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US 11,376,074 B2Granted
Simulation-based focused-ultrasound treatment planning
OwnerYoav Levy, Benny Assif +2inventors
InventorsYoav Levy, Benny Assif, Gilad Halevy, Yoni Hertzberg
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Abstract
A focused-ultrasound or other procedure for treating a target within a tissue region can be planned iteratively by creating a treatment plan specifying a treatment location pattern and stimuli applied thereto, simulating the treatment, computationally predicting an effect of the simulated treatment, comparing the predicted effect against one or more treatment constraints (such as efficacy and/or safety thresholds), and, if a constraint is violated, repeating the simulation for an adjusted treatment plan.
Claims18
A system for performing temporally variable sonications, the system comprising:
- a treatment system comprising an ultrasound transducer;
- a processor;
- and
- memory storing (i) data descriptive of a parameterized computational model of physical behavior of a barrier region including propagation of a degree of barrier region disruption resulting from an applied sonication, (ii) at least one treatment constraint, (iii) a treatment plan specifying a focus pattern corresponding to at least a subregion of the barrier region and temporally variable sonications to be applied sequentially along the focus pattern, wherein the sonications are characterized by one or more sonication parameters, and (iv) instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- (a) simulate treatment in accordance with the stored treatment plan at least in part by computationally traversing the focus pattern and computationally applying the temporally variable sonications thereto;
- (b) computationally predict a degree of barrier region disruption resulting from applying the simulated temporally variable sonications as inputs to the parameterized computational model of the barrier region;
- (c) compare the predicted degree of barrier disruption against the at least one stored treatment constraint;
- (d) if the predicted degree of barrier disruption violates the at least one treatment constraint, (i) adjust the parameterized computational model and alter the treatment plan based on re-application of the simulated temporally variable sonications as inputs to the adjusted parameterized computational model and (ii) repeat steps (a) through (d) for the altered treatment plan;
- and
- (e) operating the treatment system to conduct the temporally variable sonications in accordance with the altered treatment plan.
7 more elements
A system for performing cavitation-induced opening of a physiological barrier region, the system comprising,
- a treatment system comprising an ultrasound transducer;
- a processor;
- and
- memory storing (i) data descriptive of a parameterized computational model of physical behavior of the physiological barrier region including propagation of a degree of barrier region disruption resulting from an applied sonication, (ii) at least one treatment constraint to be imposed on the number or density of bubbles generated in the tissue, the properties of the bubbles, and/or the mechanical index affected thereby, (iii) a treatment plan specifying a focus pattern corresponding to at least a subregion of the physiological barrier region and temporally variable sonications to be applied sequentially along the focus pattern, wherein the sonications are characterized by one or more sonication parameters and (iv) instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- (a) simulate treatment in accordance with the stored treatment plan at least in part by computationally traversing the focus pattern and computationally applying the temporally variable sonications thereto;
- (b) computationally predict a degree of disruption of the physiological barrier region resulting from applying the simulated temporally variable sonications as inputs to the parameterized computational model of the physiological barrier region;
- (c) compare the predicted degree of disruption of the physiological barrier region against the at least one stored treatment constraint;
- (d) if the predicted degree of disruption of the physiological barrier violates the at least one treatment constraint, (i) adjust the parameterized computational model and alter the treatment plan based on re-application of the simulated temporally variable sonications as inputs to the adjusted parameterized computational model and (ii) repeat steps (a) through (d) for the altered treatment plan;
- and
- (e) operating the treatment system to conduct the temporally variable sonications in accordance with the altered treatment plan.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.