Apparatus for treating vascular thrombosis by ultrasounds

An apparatus for treating vascular thrombosis with ultrasound, comprising:

• a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer (TUT), suitable for generating focused ultrasonic waves (OUF) that propagate along an emission axis (AE);
• an imaging ultrasonic transducer (TUJ) associated with the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer, configured to acquire two- or three-dimensional images (Im) of a region (RAT) to be treated of a human or animal body (C), the region to be treated including a focal spot (TFU) of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer;
• a means (SMDR, FEF) for moving the focal spot of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer along the emission axis with respect to the imaging ultrasonic transducer;
• further comprising:
• a motorized mechanical system (SMM) configured to move the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer and the imaging ultrasonic transducer translationally along at least a first axis of movement (ADI) parallel to said emission axis, and translationally or rotationally along or about a second axis of movement (AD2) not parallel to the first;
• and
• an electronic control system (SEC) configured to:
• drive the motorized mechanical system so as to perform a scan of the region to be treated;
• and
• drive the means (SMDR, FEF) for moving the focal spot of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer so as to control a position of the focal spot along the emission axis during said scan while keeping constant, with a predefined tolerance, a distance between the imaging ultrasonic transducer and a surface (SC) of the human or animal body;
• and
• wherein the electronic control system is also configured to:
• a) drive the motorized mechanical system so as to perform a first scan of the region to be treated;
• b) during this first scan, acquire a plurality of images of said region while keeping the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer inactive;
• b1) analyze the plurality of images acquired during the first scan in order to identify a blood vessel (V) in the region to be treated of said human or animal body;
• b2) determine said predefined path inside said human body in such a way that it corresponds to said blood vessel;
• c) drive the motorized mechanical system so as to perform a second scan of the region to be treated;
• and
• d) during this second scan, activate the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer and drive the means (SMDR, FEF) for moving its focal spot in such a way that said focal spot follows a predefined path inside said human body, which is identified from the plurality of images acquired during the first scan.