US 4,787,394 AGranted

Ultrasound therapy apparatus

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

InventorIchiro Ogura

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An ultrasound therapy apparatus having an applicator. The applicator comprises at least one ultrasonic beam emitter, at least two ultrasonic transducers, and a support member. The beam emitter emits an ultrasonic beam onto an object within a patient, for the purpose of treating the object. The transducers apply ultrasonic beams to the patient and detect ultrasonic echoes coming from the patient, thereby to form two tomograms, each of a selected plane of the patient, one plane intersecting with the other on a line passing through a region in which the beam emitted by the beam emitter is focused. The support member supports the beam emitter and the transducers in a specific positional relationship. Receivers receive echo signals corresponding to the ultrasonic echoes. Two displays display tomograms formed from these echo signals. They also display a first marker, which indicates a region in which the ultrasonic beam emitted from the beam emitter is focused, and also a second marker, which represents an intersection line of the two planes. By referring to these markers, an operator can set the applicator in a position whereby the beam emitted from the beam emitter is focused onto the object.

Claims6

Dependent claims

An ultrasound therapy apparatus for a treating of an object within a patient, said apparatus comprising:

at least one ultrasonic beam emitter means for emitting an ultrasonic beam onto the object;
at least two ultrasonic transducer means for applying ultrasonic beams to the patient, and detecting ultrasonic echoes coming from the patient;
support means supporting said ultrasonic beam emitter and said ultrasonic transducers in a specific positional relationship;
means for mechanically driving said support means such that the beam emitted from said ultrasonic beam emitter means is focused at a given position within the patient;
means for supplying drive signals to said ultrasonic beam emitter means;
signal-receiving means for receiving echo signals corresponding to the ultrasonic echoes detected by said ultrasonic transducer means;
means for forming first and second tomograms in accordance with the echo signals supplied from said signal-receiving means, each tomogram being of a selected plane of the patient, one plane intersecting with the other on a line which passes through a region in which the beam emitted by said ultrasonic beam emitter means is focused;
and
display means for displaying the first and second tomograms, for displaying first markers indicating a region in which the ultrasonic beam emitted by said ultrasonic beam emitter means is focused and being superposed on the first and second tomograms, and for displaying second markers representing the intersecting line of the two planes and being superposed on the first and second tomograms.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/041,423Filed 23 Apr 1987
Priority: JP 61-9541624 Apr 1986
Granted: 29 Nov 1988
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G10K 11/26
Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound: sound-focusing or directing, e.g. scanning
A61B 8/0833
Clinical applications: involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
A61B 17/2256
For extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy [ESWL], e.g. by using ultrasonic waves: with means for locating or checking the concrement, e.g. X-ray…
A61N 2007/0078
Ultrasound therapy: with multiple treatment transducers