Energy based fat reduction

• US 8,920,324 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guided Therapy Systems Llc
• Original Assignee: Guided Therapy Systems Llc
• Inventors: Slayton, Michael H., Barthe, Peter G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Long V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PENG, BO JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US14/192,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• Field of Search: 600/439
• US Class Current: 600/439
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4869 Determining body composition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0858 involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/429 characterised by determining or monitoring the contact between the transducer and the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4455 Features of the external shape of the probe, e.g. ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0008 Destruction of fat cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0052 using the same transducer for therapy and imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/027 with multiple foci created simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0607 using multiple elements B06B1/064 and B06B1/0688 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8906 Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/899 Combination of imaging systems with ancillary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5208 with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

Methods for non-invasive fat reduction can include targeting a region of interest below a surface of skin, which contains fat and delivering ultrasound energy to the region of interest. The ultrasound energy generates a thermal lesion with said ultrasound energy on a fat cell. The lesion can create an opening in the surface of the fat cell, which allows the draining of a fluid out of the fat cell and through the opening. In addition, by applying ultrasound energy to fat cells to increase the temperature to between 43 degrees and 49 degrees, cell apoptosis can be realized, thereby resulting in reduction of fat.

Claims

1. A method of non-invasive ultrasound fat reduction, comprising:

imaging a region of interest with an imaging element,

wherein the image is displayed on a display,

wherein the region of interest comprises a plurality of fat lobuli and at least one of a dermis tissue and a muscle tissue;

delivering ultrasound energy with a therapy element at a depth below a skin surface to thermally lesion at least a portion of one of the fat lobuli and at least one of the dermis tissue and the muscle tissue;

moving the therapy element to generate multiple thermal lesions in the plurality of fat lobuli via a control system comprising a processor, a power supply, and an encoder,

wherein the control system controls a motion mechanism attached to the therapy element,

wherein the imaging element and the therapy element are provided within a single ultrasound probe; and

wherein the thermal lesion reduces fat.

2. The method according to claim 1, the ultrasound energy is delivered at an energy level sufficient for causing at least one of stretching fibrous bonds or stimulating evacuation of fat decay products in the region of interest.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising coagulating at least one of a portion of the fat lobuli, a portion of the muscle tissue, and a portion of the dermis layer.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying a physical treatment to the skin surface, wherein the physical treatment is at least one of massage and low frequency ultrasound.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the step of delivering ultrasound energy generates a thermal lesion having a dimension of between 100 microns to 55 mm in the region of interest, and

wherein the ultrasound energy is delivered in the range of 2 MHz to 10 MHz.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein delivering ultrasound energy heats the region of interest to a temperature in a range from 43°

C. to 49°

C.

7. A method of non-invasive ultrasound fat reduction comprising:

identifying a region of interest, wherein the region of interest comprises a plurality of fat lobuli and at least one of a dermis tissue and a muscle tissue;

delivering ultrasound energy from a transducer element to the region of interest to create a thermal injury in a portion of the fat lobuli and at least one of the dermis tissue and the muscle tissue,

wherein the transducer element is positioned within a probe,

wherein the transducer element is attached to a motion mechanism,

wherein the motion mechanism is positioned within the probe,

wherein the motion mechanism is controlled by a control system,

wherein the motion mechanism comprises an encoder, and

using the motion mechanism to move the transducer element, thereby creating additional thermal injuries through additional delivering ultrasound energy from the transducer element to the region of interest,

wherein the thermal injuries cause breakage of the fat lobuli, thereby reducing fat.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising imaging the fat lobuli with an imaging element, wherein the imaging element and the therapy element are combined in the probe.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the thermal injuries coagulate a portion of the fat lobuli at a depth in the region of interest.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the thermal injury in the region of interest has a dimension of between 100 microns to 55 mm to cause breakage of at least a portion of the fat lobuli.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of delivering ultrasound energy is delivered to the region of interest is in the range of 2 MHz to 10 MHz and heats the region of interest to a temperature in a range from 43°

C. to 49°

C.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising imaging the fat lobuli with an imaging element, wherein the imaging element and the therapy element are combined in the probe,

wherein the image is displayed on a display,

wherein the ultrasound energy is delivered at an energy level sufficient for causing at least one of coagulating tissue, stretching fibrous bonds, and stimulating evacuation of fat decay products at a depth in the region of interest,

wherein the thermal injury in the region of interest has a dimension of between 100 microns to 55 mm to cause breakage in at least a portion of the fat lobuli, and

wherein the step of delivering ultrasound energy is delivered to the region of interest is in the range of 2 MHz to 10 MHz.

13. A method of non-invasive ultrasound fat reduction comprising:

providing an ultrasound system comprising an ultrasound probe, a transducer housed within the probe, a motion mechanism within the probe, and an imaging element, the ultrasound system configured for;

(i) imaging a region of interest under a skin surface with the imaging element, wherein the region of interest comprises a plurality of fat lobuli and at least one of a dermis tissue and a muscle tissue;

(ii) delivering ultrasound energy with the transducer to thermally injure the plurality of fat lobuli and at least one of the dermis tissue and the muscle tissue in the region of interest

(iii) using the motion mechanism to move the transducer to form a plurality of thermal lesions at a depth to cause a reduction of the fat lobuli,

wherein the motion mechanism comprises an encoder,

wherein the motion mechanism is controlled by a control system.

14. The method according to claim 13,

wherein the ultrasound energy coagulates the portion of the fat lobuli and at least one of the dermis tissue and the muscle tissue in the region of interest.

15. The method according to claim 13,

wherein the thermal lesions have a dimension of between 100 microns to 55 mm in the region of interest,

wherein the ultrasound energy has a frequency in the range of 2 MHz to 10 MHz, and

wherein at least one of the thermal lesions coagulates the portion of the fat lobuli and at least one of the dermis tissue and the muscle tissue in the region of interest.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the ultrasound energy ablates at least a portion of the fat lobuli in the region of interest.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein delivering ultrasound energy heats the region of interest to a temperature in a range from 43°

C. to 49°

C., and the ultrasound energy breaks fat cell clusters in the region of interest.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein delivering ultrasound energy heats the region of interest to a temperature in a range from 43°

C. to 49°

C. and the ultrasound energy stretches fibrous bonds in the region of interest.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the imaging element and the transducer are provided within the ultrasound probe.

20. The method according to claim 13,

wherein the ultrasound energy has a frequency in the range of 2 MHz to 10 MHz,

wherein the thermal lesions have a dimension of between 100 microns to 55 mm in the region of interest,

wherein the imaging element and the transducer are provided within the ultrasound probe,

wherein the thermal lesions coagulate the portion of the fat lobuli and at least one of the dermis tissue and the muscle tissue in the region of interest.