Tissue ablation systems and methods of using the same are disclosed. The tissue ablation systems can have an ultrasound ablation device connected to a catheter. The ultrasound ablation device can have a first conical reflector having a first reflective surface and a second conical reflector having a second reflective surface. The distance between the first and second conical reflectors can be adjusted, e.g., increased and/or decreased, to adjust the radial and/or longitudinal dimension of a focal zone from the device.

Methods for treating skin and subcutaneous tissue with energy such as ultrasound energy are disclosed. In various embodiments, ultrasound energy is applied at a region of interest to affect tissue by cutting, ablating, micro-ablating, coagulating, or otherwise affecting the subcutaneous tissue to conduct numerous procedures that are traditionally done invasively in a non-invasive manner. Methods of lifting sagging tissue on a face and/or neck are described.

A probe for ultrasound treatment of skin laxity are provided. Systems and methods can include ultrasound imaging of the region of interest for localization of the treatment area, delivering ultrasound energy at a depth and pattern to achieve the desired therapeutic effects, and/or monitoring the treatment area to assess the results and/or provide feedback. In an embodiment, a treatment system and method can be configured for producing arrays of sub-millimeter and larger zones of thermal ablation to treat the epidermal, superficial dermal, mid-dermal or deep dermal components of tissue.

Methods for non-invasive fat reduction can include targeting a region of interest below a surface of skin, which contains fat and delivering ultrasound energy to the region of interest. The ultrasound energy generates a thermal lesion with said ultrasound energy on a fat cell. The lesion can create an opening in the surface of the fat cell, which allows the draining of a fluid out of the fat cell and through the opening. In addition, by applying ultrasound energy to fat cells to increase the temperature to between 43 degrees and 49 degrees, cell apoptosis can be realized, thereby resulting in reduction of fat.

A stimulator for applying acoustic energy, in which: a first emitter of acoustic energy is equipped with a first array of electroacoustic transducers and a second emitter of acoustic energy is equipped with a second array of electroacoustic transducers, the emitters being arranged symmetrically in a mirror arrangement; an electronic management unit activates the transducers of the first array so that the transducers issue a first beam of acoustic waves in the direction of a target region on the individual, and the transducers of the second array so that the transducers issue a second beam of acoustic waves in the direction of the target region; the activation of the transducers is sequenced so that the transducers are activated in the form of successive concentric rings or circles of different diameters or in the form of a spiral, or in the form of a rotating helix.

A medical device is presented for applying heat-based tissue treatment to an individual's body part. The medical device includes an applicator carrying a transducer arrangement controllably operable to perform a treatment session on at least one region of interest in tissue to achieve a desired treatment effect. The applicator is configured to define a substantially U-shaped surface presenting a U-shaped interface region for attachment with the body part such that the region(s) of interest is/are located between opposite arms of said U-shaped interface region, thereby enabling attachment of tissue being treated in a cavity defined by the U-shaped interface region. The transducer arrangement performs a treatment session on region(s) of interest by delivering heating radiation towards each region, and comprises first and second opposing ultrasound transducer-assemblies defining, respectively, first and second opposing ultrasound-transceiving surfaces located at the opposite arms of the U-shaped interface region.

The invention provides for a medical apparatus (200, 400, 500) comprising a high intensity focused ultrasound system (206). Machine executable instructions (260, 262, 264, 266, 408, 526) in a memory (250) cause a processor (244) to: receive (100) location data (252) descriptive of multiple sonication points (224, 226, 228, 230); determine (102) a sonication path (254) for each of the multiple sonication points using a geometric transducer element model (262); detect (104) an overlap region (256, 306) using the sonication path in the near field region; determine (106) transducer control commands (258) using the overlap region, wherein the transducer commands are operable to control the multiple transducer elements to reduce the deposition of ultrasonic energy in the overlap region during sonication of the two or more sonication points; and control (108) the high intensity focused ultrasound system using the transducer control commands.

Methods for treating skin and subcutaneous tissue with energy such as ultrasound energy are disclosed. In various embodiments, ultrasound energy is applied at a region of interest to affect tissue by cutting, ablating, micro-ablating, coagulating, or otherwise affecting the subcutaneous tissue to conduct numerous procedures that are traditionally done invasively in a non-invasive manner. Methods of lifting sagging tissue on a face and/or neck are described.

One embodiment involves modifying neural transmission patterns between neural structures and/or neural regions in a noninvasive manner. In a related exemplary method, sound waves are directed toward a first targeted neural structure and characteristics of the sound waves are controlled at the first target neural structure with respect to characteristics of sound waves at the second target neural structure. In response, neural transmission patterns modified to produce the intended effect (e.g., long-term potentiation and long-term depression of the neural transmission patterns). In a related embodiment, a transducer produces the sound for stimulating the first neural structure and the second neural structure, and an electronically-based control circuit is used to control characteristics of the sound waves as described above to modify the neural transmission patterns between the first and second neural structures.

Implementations described herein include a device including a stimulation transducer operably coupled to a stimulation controller. The stimulation transducer focally delivers energy to a target tissue at a selected depth below the surface of the skin of a subject and the stimulation controller generates a signal indicating a selected pulse intensity, a selected pulse duration, and a selected treatment session duration sufficient to heat the target tissue to a temperature from 40 to 45 degrees Celsius via application of energy by the stimulation transducer. When the stimulation transducer receives the signal from the stimulation controller, the stimulation transducer focally delivers energy having the selected pulse intensity, the selected pulse duration, and the selected treatment session duration to heat the target tissue to selectively and reversibly activate afferent nerve fibers having thermo-sensitive ion channels to send sensory information to the central nervous system without causing any permanent changes to the target tissue.