 20 in the direction of the ultrasound transducer arrangement. Then, the ultrasound beam is scanned while shifting the ultrasound transducers one by one, and the reflected waves for each emission are received and input to the electronic control device 70. The reflected wave signal input to the electronic control device 70 is detected by a detection processing unit 82 and processed by an ultrasound signal processing unit 84 as information that can be used for image synthesis, as described in detail below. The ultrasound signal processor 84 performs various processing, such as time difference processing between ultrasound reflection signals reflected from the boundaries between the arterial blood vessel 20 and other tissues due to differences in propagation speed between them, generating a short-axis image G1, a long-axis image G2, and a third short-axis image G3, which are two-dimensional ultrasound images combining the first and second short-axis images based on the reflection signals, and identifying images of the artery 20 in the short-axis image G1 or the long-axis image G2, to repeatedly generate image data consisting of the short-axis image G1, the long-axis image G2, and the third short-axis image G3 at a predetermined cycle and sequentially store the image data. The display controller 92 controls the display 72 to display moving images of the short-axis image G1, the long-axis image G2, and the third short-axis image G3 side by side in the horizontal direction, with a common vertical axis indicating the depth dimension from the skin 18.

[0039] By shifting the position of the ultrasonic probe unit 12 so that the short-axis image G1 and the third short-axis image G3 are positioned at the center in the left-right direction within their respective display areas on the display 72, the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30 can be easily positioned directly above the arterial blood vessel 20.

[0040] The ultrasound drive control unit 80 includes a steering angle control unit 90 that deflects the ultrasound beam B1 emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the ultrasound beam B2 emitted from the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 by a steering angle θs in the longitudinal direction of the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 toward the arterial blood vessel 20. The steering angle control unit 90 changes the steering angle, which is the deflection angle of the ultrasound beam B1 emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the ultrasound beam B2 emitted from the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 with respect to a perpendicular to the skin 18, so that the ultrasound beams B1 and B2 are directed toward the arterial blood vessel 18 within a plane including the plurality of piezoelectric elements ae1-aem constituting the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the plurality of piezoelectric elements ae1-aem constituting the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, based on a command from the display control unit 92. Specifically, for example, by controlling the difference between the delay amount for the piezoelectric element aem and the delay amount for the piezoelectric element ae1, the radiation angle of the circumferential ultrasonic beam emitted from the aperture transducer is shifted, and the steering angle θs, which is the radiation angle of the ultrasonic beam B1 emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the ultrasonic beam B2 emitted from the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, is changed.

[0041] . The display control unit 92 includes an image synthesis unit 88 that generates a first short-axis image and a second short-axis image based on the reflected signal of the ultrasonic beam B1 emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the reflected signal of the ultrasonic beam B2 emitted from the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, and synthesizes the first short-axis image and the second short-axis image using spatial compounding to generate a short-axis image G1. The ultrasonic radiation planes L of the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 intersect within the range displayed as the long-axis image G2 of the arterial blood vessel 20, so the short-axis image G1 near the intersection shows a cross section of the arterial blood vessel 20 within the range displayed as the long-axis image G2.

[0042] The blood vessel depth calculation unit 86 calculates, for example, a blood vessel depth D from the skin 18 to the upper surface of the arterial blood vessel 20, which is included in the longitudinal image, based on the output signal from the ultrasound signal processing unit 84. The display control unit 92 displays, in a blood vessel depth display area 76 provided on the screen of the display 72, the blood vessel depth D of the arterial blood vessel 20 calculated by the blood vessel depth calculation unit 86, or a position within a scale 49 indicating the height position of the puncture needle guiding mechanism 38 based on the blood vessel depth D.

[0043] The puncture needle position display device 24 of this embodiment configured as described above includes an ultrasonic probe 12 that can be placed on the skin 18 of a living body, the ultrasonic probe 12 including the long axis ultrasonic array probe 30, the first short axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe 28 that are arranged on a straight line perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the plurality of short axis ultrasonic oscillators ae1 to aen of the long axis ultrasonic array probe 30 and form one short axis ultrasonic array probe, and a short axis image 20 that shows a cross section of an arterial blood vessel 20 that is a tubular organ in a living body. and a display 72 that displays the position of the puncture needle 22 relative to the arterial blood vessel 20 located under the skin 18 together with the arterial blood vessel 20 in a long-axis image showing a longitudinal cross section of the tubular organ 20, the puncture needle position display device 24 further includes a display control unit 92 that displays a short-axis image G1 showing a cross section of the arterial blood vessel 20 within a range R displayed as a long-axis image G2 on the display 72 based on reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28. This allows the puncture point P of the puncture needle 22 relative to the arterial blood vessel 20 to be displayed on both the short-axis image G1 and the long-axis image G2, making it possible to more accurately grasp the position of the puncture needle 22 relative to the arterial blood vessel 20 and resulting in significantly more accurate puncture operations.

[0044] According to the puncture needle position display device 24 of this embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 12 includes a fixed part 40 fixed to the probe main body 34, and a puncture needle guide mechanism 38 having a needle guide member 44 attached to the fixed part 40 so that the distance from the skin 18 to the fixed part 40 is adjustable, and guiding the puncture needle 22 at a constant inclination angle θn with respect to the skin 18 in a plane including the arrangement direction of the oscillators (piezoelectric elements ae1 to aen) of the long axis ultrasonic array probe 30. This makes it possible to grasp the shape and arrangement of the periphery of the puncture needle 22 and the puncture needle itself in real time. Furthermore, the position of the puncture needle 22 immediately after insertion can be observed from the long axis image G2, the puncture needle 22 can be maintained at a constant inclination angle θn with respect to the skin 18, and the orientation of the puncture needle 22 can be maintained so that the puncture needle 22 advances straight within the ultrasonic beam B3 (scanning line) from the long axis ultrasonic array probe 30. Therefore, advanced techniques are not required to operate the puncture needle 22.

[0045] The puncture needle position display device 24 of this embodiment includes a blood vessel depth calculation unit 86 that calculates the depth D from the skin 18 of the upper surface of the arterial blood vessel 20 displayed in the long axis image G2, and a display control unit 92 that displays on the display 72 the depth D from the skin 18 of the upper surface of the arterial blood vessel 20 calculated by the blood vessel depth calculation unit 86, or a manual operation position (scale position) of the needle guide member 44 based on the depth D, and the distance of the needle guide member 44 from the skin 18 is manually adjusted in accordance with the depth D of the arterial blood vessel 20 from the skin 18 displayed in the depth display area 76 of the display 72. This makes it possible to more accurately grasp the position of the puncture needle 22 relative to the arterial blood vessel 20, regardless of the depth D from the skin 18 of the upper surface of the arterial blood vessel 20, and makes the puncture operation significantly more accurate.

[0046] According to the puncture needle position display device 24 of this embodiment, the image display control unit (electronic control device 70) includes a steering angle control unit 90 that tilts the emission directions of the ultrasonic beams emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 in directions that bring the beams closer to each other using ultrasonic steering, and an image synthesis unit 88 that generates first and second short-axis images based on the reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, respectively, and synthesizes the first and second short-axis images into a short-axis image G1. This provides a clear short-axis image, unlike the usual case where a thin puncture needle 22 made of metal generates a shadow known as an acoustic shadow, making the short-axis image unclear. Therefore, the position of the puncture needle 22 relative to the arterial blood vessel 20 can be grasped more accurately, and the puncture operation becomes significantly more accurate.

[0047] The puncture needle position display device 24 of this embodiment includes a third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32 arranged adjacent to the end of the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30 and parallel to the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, and the display control unit 92 generates a third short-axis image G3 based on the reflected signals received by the third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32 and displays it on the display 72. This makes it easy to position the long-axis ultrasonic array probe 30 directly above the arterial blood vessel 20 by shifting the position of the ultrasonic probe unit 12 so that the short-axis image G1 and the third short-axis image G3 are positioned at the center in the horizontal direction of their respective display areas on the display 72.

[0048] According to the puncture needle position display device 24 of this embodiment, the first short axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe 28 are arranged on a straight line perpendicular to the long axis ultrasonic array probe 30, sandwiching the longitudinal center of the long axis ultrasonic array probe 30. As a result, the first short axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe 28 and the long axis ultrasonic array probe 30 are arranged in a cross shape, and the long axis ultrasonic array probe 30 has a part that protrudes beyond the intersection with the first short axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short axis ultrasonic array probe 28, so that the puncture needle 22 can be displayed in the long axis image G2 before it reaches the arterial blood vessel 20, making the puncture operation easier. [Example]

[0049] Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, parts common to the above embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0050] Fig. 9 shows another example of the ultrasonic probe 12. In Fig. 9, a thin resin film 94 is detachably sandwiched between a box-shaped probe main body 34 and a frame-shaped guide mechanism fixing part 40, and the bottom surface 36 of the probe main body 34 is covered with the resin film 94.

[0051] According to this embodiment, in addition to obtaining the same effects as those of the previous embodiment, by replacing the resin film 94, contamination of the probe body 34 can be prevented, and the risk of infection can be reduced. [Example]

[0052] Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0053] Fig. 10 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 6 showing another example of the ultrasonic probe 12. In Fig. 10, the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 are fixed to the bottom surface 36 of the box-shaped probe body 34 of the ultrasonic probe unit 12 in a state in which the ultrasonic beam B1 emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the ultrasonic beam B2 emitted from the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 are inclined in directions that approach each other as they approach the arterial blood vessel (tubular organ) 20. As shown in Fig. 10, the radiation direction of the ultrasonic beam B1 emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the radiation direction of the ultrasonic beam B2 emitted from the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 are each inclined by a predetermined angle θt with respect to a line perpendicular to the bottom surface 36 of the probe body 34, for example, the surface of the skin 18. The spaces between the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 and the skin 18 are filled with ultrasonic jelly, as in the previous embodiment.

[0054] The reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 are processed by an electronic control device (image display control unit) 70 similar to that in Fig. 1. In this case, the electronic control device 70 does not include the steering angle control unit 90. In the display control unit 92, a first short-axis image and a second short-axis image are generated from the reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe, respectively, and the short-axis image is synthesized from the first short-axis image and the second short-axis image in an image synthesis unit 88. In this embodiment, the image synthesis unit 88 functions as a second image synthesis unit.

[0055] According to the puncture needle position display device 24 of this embodiment, the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 are fixed to the bottom surface 36 of the box-shaped probe body 34 of the ultrasonic probe unit 12 in a state inclined so that the ultrasonic beam B1 emitted from the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the ultrasonic beam B2 emitted from the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28 approach each other as they approach the arterial blood vessel (tubular organ) 20, and a first short-axis image and a second short-axis image are generated based on the reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe 26 and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28, respectively, and a second image synthesis unit (image synthesis unit 88) is included that synthesizes the short-axis image from the first short-axis image and the second short-axis image. This allows for a clear short-axis image to be obtained without using ultrasonic steering, compared to the usual case where the short-axis image becomes unclear due to a shadow called an acoustic shadow that occurs when the puncture needle 22 is thin and made of metal, so that the position of the puncture needle relative to the tubular organ can be grasped more accurately, making the puncture operation significantly more accurate.

[0056] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention can also be applied to other embodiments.

[0057] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the ultrasonic probe unit 12 is applied to the upper arm, but it may be applied to other parts of the living body, such as the forearm, thigh, neck, or chest.

[0058] Furthermore, the puncture needle position display device 24 of Example 1 is provided with a third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32, and the display 72 is configured to display the third short-axis image 3, but the third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 32 does not necessarily have to be provided, and the display 72 does not necessarily have to display the third short-axis image 3.

[0059] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to this and may be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 12: Ultrasound probe unit 24: Puncture needle position display device 26: First short-axis ultrasonic array probe 28: Second short-axis ultrasonic array probe 30: Long axis ultrasonic array probe 32: Third short-axis ultrasonic array probe 70: Electronic control device (image display control unit) 72: Display 76: Blood vessel depth display area 80: Ultrasonic drive control unit 82: Detection processing section 84: Ultrasonic signal processing unit 86: Depth calculation unit 88: Image synthesis unit 90: Steering angle control unit 92: Display control unit

Claims

1. A puncture needle position display device comprising: an ultrasonic probe having a flat bottom surface to be placed on the skin of a living body, the flat bottom surface having a long-axis ultrasonic array probe in which a plurality of long-axis ultrasonic transducers are linearly arranged, and a short-axis ultrasonic array probe in which a plurality of short-axis ultrasonic transducers are linearly arranged in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the long-axis ultrasonic transducers; and a display that displays the position of a puncture needle relative to a tubular organ located under the skin together with the tubular organ in a short-axis image showing a cross section of the tubular organ in the living body and a long-axis image showing a longitudinal section of the tubular organ in the living body, the short-axis ultrasonic array probe comprises a first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and a second short-axis ultrasonic array probe arranged on a straight line perpendicular to the long-axis ultrasonic array probe with the long-axis ultrasonic array probe sandwiched therebetween, an image display control unit that displays, on the display, the short-axis image showing a cross section of the tubular organ within a range to be displayed as the long-axis image, based on the reflected signals received by the first short-axis ultrasonic array probe and the second short-axis ultrasonic array probe; the ultrasonic probe comprises a puncture needle guide mechanism having a frame-shaped guide mechanism fixing part fixed to the ultrasonic probe by fitting, and a needle guide member attached to the guide mechanism fixing part so that the distance to the skin can be adjusted by moving parallel in the height direction along a guide rail extending in the height direction of the ultrasonic probe, and guiding the puncture needle at a certain inclination angle with respect to the skin in a plane including the arrangement direction of the long-axis ultrasonic transducers and the height direction, The needle guide member is formed with a guide groove having a U-shaped cross section that guides the puncture needle in the longitudinal direction of the puncture needle and opens toward the skin. A puncture needle position display device characterized by:

2. a depth calculation unit that calculates the depth from the skin of the upper surface of the tubular organ displayed on the long axis image, and an image display control unit that causes the display device to display the depth from the skin of the upper surface of the tubular organ calculated by the depth calculation unit or a manual operation position of the needle guide member based on the depth, The distance of the needle guide member from the skin is adjusted according to the depth of the tubular organ from the skin displayed in the depth display area of the display.