A method of treating human or animal tissue, the method comprising the step of: i. directing a stream of an aqueous liquid comprising gas bubbles excited by acoustic energy towards a wound or anatomical pocket in human or animal tissue, or towards an anatomical space or potential space in human or animal tissue, or towards soft or hard tissue in an oral cavity or elsewhere in the human or animal body, or towards tissue in a nasal cavity, or towards tissue associated with sinuses, eye, ear, digestive and genito-urinary systems, thereby to treat the human or animal tissue with the stream. The output stream can clean a wound in human or animal tissue, and can treat the wound by healing the wound, for example by stimulating fibroblasts in the wound tissue and causing, promoting or enhancing re-epithelialisation of epidermal tissue in the wound.

A guidewire includes an elongated member and a shaft extending distally from the elongated member, wherein the elongated member and shaft are configured to be navigated through vasculature of a patient. The guidewire further includes a first conductor extending around the shaft to define an outer perimeter of the guidewire and a first electrode adjacent the shaft. The first conductor is configured electrically connect the first electrode to an energy source. The guidewire further includes a second electrode and a second conductor configured to electrically couple the second electrode to the energy source. The first and second electrodes may be configured to deliver an electrical signal to fluid contacting the first and second electrodes to cause the fluid to undergo cavitation to generate a pressure pulse wave within the fluid.

A catheter assembly includes a catheter comprising a flexible elongated member including a distal portion that includes a tubular body defining an inner lumen and a plurality of body apertures that extend through a sidewall of the tubular body into the inner lumen, and a plurality of primary electrodes positioned along the tubular body. The catheter assembly includes a wire defining at least one secondary electrode, the wire being configured to be slidably moved through the inner lumen of the tubular body, where the wire and the plurality of primary electrodes are configured to electrically couple to an energy source that delivers an electrical pulse to a fluid in contact with the plurality of primary electrodes and the at least one secondary electrode to cause the fluid to undergo cavitation to generate a pressure pulse wave within the fluid.

In some examples, a catheter includes an elongated member including at least one balloon connected to the elongated member, the at least one balloon being configured to inflate to an expanded state. In the expanded state, the at least one balloon forms at least a portion of a cavity with a wall of a vessel of the patient. The catheter including at least one electrode carried by the elongated member and having at least one surface exposed to the cavity formed by the at least one balloon. The electrode is configured to connect to an energy source that is configured to deliver, via the electrode, an electrical signal to a fluid contained in the cavity and in contact with the electrode to cause the fluid to undergo cavitation to generate a pressure pulse wave within the fluid.

MRI interference with a concurrently operated system may be reduced or corrected by subtracting the MRI interference from signals measured using the concurrently operated system.

In some examples, a catheter includes an elongated body configured for navigation through vasculature of a patient, the elongated body having an inner wall that defines a lumen extending from a proximal portion to a distal portion. The elongated body is configured to pass a fluid through the lumen and out a distal end of the elongated body. At the distal portion, the inner wall defines a convergent-divergent region such that a diameter of the lumen while moving distally within the elongated body converges from a first lumen diameter to a second lumen diameter and then diverges from the second lumen diameter to a third lumen diameter. The convergent-divergent region is configured to cause a fluid flowing through the lumen to cavitate as the fluid flows through the convergent-divergent region.

The invention provides a system for treating an occlusion within a body lumen. The system may comprise an insulated outer sheath; an elongated conductive tube, wherein the insulated outer sheath is circumferentially mounted around the elongated conductive tube; and an insulated wire having a helically coiled portion at a distal end of the insulated wire. The coiled portion includes an exposed distal tip, and a distal portion of the elongated conductive tube is circumferentially mounted around the distal coiled portion of the insulated wire. When a voltage is applied across the insulated wire and the elongated conductive tube, a current is configured to flow from the exposed distal tip of the insulated wire to the elongated conductive tube to generate a plurality of cavitation bubbles. In an alternate embodiment, an elongated central electrode is used in place of the conductive tube.

A method of treating a mobile target tissue with a laser beam includes: providing a laser device for generating a laser beam and providing an optical fiber having a delivery end for guiding the laser beam to the target tissue; a controller causes the laser device to generate one or more laser pulses substantially along the same longitudinal axis. The controller causes the laser device to provide one or more laser pulses. The one or more pulses are selected to allow a vapor bubble formed by the one or more pulse to expand an amount sufficient to displace a substantial portion of the liquid medium from the space between the delivery end of the fiber and the target tissue. The one or more pulses are delivered to the target tissue through the vapor bubble after the vapor bubble has reached its maximum extent and has begun to collapse to reduce retropulsion of the mobile target tissue.

A method for controlling a histotripsy using a confocal fundamental and harmonic superposition combined with hundred-microsecond ultrasound pulses, including: 1) positioning a target tissue by a monitoring and guiding system and adjusting a position of the target tissue to a focal point of a transducer; 2) first stage: controlling the confocal fundamental and harmonic superposition combined with hundred-microsecond ultrasound pulses to form a shock wave in a focal zone; wherein a negative acoustic pressure exceeds a cavitation threshold; an inertial cavitation occurs to generate boiling bubbles; the boiling bubbles collapse and achieve partial homogenization of the target tissue; 3) second stage: controlling the confocal fundamental and harmonic superposition combined with hundred-microsecond pulsed-ultrasound sequences to simultaneously irradiate a target zone and further mechanically disintegrate and homogenize the target tissue.

This invention related to manufactured microbubbles, as well as methods of using manufactured microbubbles, for example, in medicinal applications. The invention pertains to the physical structure and materials of the microbubbles, as well as to methods for manufacturing microbubbles, methods for targeting microbubbles for specific medicinal applications, and methods for delivering microbubbles in medical treatment.