A method of removing microvessels includes applying a burst of acoustic energy at a target location, applying a pulse of optical energy at the target location, and promoting cavitation at the target location. The burst of acoustic energy has a pressure below 5.0 MPa. The pulse of optical energy at the target location has a fluence less than 100 mJ/cm.sup.2. At least a portion of the pulse is concurrent with the burst and the optical energy has an optical area that is overlapping with an acoustic area of the acoustic energy at the target location.

A method of distributing data to a transducer array of an ultrasonic device, the transducer array including transduction elements arranged in module units, includes generating a data packet using an optical transceiver controlled by a controller, the data packet including activation instructions encoded in a first wavelength, transmitting the data packet from the controller to a target device via a signal in an optical fiber, the target device having a beam divider device, splitting the data signal, using the beam divider device, into a plurality of data streams, where each of the data streams carries the data packet in an identical phase, transmitting the data streams to the module units, and activating the transduction elements based on the received data streams.

Disclosed are methods of obtaining zero vergence ultrasound waves for providing sonodynamic therapy with ultrasound waves. The method includes coupling a sonodynamic therapy device with an array of flat piezoelectric transducers to a skin surface. A controller is configured to generate an electrical drive signal at a frequency, modulate the drive signal, and drive the transducer with the modulated drive signal at the frequency to produce a zero vergence ultrasound wave to produce an average acoustic intensity sufficient to activate a sonosensitizer in a treatment region without damaging healthy cells in the treatment region.

Various approaches for delivering ultrasound energy to a target region during a therapeutic or diagnostic procedure includes implementing an adjustment mechanism having a machine-learning model that has been trained, based on input vectors corresponding to a difference and/or a ratio of parameter values between multiple transducer elements, to generate, for each of the transducer elements, one or more parameter value to compensate for expected beam aberration resulting for an intervening tissue; and activating the transducer elements in accordance with the corresponding parameter values so as to generate an optimized focal zone at the target region during the therapeutic or diagnostic procedure.

An apparatus comprises a source of ultrasound energy comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers. Each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers is configured to direct ultrasound energy to a treatment region located at a depth below a skin surface associated with a patient. The apparatus further comprises a control system for controlling power to the plurality of ultrasound transducers and a water circulation system for controlling a temperature associated with the plurality of ultrasound transducers. The apparatus further comprises an imaging transducer for spatially registering the location of the treatment region.

Ultrasound device configured to carry out a HIFU treatment and to detect in real time during the HIFU treatment the temperature distribution in the area of treatment, comprising: an ultrasound probe comprising at least an array of piezoelectric or CMUT transducers, —piloting means of said ultrasound probe, computing means configured to receive and store said raw ultrasound signals reflected by said tissues and acquired by each of said piezoelectric or CMUT transducers, to process said reflected raw ultrasound signals in order to generate an ultrasound image, as well as to carry out other processing on said raw ultrasound signals reflected by said tissues, characterized in that computer programs are loaded on said computing means, configured to carry out the method for determining the actual acoustic heating rate of tissues, comprising the following steps: a) identifying, inside an ultrasound image (14), a region of interest (15) inside which an area to be treated (16) is provided, b) assigning a starting temperature distribution, by means of which a temperature value is assigned to each point of ROI, c) emitting a high intensity ultrasound beam (100) focused on a focal point (11) contained in said ROI for a predetermined time interval, and subsequently a broadband ultrasound pulse (200), and detecting the ultrasound signal reflected and/or emitted by the tissues under treatment, d) carrying out the frequency transform of said reflected ultrasound signal in response to said broadband ultrasound pulse (200), in order to obtain a reference frequency spectrum (200s), e) repeating steps c) and d) iteratively, thus obtaining a frequency spectrum for each iteration, f) assuming that the temperature at the focus (11) is equal to a predetermined temperature and function of the tissue in the treatment step when the frequency spectrum (202s) detected in response to a broadband ultrasound pulse (202) comprises a plurality of peaks (2021) not provided in the reference frequency spectrum (200s), g) determining the actual acoustic heating rate Q as a function of said predetermined temperature, of the intensity of said high intensity ultrasound beam (100).

Disclosed herein are devices, systems, and methods for use in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided procedure in which focused energy is applied to an area of interest of a subject. Disclosed herein are coupling baths comprising an aqueous solution comprising a plurality of paramagnetic particles dispersed in water, wherein, when magnetic resonance images are collected from the area of interest of the subject for MRI guidance: the coupling bath is located proximate to the area of interest, and the composition, the average particle size, the shape, the concentration, the presence or absence of the capping layer, the identity of the plurality of ligands when the capping layer is present, the average thickness of the capping layer when the capping layer is present, or a combination thereof is/are selected such that the coupling bath reduces or prevents imaging artifacts in the magnetic resonance images for the MRI guidance.

A method of removing microvessels includes applying a burst of acoustic energy at a target location, applying a pulse of optical energy at the target location, and promoting cavitation at the target location by synchronizing an arrival of the burst of acoustic energy and the optical energy at the target location. The burst of acoustic energy has a pressure below 5.0 MPa. The pulse of optical energy at the target location has a fluence less than 100 mJ/cm.sup.2. At least a portion of the pulse is concurrent with the burst and the optical energy has an optical area that is overlapping with an acoustic area of the acoustic energy at the target location.

An ultrasound treatment system operable to deliver ultrasound energy to a patient's brain, the system comprises a treatment ultrasound transducer comprising a plurality of treatment elements, the treatment ultrasound transducer locatable to deliver ultrasound into the head of the patient. The system further comprises a data store, one or more position sensors configured to detect relative movement between the head of the patient and the treatment ultrasound transducer, and a data processor.

An apparatus for treating vascular thrombosis with ultrasound, includes a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer, suitable for generating focused ultrasonic waves that propagate along an emission axis; an imaging ultrasonic transducer associated with the therapeutic transducer; a means for moving the focal spot of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer along the emission axis with respect to the imaging transducer; a motorized mechanical system for translating the transducers along at least a first axis parallel to the emission axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first; and an electronic control system for driving the motorized mechanical system and the means for moving the focal spot of the therapeutic transducer.