An ultrasonic surgical tool system with a tip capable of simultaneously vibrating in plural modes. The system includes a console capable of supplying a drive signal to the tip that includes plural components. Each component has a frequency characteristic that is based in part on the equivalent of current through the mechanical components of the tip. The frequency components are different from each other. Based on the application of drive signal the tip undergoes non-linear vibrations.

A shockwave transducer for a lithotripter includes a shockwave source and a body with an exit aperture. The transducer is configured to generate a shockwave propagating from the body and through the exit aperture. The body comprises at least one diffuser, which engages into the shockwave propagating from the body. This diffuser includes a material characterized by a propagation velocity of the shockwave that is different from the propagation velocity of the shockwave in the surrounding medium.

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.

A method for treating a target biomineralization in a mammalian subject. The method includes placing a catheter in proximity to the target biomineralization; introducing a low-dissolved-gas liquid (LDGL) through the catheter, the LDGL having a dissolved-gas concentration of less than or equal to about 20% of the LDGL oxygen saturation level; flowing the LDGL towards the target biomineralization such that at least some of the LDGL is in a focal zone of one or more ultrasound transducers and between the target biomineralization and the ultrasound transducer(s), the focal zone aligned with the target biomineralization; applying focused ultrasound energy to the target biomineralization, the focused ultrasound energy passing through the LDGL; and forming cavitation bubbles, with the focused ultrasound energy, at a surface of the target biomineralization to fragment the target biomineralization. The LDGL reduces acoustic shielding in the focal zone compared to when the LDGL is not introduced.

This disclosure disclosed an ultrasonic needle and apparatus used for removal of the vitreous body and other tissues. An ultrasonic vitrectomy needle, comprising: a connector, a connected inner needle, and an outer sheath. The length of the outer sheath at the distal end is slightly longer than that of the inner needle; the sheath distal end is of blind with smooth surface, but there is an open cut at the side of the distal end used for aspirating the vitreous body. The benefits of this disclosure: due to the difficulty if not impossible in the prior arts making a slim long center bore needle for ultrasonic surgical system, this disclosure clears the way to make the ultrasonic vitrectomy a practical reality; the ultrasonic vibration inherent advantages of the quietness, minuscule displacement, liquid repulsion and viscosity reduction improve safety of the surgery; the possibility of integrating ultrasonic vitrectomy and ultrasonic phaco emulsification procedures simplifies the complexity from prior arts, thus brings ease to the ophthalmic surgeries and reduces the cost.

Various approaches for reducing microbubble interference with ultrasound waves transmitted from multiple transducer elements and traversing tissue onto a target region include measuring microbubbles in high-throughput areas of ultrasound exposure and reducing the amount of microbubbles using the ultrasound waves.

The present discussion relates to the delivery of ultrasonic therapy energy to a target region in conjunction with a clear path determination that may assess one or more of: (1) presence of non-soft tissue regions within the therapy beam path (e.g., bone or bone-like structures, gas-filled cavities, and so forth), (2) partial lift-off of the probe head; or (3) sufficiency of acoustic coupling. Upon determination or confirmation of at least a partial clear path with respect to some or all of these factors, the therapy beam may be delivered to the target region.

Ultrasound generation produces in general an acoustic field, characterized by both inertial and non-inertial acoustic cavitation, a process by which non-linear oscillation of a microbubble and its associated micro streaming and radiation force generated by ultrasound can lead to intense heating effects in a material, solution or biological cell which comes into contact with a conventional ultrasound transmission. Typically an ultrasound signal contains both an acoustic vibration effect, a resonance effect where a material receiving the ultrasound transmission resonates in response to the transmission, and unfortunately in many applications a damaging cavitation effect and a damaging thermal effect. This invention is both a method and an apparatus to reduce the damaging effects of ultrasound in both the thermal and mechanical effects and to provide a safer ultrasonic process which can be used in sonochemistry applications, material science and for biological or medical applications.

An ultrasonic surgical tool system with a tip capable of simultaneously vibrating in plural modes. The system includes a console capable of supplying a drive signal to the tip that includes plural components. Each component has a frequency characteristic that is based in part on the equivalent of current through the mechanical components of the tip. The frequency components are different from each other. Based on the application of drive signal the tip undergoes non-linear vibrations.

The present discussion relates to the delivery of ultrasonic therapy energy to a target region in conjunction with a clear path determination that may assess one or more of: (1) presence of non-soft tissue regions within the therapy beam path (e.g., bone or bone-like structures, gas-filled cavities, and so forth), (2) partial lift-off of the probe head; or (3) sufficiency of acoustic coupling. Upon determination or confirmation of at least a partial clear path with respect to some or all of these factors, the therapy beam may be delivered to the target region.