Ultrasound medical device and ultrasound diagnostic imaging device
An ultrasound medical device and an ultrasound diagnostic imaging device are provided that allow orally-fed fluid food, etc. to pass through the esophagus of the subject. The ultrasound medical device includes a capsule-type main body configured to incorporate ultrasound transducers, so that the ultrasound transducers in the capsule-type main body, which has been inserted in a tubular body part of a subject, send ultrasound waves to the subject's interiors and receive reflected waves. The ultrasound medical device further includes a support configured to be incorporated in the capsule-type main body and to have a form of tube with a through-hole axially passing through the tube. The ultrasound transducers are arranged external to the tube.
1. An ultrasound medical device comprising:
ultrasound transducers;
a capsule-type main body configured to incorporate the ultrasound transducers, so that the ultrasound transducers within the capsule-type main body, which is configured to be inserted in a tubular body part of a subject, send ultrasound waves to an organ as an observation object in the subject's interiors and receive reflected waves;
a support incorporated in the capsule-type main body and to have a form of a tube with a through-hole axially passing through the tube to let fluid food through, the tube having first and second ends with a slanted face formed at each end thereof to be smoothly continuous to the through-hole;
an ultrasonic motor that is disposed at one end of the support and configured to cause the ultrasound transducers to make a rotational movement around a longitudinal axis of the support and relative to the support; and
a bag-like container configured to be filled with heated fluid via a hollow tube to heat the support, wherein
the ultrasound transducers are arranged external to the tube;
the support is made of a shape-memory alloy having the tube form at temperatures lower than a predetermined temperature while having a truncated cone form whose one end has a smaller diameter than the other end when heated to a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature; and
when the support is heated to a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature, the support modifies a beam angle of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound transducers.
2. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 1 , wherein the through-hole is a bore to let the fluid food through.
3. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 1 , wherein the through-hole is a bore also to let a transnasal endoscope through.
4. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 3 , further comprising a guiding hollow tube configured to be attached to the capsule-type main body by a leading end thereof and to be insertable into the tubular body part, wherein
the guiding hollow tube comprises a hollow tube, which is used for feeding a liquid into and discharging the liquid from an expansion and contraction body, the hollow tube is a region of the guiding hollow tube.
5. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an acoustic lens and a wedge-shaped offset member,
wherein a beam angle of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound transducers is modified by inserting or removing the offset member between the acoustic lens and the ultrasound transducers.
6. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 1 , wherein
the ultrasound transducers are made of a piezoelectric material that has an acoustic impedance lower than that of the shape-memory alloy; and
the shape-memory alloy is used as backing material.
7. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 1 , wherein
the ultrasound transducers have a tubular form and are controlled by a controller provided in an integrated circuit; and
the integrated circuit has a same tubular form as the ultrasound transducers and is coaxially disposed adjacent to the ultrasound transducers.
8. An ultrasound medical device comprising:
ultrasound transducers;
a capsule-type main body configured to incorporate ultrasound transducers, so that the ultrasound transducers within the capsule-type main body, which is configured to be inserted in a tubular body part of a subject, send ultrasound waves to an organ as an observation object in the subject's interiors and receive reflected waves;
a support incorporated in the capsule-type main body and to have a form of a tube, along an outer circumference of which the ultrasound transducers are arranged, the tube having a through-hole axially passing through to let fluid food through for maintaining functions of the tubular body part after the capsule-type main body has been inserted into the tubular body part and having first and second ends with a slanted face formed at each end thereof to be smoothly continuous to the through-hole;
a bag-like container configured to be disposed to cover the ultrasound transducers externally, which is configured to be inflated to bring the bag-like container into contact with a wall of the tubular body part; and
an ultrasonic motor that is disposed at one end of the support and configured to cause the ultrasound transducers to make a rotational movement around a longitudinal axis of the support and relative to the support, wherein
the bag-like container is configured to be filled with heated fluid via a hollow tube to heat the support;
the support is made of a shape-memory alloy having the tube form at temperatures lower than a predetermined temperature while having a truncated cone form whose one end has a smaller diameter than the other end, when heated to a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature; and
when the support is heated to a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature, the support modifies a beam angle of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound transducers.
9. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 8 , further comprising a guiding hollow tube configured to be attached to the capsule-type main body by a leading end thereof and to be insertable into the tubular body part, wherein
the guiding hollow tube comprises a hollow tube, which is used for feeding a liquid into and discharging the liquid from the bag-like container, the hollow tube is a region of the guiding hollow tube.
10. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 8 , wherein the through-hole is a bore to let the fluid food through.
11. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 8 , wherein the through-hole is a bore also to let a transnasal endoscope through.
12. The ultrasound medical device according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an acoustic lens and a wedge-shaped offset member,
wherein a beam angle of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound transducers is modified by inserting or removing the offset member between the acoustic lens and the ultrasound transducers.
13. The ultrasound medical device according to 8 , wherein
the ultrasound transducers have a tubular form and are controlled by a controller provided in an integrated circuit; and
the integrated circuit has a same tubular form as the ultrasound transducers and is coaxially disposed above the ultrasound transducers.
14. An ultrasound diagnostic imaging device comprising:
an ultrasound medical device; and
an external device, wherein
the ultrasound medical device includes:
ultrasound transducers;
a capsule-type main body configured to incorporate the ultrasound transducers;
a support incorporated in the capsule-type main body and to have a form of a tube with a through-hole axially passing through the tube to let fluid food through, the tube having first and second ends with a slanted face formed at each end thereof to be smoothly continuous to the through-hole;
an ultrasonic motor that is disposed at one end of the support and configured to cause the ultrasound transducers to make a rotational movement around a longitudinal axis of the support and relative to the support;
a bag-like container configured to be filled with heated fluid via a hollow tube to heat the support; and
a signal line that is for transmitting and receiving signals between the external device and the capsule-type main body,
the support is made of a shape-memory alloy having the tube form at temperatures lower than a predetermined temperature while having a truncated cone form whose one end has a smaller diameter than the other end when heated to a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature;
when the support is heated to a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature, the support modifies a beam angle of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound transducers;
the ultrasound transducers are arranged external to the tube;
the ultrasound medical device is configured to send ultrasound waves from the ultrasound transducers in the capsule-type main body, which is configured to be inserted in a tubular body part of a subject, to an organ as an observation object in the subject's interiors and receive reflected waves;
the capsule-type main body transmits signals that are generated from the reflected waves to the external device via the signal line; and
the external device includes:
a display; and
processing circuitry configured to receive the signals from the capsule-type main body and process the signals to create and display ultrasound images of interior body parts of the subject on the display.
15. An ultrasound diagnostic imaging device comprising:
an ultrasound medical device; and
an external device, wherein
the ultrasound medical device includes:
ultrasound transducers;
a capsule-type main body configured to incorporate the ultrasound transducers;
a support incorporated in the capsule-type main body and to have a form of a tube, along an outer circumference of which the ultrasound transducers are arranged, the tube having a through-hole axially passing through to let fluid food through for maintaining functions of a tubular body part of a subject after the capsule-type main body has been inserted into the tubular body part and having first and second ends with a slanted face formed at each end thereof to be smoothly continuous to the through-hole;
a bag-like container configured to be disposed to cover the ultrasound transducers externally, which is inflated to bring the bag-like container into contact with a wall of the tubular body part;
an ultrasonic motor that is disposed at one end of the support and configured to cause the ultrasound transducers to make a rotational movement around a longitudinal axis of the support and relative to the support; and
a signal line that is for transmitting and receiving signals between the external device and the capsule-type main body,
the ultrasound medical device is configured to send ultrasound waves from the ultrasound transducers in the capsule-type main body, which is configured to be inserted in the tubular body part of the subject, to an organ as an observation object in the subject's interiors and receive reflected waves;
the capsule-type main body transmits signals that are generated from the reflected waves to the external device via the signal line;
the bag-like container is configured to be filled with heated fluid via a hollow tube to heat the support;
the support is made of a shape-memory alloy having the tube form at temperatures lower than a predetermined temperature while having a truncated cone form whose one end has a smaller diameter than the other end, when heated to a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature;
when the support is heated to a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature, the support modifies a beam angle of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound transducers; and
the external device includes:
a display; and
processing circuitry configured to receive the signals from the capsule-type main body and the signals to create and display ultrasound images of interior body parts of the subject on the display.