Broadband ultrasound echo system for spinal rod examination

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K12929
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: TANI SHIGEKI 浜松医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (80217116)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 超音波探傷 / 体内埋設医療材料 / 経年劣化 / 広帯域超音波 / 金属疲労 / 脊髄ロッド

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The metal (titanium etc.) embedded in the spinal cord region etc. in the body is to evaluate and observe the condition non-invasively from outside the body by ultrasound. As in spinal fusion, metal rods placed in the body can be confirmed by fluoroscopy, etc. after they are broken. Similarly, after breakage, it is possible to observe the failure with a common ultrasonic tomography device. Therefore, imaging is possible with ultrasound as well as X-rays. Ultrasound is an object capable of measuring the density of hard materials. Before the spinal rod breaks, observing the condition of the rod is utterly equivalent to a medical procedure. Therefore, metal fatigue inspection technology is added to the ultrasonic echo apparatus by applying the characteristics of metal through which ultrasonic waves are propagated at high speed, and applied to the examination of medical and clinical fields.

Free Research Field

医用情報工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脊髄湾曲の患者さんにとっては、脊髄ロッド埋設術による施術は、効果的な方法である。しかし、医療材料である脊髄ロッドが破損することがある。この脊椎インストゥルメンツ固定術に用いられるロッドの破損を未然に予測や確認が可能な金属疲労探傷検査方法を検討中であったが、医療で用いられるＸ線では、線量不足のために金属内部透視が不可能であり、Ｘ線ＣＴスキャンでも線量不足や画像再構成時の演算処理で金属面にて疑似反射像アーティファクトが生じる。中央材料部にて鋼製小物の破損を未然に防止する金属疲労探傷検査の検討を行ったときに、超音波による金属内部探傷検査が可能なことを見出していた技術の利用が本研究である。