A device for treating the human or animal brain with shockwaves has a shockwave transducer coupled to a position sensor for detecting the position of the shockwave transducer. The device is adapted to evaluate the signals of the position sensor to calculate the position of the focus spot of the shockwave transducer. Furthermore, a mapping device is provided for mapping the movement of the focus spot over a plurality of positions together with the applied shockwave dose at each of the positions. The applied shockwave dose may be indicated on a color display.

Systems and methods for cavitation-guided opening of a targeted region of tissue within a primate skull are provided. In one example, a method includes delivering one or more microbubbles to proximate the targeted region, applying an ultrasound beam, using a transducer, through the skull of the primate to the targeted region to open the tissue, transcranially acquiring acoustic emissions produced from an interaction between the one or more microbubbles and the tissue, and determining a cavitation spectrum from the acquired acoustic emissions.

Methods for performing non-invasive thrombolysis with ultrasound using, in some embodiments, one or more ultrasound transducers to focus or place a high intensity ultrasound beam onto a blood clot (thrombus) or other vascular inclusion or occlusion (e.g., clot in the dialysis graft, deep vein thrombosis, superficial vein thrombosis, arterial embolus, bypass graft thrombosis or embolization, pulmonary embolus) which would be ablated (eroded, mechanically fractionated, liquefied, or dissolved) by ultrasound energy. The process can employ one or more mechanisms, such as of cavitational, sonochemical, mechanical fractionation, or thermal processes depending on the acoustic parameters selected. This general process, including the examples of application set forth herein, is henceforth referred to as Thrombolysis.

An apparatus for generating focused shockwaves and ultrasound waves comprises a concave reflector holding a cylindrical coil at its center axis. A power generator comprising a combined shockwave and ultrasound generator device is connected to the coil for alternatingly providing an ultrasound signal and a shockwave signal to the coil such that the coil alternatingly generates ultrasound waves and shockwaves.

An acoustic lithotripsy system can deliver acoustic energy to a target located within a patient. The system may include an acoustic transducer, the acoustic transducer including a first vibrator and a second vibrator. A system may include an impact member, coupled to the acoustic transducer, the impact member operable at a lower frequency than each of the first vibrator and the second vibrator. The system may further include controller circuitry, coupled to the acoustic transducer and the impact member, the controller circuitry including: an acoustic actuation control output, configured to selectively provide to at least one of the first vibrator or the second vibrator, an actuation control signal to control ablation of the target by the selected at least one of the first vibrator or the second vibrator. The first vibrator and/or or the second vibrator may be selected to operate with or without the impact member.

Methods for performing non-invasive thrombolysis with ultrasound using, in some embodiments, one or more ultrasound transducers to focus or place a high intensity ultrasound beam onto a blood clot (thrombus) or other vascular inclusion or occlusion (e.g., clot in the dialysis graft, deep vein thrombosis, superficial vein thrombosis, arterial embolus, bypass graft thrombosis or embolization, pulmonary embolus) which would be ablated (eroded, mechanically fractionated, liquefied, or dissolved) by ultrasound energy. The process can employ one or more mechanisms, such as of cavitational, sonochemical, mechanical fractionation, or thermal processes depending on the acoustic parameters selected. This general process, including the examples of application set forth herein, is henceforth referred to as Thrombolysis.

A Histotripsy therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the system includes a high voltage power supply, a pulse generator electrically coupled to at least one signal switching amplifier, at least one matching network electrically coupled to the signal switching amplifier(s), and an ultrasound transducer having at least one transducer element. The Histotripsy therapy system can further include an ultrasound Doppler imaging system. The Doppler imaging system and the Histotripsy therapy system can be synchronized to enable color Doppler acquisition of the fractionation of tissue during Histotripsy therapy. Methods of use are also described.

An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system with a two dimensional array transducer performs microbubble-mediated therapy such as sonothrombolysis. The array is formed by dicing into rectilinear elements with the corner elements absent to provide a generally rounded shape that accommodates the temporal windows of the head for cranial therapeutic energy delivery. In several described implementations additional transducer elements are optimized for other specialized functions such as A-line imaging, Doppler flow detection, temporal bone thickness estimation, or cavitation detection. Preferably there are 128 therapeutic elements so that the array probe can be used with standard ultrasound systems having 128-channel beamformers.

A shock wave and/or ultrasound therapy system has an ultrasound and/or shockwave source with an ultrasonic transducer for ultrasonic imaging or an X-ray imaging system which is configured for providing a video signal, and which is coupled to a video processor. The video processor includes a neural network and is configured for detecting in the video signal at least one kidney stone and/or at least one kidney itself, which are marked in the video signal and displayed on a display. Position and/or orientation data of the at least one kidney stone and/or at least one kidney are delivered to a system controller for positioning the ultrasound and/or shockwave source

The present invention relates to a system for the controlled fragmentation of solids by means of acoustic beams, comprising at least one acoustic beam generation unit (100); and one feedback and control unit (200) of said generation unit (100). Advantageously, the acoustic beams generated by the system are acoustic vortex beams; and the feedback and control unit (200) further comprises a feedback subsystem (12), configured to receive the information relating to the fragmented solids and to utilize it so as to adapt the operation of the acoustic beam generation unit (100). Given that the generation of shearing stresses is more efficient using vortex beams, the amplitudes of the ultrasonic field needed to fragment the calculi are much lower than in current extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy techniques. Likewise, the system minimizes unwanted effects on soft tissues surrounding the solid.