Miniature ultrasonic transducer with focusing lens for intracardiac and intracavity applications
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- advancing a device through a passageway inside a patient'"'"'s body toward a target location, the device including a piezoelectric element and an ultrasonic lens, the ultrasonic lens including an inner surface defining a passage, the piezoelectric element being received in the passage and being acoustically coupled to the inner surface, the ultrasonic lens including an outer surface opposite the inner surface, the outer surface defining a shape with a concave profile;
after the advancing, maintaining the device in a selected position in the passageway to orient the concave profile relative to the target location;
while the concave profile is oriented relative to the target location, generating ultrasonic energy with the piezoelectric element of the device; and
ablating tissue at the target location by focusing the ultrasonic energy with the concave profile of the lens.
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Accused Products
Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention includes advancing a transducer device through a passageway of a patient'"'"'s body to a target location inside the body. The transducer device includes a piezoelectric element and an ultrasonic lens. The ultrasonic lens includes an inner surface defining a passage extending along a reference axis. The piezoelectric element is received in this passage and is acoustically coupled to the inner surface of the lens. The ultrasonic lens includes an outer surface opposite the inner surface, the outer surface defines a shape with a concave profile. While positioned at the target location, the transducer device generates ultrasonic energy and ablates tissue along at least a portion of a circumference around the transducer device at the target location by focusing the ultrasonic energy with the lens.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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advancing a device through a passageway inside a patient'"'"'s body toward a target location, the device including a piezoelectric element and an ultrasonic lens, the ultrasonic lens including an inner surface defining a passage, the piezoelectric element being received in the passage and being acoustically coupled to the inner surface, the ultrasonic lens including an outer surface opposite the inner surface, the outer surface defining a shape with a concave profile;
after the advancing, maintaining the device in a selected position in the passageway to orient the concave profile relative to the target location;
while the concave profile is oriented relative to the target location, generating ultrasonic energy with the piezoelectric element of the device; and
ablating tissue at the target location by focusing the ultrasonic energy with the concave profile of the lens. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method, comprising:
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providing a piezoelectric element that is approximately symmetric about a centerline axis longitudinally extending along the piezoelectric element;
providing an ultrasonic lens that includes an inner surface defining a passage and an outer surface defining a shape with a concave profile, the ultrasonic lens being approximately symmetric about a reference axis extending through the passage;
placing the piezoelectric element in the passage to acoustically couple with the inner surface of the ultrasonic lens to provide an ablation assembly; and
structuring the piezoelectric element and the ultrasonic lens to focus ultrasonic energy generated with the piezoelectric element in accordance with the concave profile to ablate material corresponding to a ring about the ablation assembly. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A system, comprising:
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a probe with a distal end portion opposite a proximal end portion, the probe including cabling and being structured to advance through a passageway of a patient'"'"'s body to a target location including cardiac tissue;
an ablation assembly included with the probe at the distal end portion to be carried therewith to the target location, the assembly including a piezoelectric element coupled to the cabling and an ultrasonic lens, the ultrasonic lens including an inner surface defining a cavity and an outer surface shaped with a concave profile, the piezoelectric element being positioned in the cavity and acoustically coupled to the inner surface of the lens;
a controller to selectively activate and deactivate the piezoelectric element, the controller being coupled to the cabling at the proximal end portion of the probe and being structured for placement external to the patient'"'"'s body while the ablation assembly is positioned at the target location; and
wherein the assembly is responsive to the controller to selectively generate ultrasonic energy with the piezoelectric element and is structured to focus the ultrasonic energy at a focal length determined in accordance with the concave profile and ablate the cardiac tissue with the ultrasonic energy when the piezoelectric element is activated and the ablation assembly is positioned at the target location. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification