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US 5,395,299 AGranted
Method and apparatus for treating a subject with focused acoustic waves
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsKlaus Herrmann, Guenther Krauss
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A therapy apparatus has a source of acoustic waves which generates acoustic waves focused onto a focus and which has an x-ray-transparent region, and the focus lying in an isocenter and an x-ray locating system whose central ray proceeds through the isocenter and is adjustable relative to the source in a locating sequence such that a subject to be treated is irradiated by locating radiation from different directions, with the central ray in one of the irradiation directions proceeding through the x-ray transparent region and the acoustic wave source is maintained stationary during the sequence. A corresponding method is also disclosed.
Claims43
An apparatus for treating a subject with focused acoustic waves comprising:
- source means for generating acoustic waves converging at a focus, having an x-ray transparent region;
- x-ray transparent coupling means, directly applicable to a subject to be treated with said acoustic waves, for coupling said acoustic waves into said subject;
- x-ray locating means, including a single x-ray source, for locating a region in said subject to be treated with said acoustic waves by, in a locating sequence, successively irradiating said subject with a useful x-ray beam from a plurality of different directions;
- and
- means for adjusting the position of said locating means relative to said source means during said locating sequence for causing said useful x-ray beam to pass through said x-ray transparent region of said source means in at least one of said irradiation directions while maintaining said source means stationary during said locating sequence.
2 more elements
An apparatus for treating a subject with focused acoustic waves comprising:
- source means for generating acoustic waves converging at a focus, having an x-ray transparent region;
- x-ray transparent coupling means, directly applicable to a subject to be treated with said acoustic waves, for coupling said acoustic waves into said subject;
- x-ray locating means, including a single x-ray source, for locating a region in said subject to be treated with said acoustic waves by, in a locating sequence, successively irradiating said subject with a useful x-ray beam from a plurality of different directions;
- and
- means for adjusting the position of said locating means relative to said source means during said locating sequence for causing said useful x-ray beam to pass through said x-ray transparent region of said source means in only one of said irradiation directions while maintaining said source means stationary during said locating sequence.
2 more elements
A method for treating a subject with focused acoustic waves comprising:
- generating acoustic waves, from an acoustic wave source having an x-ray transparent region, converging at a focus for treating a subject with said acoustic waves;
- locating a region in said subject to be treated with said acoustic waves using an x-ray locating means by, in a locating sequence, successively irradiating said subject with a useful x-ray beam from a single x-ray source from a plurality of different directions;
- adjusting the position of said locating means relative to said acoustic wave source during said locating sequence for causing said useful x-ray beam to pass through said x-ray transparent region of said acoustic wave source in at least one of said irradiation directions;
- and
- maintaining said acoustic wave source acoustically coupled to said subject via an x-ray transparent coupling means in direct contact with said subject at a stationary location during said locating sequence.
2 more elements
A method for treating a subject with focused acoustic waves comprising:
- generating acoustic waves, from an acoustic wave source having an x-ray transparent region, converging at a focus for treating a subject with said acoustic waves;
- locating a region in said subject to be treated with said acoustic waves using an x-ray locating means by, in a locating sequence, successively irradiating said subject with a useful x-ray beam from a single x-ray source from a plurality of different directions;
- adjusting the position of said locating means relative to said acoustic wave source during said locating sequence for causing said useful x-ray beam to pass through said x-ray transparent region of said acoustic wave source in only one of said irradiation directions;
- and
- maintaining said acoustic wave source acoustically coupled to said subject via an x-ray transparent coupling means in direct contact with said subject at a stationary location during said locating sequence.
2 more elements
An apparatus for treating a subject with focused acoustic waves comprising:
- source means for generating acoustic waves converging at a focus, said source means having an x-ray transparent region;
- x-ray transparent coupling means, directly applicable to a subject to be treated with said acoustic waves, for coupling said acoustic waves into said subject;
- x-ray locating means for locating a region in said subject to be treated with said acoustic waves by, in a locating sequence, successively irradiating said subject with a useful x-ray beam from a plurality of different directions;
- and
- means for adjusting the position of said locating means relative to said source means during said locating sequence for causing said useful x-ray beam to pass
- through said x-ray transparent region of said source means in a first one of said irradiating directions and to pass by, at least substantially, said source means in a second one of said irradiation positions.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.