A surgical instrument includes an end effector and a handle assembly. The end effector is configured to operate at a first energy level and at a second energy level. The end effector is further configured to transition between an open position and a closed position. The end effector is configured to grasp tissue in the closed position. The handle assembly includes a body, a trigger, and an activation element. The trigger is configured to pivot in a first direction relative to the body to actuate the end effector from the open position to the closed position. The activation element is configured to activate the end effector at either the first energy level or the second energy level. The trigger is configured to either activate the activation element or determine whether the end effector operates at the first energy level or the second energy level.

Methods and systems for method for acoustic treatment of tissue to disperse vacuoles within the tissue. Some of the present methods and systems comprise: directing pulsed acoustic waves from the acoustic wave generator into the tissue containing the vacuoles. Some of the present methods include indentifying the location of tissue containing vacuoles, and/or coupling (e.g., acoustically) an acoustic wave generator to the tissue containing the vacuoles.

Methods and systems for treating skin, such as stretch marks through deep tissue tightening with ultrasound are provided. An exemplary method and system comprise a therapeutic ultrasound system configured for providing ultrasound treatment to a shallow tissue region, such as a region comprising an epidermis, a dermis or a deep dermis. In accordance with various exemplary embodiments, a therapeutic ultrasound system can be configured to achieve depth with a conformal selective deposition of ultrasound energy without damaging an intervening tissue. In addition, a therapeutic ultrasound can also be configured in combination with ultrasound imaging or imaging/monitoring capabilities, either separately configured with imaging, therapy and monitoring systems or any level of integration thereof.

Disclosed herein is a non-invasive treatment system using intermedium, and an exemplary treatment system is configured to output high-intensity focused ultrasound to remove bone tissue, inject an acoustically-transparent medium into a part where the bone tissue is removed to generate an intermedium, and output therapeutic ultrasound that passes through the intermedium. Accordingly, the bone tissue is removed in a non-invasive way using high-intensity focused ultrasound, and the intermedium is generated at the bone tissue removed site, to increase the penetration of therapeutic ultrasound or generate ultrasound itself, thereby improving an ultrasound treatment effect while minimizing the side effect (for example, infection of dura mater) of invasive surgery methods.

Methods and systems for treating skin, such as stretch marks through deep tissue tightening with ultrasound are provided. An exemplary method and system comprise a therapeutic ultrasound system configured for providing ultrasound treatment to a shallow tissue region, such as a region comprising an epidermis, a dermis or a deep dermis. In accordance with various exemplary embodiments, a therapeutic ultrasound system can be configured to achieve depth with a conformal selective deposition of ultrasound energy without damaging an intervening tissue. In addition, a therapeutic ultrasound can also be configured in combination with ultrasound imaging or imaging/monitoring capabilities, either separately configured with imaging, therapy and monitoring systems or any level of integration thereof.

An ultrasound therapy system and method is provided that provides directional, focused ultrasound to localized regions of tissue within body joints, such as spinal joints. An ultrasound emitter or transducer is delivered to a location within the body associated with the joint and heats the target region of tissue associated with the joint from the location. Such locations for ultrasound transducer placement may include for example in or around the intervertebral discs, or the bony structures such as vertebral bodies or posterior vertebral elements such as facet joints. Various modes of operation provide for selective, controlled heating at different temperature ranges to provide different intended results in the target tissue, which ranges are significantly affected by pre-stressed tissues such as in-vivo intervertebral discs. In particular, treatments above 70 degrees C., and in particular 75 degrees C., are used for structural remodeling, whereas lower temperatures achieve other responses without appreciable remodeling.

A device for therapeutic treatment which comprises a HIFU transducer for generating and transmitting HIFU pulses to a target. The HIFU transducer is operable in at least a probing mode, during a probing phase, and in a treatment mode, during a treatment phase. In the probing phase the HIFU transducer is operated with at least one probing operation characteristic. The probing operation characteristic includes emission of a pulse with a focal point. During the treatment phase, the HIFU transducer operates with at least one treatment operation characteristic different from the probing operation characteristic. The device further comprises a detector designed to detect a change of tissue properties caused by the HIFU pulses in the target during the probing phase. The device further comprises a computer or microprocessor for determining at least one probing parameter necessary to achieve the change of tissue properties detected by the detector during the probing phase.

Various approaches to transmitting an ultrasound beam include creating a 3D tissue replica representing tissue intervening between the ultrasound transducer and a target anatomic region; transmitting a ultrasound beam to the target region; measuring the ultrasound beam traversing the 3D tissue replica and arriving at the target region; and based at least in part on the measured first ultrasound beam, estimating a parameter value associated with one or more of the transducer elements for improving ultrasound beam shaping.

An ultrasound therapy system and method is provided that provides directional, focused ultrasound to localized regions of tissue within body joints, such as spinal joints. An ultrasound emitter or transducer is delivered to a location within the body associated with the joint and heats the target region of tissue associated with the joint from the location. Such locations for ultrasound transducer placement may include for example in or around the intervertebral discs, or the bony structures such as vertebral bodies or posterior vertebral elements such as facet joints. Various modes of operation provide for selective, controlled heating at different temperature ranges to provide different intended results in the target tissue, which ranges are significantly affected by pre-stressed tissues such as in-vivo intervertebral discs. In particular, treatments above 70 degrees C., and in particular 75 degrees C., are used for structural remodeling, whereas lower temperatures achieve other responses without appreciable remodeling.

A high-spatial-resolution ultrasonic neuromodulation method and system are provided. The method includes infusing a biological micro-nano material into the operating object by injection; aggregating the biological micro-nano material in the target region by a micro-nano manipulation method; and conducting ultrasonic neuromodulation on the target region by utilizing the ultrasound transducer and using an acoustic intensity between the first minimum acoustic intensity and the second minimum acoustic intensity. By using the method, an ultrasonic neuromodulation effect is generated only in a micro-nano material aggregation region by using a lower acoustic intensity, thereby reducing the threshold of ultrasonic neuromodulation, and greatly improving the spatial resolution of the ultrasonic neuromodulation.