US 8,801,615 B2Granted

System and method for ultrasound therapy treatment

AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.

InventorsAnna Theresa Fernandez, Balasundara Raju

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Abstract

A system and method for treating tissue uses an ultrasound therapy system including an ultrasonic applicator having has at least one transducer element. Steering and focusing of ultrasound beams uses at least one variable focus lens, which may be a fluid focus lens, attached to each transducer element so that focus of the variable focus lens is controlled by a voltage signal. A treatment controller receives input from an imager and controls the voltage applied to the variable focus lens. The treatment controller controls the lens voltage signals, at least partially determined by the input from the imager, and directs an ultrasonic treatment beam emitted by the transducer element. Fine adjustment of the therapy beam is achieved to deliver therapy for various prostate sizes and shapes while avoiding damage to critical structures such as the rectal wall and nerve bundles.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A system for delivering ultrasound therapy to a tissue comprising:

an ultrasonic applicator including a transducer element, wherein the transducer element is configured to operate in an imaging mode to intermittently image the tissue to acquire signals used for forming images of the tissue to be treated;
three variable focus lenses attached to said transducer element, wherein focus of the three variable focus lenses is controlled by lens voltage signals;
a motion controller configured to move the ultrasonic applicator in at least one of a rotational direction and an axial direction;
and
a treatment controller configured to control the voltage signals applied to the three variable focus lenses based on the images of the tissue to direct an ultrasonic treatment beam emitted by said transducer element for treating the tissue, and
wherein the three variable focus lenses are placed side-by-side over the transducer element for forming a main beam on an optical axis of the three variable focus lenses, each of the three variable focus lenses being separately controllable by the treatment controller to change an aperture of the main beam on the optical axis and form divergent beams at sides of the main beam that diverge from the optical axis and have a lower energy than the main beam by changing meniscuses of the three variable focus lenses to result in adjacent end points of two adjacent lenses of the three variable focus lenses being at different locations along a boundary of the two adjacent lenses including the adjacent end points.

3 more elements

A method of changing an aperture of a main beam for treating a tissue of interest comprising the acts of:

placing an ultrasonic applicator with one or more ultrasound transducer elements near to the tissue of interest;
exciting at least one transducer element of the one or more ultrasound transducer elements with a driving signal;
monitoring effect of the exciting act through images of the tissue to be treated obtained from signals obtained by the at least one transducer element which is configured to operate in an imaging mode to intermittently image the tissue to acquire the signals for forming the images of the tissue to be treated;
controlling the aperture of the main beam emitted from a single ultrasound transducer element of the at least one transducer element by adjusting voltages applied to three variable focus lenses placed side-by-side over the single ultrasound transducer element based on information from the images;
moving or rotating the ultrasonic applicator to cover therapy at substantially different regions in the tissue for treating the substantially different regions of the tissue;
and
separately controlling each of the three variable focus lenses to change the aperture of the main beam on an optical axis and form divergent beams at sides of the main beam that diverge from the optical axis and have a lower energy than the main beam by changing meniscuses of the three variable focus lenses to result in adjacent end points of two adjacent lenses of the three variable focus lenses being at different locations along a boundary of the two adjacent lenses including the adjacent end points.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/119,810Filed 14 Sep 2009 · us provisional application
Priority: 30 Sep 2008
Published: US 2011/0178391 A121 Jul 2011
Granted: 12 Aug 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

A61N 7/022
Localised ultrasound hyperthermia: intracavitary
A61B 2090/3782
Using ultrasound: transmitter or receiver in catheter or minimal invasive instrument
A61N 2007/0056
Ultrasound therapy: beam shaping elements
A61N
Electrotherapy