Ultrasound probe for fat and cellulite reduction

• US 10,245,450 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2018
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• 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., Makin, Inder Raj S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, Bo Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/996,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20180272159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• 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 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• 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 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: G01S 15/8906 Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8936 using transducers mounted for mechanical movement in three dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

A method and system for providing ultrasound treatment to a tissue that contains a lower part of dermis and proximal protrusions of fat lobuli into the dermis. An embodiment delivers ultrasound energy to the region creating a thermal injury and coagulating the proximal protrusions of fat lobuli, thereby eliminating the fat protrusions into the dermis. An embodiment can also include ultrasound imaging configurations using the same or a separate probe before, after or during the treatment. In addition various therapeutic levels of ultrasound can be used to increase the speed at which fat metabolizes. Additionally the mechanical action of ultrasound physically breaks fat cell clusters and stretches the fibrous bonds. Mechanical action will also enhance lymphatic drainage, stimulating the evacuation of fat decay products.

Claims

1. An ultrasound treatment probe for treatment of cellulite, the probe comprising:

a piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element connected to a motion mechanism,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured for acoustic coupling to a skin surface,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured for delivery of ultrasound energy at a temperature sufficient to coagulate fat cells in fat lobuli that protrude into a dermis layer to create an appearance of cellulite at a depth under the skin surface,

wherein the motion mechanism is configured to operate with an encoder configured to determine movement of the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element within the probe,

wherein the motion mechanism moves the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element to form one or more thermal foci at the depth for coagulating fat thereby reducing an appearance of cellulite.

2. The probe of claim 1,

wherein the encoder is configured for monitoring a position of the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element on the motion mechanism in a housing of the ultrasound probe,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is a single element that delivers the ultrasound energy at a frequency of between 2 MHz to 10 MHz,

wherein the ultrasound energy is delivered with a treatment power of between 20 W and 200 W,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured to deliver the ultrasound energy at the depth below the skin surface,

wherein the ultrasound energy generates a thermal lesion with a dimension of between 100 microns to 55 mm in the region of interest.

3. The probe of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is one of the group consisting of spherically focused and cylindrically focused.

4. The probe of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound energy increases a speed at which fat metabolizes according to Arrhenius Law:

Y=A·

e<sup>−

B/T</sup>, where Y is a yield of metabolic reaction, A and B are constants, and T is a temperature in degrees Kelvin.

5. The probe of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured to operate with a control system comprising a processor, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured for communication with the control system, wherein the probe is disposable.

6. The probe of claim 1, wherein the motion mechanism is a linear motion mechanism for linear movement of the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element to form a plurality of thermal lesions along a line at the depth in the region of interest.

7. The probe of claim 1, further comprising a piezoelectric ultrasound imaging element and an information storage EEPROM, wherein the probe is reusable.

8. The probe of claim 1, further comprising a piezoelectric ultrasound imaging element co-housed with the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element.

9. The probe of claim 1, wherein the motion mechanism is configured for any one of the group consisting of linear, rotational, and variable movement of the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element.

10. An ultrasound probe for treatment of cellulite, the probe comprising:

a piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element configured for acoustic coupling through the ultrasound probe to a skin surface,

wherein a plurality of fat lobuli containing fat cells protrude into a dermis layer under the skin surface,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured for delivery of energy at a temperature sufficient to coagulate at least a portion of the fat cells in the plurality of fat lobuli at a depth under the skin surface, thereby reducing an appearance of cellulite.

11. The probe of claim 10,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is a single element that delivers ultrasound energy at a frequency of between 2 MHz to 10 MHz,

wherein the ultrasound energy is delivered with a treatment power of between 20 W and 200 W,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured to deliver the ultrasound energy up to 3.5 cm below the skin surface,

wherein the ultrasound energy generates a thermal lesion with a dimension of between 100 microns to 55 mm in the region of interest.

12. The probe of claim 10,

further comprising a housing, the housing containing a piezoelectric ultrasound imaging element,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound imaging element is configured for imaging a region of interest under the skin surface, wherein the region of interest comprises a tissue, wherein the tissue comprises the plurality of fat lobuli,

wherein the probe is disposable.

13. The probe of claim 10,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is a single element that delivers ultrasound energy at a frequency of between 750 kHz to 10 MHz, and

wherein the ultrasound energy increases a speed at which fat metabolizes according to Arrhenius Law:

Y=A e<sup>−

B/T</sup>, where Y is a yield of metabolic reaction, A and B are constants, and T is a temperature in degrees Kelvin.

14. The probe of claim 10, further comprising a storage system comprising probe identification and probe usage history,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured for connection to a control system,

wherein the control system comprises:

a processor, software, a power supply, and a communication device.

15. An ultrasound probe for treatment of cellulite, the probe comprising:

a housing, a piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element, and a motion mechanism,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element delivers ultrasound energy to a tissue below a skin surface at a frequency of between 2 MHz to 10 MHz,

wherein the tissue comprises a plurality of fat lobuli that protrude into a dermis layer to create an appearance of cellulite,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured for delivery of the ultrasound energy at a temperature sufficient to coagulate at least a portion of a plurality of fat lobuli at a depth under the skin surface,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is connected to the motion mechanism inside the housing,

wherein the motion mechanism is configured to operate with an encoder,

wherein the motion mechanism moves the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element to form a plurality of thermal lesions at the depth for reducing an appearance of cellulite.

16. The probe of claim 15,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is a single element,

wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured to deliver the ultrasound energy at the depth below the skin surface, wherein the depth is a single, fixed depth,

wherein the ultrasound energy generates a thermal lesion with a dimension of between 100 microns to 55 mm in a region of interest.

17. The probe of claim 15, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured to operate with a control system that comprises a spatial control and a temporal control, the spatial control and the temporal control controlling the delivery of the ultrasound energy at a temperature sufficient to cause coagulation of at least the portion of the plurality of fat lobuli at the depth under the skin surface, wherein the ultrasound energy is delivered with a treatment power of between 20 W and 200 W.

18. The probe of claim 17, further comprising a storage system comprising probe identification and probe usage history, wherein the probe is disposable.

19. The probe of claim 15, wherein the ultrasound energy increases a speed at which fat metabolizes according to Arrhenius Law:

Y=A·

e<sup>−

B/T</sup>, where Y is a yield of metabolic reaction, A and B are constants, and T is a temperature in degrees Kelvin.

20. The probe of claim 15, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound therapy element is configured to deliver the ultrasound energy at an energy level for causing at least one of ablating tissue, stretching fibrous bonds, or stimulating evacuation of fat decay products in the region of interest.