Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Yoshiharu Ishibashi

Satoshi Aida

Takuji Suzuki

Katsuhiko Fujimoto

Mariko Shibata

Kazuya Okamoto

Shiroh Saitoh

Mamoru Izumi

Yasutoshi Ishihara

Kozo Sato

Ayao Itoh

An ultrasonic therapeutic apparatus consisting of a therapeutic ultrasonic wave generating source driven by a driver circuit to generate therapeutic ultrasonic waves, an in vivo imaging probe so as to obtain a tissue tomographic image in the vicinity of the focus of the therapeutic ultrasonic waves. The imaging probe is used to receive echoes of the ultrasonic pulses emitted from therapeutic ultrasonic wave generating source. The driving conditions for the therapeutic ultrasonic wave generating source is adjusted on the basis of a received echo signal. The received echo signal contains information about actual intensity of the therapeutic ultrasonic waves within a living body, thus improving the safety and reliability of therapy.

Ultrasound therapeutic apparatus

Ultrasound therapeutic apparataus

Ultrasound therapeutic apparatus using a therapeutic ultrasonic wave

An ultrasonic wave medical treatment apparatus capable of preventing the displacement of the focal point of the ultrasonic waves from the treatment target portion within the patient, eliminating a need for re-positioning of the ultrasonic wave applicator with respect to the patient, and taking MR images to be utilized during the treatment at a high resolution. In this apparatus, the ultrasonic wave applicator can be integrally incorporated within a treatment table for carrying the patient into the MRI gantry for taking the MR images. The surface coil for taking the MR images can be provided on a surface film of a water bag in the ultrasonic wave applicator, or on a body cavity probe on which the ultrasonic transducer is also provided. The mixing rate of the coupling fluid can be adjusted, and the impedance matching between the ultrasonic transducer and the driving circuit can be maintained by minimizing the reflected electric power from the ultrasonic transducer.

Ultrasonic wave medical treatment apparatus suitable for use under

An ultrasound medical treatment apparatus includes an ultrasound applicator for applying ultrasound irradiation to a treatment target. The treatment apparatus also includes an ultrasound imaging device that transmits ultrasound pulses to image the treatment target. The treatment apparatus is capable of reducing noises occurring at an ultrasound imaging device due to the ultrasound irradiation generated by the ultrasound application during ultrasound medical treatment. The noises may be reduced by increasing a transmission power of the ultrasound pulses. Alternatively, the noises may be reduced by subtracting pre-recorded noise components from the ultrasound pulses received by the ultrasound imaging device, where the pre-recorded noise components are characteristic of noise occurring at the ultrasound imaging device due to the ultrasound irradiation generated by the ultrasound applicator.

Ultrasound medical treatment apparatus with reduction of noise due to

An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus for raising tissue temperature for hypothermic treatments, including an ultrasonic source for generating an ultrasonic treatment wave and a driving means for driving the ultrasonic source such that a frequency of the ultrasonic treatment wave generated by the ultrasonic source changes with time. The frequency of the ultrasonic treatment wave is changed along the time axis. By this change in frequency, some bubbles formed by cavitation as a result of the ultrasonic treatment wave are divided, and some bubbles are collapsed and therefore eliminated. Side effect cavitation and spread of a thermal degeneration area is suppressed, and thermal degeneration can be accurately induced in a desired area, thereby realizing a reliable, safe ultrasonic thermotherapy. Since cavitation is positively suppressed, the total treatment period can be shortened because cavitation would otherwise interfere with and slow down the thermal degeneration process. Therefore, treatment throughput can be improved as compared with a case in which cavitation is left to naturally break and disappear.

Ultrasonic apparatus for thermotherapy with variable frequency for

An ultrasound medical treatment system capable of determining the hot spot at high spatial resolution, and preventing the displacement of the hot spot from the focal point. In the system, the imaging device for obtaining image data of a treatment portion containing a treatment target and an irradiation device for applying radiation onto the treatment target are controlled in such a manner that the imaging device is controlled to obtain hot spot detection image data after the irradiation device is controlled to apply radiation at a prescribed level, so that a hot spot indicating a change due to a temperature change caused by the radiation at the prescribed level can be detected from the hot spot detection image data. The irradiation device is then controlled to apply a treatment radiation at a treatment level higher than the prescribed level according to the detected hot spot.

Method and apparatus for ultrasound medical treatment

An ultrasonic wave medical treatment in which the position of the focal point of the ultrasonic waves, the temperature in a vicinity of the object to be treated, and the effect of the treatment can be determined easily and accurately. The three-dimensional image information of the object to be treated obtained by a computed tomography device is utilized in locating the focal point. In case of using a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device as the computed tomography device, the T2 weighted image and the chemical shift data can be used in checking the effect of the treatment and the temperature in a vicinity of the object. The endocavitary probe equipped with temperature and intensity sensors may also be used. The ultrasound tomographic images obtained by the ultrasound tomographic imaging device may also be used in conjunction with the three-dimensional image information. Sequential shifting of the focal point of the ultrasonic waves may be employed to reduce adverse influence due to the cavitation.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yoshiharu Ishibashi