Apparatus for treating bone pathologies with acoustic energy
First Claim
1. An apparatus for treating bone pathologies in situ with acoustic energy comprising:
- a source of focused acoustic waves;
means for displacing the focus of said acoustic waves;
means for locating the boundary surface between a bone to be treated with said acoustic waves and surrounding tissue and for generating signals corresponding to the position of said boundary surface; and
control means, supplied with said signals, for actuating and controlling said means for displacing the focus for maintaining said focus substantially in said boundary surface independently of the position of said source while treating said bone with said acoustic waves.
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Abstract
An apparatus for treating bone pathologies with acoustic waves includes a source of focused acoustic waves, a system for displacing the focus of the acoustic waves, and a system for locating the boundary surface between the bone to be treated and surrounding tissue. The locating system generates signals corresponding to the position of the boundary surface. A control unit, which operates the focused displacing system, is supplied with the signals identifying the position of the boundary surface, so that the focused displacing system is controlled to maintain the focus substantially at the boundary surface, independently of the position of the acoustic wave source.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. An apparatus for treating bone pathologies in situ with acoustic energy comprising:
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a source of focused acoustic waves; means for displacing the focus of said acoustic waves; means for locating the boundary surface between a bone to be treated with said acoustic waves and surrounding tissue and for generating signals corresponding to the position of said boundary surface; and control means, supplied with said signals, for actuating and controlling said means for displacing the focus for maintaining said focus substantially in said boundary surface independently of the position of said source while treating said bone with said acoustic waves. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for treating bone pathologies in situ with acoustic waves comprising the steps of:
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generating focused acoustic waves; locating the boundary surface between a bone to be treated with said acoustic waves and surrounding tissue and generating signals corresponding to the position of said boundary surface; and displacing said focus, based on said signals, to maintain said focus substantially in said boundary surface independently of the position of said source while treating said bone with said acoustic waves. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. An apparatus for treating bone pathologies in situ with acoustic energy comprising:
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a source of focused acoustic waves propagating along an acoustic axis, including an acoustic lens with an adjustable focal length; means for adjusting the position of said source along said acoustic axis; means for generating an x-ray beam in which a bone to be treated is disposed; means for detecting said x-ray beam, attenuated by said bone, and for generating an x-ray image of said bone; means for moving said means for generating an x-ray beam and said means for detecting said x-ray beam around said bone for generating two of said x-ray images from respective positions offset by a known angle; means for identifying the three-dimensional position and extent of a selected feature in said two x-ray images having a relationship to the boundary surface between said bone and surrounding tissue, and for generating signals corresponding thereto; means for moving said source around said bone in a plane while treating said bone with said acoustic waves; means for moving said source along an axis perpendicular to said plane; and means, supplied with said signals, for coordinating movement of said source around said bone and along said perpendicular axis and simultaneously controlling adjustment of at least one of said focal length of said acoustic lens or said position of said source along said acoustic axis for maintaining said focus in said boundary layer while treating said bone with acoustic waves.
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44. An apparatus for treating bone pathologies in situ with acoustic energy comprising:
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a source of focused acoustic waves propagating along an acoustic axis; means for adjusting the position of said source along said acoustic axis; an ultrasound applicator for generating an ultrasound field in which a bone to be treated is disposed; means for processing signals from said ultrasound applicator to generate an ultrasound image of said bone; means for moving said ultrasound applicator to generate a plurality of said ultrasound images from different positions; means for identifying the three-dimensional position and extent of a selected feature in said plurality of ultrasound images having a relationship to the boundary surface between said bone and surrounding tissue, and for generating signals corresponding thereto; means for moving said source around said bone in a plane while treating said bone with said acoustic waves; means for moving said source along an axis perpendicular to said plane; and means, supplied with said signals, for coordinating movement of said source around said bone and along said perpendicular axis and simultaneously controlling adjustment of said position of said source along said acoustic axis for maintaining said focus in said boundary layer while treating said bone with acoustic waves.
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Specification