Methods of treating tumors by administering compounds to a patient are provided. Compounds such as pro drugs, e.g., 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), may be administered to the patient orally, by injection, intravenously, or topically, which then accumulate preferentially as compounds such as protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in tumor cells. After such accumulation, compounds such as PpIX are then activated in various aspects to treat tumors cells, thereby treating cancer. Cancers such as glioblastoma may be treated.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to techniques for neuromodulation delivery. Based on image data acquired from the subject, control parameters controlling energy application of neuromodulating energy may be dynamically changed during the course of the delivery to maintain desired characteristics of the neuromodulating energy. For example, the beam of the neuromodulating energy may be dynamically adjusted to account for movement of an organ during breathing. In another embodiment, a desired region of interest is identified within the subject based on a trained neural network and the acquired image data.

Systems and methods for applying therapeutic ultrasound to the brain while using ultrasound to compensate for the attenuation and dephasing of ultrasound by each individual's head. The compensation delivers into the target deterministic ultrasound intensity. The compensation is based on relative ultrasound through-transmit measurements, which are performed using a set of ultrasonic emitters over one side of the head and a set of receivers on the other side. The measurements are performed with the head absent and present. Based on the difference between these measurements, the set of ultrasound waves is adjusted to compensate for attenuations and dephasing caused by the ultrasound wave passing into the head through the skull and scalp. The adjusted set of ultrasound waves provides intended, deterministic ultrasound intensity at the target location. The deterministic delivery enables safe and effective ultrasonic neuromodulation, safe and effective local drug release from nanoparticle carriers, and safe and effective microbubble-based disruption of blood-brain barrier for the delivery of drugs, genes, and stem cells across the blood-brain barrier.

A cartridge for a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device and a piezoelectric linear motor are disclosed. By using the cartridge for a HIFU device according to the present invention, a transducer module is coupled to a piezoelectric linear motor driveable in water and embedded in the cartridge, heat generated when a conventional step motor is driven is fundamentally removed, an additional cooling fan is not needed, ultra-low power consumption and ultra-precise transfer can be realized, and thus an effective procedure can be performed. A skin beauty device may include ultrasound and high frequency units, apply a high frequency to a skin to be treated so as to crack a stratum corneum, and apply ultrasound to the skin to be treated, and thus a medicament drug can easily penetrate the treated skin. In addition, the piezoelectric linear motor in which a piezoelectric actuator and a moving shaft are stably coupled is provided.

Cancer treatment methods using thermotherapy and/or enhanced immunotherapy are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the method comprising the steps of: (i) applying controlled thermal energy at 40-43° C. for a first predetermined time period to damage and weaken tumor cells of a tumor in a patient; (ii) administering pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound (pHIFU) in a first ultrasound mode to the tumor cells in the patient so as to damage the tumor cells without increasing the thermal energy; and (iii) administering low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) in a second ultrasound mode to further damage the tumor cells at a temperature of 39-43° C. for a second predetermined time period while performing observation of the tumor cells by ultrasonic thermometry.

A system for delivering drugs or other molecules to the brain comprises an ultrasound imaging transducer configured to image structures such as the circle of Willis within a patient's head by way of a low attenuation acoustic window. The system includes a processor configured to register the ultrasound images to previously obtained images which also include the structures. The system includes ultrasound transducer elements operable to deliver ultrasound energy to a target region to cause the blood brain barrier to open. The system may include a drug delivery system that may be operated to deliver a drug to the patient in coordination with opening the blood brain barrier. Coordinates of the target region relative to the ultrasound imaging transducer are determined using registration information.

When planning magnetic resonance (MR) guided high intensity focused ultrasonic (HIFU) therapy, HIFU transducer element parameters are optimized as a function of 3D MR data describing a size, shape, and position of a region of interest (ROI) (146) and any obstructions (144) between the HIFU transducer elements and the ROI (146). Transducer element phases and amplitudes are adjusted to maximize HIFU radiation delivery to the ROI (146) while minimizing delivery to the obstruction (144). Additionally or alternatively, transducer elements are selectively deactivated if the obstruction (144) is positioned between the ROI (146) and a given transducer element.

The tissue removal device using focused ultrasound includes a focused ultrasound output unit, a mode setting unit to set an output mode of the focused ultrasound, and a control unit to control output characteristics of the focused ultrasound according to the set mode, wherein the output mode is selected from a first mode for removing a tissue in a local area using a vapor bubble formed by the focused ultrasound, a second mode for removing a tissue in a narrower area than the first mode by controlling the output characteristics of the focused ultrasound immediately after the vapor bubble is formed by the focused ultrasound, and a third mode for obtaining a skin tightening effect by generating heating in a subcutaneous fat layer using focused ultrasound of lower intensity and a longer pulse length than the first mode and the second mode.

For intraluminal ultrasound probes, the transducer is divided into multiple segments. The segments are connected in a way that allows them to slide relative to each other. This sliding arrangement allows for the transducer to be used in two different apertures at different times while in the patient. One aperture is shaped for insertion of the probe through a limited space, and the other aperture forms an array with a larger elevation extent, allowing greater quality imaging along the elevation dimension.

A system includes ultrasound transducers configured to generate and direct ultrasound beams at a region within a portion of a subject's brain, sensors configured to measure a response from the portion of the subject's brain in response to one or more ultrasound beams, and an electronic controller in communication with the ultrasound transducers configured to generate, based on a measured response from the portion of the subject's brain in response to two or more ultrasound beams generated from two or more different angles, a model of the portion of the subject's brain, wherein the model has a higher resolution than a maximum resolution of a single ultrasound beam, and generate, based on the model of the portion of the subject's brain, stimulation parameters for the ultrasound transducers to generate and direct a stimulation ultrasound beam at the region within the portion of the subject's brain.