一种用于尿道瘢痕防治动物实验的超声探头设计

Design of an ultrasonic probe for animal experiment of urethral scar prevention

目的 尿道瘢痕是患者尿道手术后常见的并发症之一,并且难以通过手术治疗方法清除。低强度脉冲超声(low intensity pulse ultrasound,LIPUS)在抑制纤维化,抑制炎症方面有十分突出的表现,为超声防治尿道瘢痕提供了理论的可能性。尽管如此,目前并没有对超声用于尿道瘢痕的防治作用的报道,另外有关超声抑制纤维化、抑制炎症的作用机制也仍需要进一步的研究。本文针对新西兰雄兔尿道重建模型设计了一种超声探头,用于LIPUS抑制尿道瘢痕疗效和作用机制的动物实验研究。方法 根据兔阴茎的尺寸与形状设计探头结构,通过有限元仿真预测探头声场,用3D打印技术制造原型机。最后对探头声场进行测试,并且用于动物实验验证其实用性。结果 探头超声频率为2 MHz,治疗腔长度44 mm,直径8 mm。治疗腔沿长度方向上有3个紧邻的治疗区,每个治疗区的半功率长度约6 mm,治疗区内的I_(sata)(时间平均空间平均声强)可通过前端驱动器电源电压进行调节,当电源电压为30 V时,I_(sata)大于0.87 W/cm^(2)。结论 本文设计的超声探头体积小、重量轻、声场均匀,可以对动物尿道实施稳定有效的超声照射,为超声治疗尿道瘢痕动物实验提供了一种有用的工具。

Objective Urethral scar is one of the common complications after urethral surgery for patients,and it is difficult to remove by surgical treatment.Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound(LIPUS) has shown outstanding performance in inhibiting fibrosis and suppressing inflammation,providing theoretical possibilities for ultrasonic prevention and treatment of urethral scar.However,there is no report on the prevention and treatment of urethral scar by ultrasound at present,and the mechanism of ultrasound in inhibiting fibrosis and inflammation still needs further study.We design an ultrasound probe for the urethral reconstruction model of New Zealand male rabbits,which is used for animal experimental research on the efficacy and mechanism of LIPUS(low-intensity pulsed ultrasound) in inhibiting urethral scar.Methods The structure of the ultrasound probe is determined by the size and shape of the rabbit penis.The probe sound field is predicted through finite element simulation.The 3D printing technology is used to manufacture prototypes.Finally,the sound field of the probe is tested and used in animal experiments to verify its practicality.Results The ultrasonic frequency of the probe is 2 MHz,the length of the treatment chamber is 44 mm,and the diameter is 8 mm.There are three adjacent treatment areas along the length direction of the treatment cavity,the half power lenth of each area is about 6 mm.I_(sata)(time average spatial average sound intensity) in the treatment area can be regulated by the power supply voltage which is more than 0.87 W/cm^(2) when the voltage is 30 V.Conclusions The ultrasonic probe designed in this paper has small size,light weight and uniform sound field,which can carry out stable and effective ultrasonic irradiation on the animal urethra,and provides a useful tool for the animal experiment of ultrasonic treatment of urethral scar.