Histotripsy therapy systems and methods for the treatment of brain tissue

An ultrasound system configured to treat a target tissue in a brain of a human patient, comprising:

• a pulse generator and an amplifier;
• an ultrasound therapy transducer coupled to the pulse generator and having a plurality of transducer elements configured to transmit ultrasound pulses through a skullcap of the human patient towards a focal point within the target tissue in the brain to generate cavitation;
• a drainage catheter comprising first and second piezoelectric sensors, the drainage catheter adapted to be placed within the brain near the focal point to measure the ultrasound pulses;
• an electronic controller coupled to the pulse generator, the ultrasound therapy transducer, and the piezoelectric sensors of the drainage catheter, the electronic controller being configured to control transmission of the ultrasound pulses and adjust the transmission of ultrasound pulses from each of the plurality of transducer elements by executing an aberration correction algorithm based on the ultrasound pulses detected by the drainage catheter to automatically correct for an aberration effect caused by the ultrasound pulses passing through the skullcap of the human patient, wherein the aberration correction algorithm comprises:
• determining a propagation time for the ultrasound pulses to travel from each of the plurality of transducer elements of the therapy transducer to the first and second piezoelectric sensors;
• calculating a distance between each of the plurality of transducer elements of the therapy transducer and the first and second piezoelectric sensors using projections of the first and second piezoelectric sensors onto a ray from each of the plurality of transducer elements to a midpoint of the first and second piezoelectric sensors;
• calculating a travel direction and a time of travel of the ultrasound pulses from each of the plurality of transducer elements to the midpoint of the first and second piezoelectric sensors;
• calculating a stand-off distance between the focus and the midpoint for each of the plurality of transducer elements;
• and
• calculating a time delay of each of the plurality of transducer elements based on the distance between the first and second piezoelectric sensors, the midpoint, and the stand-off distance.