Ultrasound Treatment Center
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for non-invasive patient treatment using ultrasound are disclosed. One method comprises administering to a patient a therapeutic agent, transmitting ultrasound and directing the ultrasonic energy at a region of interest of a patient, monitoring cavitation in and around the region of interest in real time, and controlling the ultrasonic transmitting device, based on the monitored cavitation, so that the ultrasonic energy is focused at the region of interest. Another method comprises determining the position of a region of interest in terms of spatial coordinates, storing or calculating an expected effect of therapeutic ultrasound on the region of interest, focusing ultrasound energy on the region of interest based on the spatial coordinates, measuring the effect of the ultrasound energy on the region of interest, comparing the measured effect with the stored or calculated effect, and providing an output of the comparison.
76 Citations
62 Claims
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1-42. -42. (canceled)
- 43. Apparatus for non-invasive patient treatment using ultrasound and a therapeutic agent, comprising an ultrasonic transmitting device for directing ultrasonic energy at a region of interest of a patient and inducing cavitation of naturally occurring microbubbles to increase the interaction between the applied ultrasound and the therapeutic agent, and monitoring means adapted to monitor the cavitation in real time in and around the region of interest, characterised in that the apparatus further comprises control means for receiving information from the monitoring means and controlling the ultrasonic transmitting device based on that information so that the ultrasonic energy is focused at the region of interest in order to minimise damage to tissue outside the region of interest, and in that the monitoring means is a magnetic resonance imaging machine adapted to monitor cavitation of naturally occurring microbubbles.
- 60. A method of non-invasive patient treatment using ultrasound and a therapeutic agent, comprising transmitting ultrasound and directing the ultrasonic energy at a region of interest of a patient and inducing cavitation of naturally occurring microbubbles to increase the interaction between the applied ultrasound and the therapeutic agent, and monitoring cavitation in and around the region of interest in real time, characterised by controlling the ultrasonic transmitting device, based on the monitored cavitation, so that the ultrasonic energy is focused at the region of interest in order to minimise damage to tissue outside the region of interest, and by monitoring cavitation of naturally occurring microbubbles using a magnetic resonance imaging machine.
Specification