Efficient ultrasound focusing

• US 8,932,237 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InSightec Ltd.
• Original Assignee: InSightec Ltd.
• Inventors: Vitek, Shuki, Hertzberg, Yoni
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Tse
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HIEN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US12/769,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 601/2
• US Class Current: 601/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0065 Concave transducers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0095 by modifying an excitation signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

Ultrasound focusing may be improved by combining knowledge of the target tissue and/or focusing arrangement with focus measurements.

Claims

1. A system for focusing ultrasound into a target tissue using a sonication model, the system comprising:

a phased array of ultrasound transducer elements configured to generate an ultrasound focus in the target tissue;

an imaging system configured to image the ultrasound focus; and

in communication with the imaging system and the phased array of transducer elements, a control facility configured to set relative phases between the transducer elements so as to create a global focus from a plurality of sub-foci, the facility being configured to (i) receive data associated with the sonication model, the data comprising a parameter including at least one of an incidence angle or a predominant type of the target tissue and affecting a reliability of computational phase determinations, (ii) based at least in part on the parameter, group the transducer elements into sub-arrays, at least one of the sub-arrays comprising multiple transducer elements, and compute relative phases of the transducer elements within each sub-array, (iii) drive the transducer elements of the sub-arrays at the respective computed relative phases so as to generate the ultrasound sub-foci, each of which is associated with one of the sub-arrays, and (iv) based at least in part on an image of the ultrasound sub-foci, adjust the relative phases so as to cause constructive interference of the ultrasound foci, thereby generating the global focus.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging system is a magnetic resonance imaging system.

3. A system for use in connection with an imaging system and for focusing ultrasound into a target tissue using a sonication model, the system comprising:

a phased array of ultrasound transducer elements configured to generate an ultrasound focus in the target tissue; and

a control facility configured to set relative phases between the transducer elements so as to create a global focus from a plurality of sub-foci, the facility being configured to (i) receive data associated with the sonication model, the data comprising a parameter including at least one of an incidence angle or a predominant type of the target tissue and affecting a reliability of computational phase determinations, (ii) based at least in part on the parameter, group the transducer elements into sub-arrays, at least one of the sub-arrays comprising multiple transducer elements, and compute relative phases of the transducer elements within each sub-array, (iii) drive the transducer elements of the sub-arrays at the respective computed relative phases so as to generate the ultrasound sub-foci, each of which is associated with one of the sub-arrays, and (iv) based at least in part on an image of the ultrasound sub-foci provided by the imaging system, adjust the relative phases so as to cause constructive interference of the ultrasound foci, thereby generating the global focus.