System and method providing directional ultrasound therapy to skeletal joints
First Claim
1. An ultrasound energy delivery system for treating a region of tissue associated with a skeletal joint, comprising:
- an ultrasound treatment assembly with an ultrasound transducer;
a skeletal joint delivery assembly that is adapted to deliver the ultrasound treatment assembly into the body with the ultrasound transducer positioned at a location within the body associated with the skeletal joint; and
wherein the ultrasound treatment assembly is adapted to deliver a therapeutic level of ultrasound energy from the location and into the region of tissue.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ultrasound therapy system and method is provided that provides directional, focused ultrasound to localized regions of tissue within body joints, such as spinal joints. An ultrasound emitter or transducer is delivered to a location within the body associated with the joint and heats the target region of tissue associated with the joint from the location. Such locations for ultrasound transducer placement may include for example in or around the intervertebral discs, or the bony structures such as vertebral bodies or posterior vertebral elements such as facet joints. Various modes of operation provide for selective, controlled heating at different temperature ranges to provide different intended results in the target tissue, which ranges are significantly effected by pre-stressed tissues such as in-vivo intervertebral discs. In particular, treatments above 70 degrees C., and in particular 75 degrees C., are used for structural remodeling, whereas lower temperatures achieves other responses without appreciable remodeling.
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Citations
150 Claims
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1. An ultrasound energy delivery system for treating a region of tissue associated with a skeletal joint, comprising:
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an ultrasound treatment assembly with an ultrasound transducer;
a skeletal joint delivery assembly that is adapted to deliver the ultrasound treatment assembly into the body with the ultrasound transducer positioned at a location within the body associated with the skeletal joint; and
wherein the ultrasound treatment assembly is adapted to deliver a therapeutic level of ultrasound energy from the location and into the region of tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. A skeletal joint thermal therapy device, comprising:
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a delivery member with a proximal end and a distal end portion;
a thermal treatment assembly with an energy emitter on the distal end portion;
wherein the distal end portion is adapted at least in part to deliver the thermal treatment assembly into a body of a mammal with the energy emitter positioned at a location such that the energy emitter is adapted to deliver energy into a region of tissue associated with a skeletal joint; and
wherein the thermal treatment assembly is adapted to heat tissue up to a distance of at least 4 mm from the energy emitter to a temperature of at least 75 degrees C., and is adapted to heat tissue up to a distance of at least about 7 mm from the energy emitter to a temperature of at least about 55 degrees C., and is adapted to heat tissue up to a distance of at least about 10 mm from the energy emitter to a temperature of at least about 45 degrees C. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. An ultrasound thermal treatment system, comprising:
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an ultrasound treatment assembly with an ultrasound transducer;
a rigid delivery probe having a elongate body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion;
the distal end portion has a proximal section with a longitudinal axis, a distal section with a distal tip, and a bend between the proximal and distal sections;
wherein the ultrasound treatment assembly is located along the distal section of the distal end portion and extending at an angle from the proximal section;
wherein the distal end portion is adapted to be delivered into the body of a mammal by manipulating the proximal end portion externally of the body and such that the ultrasound treatment assembly is positioned at a location associated with a region of tissue to be treated; and
wherein the ultrasound treatment assembly is adapted to deliver a therapeutic level of ultrasound energy into the region of tissue from the location within the body. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86)
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87. An ultrasound thermal therapy system, comprising:
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an ultrasound heating assembly with an ultrasound transducer;
a therapy control system coupled to the ultrasound heating assembly;
wherein the ultrasound heating assembly is adapted to be delivered into a body of a mammal with the ultrasound transducer positioned at a location such that the ultrasound transducer is adapted to deliver a therapeutic amount of ultrasound energy into a targeted region of tissue in the body from the location; and
wherein the therapy control system is adapted to control operation of the ultrasound heating assembly such that a substantial portion of the region of tissue being heated by the ultrasound heating assembly does not exceed a maximum temperature of at least about 70 degrees C. - View Dependent Claims (88)
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89. A directional ultrasound spinal thermal therapy system, comprising:
an ultrasound delivery assembly with a directional ultrasound transducer that is adapted to be positioned at a location associated with a spinal joint and to deliver a directed, therapeutic amount of ultrasound energy from the location and to a region of tissue associated with the spinal joint. - View Dependent Claims (90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100)
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101. A skeletal joint ultrasound delivery system, comprising:
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an ultrasound treatment assembly with an ultrasound transducer and a coupling member;
wherein the ultrasound delivery assembly is adapted to be delivered into a body of a mammal with the ultrasound transducer positioned at a location within the body associated with a skeletal joint; and
wherein the ultrasound transducer is adapted to deliver a therapeutic amount of ultrasound energy to a region of tissue associated with the skeletal joint via the coupling member. - View Dependent Claims (102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114)
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115. An ultrasound thermal therapy system, comprising:
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an ultrasound heating assembly that is adapted to be positioned at a location within a body of a mammal so as to deliver ultrasound energy into a region of tissue in the body from the location; and
a control system coupled to the ultrasound heating assembly and adapted to control operation of the ultrasound heating assembly such that a region of tissue being heated by the ultrasound heating assembly exceeds a temperature of at least about 70 degrees C.
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116. An ultrasound thermal therapy system, comprising:
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a delivery member with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion with a longitudinal axis;
an ultrasound heating assembly located along the distal end portion of the delivery member and with a curvilinear ultrasound transducer having a concave surface with a radius of curvature around a reference axis that is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the distal end portion.
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117. A method for invasively treating a medical condition associated with a skeletal joint within a body of a patient, comprising:
delivering a therapeutic level of ultrasound energy to a region of tissue associated with the joint from a location within the body of the patient.
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118. A method for treating a medical condition associated with a skeletal joint within a body of a patient, comprising:
delivering sufficient energy to a region of tissue associated with the skeletal joint that is sufficient to necrose nociceptive nerve fibers or inflammatory cells in such tissue region without substantially affecting collagenous structures associated with the skeletal joint. - View Dependent Claims (119, 120)
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121. A method for treating a region of tissue associated with an intervertebral disc in a body of a patient, comprising:
delivering an ultrasound transducer to a location within the body such that a therapeutic level of ultrasound may be coupled from the transducer to the tissue.
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122. A method for treating a patient, comprising:
delivering energy to a region of tissue associated with the spine, wherein such tissue does not experience a rise in temperature of more than about 55 degrees C.
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123. A method for treating a patient, comprising:
delivering energy to a region of tissue associated with the spine, wherein such energy delivery is between about 10 and about 300 equivalent minutes at 43 degrees C.
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124. A method for invasively treating a medical condition associated with an intervertebral disc within a body of a patient, comprising:
delivering a therapeutic level of ultrasound energy to a region of tissue associated with an intervertebral disc from a location within the body of the patient.
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125. A method for treating medical condition associated with a joint between two bony structures in a body of a patient, comprising:
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delivering an ultrasound transducer to a location within the patient'"'"'s body associated with the joint;
emitting ultrasound energy from the transducer at the location so as to provide a therapeutic effect to at least a portion of the joint. - View Dependent Claims (126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134)
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135. A method for treating a patient, comprising:
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introducing an ultrasound transducer into a body of a patient;
positioning the ultrasound transducer at a location within the patient that is adjacent to at least one of an annulus fibrosus of an intervertebral disc, a nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc, or a vertebral body associated with a spinal joint in the body; and
emitting ultrasound energy from the ultrasound transducer at the location.
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136. A method for providing ultrasound energy delivery within a body of an animal, comprising:
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introducing an ultrasound transducer into a body of a patient;
positioning the ultrasound transducer at a location within the patient that is within at least one of an annulus fibrosus of an intervertebral disc, a nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc, or a vertebral body associated with a spinal joint in the body; and
emitting ultrasound energy from the ultrasound transducer at the location.
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137. A method for treating a patient, comprising:
ultrasonically heating a region of tissue associated a spinal joint to a temperature between about 45 to about 90 degrees C. for sufficient time to cause a therapeutic result in the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150)
Specification