Focused Ultrasound Apparatus and Methods of Use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016287909-A1
Application number	US-201414777949-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods for diagnosing a pathologic tissue membrane, as well as a focused ultrasound apparatus and methods of treatment are disclosed to perform ureterocele puncture noninvasively using focused ultrasound-generated cavitation or boiling bubbles to controllably erode a hole through the tissue. An example ultrasound apparatus may include (a) a therapy transducer having a treatment surface, wherein the therapy transducer comprises a plurality of electrically isolated sections, (b) at least one concave acoustic lens defining a therapy aperture in the treatment surface of the therapy transducer, (c) an imaging aperture defined by either the treatment surface of the therapy transducer or by the at least one concave acoustic lens and (d) an ultrasound imaging probe axially aligned with a central axis of the therapy aperture.

First claim

1 . An ultrasound apparatus, comprising:
a therapy transducer having a treatment surface, wherein the therapy transducer comprises a plurality of electrically isolated sections; at least one concave acoustic lens defining a therapy aperture in the treatment surface of the therapy transducer; an imaging aperture defined by either the treatment surface of the therapy transducer or by the at least one concave acoustic lens; and an ultrasound imaging probe axially aligned with a central axis of the therapy aperture.

2 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one concave acoustic lens is a single concave acoustic lens, wherein the single acoustic lens defines the imaging aperture, wherein the single acoustic lens comprises a plurality of sectors each having a radius of curvature, and wherein each of the plurality of electrically isolated sections of the therapy transducer is coupled to one of the plurality of sectors of the single acoustic lens.

3 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one concave acoustic lens is a plurality of concave acoustic lenses, wherein each of the plurality of electrically isolated sections of the therapy transducer is coupled to one of the plurality of acoustic lenses.

4 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrically isolated sections of the therapy transducer each have a radius of curvature and together define a single acoustic lens.

5 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of sectors of the acoustic lens is between 4 sectors to 100 sectors.

6 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of concave acoustic lenses is between 4 acoustic lenses to 100 acoustic lenses.

7 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrically isolated sections of the therapy transducer comprises between 4 sections and 1000 sections.

8 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of sectors of the acoustic lens is smaller than a radius of curvature of the acoustic lens.

9 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of sectors of the acoustic lens is the same.

10 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrically isolated sections of the therapy transducer comprise a flat or circular piezoelectric ceramic material.

11 . (canceled)

12 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the radius of curvature of each of the plurality of electrically isolated sections of the therapy transducer is smaller than a radius of curvature of the single acoustic lens.

13 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a coupling head coupled to and extending from the treatment surface of the therapy transducer.

14 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the coupling head is angled inward toward the central axis of the therapy aperture.

15 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the coupling head circumscribes the at least one acoustic lens.

16 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the coupling head comprises a membrane, and wherein a fluid is enclosed between the at least one acoustic lens and the membrane of the coupling head.

17 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the coupling head comprises a solid planar disc.

18 . (canceled)

19 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a housing at least partially surrounding the plurality of electrically isolated sections of the therapy transducer and the imaging probe.

20 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an amplifier coupled to the therapy transducer.

21 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising:
a control system configured to control the amplifier.

22 . The ultrasound apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of sectors is configured to direct ultrasound to a focal point, and wherein the focal point lies on the central axis of the therapy aperture and ranges from about 1 cm to about 18 cm from a center of the therapy aperture.

23 . A method for treating a pathologic tissue membrane, comprising:
placing a coupling head of an ultrasound apparatus in contact with a subject's skin, wherein the subject or a subject's in utero fetus has a pathologic tissue membrane in need of puncturing, wherein the ultrasound apparatus comprises a therapy transducer having a treatment surface; obtaining image feedback of the tissue via the ultrasound imaging probe; aligning a focal point of the therapy transducer with the tissue based upon at least the image feedback; directing an effective amount of focused ultrasound at the tissue via the therapy transducer, and puncturing a hole in the tissue via the focused ultrasound.

24 .- 49 . (canceled)

50 . A method for diagnosing a pathologic tissue membrane, comprising:
placing a coupling head of an ultrasound apparatus in contact with a subject's skin, wherein the ultrasound apparatus comprises (a) a therapy transducer having a treatment surface, wherein the therapy transducer comprises a plurality of electrically isolated sections, (b) at least one concave acoustic lens defining a therapy aperture in the treatment surface of the therapy transducer, (c) an imaging aperture defined by either the treatment surface of the therapy transducer or by the at least one concave acoustic lens and (d) an ultrasound imaging probe axially aligned with a central axis of the therapy aperture; obtaining image feedback of a tissue via the ultrasound imaging probe; and determining whether the subject or a subject's in utero fetus has a pathologic tissue membrane in need of puncturing.

51 .- 64 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Univ Washington Through Its Center For Commercialization
• Univ Columbia

Inventors

• Maxwell Adam
• Hsi Ryan
• Lendvay Thomas
• Casale Pasquale
• Bailey Michael

Classifications

• A61N2007/0086

  Beam steering · CPC title

• A61B8/44

  Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device · CPC title

• A61N2007/006

  Lenses · CPC title

• A61N7/00 Primary

  Ultrasound therapy (lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 {; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092}) · CPC title

• A61N2007/0065

  Concave transducers · CPC title