Bone cancer pain management utilizing ultrasound
First Claim
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1. A method for reducing pain due to bone cancer, said method comprising:
- targeting a region of interest with an imaging modality comprising ultrasound;
emitting therapeutic ultrasound energy from an ultrasound radiating surface and focusing the emitted therapeutic ultrasound energy on the region of interest;
producing tissue damage to nerves supplying the region of interest;
wherein imaging and therapy transducers are incorporated into a single unit whereby imaging and therapy can be accomplished with the same control interface, andwherein the emitted ultrasound energy comprises HIFU and said focusing the emitted ultrasound causes the formation of microbubbles in the region of interest, said microbubbles producing a hyperechoic spot on said imaging modality with said hyperechoic spot being utilized in the imaging modality to monitor the progress of the nerve tissue damage.
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Abstract
Noninvasive pain treatment of skeletal cancer metastases in cancer patients utilizing planar or focused ultrasound. The ultrasound energy preferably targets at the Periosteum or immediate soft-bone-tissue interface, where local sensory pain receptors are directly affected by the growing tumor, to generate heat to destroy local sensory pain receptors so as to interrupt or block the pain feedback pathway to the central nervous system.
40 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for reducing pain due to bone cancer, said method comprising:
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targeting a region of interest with an imaging modality comprising ultrasound; emitting therapeutic ultrasound energy from an ultrasound radiating surface and focusing the emitted therapeutic ultrasound energy on the region of interest; producing tissue damage to nerves supplying the region of interest; wherein imaging and therapy transducers are incorporated into a single unit whereby imaging and therapy can be accomplished with the same control interface, and wherein the emitted ultrasound energy comprises HIFU and said focusing the emitted ultrasound causes the formation of microbubbles in the region of interest, said microbubbles producing a hyperechoic spot on said imaging modality with said hyperechoic spot being utilized in the imaging modality to monitor the progress of the nerve tissue damage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for use in reducing pain due to bone cancer, said apparatus comprising:
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ultrasound emitting means having an ultrasound radiating surface adapted for placement non-invasively on a patient'"'"'s skin; said ultrasound emitting means being selectively operable to emit a selected level and/or frequency of ultrasound from said ultrasound radiating surface to a taraet site proximal to a bone cancer site; wherein said level and/or frequency of said ultrasound is selected to produce sub-lethal or lethal nerve damage at the target site proximal to the bone cancer site and is further selected to produce a hyperechoic spot at the target site; an imaging means for locating and displaying the bone cancer site, said imaging means monitoring the hyperechoic spot as an indicator of pain reduction progress; wherein the ultrasound emitting means and the imaging means are incorporated into a single unit with the same control interface. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification