METHOD OF INTRODUCING ULTRASONIC DRUG AND APPARATUS THEREOF

Abstract

A method of introducing an ultrasonic drug includes irradiating a low frequency sound wave onto a subject, irradiating a high frequency ultrasonic wave onto a target region of the subject, and introducing the drug into the target region.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an entire structure of a medical image diagnosis apparatus that corresponds to an ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an inner structure of an applicator in the same apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a time sequence of an overlapping pressure waveform of a low frequency ultrasonic wave and a high frequency ultrasonic wave by the same apparatus;

FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a structure of a side surface of another sound wave source;

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a structure of a top surface of another sound wave source;

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a structure of a side surface of another sound wave source;

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a structure of a top surface of another sound wave source;

FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating sound lenses that are formed in a phased-array sound source that is the same sound wave source;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an entire structure of a medical image diagnosis apparatus that corresponds to an ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a frequency characteristic of a composite oscillator in the same apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of introducing an ultrasonic drug comprising: irradiating a low frequency sound wave onto a subject;irradiating a high frequency ultrasonic wave onto a target region of the subject; andintroducing the drug into the target region.

2. The method of introducing an ultrasonic drug according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation of the high frequency ultrasonic wave is performed when a pressure by the low frequency ultrasonic wave is a positive pressure.

3. The method of introducing an ultrasonic drug according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation of the high frequency ultrasonic wave is performed when a pressure by the low frequency ultrasonic wave becomes a predetermined positive pressure or more.

4. The method of introducing an ultrasonic drug according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation of the high frequency ultrasonic wave is performed when a pressure by the low frequency ultrasonic wave becomes a positive pressure of 1.05 atmospheric pressure or more.

5. The method of introducing an ultrasonic drug according to claim 1, wherein the low frequency sound wave has a frequency of several KHz, andthe high frequency ultrasonic wave has a frequency in a range of several hundred KHz to several MHz.

6. An ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus comprising: a low frequency pressurizing unit that irradiates a low frequency sound wave onto a subject;a high frequency pressurizing unit that irradiates a high frequency ultrasonic wave onto a target region of the subject; anda timing adjusting unit that adjusts a timing of irradiating the low frequency sound wave onto the subject and a timing of irradiating the high frequency ultrasonic wave onto the subject,wherein the drug is introduced into the target region by irradiating the low frequency sound wave and the high frequency ultrasonic wave onto the target region.

7. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the timing adjusting unit irradiates the high frequency ultrasonic wave when a pressure by the low frequency sound wave is a positive pressure.

8. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the timing adjusting unit irradiates the high frequency ultrasonic wave when a pressure by the low frequency sound wave becomes a predetermined positive pressure or more.

9. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the timing adjusting unit irradiates the high frequency ultrasonic wave when a pressure by the low frequency sound wave becomes a positive pressure of 1.05 atmospheric pressure or more.

10. An ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic wave pressurizing unit that enables a sound wave of at least either a wide band or a plurality of frequencies to be irradiated onto a subject; anda timing adjusting unit that adjusts a timing of irradiating the low frequency sound wave onto the subject and a timing of irradiating the high frequency ultrasonic wave onto the subject,wherein the drug is introduced into the target region by irradiating the low frequency sound wave and the high frequency ultrasonic wave onto the target region.

11. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the timing adjusting unit irradiates the high frequency ultrasonic wave when a pressure by the low frequency sound wave is a positive pressure.

12. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the timing adjusting unit irradiates the high frequency ultrasonic wave when a pressure by the low frequency sound wave becomes a predetermined positive pressure or more.

13. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the timing adjusting unit irradiates the high frequency ultrasonic wave when a pressure by the low frequency sound wave becomes a positive pressure of 1.05 atmospheric pressure or more.

14. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus is included in a medical image diagnosis apparatus that acquires at least information of the target region.

15. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the medical image diagnosis apparatus includes a nuclear medicine device having an ultrasonic wave diagnosis device, a MRI device, and a PET device, an X-ray CT device, or a composite device of these devices.

16. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the medical image diagnosis device displays a medical image of the subject to recognize at least a location of irradiating the low frequency ultrasonic wave onto the target region, a location of irradiating the high frequency ultrasonic wave onto the target region, and an introducing situation of the drug into the target region.

17. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the low frequency pressurizing unit has an unfocused type of low frequency oscillator that irradiates the low frequency sound wave onto a wide region of the subject.

18. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the high frequency pressurizing unit has a focused type of high frequency oscillator that focuses the high frequency ultrasonic wave and irradiates the high frequency ultrasonic wave onto the subject, andthe high frequency oscillator has a spherical surface piece shape.

19. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the low frequency pressurizing unit has an unfocused type of low frequency oscillator that irradiates the low frequency sound wave onto a wide region of the subject,the high frequency pressurizing unit has at least two phased array sound sources, a plurality of oscillators being disposed in a two-dimensional array in each phased array sound source, andthe respective phased array sound sources are disposed on both ends of the low frequency oscillator, respectively.

20. The ultrasonic drug introducing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic wave pressurizing unit has a composite oscillator that oscillates with multiple frequencies.