Patent ID: 7615014

Claim:
A device for measuring elastic properties of a living tissue, wherein elastic properties of a tissue surrounding a canal of a living body are measured by inserting the device through the canal, the device comprising: a probe base to be inserted through the canal; a sleeve slidably fitted into an outer periphery of the probe base; a plurality of probes provided around an insertion axis of the probe base and having an end attached to the probe base at a same insertion depth in a direction of the insertion axis, the plurality of probes being placed in close vicinity to the tissue inside the canal, each of the plurality of probes comprising: a leaf spring, one end of which is attached to the probe base, wherein a relative movement between the sleeve and the probe base allows a free end of the leaf spring to be driven in a manner of being pressed against and withdrawn from the muscle tissue surrounding the canal with an elastic force of the leaf spring from a plurality of measurement positions on the tissue, the free end of the probe being opposite the attached end in the direction of insertion; a generally semi-spherical contact ball having a stress detection sensor that detects a stress applied to the tissue at at least one of the measurement positions on the basis of a reaction force from the tissue, the generally semi-spherical contact ball being disposed at a distal most tip of the free end of the leaf spring on a side of the probe facing the tissue; and a displacement detection sensor in the form of a proximity sensor that detects a displacement of the tissue at the at least one of the measurement positions on the basis of a displacement of the stress detection sensor radially from the probe base, an element of the proximity sensor being disposed at the distal most tip of the free end of the leaf spring on a side of the probe opposite the stress detection sensor and displaced from the probe base; and a displacement profile calculation part for calculating a displacement profile of the canal displaced in a manner so as to be pressed and withdrawn, based on each displacement at each measurement position and on a standard profile having no stress applied to the tissue, at the above described insertion depth into the canal; and display means for displaying a change of the displacement profile caused by the pressing and withdrawing motions and a change of each stress value corresponding to each profile in real time.