High-intensity focused ultrasound device

• US 10,639,504 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: You I.N. Kim
• Original Assignee: You I.N. Kim
• Inventors: Kim, You In
• Primary Examiner(s): Fernandez, Katherine L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yang, Yi-Shan
• Application Number:
  US15/578,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20180154185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00017 with gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00994 combining two or more different kinds of non-mechanical energy or combining one or more non-mechanical energies with ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2063 Acoustic tracking systems, e.g. using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2065 Tracking using image or pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/005 for cooling the radiator
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0644 Handheld applicators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0034 Skin treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0052 using the same transducer for therapy and imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0069 Reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0091 with moving parts, e.g. transducers, lenses, reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/027 with multiple foci created simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0616 Skin treatment other than tanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/067 using laser light
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

A high-intensity focused ultrasound is configured such that a disposable separable cartridge is attached to and detached from the ultrasound device, so that a practitioner, i.e. a doctor, can obtain coordinates of a skin tissue of a subject using a scanner of an ultrasonic transducer and locate an accurate procedure point in real time. A procedure can be performed on the accurate procedure point of the skin tissue without repeated procedures.

Claims

1. A high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device comprising a hand piece comprising a hand piece body electrically connected to a freely movable body through a wire and a separable cartridge disposably coupled to the hand piece body,

wherein the hand piece body comprises:

a laser beam generator fractionally transferring energy to facilitate synthesis of collagen;

an ultrasonic transducer receiving electrical energy impedance-matched through a frequency generation process and a power amplification process to convert the received electrical energy into HIFU and irradiate the HIFU, and receiving reflected ultrasound;

an X-Y reflecting mirror undergoing a forward movement, a backward movement, and a tilting movement inside the hand piece body to sequentially form HIFU foci in a single row, in a plurality of rows, or in a circular row;

a cooling device supplying a cooling gas to the separable cartridge; and

a zoom-in device zooming in to an image generated by the reflected ultrasound,

wherein the separable cartridge comprises;

a cooling passage injecting the cooling gas, allowing the cooling gas to flow through a bottom surface of the separable cartridge, and lowering temperature; and

a transparent transmittance member supporting the cooling passage and is adapted to come into contact with a skin tissue such that a laser beam and the high-intensity focused ultrasound contact a portion of the skin tissue, and

wherein the freely movable body comprises;

a controller configured to

control the frequency generation process and the power amplification process of the ultrasonic transducer, power, a frequency, a duty cycle, a focus size, and a pulse repetition frequency;

control the forward movement, the backward movement and the tilting movement in reference to an X-axis and a Y-axis of the X-Y reflecting mirror,

lower a temperature of the cooling device when a retreatment is performed;

receive information on converted coordinates through the ultrasonic transducer and locating a site currently treated; and

control a zoom-in function to zoom in to the image generated by the reflected ultrasound;

a monitor unit comprising an indicator indicating information related to a procedure of a practitioner and a touch screen through which the practitioner operates or controls the HIFU device; and

a power supply supplying HIFU power.

2. The HIFU device of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:

a scanner locating a shape and a treatment position of the site currently treated, by receiving the reflected ultrasound through the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the controller lowers the temperature of the cooling device when the retreatment is performed on the site currently treated.

3. The HIFU device of claim 1,

wherein the hand piece body further comprises a coordinate sensor,

wherein the coordinate sensor

calculates coordinates of the HIFU foci in the single row, in the plurality of rows, or in the circular row, and

increases an amount of the cooling gas supplied to prevent a burn hazard when coordinates of newly formed HIFU foci match the calculated coordinates of the HIFU foci.

4. The HIFU device of claim 1, wherein the hand piece body further comprises a temperature sensor, and the controller receives a temperature measured by the temperature sensor in real time, determines in real time whether a temperature of the cooling gas is within an operation temperature range, and controls the temperature of the cooling device.

5. The HIFU device of claim 1, wherein the transparent transmittance member comprises a laser beam window transmitting the laser beam disposed in between a pair of ultrasound windows transmitting ultrasound disposed or two pairs of ultrasound windows disposed in a cross shape with respect to the laser beam window.

6. The HIFU device of claim 2,

wherein the hand piece body further comprises a coordinate sensor,

wherein the coordinate sensor

calculates coordinates of the HIFU foci in the single row, in the plurality of rows, or in the circular row, and

increases an amount of the cooling gas supplied to prevent a burn hazard when coordinates of newly formed HIFU foci match the calculated coordinates of the HIFU foci.