Ultrasound treatment device and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10413756-B2
Application number	US-201013990233-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2010
Priority date	Dec 9, 2010
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

When a user designates a treatment range on a diagnostic image, a switch (12) selects a transmitter for treatment (16). Ultrasound with intensity for treatment is thereby transmitted from a probe (10) to the inside of an organism. When the treatment operation continues for a prescribed time, a control unit (18) controls the switch (12) to select a transmitter for diagnosis (14). The probe (10) thereby emits an ultrasound beam for diagnosis, senses an echo thereof, generates a diagnostic image, and carries out an inspection of a positional shift of the site to be treated. In the inspection, the control unit (18) compares the diagnostic image with a reference image, and if a significant difference is detected therebetween, determines that a shift has occurred, issues an alarm, and urges the user to correct the positional shift. It is possible to resume the treatment when the positional shift has been corrected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasound treatment device, comprising:
a diagnosis ultrasound transmitter for transmitting ultrasound with intensity for diagnosis;
a treatment ultrasound transmitter for transmitting ultrasound with intensity for treatment which is stronger than the intensity for diagnosis from a transmission position which is the same as a transmission position of the diagnosis ultrasound transmitter;
a processor that causes the treatment ultrasound transmitter to transmit the ultrasound with intensity for treatment during a treatment period and also causes the diagnosis ultrasound transmitter to transmit the ultrasound with intensity for diagnosis at each inspection interval, thereby generating a diagnostic image at the inspection interval;
the processor that detects a positional shift of a treatment target portion, based on comparison between a diagnostic image generated at a certain inspection interval and a diagnostic image which has been generated at an inspection interval prior to the certain inspection interval and stored;
the processor that issues an alarm to a user when a positional shift of the treatment target portion is detected by the processor;
the processor that, before the start of the treatment period in which the treatment ultrasound transmitter is used, causes the diagnosis ultrasound transmitter to transmit the ultrasound with intensity for diagnosis to thereby generate a diagnostic image for treatment range designation and display the diagnostic image that is generated on a display device; and
the processor that receives from a user designation of a treatment range with respect to the diagnostic image for treatment range designation displayed on the display device,
wherein the treatment period and the inspection interval are alternately repeated,
wherein a time period for the inspection interval is a sum of time for obtaining the diagnostic image corresponding to one frame and time for image comparison,
wherein an image of the treatment range is formed and displayed to be superposed on the diagnostic image, and
wherein the treatment range is a range which is sectioned by lines parallel to a beam direction and a scanning direction, respectively, in the diagnostic image.

2. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the processor that controls the treatment ultrasound transmitter to transmit the ultrasound with intensity for treatment to the treatment range that is received by the processor.

3. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 2 , wherein
the treatment ultrasound transmitter is capable of transmitting an ultrasound beam as the ultrasound with intensity for treatment, while varying a scanning position and a focus depth of the beam; and
the processor causes the treatment ultrasound transmitter to transmit the ultrasound beam while varying the scanning position and the focus depth of the beam within the treatment range in accordance with a predetermined treatment plan pattern.

4. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the processor that counts an irradiation time duration in which the treatment ultrasound transmitter transmits the ultrasound with intensity for treatment from a start point which is a starting time point of the treatment period,
wherein the processor, when a positional shift of the treatment target portion is detected by the processor, causes the processor to interrupt accumulation of the irradiation time duration until subsequent treatment by the treatment ultrasound transmitter is resumed, and when treatment by the treatment ultrasound transmitter is resumed subsequently, controls the processor to resume counting of the irradiation time duration from a value corresponding to a time point at which the positional shift was detected.

5. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
the processor that counts an irradiation time duration in which the treatment ultrasound transmitter transmits the ultrasound with intensity for treatment from a start point which is a starting time point of the treatment period,
wherein the processor, when a positional shift of the treatment target portion is detected by the processor, causes the processor to interrupt accumulation of the irradiation time duration until subsequent treatment by the treatment ultrasound transmitter is resumed, and when treatment by the treatment ultrasound transmitter is resumed subsequently, controls the processor to resume counting of the irradiation time duration from a value corresponding to a time point at which the positional shift was detected.

6. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
the processor that counts irradiation time duration in which the treatment ultrasound transmitter transmits the ultrasound with intensity for treatment from a start point which is a starting time point of the treatment period,
wherein the processor, when a positional shift of the treatment target portion is detected by the processor, causes the processor to interrupt accumulation of the irradiation time duration until subsequent treatment by the treatment ultrasound transmitter is resumed, and when treatment by the treatment ultrasound transmitter is resumed subsequently, controls the processor to resume counting of the irradiation time duration from a value corresponding to a time point at which the positional shift was detected.

7. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
the processor that records, at each inspection interval, a diagnostic image generated at the inspection interval and a value of the irradiation time duration in the processor at the inspection interval.

8. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
the processor that records, at each inspection interval, a diagnostic image generated at the inspection interval and a value of the irradiation time duration in the processor at the inspection interval.

9. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 6 , further comprising:
the processor that records, at each inspection interval, a diagnostic image generated at the inspection interval and a value of the irradiation time duration in the processor at the inspection interval.

10. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a vital signal detection unit that detects a vital signal corresponding to a periodical movement of a living organism to be treated,
wherein
the processor selects, as the inspection interval, a timing interval at which a time phase of a movement of the living organism which is obtained from the vital signal detected by the vital signal detection unit corresponds to a predetermined time phase.

11. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a vital signal detection unit that detects a vital signal corresponding to a periodical movement of a living organism to be treated,
wherein
the processor selects, as the inspection interval, a timing interval at which a time phase of a movement of the living organism which is obtained from the vital signal detected by the vital signal detection unit corresponds to a predetermined time phase.

12. The ultrasound treatment device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a vital signal detection unit that detects a vital signal corresponding to a periodical movement of a living organism to be treated,
wherein
the processor selects, as the inspection interval, a timing interval at which a time phase of a movement of the living organism which is obtained from the vital signal detected by the vital

Assignees

• Shimokawa Hiroaki
• Kanai Hiroshi
• Mochiduki Takashi
• Seki Yoshinori
• Hitachi Ltd
• Univ Tohoku

Inventors

• Shimokawa Hiroaki
• Kanai Hiroshi
• Mochiduki Takashi
• Seki Yoshinori

Classifications

• A61N2007/0082

  Scanning transducers · CPC title

• A61N7/02

  Localised ultrasound hyperthermia · CPC title

• A61B8/5276 Primary

  due to motion · CPC title

• A61B8/40

  Positioning of patients, e.g. means for holding or immobilising parts of the patient's body · CPC title

• A61B8/085

  for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules · CPC title