Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic treatment instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016374707-A1
Application number	US-201615259573-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 8, 2016
Priority date	Jul 2, 2014
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a width dimension decrease portion forming a distal end of an ultrasonic probe, a width dimension decreases from a proximal direction toward a distal direction, so that a sectional area perpendicular to a longitudinal axis decreases from the proximal direction toward the distal direction. An intermediary portion continuous between a probe body portion and the width dimension decrease portion includes a width dimension increase portion in which the width dimension increases and a thickness dimension decreases from the proximal direction toward the distal direction at the same time. In the intermediary portion, the sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal axis does not increase and does not decrease at a higher decrease rate than in the width dimension decrease portion toward the distal direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An ultrasonic probe having a longitudinal axis, comprising:
a probe body portion which extends along the longitudinal axis, and which is configured to transmit an ultrasonic vibration from a proximal direction toward a distal direction; a width dimension decrease portion which is provided on a distal direction side with respect to the probe body portion, and which forms a distal end of the ultrasonic probe, when certain two directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and opposite to each other are width directions and when two directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the width directions are thickness directions, a width dimension in the width directions being larger than a thickness dimension in the thickness directions at a proximal end of the width dimension decrease portion, and the width dimension decreasing from the proximal direction toward the distal direction so that a sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal axis decreases from the proximal direction toward the distal direction; a width dimension increase portion in which the width dimension in the width directions increases and the thickness dimension in the thickness directions decreases at the same time from the proximal direction toward the distal direction; and an intermediary portion in which the width dimension increase portion is provided, and which is continuous between the probe body portion and the width dimension decrease portion in longitudinal directions parallel to the longitudinal axis, the sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal axis being kept uniform in a given range or decreasing from the proximal direction toward the distal direction in the intermediary portion, and decreasing at a lower decrease rate from the proximal direction toward the distal direction in the intermediary portion than in the width dimension decrease portion.

2 . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein in the intermediary portion, the width dimension in the width directions is kept uniform in a given range or increases from the proximal direction toward the distal direction, and
when the width dimension in the width directions at the proximal end of the width dimension decrease portion is a maximum width dimension, the width dimension increases up to the maximum width dimension from the proximal direction toward the distal direction in the width dimension increase portion.

3 . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein the width dimension decrease portion includes a thickness dimension decrease portion in which the thickness dimension in the thickness directions decreases from the proximal direction toward the distal direction.

4 . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein the width dimension decrease portion is plane-symmetrical with respect to a reference plane passing through the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the width directions as a central plane over the entire length in the longitudinal directions.

5 . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein in a state where the ultrasonic vibration is transmitted through the probe body portion, a most-distal antinode position located most distally among antinode positions of the longitudinal vibration is located at the distal end of the ultrasonic probe, and
in the state where the ultrasonic vibration is transmitted through the probe body portion, a most-distal node position locate most distally among node positions of the longitudinal vibration is located on a proximal direction side with respect to a proximal end of the intermediary portion.

6 . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein the width dimension decrease portion includes a first outer surface facing in a first thickness direction which is one of the thickness directions, a second outer surface facing in a second thickness direction which is opposite to the first thickness direction, and an edge surface which is continuous between the first outer surface and the second outer surface, and
the edge surface includes a blade portion.

7 . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6 , wherein the edge surface includes a first side edge facing in a first width direction which is one of the width directions, a second side edge facing in a second width direction which is opposite to the first width direction, and a distal edge which faces in the distal direction and which forms the distal end of the ultrasonic probe.

8 . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein a first longitudinal dimension of the width dimension decrease portion in the longitudinal directions is larger than a second longitudinal dimension of the intermediary portion in the longitudinal directions.

9 . An ultrasonic treatment instrument comprising:
the ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 ; and a vibration generator which is configured to generate the ultrasonic vibration to be transmitted to the ultrasonic probe by a supply of an ultrasonic generating electric power.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Akagane Tsunetaka

Classifications

• A61B17/320068 Primary

  using mechanical vibrations, e.g. ultrasonic (A61B17/22012 takes precedence; dental tooth drilling devices operated by vibration A61C3/03; removing intra-ocular material using mechanical vibrations A61F9/00745) · CPC title

• A61N7/00

  Ultrasound therapy (lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 {; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092}) · CPC title

• A61B2017/320072

  Working tips with special features, e.g. extending parts · CPC title

• A61B18/1402

  Probes for open surgery · CPC title

• A61B2018/00994

  combining two or more different kinds of non-mechanical energy or combining one or more non-mechanical energies with ultrasound · CPC title