Ultrasound therapy system

• US 10,232,196 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EKOS Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Soltani, Azita, Prokop, Adrian F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brutus, Joel F
• Application Number:
  US13/176,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,814 Days
• Field of Search: 600439, 600433-434, 600466, 600407, 600437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2202 the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22088 ultrasound absorbing, drug activated by ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22089 Gas-bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/003 characterized by features relating to least one lumen located at the distal part of the catheter, e.g. filters, plugs or valves catheter tips A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0032 characterized by at least one unconventionally shaped lumen, e.g. polygons, ellipsoids, wedges or shapes comprising concave and convex parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0092 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic vibrations, e.g. phonophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/022 intracavitary
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

In one embodiment of the present invention, a system for treating an occlusion within a patient'"'"'s vasculature with ultrasonic energy comprises a catheter configured to be passed through the patient'"'"'s vasculature such that a portion of the catheter is positioned at an intravascular treatment site. The system further comprises an ultrasound radiating member, an ultrasound signal generator configured to supply a drive signal to the ultrasound radiating member, an infusion pump configured to pump a therapeutic compound into the fluid delivery lumen so as to cause the therapeutic compound to be delivered to the treatment site and a controller configured to control the ultrasound signal generator and the infusion pump.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a catheter body that is elongate and hollow, the catheter body having a distal region, a proximal region opposite the distal region, and an exterior surface;

an ultrasound radiating member positioned with the distal region of the catheter body;

a fluid delivery lumen extending between the proximal region and the distal region of the catheter body; and

a plurality of holes forming surface features on the exterior surface of the distal region of the catheter body, the plurality of holes having a diameter between approximately 1 and 100 μ

m, wherein the plurality of holes are not formed in the ultrasound radiating member and do not extend through the catheter body.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fluid delivery port formed in the distal region of the catheter body, the fluid delivery port being hydraulically connected to the fluid delivery lumen.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes are formed using an ablative laser.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes are separated from each other by an average distance that is between approximately 1 μ

m and approximately 100 μ

m.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes are positioned adjacent to the ultrasound radiating member.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of ultrasound radiating members positioned within the distal region of the catheter body.