Patent Application
20080114351
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to high-frequency operation apparatus and method for controlling a high-frequency output based on the change with time of a parameter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques for treating a blood vessel with high-frequency energy in a surgical operation are known. For instance, there are devices for supplying a high-frequency current in a condition where a blood vessel is held by appropriate holding power and sealing off the blood vessel by means of the thermal energy generated at that time. Generally, it is known that, when a tissue is modified, the water in the tissue is lost by dehydration and the impedance that is the electric resistance rises. On the bases of this fact, the above-described device for sealing off a blood vessel controls a high-frequency output by means of the detected impedance.
While the output of a power source that is used in a blood vessel sealing treatment is often on/off-controlled by means of a very low frequency, the on/off timings are controlled according to the detected impedance.
From the above-described facts, it is believed to be rational to control a high-frequency output according to the impedance that indicates the condition of a tissue.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a high-frequency operation apparatus comprising: a high-frequency energy generating section which generates and outputs high-frequency energy to be used for treating an object tissue; a parameter monitoring section which monitors the change with time of an electrical parameter indicting the condition of the object tissue when the high-frequency energy output from the high-frequency energy generating section is supplied to the object tissue; and a control section which controls the output of high-frequency energy according to the outcome of the monitoring by the parameter monitoring section.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation apparatus in the first aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring section monitors the change with time of the impedance that indicates the condition of the object tissue.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation apparatus in the third aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring section measures the impedance at predetermined time intervals during the treatment, monitors if the impedance exceeds the first threshold value or not and, when the number of times of exceeding the first threshold value gets to a predetermined number of times, the control section stops the output of high-frequency energy.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation apparatus in the third aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring section resets the count value obtained by the past measurement but continues the measurement of the impedance when the impedance falls below the first threshold value during the measurement of the impedance.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation apparatus in the third aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring section determines if the impedance exceeds the second threshold value that is different from the first threshold value or not after the number of times by which the impedance exceeds the first threshold value gets to a predetermined number of times and the control section stops outputting the high-frequency energy when the impedance exceeds the second threshold value.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation apparatus in the first aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring section monitors the amount of electric power of the high-frequency energy being applied to the object tissue and the control section stops outputting the high-frequency energy when the amount of electric power exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation apparatus in the sixth aspect of the invention, the monitoring of the amount of electric power by the parameter monitoring section has the first mode of monitoring the total integrated amount of electric power in the period when the operator operates to output the high-frequency energy and the second mode of monitoring the integrated amount of electric power in the period when the high-frequency energy is actually output.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation apparatus in the second aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring section monitors the impedance at predetermined time intervals during the treatment in the first output period and the control section stops outputting the high-frequency energy and stores the impedance at the time of exceeding the first threshold value but restarts when the impedance exceeds a predetermined threshold value in the first memory but it restarts outputting high-frequency energy from the energy generating section, computes the difference value between the impedance at the restart time and the impedance stored in the first memory and controls the output of high-frequency energy according to the difference value.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a high-frequency operation method comprising: a high-frequency energy generating step of generating and outputting high-frequency energy to be used for treating an object tissue; a parameter monitoring step of monitoring the change with time of an electrical parameter indicting the condition of the object tissue when the high-frequency energy output in the high-frequency energy generating step is supplied to the object tissue; and a control step of controlling the output of the high-frequency energy according to the outcome of the monitoring in the parameter monitoring step.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation method in the ninth aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring step monitors the change with time of the impedance that indicates the condition of the object tissue.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation method in the tenth aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring step measures the impedance at predetermined time intervals during the treatment, monitors if the impedance exceeds the first threshold value or not and, when the number of times of exceeding the first threshold value gets to a predetermined number of times, the control step stops the output of the high-frequency energy.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation method in the eleventh aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring step resets the count value obtained by the past measurement but continues the measurement of the impedance when the impedance falls below the first threshold value during the measurement of the impedance.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation method in the eleventh aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring step determines if the impedance exceeds the second threshold value that is different from the first threshold value or not after the number of times by which the impedance exceeds the first threshold value gets to a predetermined number of times and the control step stops outputting the high-frequency energy when the impedance exceeds the second threshold value.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation method in the ninth aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring step monitors the amount of electric power of the high-frequency energy being applied to the object tissue and the control steps stops outputting the high-frequency energy when the amount of electric power exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation method in the fourteenth aspect of the invention, the monitoring of the amount of electric power in the parameter monitoring step has the first mode of monitoring the total integrated amount of electric power in the period when the operator operates to output the high-frequency energy and the second mode of monitoring the integrated amount of electric power in the period when the high-frequency energy is actually output.
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in a high-frequency operation apparatus in the tenth aspect of the invention, the parameter monitoring step measures the impedance at predetermined time intervals during the treatment in the first output period, monitors if the impedance exceeds a predetermined threshold value or not and the control step stops outputting the high-frequency energy and stores the impedance at the time of exceeding the first threshold value in the first memory but restarts when the impedance exceeds the predetermined threshold value but it restarts outputting the high-frequency energy, computes the difference value between the impedance at the restart time and the impedance stored in the first memory and controls the output of the high-frequency energy according to the difference value.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate present preferred embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Now, the present invention will be described in greater detail by referring to the accompanying drawings that illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.
The first embodiment is characterized in that it monitors the change with time of the impedance as an electrical parameter that indicates the condition of the object tissue and controls the output of high-frequency energy.
Referring to
The high-frequency electric current generated by the high-frequency energy generating section 3 is transmitted to electrode 12 by way of output leads 10, 11. As a result, a cauterization treatment is performed on the object tissue 13, which is the object of treatment and held between electrodes 12 with an appropriate amount of holding power. In the meantime, impedance detecting section 9 detects the impedance by dividing the detected voltage by the detected current and transmits the outcome of detection to the main control section 8 as impedance detection signal. The detected impedance changes according to the situation of cauterization of the tissue.
The main control section 8 transmits a control signal that corresponds to set conditions and the impedance detected by the impedance detecting section 9 to variable power source 2 and waveform generating section 7. The variable power source 2 outputs direct current electric power that corresponds to the control signal transmitted from the main control section 8. The waveform generating section 7 outputs a waveform (of a rectangular wave here) that corresponds to the control signal output from the main control section 8. The high-frequency energy generating section 3 generates high-frequency energy according to the operation of switching circuit 6 that is turned on and off according to the direct current electric power transmitted from the variable power source 2 and the rectangular wave transmitted from the waveform generating section 7.
When treating the object tissue, high-frequency energy is generated and output by the high-frequency energy generating section 3 and supplied to the object tissue 13 by way of the electrodes 12 under the control of the main control section 8 (Step S1 in
The main control section 8 determines if the impedance signal it takes in exceeds the first impedance threshold value (th1) that is a specific target impedance or not (Step S4) and returns to Step S3 when the impedance signal does not exceed the threshold value but substitute 1 for the variable N when the impedance signal exceeds the threshold value (Step S5). Thereafter, the main control section 8 determines if the variable N gets to a predetermined number of times (9 times here) or not (Step S6). The main control section 8 repeats the Steps S3 through S6 until N=9 is obtained and, when the conditional result in Step S6 is YES, it determines if the finally achieved impedance exceeds the second impedance threshold value (th2) or not (Step S7). The main control section 8 continues outputting high-frequency energy so long as the conditional result is NO but it determines that the tissue is sufficiently dried and outputs a signal for stopping output of high-frequency energy to the variable power source 2 and the waveform generating section 7 when the conditional result becomes YES (Step S8).
Note that, when the impedance level falls below the first impedance threshold value th1 while the main control section 8 is counting the number of times by which the impedance signal taken in by the main control section 8 exceeds th1 as shown in
Thus, with the above-described first embodiment, if the impedance transiently changes due to some external factor or another while a cauterization treatment is being performed on the object tissue 13 with high-frequency power, it is not determined to stop the output of high-frequency power immediately at that moment and continuation/stop of the high-frequency output is determined according to the change with time of the impedance. With this arrangement, if the contact condition becomes defective at the site where the tissue is held by a forceps and the impedance transiently changes due to a generated small spark, it is possible to reliably and perfectly dehydrate the tissue to improve the reliability of sealing off a blood vessel.
The second embodiment is characterized in that it monitors the change with time of the amount of electric power as an electrical parameter that indicates the condition of the object tissue and controls the output of high-frequency energy.
The configuration of
When treating the object tissue 13, high-frequency energy is generated and output by the high-frequency energy generating section 3 and supplied to the object tissue 13 by way of the electrodes 12 under the control of the main control section 8 (Step S10).
During the treatment, the main control section 8 takes in the amount of electric power (instantaneous electric power 102×output time) detected by the amount of electric power detecting section 19 as data. The detection of the amount of electric power is conducted successively so long as high-frequency energy is output from the high-frequency cauterization power supply apparatus 1.
Then, the main control section 8 computes the integrated amount of electric power on the basis of the amounts of electric power that are taken in (Step S12). Then, it determines if the computed integrated amount of electric power exceeds a predetermined amount of electric power threshold value (the amount of electric power as ending condition) or not (Step S13). When the conditional result is NO, the main control section 8 returns to Step S11 to repeat the subsequent steps. However, when the conditional result in Step S13 becomes YES, it determines that the tissue is sufficiently dried and outputs a signal for stopping output of high-frequency energy to the variable power source 2 and the waveform control section 7 (Step S14).
A large amount of electric power is required in the initial stages of high-frequency energy output because the object tissue contains water to a large extent. However, as the water is evaporated and dispersed to become sufficiently dry, the impedance of the tissue rises so that practically no electric current flows. For this reason, a relatively high threshold value is set for the amount of electric power for shifting to an inactive period in the initial stages of output and a relatively low threshold value is set for the amount of electric power as the output gradually progresses.
Thus, with the above-described second embodiment, the condition of the object tissue 13 is determined according to the amount of electric power supplied to the object tissue 13 so that it is possible to reduce the variances in the level of sealing off the blood vessel due to the nature and the condition of the object tissue 13 and the influence of external factors can be minimized. In other words, it is possible to realize stable performances for sealing off a blood vessel regardless of the condition of the object tissue 13.
The third embodiment is characterized in that it monitors the difference of two impedances detected at different timings as an electrical parameter that indicates the condition of the object tissue and controls the output of high-frequency energy. More specifically, the output of high-frequency energy is controlled according to the difference value D between the impedance Z1 at the first time point (at the N-th time point) of stopping the output of high-frequency energy and the impedance Z2 at the next time point (at the N+1−t time point) of starting the output of high-frequency energy. The list shown below describes the electrical parameter in detail.
(1) When Z1 is lower than a specific impedance threshold value, the cauterization of the part held by the forceps is insufficient. In this case, the treatment control parameter is so controlled as to raise the amount of electric power in the next step regardless of the information on the difference value D.
(2) When Z1 is higher than the specific impedance threshold value, the dehydration of the part held by the forceps has bee practically completed. However, the cauterization may not be sufficient in the peripheral tissue. Then, the treatment control parameter (the impedance threshold value) is determined in the next step by taking the information on the difference value D into consideration.
(1) When D is greater than the threshold value and Z1<Z2, the part held by the forceps and the peripheral tissue have been dehydrated sufficiently. Therefore, it is not necessary to continue the output of high-frequency energy and hence the output is made inactive or stopped.
(2) When D is greater than the threshold value and Z1>Z2, the cauterization of the part held by the forceps has been completed to a certain extent but the dehydration of the peripheral tissue is insufficient or the cauterization of the part held by the forceps is insufficient. Therefore, it is not necessary to continue the output of high-frequency energy and hence the output is made inactive or stopped.
(4) When D is smaller than the threshold value and Z1>Z2, the part held by the forceps and that of the peripheral tissue are dehydrated substantially to a sufficient level but the cauterization needs to be continued a little. Therefore, it is so controlled that the output of high-frequency energy is continued but the amount of electric power to be supplied to the tissue is reduced.
As described above, with the third embodiment, the condition of the tissue is determined on the basis of the combinations of the three factors of the impedance Z1 at the first time point of stopping the output of high-frequency energy, the impedance Z2 at the next time point of starting the output of high-frequency energy and the difference thereof. Therefore, it is possible to determine the condition of the tissue in a more detailed manner and elaborately control the output according to the condition of the tissue. In other words, it is possible to keep sealing performances to a same level (reduce variances) regardless of the condition of the object tissue.
Now, a situation where the technique of the third embodiment is applied to an actual output control will be described below.
The third embodiment has a configuration basically same as the first embodiment (
When treating the object tissue 13, high-frequency energy is generated by and output from the high-frequency energy generating section 3 under the control of the main control section 8 and supplied to the object tissue 13 by way of the electrodes 12 (Step S20).
The main control section 8 takes in the impedance detected by the impedance detecting section 9 (Step S21) and determines if it exceeds the specific impedance threshold value or not (Step S22). When the detected impedance does not exceed the threshold value, it returns to Step S21, and when the detected impedance exceeds the threshold value, it outputs a signal for stopping the high-frequency energy output to the variable power source 2 and the waveform control section 7 (Step S23). At this time, the absolute value of the impedance (Z1) observed at the time point when the output of high-frequency energy is stopped is stored in the memory in the inside of the apparatus (Step S24).
In this way, it is determined if the output of high-frequency electric power in the first output period (0 to T1) from the start is to be stopped or continued by comparing the impedance that is taken in with the specific impedance threshold value and the output of high-frequency energy is stopped at the time point when the impedance that is taken in exceeds the specific impedance threshold value. However, the condition for stopping the output may alternatively be a predetermined time.
Thereafter, after a predetermined time period (T1 to T2) of inactivating the output of high-frequency energy, the high-frequency cauterization power supply apparatus 1 again generates and outputs high-frequency electric power (Step S25). At this time, the impedance (Z2) of the time point (T2) of starting the output of high-frequency energy is detected by the impedance detecting section 9 and taken in by the main control section 8 (Step S26) and the absolute value of the observed impedance is stored in the memory in the inside of the apparatus (Step S27). The main control section 8 reads out the impedances Z1 and Z2 stored in the memory and computes the difference value of the two impedances D=Z2−Z1 (Step S28). Then, the main control section 8 sets the impedance threshold value for determining if the output of high-frequency energy is to be intercepted or continued (the determining threshold value at time point T3) according to the computed value of D (Step S29). Then, it compares the impedance value that is taken in from time to time and the impedance threshold value set in Step S29 (Step S30). If the impedance signal that is dependent on the difference value D exceeds the set threshold value at T3, it outputs a signal for stopping the output of high-frequency energy to the variable power source 2 and the waveform control section 7 (Step S31). Thereafter, the above-described process is continued until a situation where the tissue is ultimately and completely dehydrated is detected.
The third embodiment is adapted to regulate the impedance threshold value for determining interception or continuation of the output of high-frequency energy according to the impedance difference value D. However, a similar effect can be obtained if the factor to be used for the regulation is replaced by the electric power value, the electric current value and the electric voltage value at the N-th output.
Particularly, when a large tissue is to be held and treated, the impedance is low in the initial stages. Additionally, the current density (the power density) of the site of treatment falls so that the cauterization does not progress remarkably and the output of high-frequency energy needs to be continued to prolong the treatment time. Although not described in detail, the longest permissible output time may be separately defined for each output period and this embodiment may be combined with such an arrangement to provide a particularly remarkable advantage.
