Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Profound Medical Inc.

Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre

Ayetech Inc.

Bronskill, Michael

Chopra, Rajiv

Mahon, Cameron

Donaldson, Sean

Michael John Bronskill

Rajiv Chopra

Mathieu Burtnyk

Cameron Mahon

Mathew Asselin

Sean Donaldson

Nicolas Yak

Kee Tang

Arvin Forghanian-Arani

Bai-Chuan Jiang

An apparatus for cooling certain tissues in the vicinity of diseased or other tissue undergoing thermal treatment is disclosed. The present apparatus is configured and designed to have certain physical characteristics, e.g., certain acoustic and imaging responses. In some embodiments the present apparatus is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environments used in conjunction with the thermal treatment, or other imaging environments. In some embodiments the present apparatus is detectable by said MRI and is within the imaging field of view (FOV) but causes few or no imaging artifacts. Additionally, the present apparatus does not substantially interfere with the thermal treatment, e.g., ultrasonic therapy, which can proceed to heat the targeted volume of tissue while protective cooling of tissues near the diseased tissue by the present apparatus takes place.

Apparatus and method for cooling a tissue volume during thermal therapy treatment

An apparatus for driving and controlling ultrasonic elements includes a computer-based host unit that determines driving characteristics with which to drive the ultrasonic elements; a microprocessor-based controller that receives an output from the host and provides signals representing a frequency and/or an amplitude characteristic; a frequency control circuit receiving the frequency characteristic signal; an amplitude control circuit receiving the amplitude characteristic signal; an RF amplifier acting on an output from the frequency and/or the amplitude control circuits to provide an amplified output signal corresponding to the frequency and/or amplitude characteristic; a coupling circuit that couples the amplified output signal to the ultrasonic elements and provides a forward output signal to a first RF detector circuit and a reverse output signal to a second RF detector circuit; and an analog-to-digital converter that receives an output of the RF detector circuits and provides a corresponding converted output to the controller.

RF power controller for ultrasound therapy system

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for delivering and controlling thermal therapy to a volume of diseased tissue. Specifically, the invention includes using thermal imaging and other inputs to determine an acoustic (ultrasonic) treatment regime employing interstitial ultrasound applicators to deliver a required therapeutic temperature or thermal dose to the affected region in a body or organ. Various aspects of the treatment that can be controlled include individual transducer element operating power and frequency, as well as the rate of cooling and rotation of the entire applicator.

System for treatment of diseased tissue using controlled ultrasonic heating

The invention provides a method and apparatus for monitoring a thermal effect of a conformal thermal treatment to diseased tissue in a target volume. The method includes acquiring a reference image of the volume containing the diseased tissue at a first position of the device, determining a baseline temperature distribution of the reference image, acquiring an image of the volume containing the diseased tissue while delivering a treatment to the volume, performing a phase subtraction between the image and the reference image to determine a change in phase between the image and the reference image and determining a current spatial temperature distribution in the volume containing the diseased tissue.

Method and apparatus for obtaining quantitative temperature measurements in prostate and other tissue undergoing thermal therapy treatment

A system and method for intracorporeal elastography include an intra-luminal vibratory member configured to be positioned within a lumen of an imaging subject and configured to impart mechanical energy into tissue of the lumen. In a preferred embodiment, an external piezoelectric energy source is included and coupled to the vibratory member and configured to cause the vibratory member to longitudinally vibrate, thereby generating shear waves for use with magnetic resonance elastography.

System and method for intracorporeal elastography

Treatment of diseased tissue using controlled ultrasonic heating

The present invention is directed to an imaging-compatible device for insertion into a region of tissue under image guidance, which employs ultrasound energy for the generation of thermal lesions. Coagulation can be confined to particular sectors in tissue through rotational control of the device. The depth of coagulation can be controlled through simultaneous modulation of the operating frequencies and powers. Described is a device which comprises a transducer located within a housing suitable for tissue insertion. The transducer comprises at least one piezoceramic element with at least one acoustic matching layer comprising a high acoustic impedance material for generating acoustic energy in narrow passbands around multiple resonant frequencies with high acoustic efficiency. The magnitude and frequency of the electrical power delivered to each element can be manipulated simultaneously providing control over the 3-dimensional shape of the thermal lesion created in tissue.

Technique and apparatus for ultrasound therapy

An eye exercising device is disclosed having a positioning product to position the eye along an optical axis, which defines a range of accommodation for the eye. The range of accommodation is bounded by a proximal and a distal limit. An object is movable along the optical path and a displacement device is provided to displace continuously the object along the optical path from a first location on one side of a given one of the limits to a second location on another side of the given limit opposite the first location.

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Toronto, Canada

Michael John Bronskill