Insightec, Ltd.

Insightec-image Guided Treatment Ltd.

Vortman, Kobi

Medan, Yoav

Levy, Yoav

Kobi Vortman

Shuki Vitek

Yoav Levy

Yoav Medan

Eyal Zadicario

Avner Ezion

David A Freundlich

Oleg Prus

Rafi De Picciotto

Shahar Rinott

Various approaches to delivering ultrasound energy to a target region include, prior to delivery of the ultrasound energy, populating a data structure relating multiple real-time parameter values to corresponding correction values for one or more ultrasound parameter values associated with one or more transducer elements for generating a focal zone of acoustic energy in at least the first portion of the target region; and during the treatment, (i) predicting or causing measurement of at least one of the real-time parameter values in the second portion of the target region or the non-target region; (ii) based at least in part on the predicted or measured real-time parameter value(s) and contents of the data structure, determine the correction value(s) for the ultrasound parameter value(s); and (iii) activate the transducer element(s) based at least in part on the determined correction value(s) for the ultrasound parameter value(s) so as to generate the focal zone in the second portion of the target region.

Aberration corrections for dynamically changing media during ultrasound therapy

Various approaches for disrupting target tissue for treatment include identifying a target volume of the target tissue; causing disruption of the target tissue in a region corresponding to the target volume so as to increase tissue permeability therein; computationally generating a tissue permeability map of the target volume; and based on the tissue permeability map, computationally evaluating the disruption of the target tissue within the target volume.

Cavitation-enhanced targeted drug delivery and dosing

Various approaches for generating an ultrasound focus at a target region and receiving signals therefrom using an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements include acquiring multiple images of the target region and one or more path zones located on beam paths between the transducer elements and the target region; determining one or more tissue characteristics associated with the target region based on the acquired images; determining multiple profile parameters associated with each of the transducer elements based at least in part on the determined tissue characteristic; based at least in part on the profile parameters, operating at least first ones of the transducer elements to collectively transmit an ultrasound beam to the target region so as to create a focus thereon with desired properties; and based at least in part on the profile parameters, operating at least second ones of the transducer elements to receive acoustic signals from the target region and, in response thereto, adjusting operation of the at least first ones of the transducer elements to thereby improve the focus at the target region.

Focused ultrasound system with optimized monitoring of cavitation

A system and method for selecting a patient-specific frequency for ultrasound therapy of a target within the patient are provided. The method includes: (a) for at least one segment of an ultrasound transducer and for each of a plurality of ultrasound frequencies within a test range, sonicating the target and measuring a parameter correlated with an amount of ultrasound energy absorbed in the target; and (b) for each said at least one segment, selecting for subsequent ultrasound therapy, among the frequencies within the test range, a frequency corresponding to a value of the measured parameter that itself corresponds to a maximum amount of ultrasound energy absorbed in the target.

Frequency optimization in ultrasound treatment

Various approaches to focusing an ultrasound transducer includes causing the ultrasound transducer to transmit ultrasound waves to the target region; causing the detection system to indirectly measure the focusing properties; and based at least in part on the indirectly measured focusing properties, adjusting a parameter value associated with at least one of the transducer elements so as to achieve a target treatment power at the target region.

Adaptive, closed-loop ultrasound therapy

Various approaches to delivering ultrasound energy to a target region include an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements for generating a focal zone of acoustic energy at the target region, wherein one or more transducer elements are partitioned into multiple contiguous sub-regions having a common directionality; one or more driver circuits connected to the transducer element(s); a switch matrix having multiple switches for switchably connecting the sub-regions to the driver circuit(s), each of the sub-regions being associated with one of the switches; and a controller configured to (i) determine an optimal sonication frequency for maximizing a peak acoustic intensity in the focal zone; and (ii) based at least in part on the determined optimal sonication frequency, activate one or more switches in the switch matrix for causing the corresponding sub-region(s) to transmit ultrasound pulses to the target region.

Optimization of transducer configurations in ultrasound procedures

A system for delivering ultrasound energy to an internal anatomical target includes an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements collectively operable as a phased array; multiple driver circuits, each being connected to at least one of the transducer elements; multiple phase circuits; a switch matrix selectably coupling the driver circuits to the phase circuits; and a controller configured for (i) receiving as input a target average intensity level and/or an energy level energy to be applied to the target and/or a temperature level in target, (ii) identifying multiple sets of the transducer elements, each of the sets corresponding to multiple transducer elements for shaping and/or focusing, as a phased array, ultrasound energy at the target across tissue intervening between the target and the ultrasound transducer, and (iii) sequentially operating the transducer-element sets to apply and maintain the target average energy level at the target. In various embodiments, the controller operates each of the transducer element sets in accordance with a pulse-width modulation pattern having a duty cycle selected to achieve the target average intensity level, energy level, and/or temperature level at the target in accordance with a time constant of the target tissue.

Ultrasound focusing using a cross-point switch matrix

An approach for enhancing radiation treatment of target tissue includes identifying a target volume of the target tissue; causing disruption of vascular tissue in a region confined to the target volume so as to define the target volume; based at least in part on the disruption of the vascular tissue, determining a radiation treatment plan having a reduced radiation dose for treating the target tissue; and exposing the target volume to the reduced radiation dose based on the radiation treatment plan.

3D conformal radiation therapy with reduced tissue stress and improved positional tolerance

Various approaches for heating a target region substantially uniformly include identifying one or more locations of one or more hot spots in the target region and/or surrounding regions of the target region during an ultrasound sonication process; computing a temporal variation to an output parameter of at least one of the transducer elements based at least in part on the identified location(s) of the hot spot(s); and operating the at least one transducer element to achieve the temporal variation of the output parameter so as to minimize the hot spot(s).

Overcoming acoustic field and skull non-uniformities

Various approaches for reducing microbubble interference with ultrasound waves transmitted from multiple transducer elements and traversing tissue onto a target region include measuring microbubbles in high-throughput areas of ultrasound exposure and reducing the amount of microbubbles using the ultrasound waves.

Therapeutic ultrasound with reduced interference from microbubbles

A system () for treating tissue within a body is configured to deliver a first level of ultrasound energy to a target tissue region () for a first duration resulting in the generation of micro-bubbles () in the target tissue region, determine one or more characteristics of the target tissue region in the presence of the micro-bubbles, and deliver a second level of ultrasound energy to the target tissue region for a second duration, wherein one or both of the second energy level and the second duration are based, at least in part, on the determined one or more characteristics of the target tissue region.

Controlled, non-linear focused ultrasound treatment

Procedures and systems facilitate non-invasive, focused delivery of therapeutic energy to a target within or on a patient using, in various embodiments, a closed-loop approach such that feedback regarding anatomical movement and/or morphology changes is tracked and the uncertainty inherent in the measurements is addressed.

Motion compensation for non-invasive treatment therapies

Disclosed are thermal treatment methods that involve monitoring and/or actively adjusting the temperature of targeted and/or non-targeted tissues.

Adaptive active cooling during focused ultrasound treatment

During a focused-ultrasound or other non-invasive treatment procedure, the motion of the treatment target or other object(s) of interest can be tracked in real time based on the comparison of treatment images against a reference library of images that have been acquired prior to treatment for the anticipated range of motion and have been processed to identify the location of the target or other object(s) therein.

Reference-based motion tracking during non-invasive therapy

An asymmetric ultrasound transducer array may include multiple regions or groups of transducer elements. The regions may be configured to generate respective ultrasound beams with different capabilities, such as, e.g., focusing at varying focal depths and lateral steering, and/or focusing into different volumes.

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Haifa, Israel

Kobi Vortman