Ultrasound Enhancing Target for Treating Subcutaneous Tissue

• US 20100106063A1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ulthera Inc. (Merz Pharma GmbH & Company Kgaa)
• Original Assignee: Cabochon Aesthetics, Inc. (Merz Pharma GmbH & Company Kgaa)
• Inventors: Girard-Hughes, Erin E., Ballakur, Sowmya Gowri, Chomas, James E., Sutton, Doug S.
• Application Number:
  US12/260,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106063A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00005 Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3925 ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/025 interstitial
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

A system for non-invasively creating a surgical lesion in subcutaneous tissue including an ultrasound generator, an ultrasound transducer operably connected to the ultrasound generator; an ultrasound enhancing target including at least two ultrasound reflecting filaments held in a spaced-apart relationship; said ultrasound generator supplying ultrasound at a pressure and frequency which will heat subcutaneous tissue and create a surgical lesion proximate the ultrasound enhancing target and will not create thermally mediated necrosis in the absence of the ultrasound enhancing target.

Claims

1. A method for creating a minimally invasive surgical lesion in subcutaneous tissue, comprising:

providing at least one ultrasound enhancing target having at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments held in a spaced-apart relationship;

inserting the ultrasound enhancing target into the subcutaneous tissue;

insonating the ultrasound enhancing target with ultrasound at a pressure and frequency below the cavitation threshold of tissue and at a duty cycle below the threshold at which tissue will undergo thermal ablation in the absence of the ultrasound enhancing target for a time sufficient to create a surgical lesion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound pressure is between 20 kPa and 15 MPa and the frequency is between 200 kHz and 15 MHz.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound enhancing target is percutaneously inserted into tissue.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ultrasound enhancing target is inserted at a depth of between 1 and 100 millimeters below a skin surface of a patient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound enhancing target is percutaneously inserted into the subcutaneous tissue.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound reflecting filament segments have a gauge between 0.1 mm and 2 mm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments is between 0.1 mm and 5 mm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments is greater than zero and less than the wavelength of the ultrasound.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments held in a spaced-apart relationship comprises a single continuous filament formed as to have two or more facing or opposing portions.

10. A minimally invasive method for creating a surgical lesion in subcutaneous tissue, comprising:

inserting at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments into the subcutaneous tissue with a spacing between adjacent filament segments;

insonating the at least two ultrasound reflecting filaments with ultrasound at a pressure and frequency below the cavitation threshold of tissue and at a duty cycle, pressure and frequency below the threshold at which tissue will undergo thermal mediated necrosis in the absence of the ultrasound enhancing target for a time sufficient to create a surgical lesion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the spacing between the at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments is between 0.1 mm and 5 mm.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the spacing between the at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments is greater than zero and less than the wavelength of the ultrasound.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments held in a spaced-apart relationship comprises a single continuous filament formed as to have two or more facing or opposing portions.

14. A system for non-invasively creating a surgical lesion in subcutaneous tissue, comprising:

an ultrasound generator;

an ultrasound transducer operably connected to the ultrasound generator;

an ultrasound enhancing target including at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments in a spaced-apart relationship; and

the ultrasound generator supplying ultrasound at a pressure and frequency which will heat subcutaneous tissue and create a surgical lesion proximate the ultrasound enhancing target and will not create thermally mediated necrosis in the absence of the ultrasound enhancing target.

15. The system of claim 14, where the ultrasound enhancing target includes a spacer sandwiched between adjacent ultrasound reflecting filament segments.

16. The system of claim 15, where the filament segments are adhered to the spacer.

17. The system of claim 15, where the spacer is an epoxy.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the ultrasound enhancing target includes a first spacer sandwiched between adjacent ultrasound reflecting filament segments and a second spacer surrounding adjacent filament segments.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the ultrasound reflecting filament segments are comprised of metal.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for actively cooling the ultrasound transducer.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the ultrasound reflecting filament segments have a gauge between 0.1 and 2 mm.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the spacing between two adjacent ultrasound reflecting filament segments is between 0.1 mm and 5 mm.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments comprise a single continuous filament formed as to have two or more facing portions.

24. A target for enhancing the effects of ultrasound, comprising:

at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments; and

a spacer interposed between adjacent filament segments, the spacer maintaining a spaced apart relationship between the ultrasound reflecting filaments.

25. The target of claim 24, where adjacent filament segments are adhered to a respective spacer.

26. The target of claim 24, where the spacer is an epoxy.

27. The target of claim 24, wherein the target includes a first spacer sandwiched between adjacent ultrasound reflecting filament segments and a second spacer surrounding adjacent filament segments.

28. The target of claim 24, wherein the ultrasound reflecting filament segments are comprised of metal.

29. The target of claim 24, wherein the ultrasound reflecting filament segments have a gauge between 0.1 mm and 2 mm.

30. The target of claim 24, wherein a spacing between two adjacent ultrasound reflecting filament segments is between 0.1 mm and 5 mm.

31. The target of claim 24, wherein the at least two ultrasound reflecting filament segments comprises a single continuous filament formed as to have two or more facing portions.