Pulsed cavitational ultrasound therapy
First Claim
1. A method for controlled mechanical sub-division of soft tissue comprising:
- actuating a transducer to output an initiation pulse sequence;
detecting formation of a bubble cloud in the soft tissue;
actuating said transducer to output a bubble cloud sustaining sequence;
actuating said transducer to output a therapy pulse sequence which interacts with said bubble cloud to produce at least partial fractionation of the soft tissue; and
detecting cessation of said bubble cloud.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Therapy methods using pulsed cavitational ultrasound therapy can include the subprocesses of initiation, maintenance, therapy, and feedback of the histotripsy process, which involves the creation and maintenance of ensembles of microbubbles and the use of feedback in order to optimize the process based on observed spatial-temporal bubble cloud dynamics. The methods provide for the subdivision or erosion of tissue, liquification of tissue, and the enhanced delivery of therapeutic agents. Various feedback mechanisms allow variation of ultrasound parameters and provide control over the pulsed cavitational process, permitting the process to be tuned for a number of applications. Such applications can include specific tissue erosion, bulk tissue homogenization, and delivery of therapeutic agents across barriers.
319 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for controlled mechanical sub-division of soft tissue comprising:
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actuating a transducer to output an initiation pulse sequence;
detecting formation of a bubble cloud in the soft tissue;
actuating said transducer to output a bubble cloud sustaining sequence;
actuating said transducer to output a therapy pulse sequence which interacts with said bubble cloud to produce at least partial fractionation of the soft tissue; and
detecting cessation of said bubble cloud. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification