Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Ayao Itoh

Satoshi Aida

Ichiro Ogura

Yoshinori Suzuki

Kozo Sato

Takuji Suzuki

Katsuhiko Fujimoto

Mariko Shibata

Kinya Takamizawa

Yoshiharu Ishibashi

Akinori Ishida

Kenzo Matsumoto

An ultrasonic wave medical treatment in which the position of the focal point of the ultrasonic waves, the temperature in a vicinity of the object to be treated, and the effect of the treatment can be determined easily and accurately. The three-dimensional image information of the object to be treated obtained by a computed tomography device is utilized in locating the focal point. In case of using a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device as the computed tomography device, the T2 weighted image and the chemical shift data can be used in checking the effect of the treatment and the temperature in a vicinity of the object. The endocavitary probe equipped with temperature and intensity sensors may also be used. The ultrasound tomographic images obtained by the ultrasound tomographic imaging device may also be used in conjunction with the three-dimensional image information. Sequential shifting of the focal point of the ultrasonic waves may be employed to reduce adverse influence due to the cavitation.

Method and apparatus for ultrasonic wave medical treatment using

An ultrasonic medical treatment apparatus contains a medical treatment ultrasonic transducer and an image ultrasonic transducer which is mechanically movable. The image ultrasonic transducer provides tomographic data to obtain, based on an arithmetic operation, one or both of plural pieces of tomographic data (B-mode tomogram) representing a first plane of a region of interest, extending parallel to the direction of ultrasonic wave propagation, and plural pieces of tomographic data (C-mode tomogram) representing a second plane intersecting with the first plane at right angles. These pieces of tomographic data are displayed by a display, so that an operator can recognize three-dimensional tomographic data from the displayed pieces of tomographic data, and ensuring an exact medical treatment of the region of interest.

Ultrasonic medical treatment apparatus

An ultrasonic lithotrity apparatus is held such that its installation position can be adjusted with respect to a stone formed in a living body, and has an ultrasonic lithotrity transducer for emitting an intense ultrasonic wave for breaking up the stone. The ultrasonic lithotrity transducer emits a weak ultrasonic wave immediately before every single or every predetermined number of intense ultrasonic waves is emitted. The position of a stone in the living body can be determined in accordance with a reflected wave of the weak ultrasonic wave. On the basis of reception of the reflected echo signal, the position of the stone is determined. In accordance with the determination result, electronic circuits determine whether the weak or intense ultrasonic wave is to be emitted from the ultrasonic lithotrity transducer.

Ultrasonic lithotrity apparatus

An ultrasound therapy system comprises an annular array ultrasound transducer, a mechanical driver, a transmitter/receiver, and a controller. The controller includes an imaging controller, a heating controller, and a select controller. The mechanical driver mechanically drives the transducer to change at least one of the position and direction of ultrasound beams transmitted and received by the transducer. The transmitter/receiver may supply drive signals to the respective elements of the transducer, and receive the ultrasound echo signals from the elements. The imaging controller gives a first drive command to the transmitter/receiver, and at the same time drives the mechanical driver, radiates scanning ultrasound beams for tomographing through the transducer, and obtains a tomogram of a target portion in a patient from the echo signal derived from the transmitter/receiver. The heating controller drives the transmitter/receiver by a second drive signal to cause the transducer to radiate heating ultrasound beams. The heating ultrasound beams heat the target. These imaging and heating controllers are selectively activated by the select controller.

Ultrasound therapy system

An ultrasound hyperthermia apparatus has a tomographic ultrasound probe for obtaining a tomographic image and a heating applicator for heating a tumor portion. A position detector is provided to detect the positional relationship of the tomographic ultrasound probe and the heating applicator with respect to a living organism, and a hot spot detector detects the position of a focusing point, i.e., a hot spot of the ultrasound radiated from the heating applicator in accordance with position data from the position detector, thereby generating an image signal indicating the hot spot. The image signal indicating the hot spot is superimposed on a tomographic image signal, and the hot spot is displayed on a TV monitor together with the tomographic image.

Ultrasound hyperthermia apparatus

A gas introducing apparatus for a respiratory gas analyzer which comprises a gas introducing tube for guiding sampled gas from an airway tube inserted into the airway of a patient to a gas analyzer, and a sintered metal filter hermetically and detouchably mounted on a distal end of the gas introducing tube.

Gas introducing apparatus for respiratory gas analyzer

An ultrasonic flowmeter for measuring a flow rate in a conduit. A pair of ultrasonic transducers are disposed in a conduit so as to oppose each other such that a line connecting the pair of transducers is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to a fluid flowing direction. The ultrasonic flowmeter includes: driving means for simultaneously driving the pair of ultrasonic transducers; means for measuring the primary time difference between a time when one ultrasonic transducer receives an ultrasonic wave which is radiated from the other ultrasonic transducer and a time when the other transducer receives an ultrasonic wave which is radiated from the first ultrasonic transducer. Additionally, a time difference between the time measured when one ultrasonic transducer receives an ultrasonic wave radiated from one ultrasonic transducer and reflected by the other ultrasonic transducer and a time measured when the other ultrasonic transducer receives an ultrasonic wave radiated from the other ultrasonic transducer and reflected by one ultrasonic transducer. Primary and secondary time difference data is produced by adding signs in accordance with the arrival order of the ultrasonic waves. Time difference data is used to calculate an actual flow rate of the fluid using data of the propagation time difference data.

Ultrasonic flowmeter

A respiration monitoring apparatus which comprises meters for determining the flow rate of air flow and the airway pressure of the living body fitted with an artificial respirator; a monitor for displaying the waveforms of output signals from the meters. The apparatus further comprises a signal processing circuit which detects the end of the respective expiratory periods from the marks indicated by the output signals from the meters which denote the flow rate of breathed air flow, stores the average value of the airway pressures determined at the end of the respective expiratory periods, and, where the measured airway pressure determined falls below the stored average value, issues a detection signal denoting this condition, thereby changing a display pattern on the monitor.

Respiration monitoring apparatus and method

At a pair of recesses formed on an inner wall of a conduit along a line slanted with respect to the flow direction of a respiration gas flowing through the measuring conduit, a pair of ultrasonic transducers are provided with their ultrasonic transmitting and receiving surfaces oppositely facing each other along the above line. A propagating time T1 from the time when one of said ultrasonic transducers is driven to produce ultrasonic wave until the other transducer receives the ultrasonic wave, and a propagating time difference .DELTA.T are measured. A digital processor calculates a flow velocity of the respiration gas using the measured values in accordance with the following equation ##EQU1## where d is a distance between the pair of transducers free from an effect by the flow velocity of the gas; L a distance influenced by the flow velocity of the same; .theta. an angle of the direction of the respiration flow with respect to a line coupling the pair of transducers; .DELTA.T the propagating time difference; and Ta a value obtained by substituting the propagating time difference .DELTA.T from the double (2 T1) of the ultrasonic propagating time T1.

Respiration flowmeter

A plurality of impedance pneumographs for measuring impedances at the locations of a human thorax are provided together with a pneumotachograph for measuring an amount of respiration. An impedance value measured at the inhalation starting point is subtracted from an impedance value measured at other time points to obtain an impedance variation. The impedance variations corresponding to the locations of the thorax are added to obtain a sum of the impedance variations. A ratio of the impedance at each location of the thorax to the sum of the impedance variations is calculated and an amount of ventilation at each location of the thorax is found by the impedance ratio and respiration amount.

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Yokohama, Japan

Ayao Itoh