Apparatus and methods for the destruction of adipose tissue

• US 7,857,773 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solta Medical, Inc. (Bausch Health Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Medicis Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Desilets, Charles S., Pollock, Cameron
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roy; Baisakhi
• Application Number:
  US11/414,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 601 2- 4, 606/1, 606/27, 606/28, 606/53
• US Class Current: 601/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0858 involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0008 Destruction of fat cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for modifying unwanted tissue for cosmetic reasons. The methods provide a non-invasive manner to perform body contouring by destroying adipose tissue while simultaneously causing collagen contraction in a single procedure so that as destroyed tissue is removed from a treatment volume, the volume shrinks gradually to maintain the skin tone of the treatment area.

Claims

1. A method of modifying adipose tissue in a patient using high intensity focused ultrasound, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a volume of adipose tissue to be treated;

identifying a corresponding surface area of skin over said volume of adipose tissue;

marking the patient'"'"'s skin to create a plurality of guide markers at a predetermined spacing on the patient'"'"'s skin within the surface area;

moving a HIFU therapy transducer successively from guide marker to guide marker on said surface area of skin; and

applying therapeutic ultrasound energy into said volume of adipose tissue at a power and for a time at each of said guide markers, wherein the power and time of applying said energy and the spacing of said guide markers are selected such that a plurality of necrosed tissue cells and denatured collagen fibrils are produced within a plurality of adjacent treatment cells covering substantially all of the treatment volume.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein moving the HIFU therapy transducer is performed in a raster scan pattern.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cells form a contiguous lesion field.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the moving the transducer is done in a continuous motion.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the moving the transducer is done in a discontinuous motion.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein moving the HIFU transducer is done while applying therapeutic ultrasound energy.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein moving the HIFU transducer is done when the transducer is not applying ultrasound energy.

8. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the applying of therapeutic ultrasound energy raises the temperature of the focal zone to at least 46°

C.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the applying of therapeutic ultrasound energy raises the temperature of the adipose tissue to at least 56°

C. for at least one second.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal energy may be measured as an energy flux (EF) and determined by the relationship:

[(p)×

(l/v)×

(dc)×

(nl)]/(sa)

wherein

p=power,

l=line length,

v=velocity,

dc=duty cycle,

nl=number of lines

and

sa=scanned area.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the energy flux is between 35 J/cm² and 460 J/cm².