Energy based fat reduction

• US 9,283,409 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• 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): Peng, Bo J
• Application Number:
  US14/550,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. An ultrasound treatment system for treatment of fat, the system comprising:

an ultrasound probe comprising a housing, a motion mechanism, and an ultrasound transducer,

wherein the ultrasound transducer comprises a therapy component and an imaging component,

wherein the therapy component consists of;

a single ultrasound therapy element,

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

wherein the single ultrasound therapy element is a single spherically focused element or a single cylindrically focused element,

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

wherein the single ultrasound therapy element is connected to a portion of the motion mechanism,

wherein the imaging component comprises an ultrasound imaging element,

a control system comprising a processor and power supply; and

a display,

wherein a portion of the housing is configured for acoustic coupling to a skin surface,

wherein the ultrasound imaging element is in communication with the display,

wherein the 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 at the depth under the skin surface,

wherein the display is configured to display an image of the region of interest,

wherein the single ultrasound therapy element is in communication with the control system,

wherein the motion mechanism is in communication with the control system,

wherein the motion mechanism moves the ultrasound therapy element to form a plurality of thermal foci at the depth for coagulating the at least a portion of the plurality of fat lobuli.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user control switch to activate the single ultrasound therapy element,

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

Y=A·

e <sup>−

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

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring system,

wherein the monitoring system is configured to monitor a treatment parameter, wherein the treatment parameter measured comprises a temperature of the tissue below the skin surface, and

wherein the housing further comprises a temperature monitoring sensor.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein the motion mechanism comprises an encoder,

wherein the motion mechanism is a linear motion mechanism for linear movement of the single ultrasound therapy element within the ultrasound probe,

wherein the motion mechanism is configured to form a plurality of thermal lesions along a line at the depth in the region of interest by moving the single ultrasound therapy element.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an acoustic coupler between the ultrasound probe and the skin surface,

wherein the motion mechanism comprises an encoder, and wherein the motion mechanism is configured for any one of the group consisting of linear, rotational, and variable movement of the single ultrasound therapy element within the ultrasound probe.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein the motion mechanism comprises an encoder for monitoring a position of the ultrasound therapy element on the motion mechanism in a housing of the probe,

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

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring system,

wherein the monitoring system is configured to monitor a treatment parameter, wherein the treatment parameter measured comprises a temperature of the tissue below the skin surface,

wherein the housing further comprises a temperature monitoring sensor,

wherein the therapy element is configured to increase a temperature of the tissue to a range of 43 to 49 degrees Celsius,

wherein the ultrasound energy is delivered with a treatment power of between 1 W and 50 W.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound imaging element and the single ultrasound therapy element are in a combined transducer, wherein the single therapy element is a single cylindrically focused element.

9. An ultrasound treatment system for treatment of fat, the system comprising:

an ultrasound probe comprising a housing, a motion mechanism, and an ultrasound transducer, wherein the ultrasound transducer comprises a therapy component,

wherein the therapy component consists of;

a single cylindrically focused ultrasound therapy element,

wherein the single cylindrically focused ultrasound therapy element delivers ultrasound energy at a frequency of between 750 kHz to 20 MHz,

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

wherein a portion of the ultrasound probe is configured for acoustic coupling to a skin surface; and

a control system;

wherein the single cylindrically focused ultrasound therapy element is in communication with the control system,

wherein the motion mechanism is in communication with the control system,

wherein the single cylindrically focused ultrasound therapy element is connected to a portion of the motion mechanism,

wherein the motion mechanism moves the single cylindrically focused ultrasound therapy element to coagulate the at least the portion of the plurality of fat lobuli.

10. The system of claim 9,

wherein the housing further comprises an ultrasound imaging element,

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

11. The system of claim 9,

wherein the single cylindrically focused ultrasound therapy element delivers ultrasound energy at a frequency of between 2 MHz to 10 MHz, and

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

Y=A·

e<sup>−

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

12. The system of claim 9,

wherein the single cylindrically focused ultrasound therapy element is configured to deliver the energy up to 5.5 cm below the skin surface,

wherein the ultrasound energy is delivered with a treatment power of between 1 W and 50 W.

13. An ultrasound treatment system for treatment of fat, the system comprising:

an ultrasound probe comprising a housing, a motion mechanism, and an ultrasound transducer, wherein the ultrasound transducer comprises a therapy component and an imaging component,

wherein the therapy component consists of;

a single ultrasound therapy element,

wherein a portion of the ultrasound probe is configured for acoustic coupling to a skin surface;

a control system; and

a display;

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

wherein the display is configured to display an image of the region of interest,

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

wherein the single ultrasound therapy element is connected to the motion mechanism,

wherein the motion mechanism moves the single ultrasound therapy element to form a plurality of thermal lesions at the at least the portion of the plurality of fat lobuli at the depth for reducing the appearance of fat.

14. The system of claim 13,

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

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

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the ultrasound energy is configured to deliver an energy level for heating at least the portion of the plurality of fat lobuli to a temperature in a range of 43 to 49 degrees Celsius.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a monitoring system,

wherein the monitoring system is configured to monitor a treatment parameter, wherein the treatment parameter measured comprises a temperature of the tissue below the skin surface,

wherein the housing further comprises a temperature monitoring sensor,

wherein the control system comprises a spatial control and a temporal control, the spatial control and the temporal control controlling the delivery of energy to heat the at least the portion of the plurality of fat lobuli at the depth under the skin surface.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a user control switch to activate the ultrasound therapy element and wherein the ultrasound energy increases the speed at which fat metabolizes according to the Arrhenius Law:

Y=A·

e <sup>−

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

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the control system comprises:

an input device;

a power supply; and

a communication device.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the therapy element is a spherically focused single element.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the therapy element is a cylindrically focused single element.