1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an apparatus for mounting at least one ultrasound head on a patient positioning table to allow the ultrasound head near its location of use during short-term periods of non-use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A diagnostic apparatus is known from German Patent 100 15 824 that has an x-ray device and an ultrasound system. Such a diagnostic acoustic pressure sensor with ultrasound technology is increasingly used since it does not make use of penetrating radiation and is simple to operate. For some years, the use of ultrasound systems during medical interventional procedures has proven to be an attractive tool. This enables the precise implementation of vessel and organ centeses with real-time imaging. Interventional procedures can be implemented faster and more precisely and complications can be prevented. Moreover, complex, minimally-invasive interventions can be implemented using ultrasound.
The ultrasound head must be available to the physician in the area of the patient positioning table and be covered so that they remain sterile. An advantageous position of the ultrasound heads would be directly on the table, where an accessory rail is already provided at which the operating elements for the instruments necessary for the intervention can be placed or mounted.
In European Application 752 237, an operating table is disclose at in which a number of such attachment rails are mounted circumferentially for acceptance of surgical accessories such as, for example, mountings for surgical instruments, infusion brackets, operating units for additional devices, etc. Such mountings, for example, are locked to the attachment rails by means of rail clamp devices, so they can be easily slid on the attachment rails by releasing the clamp.
German Patent 198 07 242, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,731, discloses a medical-technical system workspace for open or minimally-invasive surgery with a patient positioning table, with an ultrasound applicator arranged on an administering unit which, for example, is disposed such that it can shift on rails on the patient positioning plate. Under the table is the ultrasound apparatus that is connected with the ultrasound applicator via a connection line.
Normally, however, the ultrasound apparatus is too large, and the cable length between the electronics and the ultrasound heads too short, to realize a mechanical integration of the ultrasound apparatus in an angiography system in the interventional environment. With such an ultrasound apparatus it is not possible to house the ultrasound head at the table without situating the large electronics module in direct proximity to the table. This solution is unacceptable from the perspective of the manufacturer and from the point of view of the physician, and the ultrasound apparatus must then be made available as an independent apparatus in the interventional environment. In practice, the ultrasound apparatus is brought into the intervention room only when necessary. Bringing the ultrasound apparatus in and out is very complicated and disturbs the course of the interventional procedure. Moreover, the availability of the independent ultrasound apparatus is restricted since it may be needed simultaneously not only in one room, but in multiple rooms.
German OS 197 14 984 describes an integrated apparatus and operating unit for a surgical-treatment workspace with at least two apparatuses and/or apparatus components, a central control unit housed in the housing, a central operating unit with central supply connections for input/output of data/working media, and a central display unit. This integrated apparatus and operating unit is arranged on a stand, in particular a ceiling stand. A mount for a feeding or cleaning bottle is provided.
From German OS 36 17 235, a biopsy adapter is known that is connected to an ultrasound head with a swallowtail connection.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the initially-cited type that will enable a secure mounting of the ultrasound head to the patient positioning table as well as a direct accommodation of the ultrasound system in the proximity of the patient positioning table.
The object is inventively achieved by an apparatus with a base -element that has at least one chamber for a first electronic module, and at least one attachment element for an ultrasound head that has a chamber to accept an electronic module associated with the respective ultrasound head, and a mounting or acceptor for the ultrasound head.
The apparatus can be simply, detachably mounted to a patient positioning table in an embodiment wherein at least one of the elements is provided with at least one mounting clamp to mount to an accessory rail on the patient positioning table.
The base elements and mounting elements can be arbitrarily connected together as needed when they are laterally connected with one another such that they can be detached. The elements can be laterally connected with one another by swallowtail mechanisms (guides; tracks; rails).
As an alternative, the connection can be effected by an element having a P-shaped cutout, with the adjacent element having a knob, engaging in the cutout, with the head of the knob fitting through the wide opening of the cutout and the neck fitting in the narrow part of the cutout.
The first electronic module can be a voltage supply module.
The apparatus also can be attached to tilting tables when they have a level-regulating adapter. Such an adapter can be attached directly to the table.
A further alternative is for the mounting clamps to engage via a mounting-side adapter rail that is connected via a rotation element for level compensation with a table-side adapter piece that has a hook attachment for the accessory rail.
It has proven to be advantageous when one of the elements is a mounting for an ultrasound gel bottle.
The above object also is inventively achieved by an ultrasound apparatus with at least one ultrasound head to which a first electronic module is connected for the control of the ultrasound head and the acquisition of the image data, the head also being connected with a second electronic module for voltage supply, with a computer to reproduce the ultrasound images, and with a device to accept at least one ultrasound head.
In
The individual elements 1 through 3 are shown in
Shown in
The attachment element 3 for a large ultrasound head is shown in
An inventive mounting composed of a base element 1 and the second attachment element 3 for a large ultrasound head is shown in perspective in
To mount the ultrasound head mounting, it is attached with the brackets 7 shown in
An ultrasound head mounting 15 with a base element 1 and an attachment element 3 is shown in
Since a patient positioning table, particularly for angiography, can execute tilting motions (which could lead to the ultrasound heads falling from their acceptor 9 or 11 given a rigidly attached ultrasound head mounting 15), a level-regulating adapter can be provided for the ultrasound head mounting 15. This is shown in
A plan view of the ultrasound head mounting with rotation adapter shown in
The functioning of the rotation adapter is shown in detail in
In
Alternatively, the ultrasound head mounting 15, as shown in
A further connection possibility of the individual elements 1 through 3, that can replace the previously specified swallowtail connection, is shown in
A modern ultrasound apparatus has very small electronics boxes for the control of the ultrasound head and the acquisition of the image data. It is thus possible to adapt the ultrasound heads to the accessory rails of the patient table. This inventive ultrasound head mounting exhibits the following significant properties:
The ultrasound head mounting is comprised of a base element 1 in which a voltage supply electronics module 20 is stored and one or more attachment elements 2 or 3 in which the respective ultrasound head electronic modules 19 and the ultrasound heads are stored. The base element 1 and the attachment elements 2 and 3 are modularly, laterally connected to one another via a swallowtail mechanism. Each element 1 through 3 possesses this swallowtail mechanism on both the left and the right sides and is always assembled on the same side to base element 1 or attachment element 2 or 3. This enables the connection of arbitrarily many attachment elements, allowing the combination of different ultrasound heads, for example for different medical applications. Given the application of an ultrasound head, the corresponding ultrasound head electronic module 19 must be connected to the voltage supply electronic module 20 with a cable. For sterility, this connection is located on the underside of the base element 1. The base element 1 has a second connection that enables the connection between the voltage supply electronic module and the ultrasound PC 21.
The electronic module 19 for each ultrasound head 18 is stored in a mounting that is attached to the accessory rail 14 of the patient positioning table 16. A ultrasound head mounting 9 or 11 the size of which is adapted to the size of the ultrasound head is built into the front of this mounting. A slot 13 for the passage of the ultrasound head cable is also provided under the ultrasound head mounting, and a bore is provided above to the back side of the mounting for the cable of the electronic module 19. A suspender is located outside of and underneath the ultrasound head electronic module mounting in order to be able to roll up the ultrasound head cable.
Instead of the swallowtail mechanism, a P-shaped cutout 28 on an element and a knob 32 on the neighboring element can be used.
There are angiography table options in which the patient positioning table 14 can be tilted up to 15° lengthwise and/or sideways. In order to compensate this tilting along the longitudinal axis so that it does not lead to the ultrasound heads falling off, an adapter 22 through 26 is provided. This adapter 22 through 26 is attached on the hook attachment of the ultrasound head mounting specified above according to
The bracket 6 for an ultrasound gel bottle is attached to the base element 1. It is fashioned such that the bottle can be held at the neck of the bottle. This enables a better handling of the ultrasound gel bottle.
The application field for such mountings for ultrasound heads are interventional radiology, the operating room and the ultrasound department.
By means of the inventive apparatus, an ultrasound head can be operated directly at the patient table and be available to the physician at any time. This ultrasound head mounting 15 simplifies the implementation and improves the course of the interventional procedure. It can also be applied for an independent ultrasound apparatus with an ultrasound head on a gurney.
Instead of the shown swallowtail connection, swallowtail connections fashioned differently can be used. For example, the cross-section of the swallowtail connection can be V-shaped in a known manner.
Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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203 08 606.6 | May 2003 | DE | national |