Apparatuses and methods for generating therapeutic compressed acoustic waves (e.g., shock waves) with an improved acoustic wavefront. In the apparatuses, a housing is defined by a chamber and a shockwave outlet, the chamber is configured to be filed with liquid, a plurality of electrodes defining one or more spark gaps and an acoustic reflector can disposed in the chamber, and a pulse generation system configured to apply voltage pulses to the electrodes at a rate of between 10 Hz and 5 MHz. The improved acoustic wavefront is achieved via a free-form acoustic reflector and/or a stable spark gap location. The free-form acoustic reflector is designed according to a disclosed method including iterating reflector shape using spline interpolation based on defined variables. Additionally, a stable spark gap location is achieved via a single servomotor that adjusts both electrodes simultaneously.

An ultrasound therapy probe includes a housing; a therapy transducer disposed in the housing to produce acoustic waves for therapy; a lens coupled to the housing to focus the acoustic waves from the therapy transducer for delivery to a patient; and a phase change material disposed within the housing and in thermal communication with the therapy transducer. The phase change material has a phase transition temperature or temperature range within a range of 25 C. to 40 C. at which the phase change material changes from a first phase to a second phase, where the first and second phases are not gaseous phases. The phase change material forms a thermal reservoir for managing thermal energy arising from the ultrasound therapy probe.

A catheter comprises an elongated carrier and a balloon carried by the carrier in sealed relation thereto. The balloon has an outer surface and is arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon. The catheter further comprises a shock wave generator within the balloon that forms mechanical shock waves within the balloon, and a medicinal agent carried on the outer surface of the balloon. The medicinal agent is releasable from the balloon either before or in response to the shock wave.

A waveguide that is configured to focus ballistic shockwaves by harnessing the propagation speed of an acoustic wave through different materials by controlling the geometry and the materials forming the waveguide through which the ballistic shockwave is travelling so as to focus the ballistic shockwaves at a focal zone.

A catheter includes multiple shock wave generators electrically controlled to produce shock waves simultaneously, sequentially or in pre-determined patterns for intracorporeal treatment of blood vessels.

Ablation device including a probe structure 10 having a proximal end 12 and a distal end 14. Probe structure 10 includes a tubular first catheter 16, a tubular second catheter 18 surrounding the first catheter and a tubular guide catheter extending within the first catheter 16. The first catheter 16 carries a cylindrical ultrasonic transducer 20 adjacent its distal end. The transducer 20 is connected to a source of electrical excitation. The ultrasonic waves emitted by the transducer are directed at the heart wall tissue. Once the tissue reaches the target temperature, the electrical excitation is turned on and off to maintain the tissue at the target temperature. Alternatively, the transducer 20 is subjected to continuous excitation at one power level and upon the tissue reaching the target temperature, the power level of the continuous excitation is switched to a second lower power level.

A two-stage method is disclosed for treating calcified lesions within a wall of a blood vessel. The first step includes breaking apart a calcified lesion using a plurality of shockwaves generated in an angioplasty balloon of an angioplasty catheter device. The angioplasty balloon is dilated via a fluid to a first extent to fit against at least a portion of the wall of the blood vessel. A plurality of electrical pulses are delivered to a pair of electrodes disposed within the fluid inside the balloon. The electrical pulses have an amplitude sufficient to create plasma arcs in the fluid to generate shockwaves that are conducted through the fluid and through the balloon to the blood vessel, to crack the calcified lesion. After breaking apart the calcified lesion, the angioplasty balloon is allowed to further expand to a second extent greater than the first extent, thereby reshaping an opening in the blood vessel.

A valvuloplasty system comprises a balloon adapted to be placed adjacent leaflets of a valve. The balloon is inflatable with a liquid. The system further includes a shock wave generator within the balloon that produces shock waves that propagate through the liquid for impinging upon the valve. The shock wave generator is moveable within the balloon to vary shock wave impingement on the valve.

There is described a method of treating a lesion including inserting a waveguide into a vessel of a subject, with a lesion being present in the vessel and the waveguide extending longitudinally between a proximal end and a distal end; positioning the distal end of the waveguide adjacent to the lesion; generating a high amplitude mechanical pulse and propagating the high amplitude pulse from the proximal end to the distal end of the waveguide; and propagating at least a portion of the high amplitude pulse from the distal end of the waveguide to the lesion, the at least one portion of the high amplitude pulse propagating up to the lesion, thereby treating at least partially the lesion.

A cardiac ablation method including the following steps: inserting a treatment catheter into an atrium of a heart, the treatment catheter including an ultrasound emitter; positioning the ultrasound emitter to face heart tissue within the left atrium outside of a pulmonary vein; emitting ultrasound energy from the ultrasound emitter while rotating the ultrasound emitter about a rotation axis; and ablating heart tissue with the ultrasound energy to form a lesion outside of a pulmonary vein.