Method and system for ultrasound treatment with a multi-directional transducer
First Claim
1. An ultrasound system for facilitating treatment to at least two regions of interest, the ultrasound system comprising:
- a multi-directional transducer for facilitating treatment in at least two regions of interest, comprising;
a first transduction element having a first firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a first radiation pattern and a second firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a second radiation pattern;
wherein the first transduction element expands and contracts in the same direction as an axis of electrical excitation within the first transduction element, and does not substantially expand and contract in a direction that is not parallel to the first axis of electrical excitation; and
a second transduction element having a third firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a third radiation pattern and a fourth firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a fourth radiation pattern;
wherein the second transduction element expands and contracts in the same direction as a second axis of electrical excitation within the second transduction element and does not substantially expand and contract in a direction that is not parallel to the second axis of electrical excitation.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for ultrasound treatment utilizing a multi-directional transducer to facilitate treatment, such as therapy and/or imaging or other tissue parameter monitoring, in two or more directions. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a multi-directional transducer comprises at least two transduction elements configured to provide for ultrasound energy, such as radiation, acoustical energy, heat energy, imaging, positional information and/or tissue parameter monitoring signals in two or more directions. The transduction elements can comprise various materials for providing ultrasound energy or radiation, such as piezoelectric materials, with and without matching layers. In addition, the transduction elements can be configured for substantially uniform, focused and/or defocused radiation patterns, as well as for single, multiple-element and/or multiple-element array configurations. In addition, an exemplary multi-directional transducer can comprise multiple elements, either side by side, stacked or in an array.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An ultrasound system for facilitating treatment to at least two regions of interest, the ultrasound system comprising:
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a multi-directional transducer for facilitating treatment in at least two regions of interest, comprising; a first transduction element having a first firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a first radiation pattern and a second firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a second radiation pattern;
wherein the first transduction element expands and contracts in the same direction as an axis of electrical excitation within the first transduction element, and does not substantially expand and contract in a direction that is not parallel to the first axis of electrical excitation; anda second transduction element having a third firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a third radiation pattern and a fourth firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a fourth radiation pattern;
wherein the second transduction element expands and contracts in the same direction as a second axis of electrical excitation within the second transduction element and does not substantially expand and contract in a direction that is not parallel to the second axis of electrical excitation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A multi-directional transducer configured to facilitate treatment of at least two regions of interest, the multi-directional transducer comprising:
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a hand-held probe; a first and a second transduction element disposed within the hand-held probe, the first and the second transduction element each comprising; a first firing face adjacent to and facing a first region of interest radiating ultrasound energy in a first radiation pattern; and a second firing face adjacent to and facing a second region of interest radiating ultrasound energy in a second radiation pattern; wherein the first and the second transduction element expand and contract in the same direction as the axis of electrical excitation and do not substantially expand and contract in a direction that is not parallel to the axis of electrical excitation. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for multi-directional ultrasound treatment, the method comprising:
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generating radiation energy in a multi-directional transducer substantially in only two directions along a single emission axis that is parallel with an axis of electrical excitation of said multi-directional transducer; radiating acoustical energy having a first radiation pattern from a first firing face of each of a first and a second transduction element of the multi-directional transducer to provide the acoustical energy in a first direction to facilitate treatment in a first region of interest; and radiating acoustical energy having a second radiation pattern from a second firing face of each of a first and a second transduction element of the multidirectional transducer to provide the acoustical energy in a second direction to facilitate treatment in a second region of interest. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A multi-directional transducer comprising:
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a first transduction element having a first firing face and a second firing face;
wherein the transduction element expands and contracts in the same direction as a first axis of electrical excitation within the transduction element, and does not substantially expand and contract in a direction that is not parallel to the first axis of electrical excitation; anda second transduction element having a third firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a third radiation pattern and a fourth firing face radiating ultrasound energy to provide a fourth radiation pattern;
wherein the second transduction element expands and contracts in the same direction as a second axis of electrical excitation within the second transduction element and does not substantially expand and contract in a direction that is not parallel to the second axis of electrical excitation. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification