A phacoemulsification apparatus includes an ultrasound transmitter, an irrigation-aspiration tool, a robotic arm, and a processor. The ultrasound transmitter is configured to generate and focus an ultrasound beam into a lens capsule of an eye of a patient, to emulsify a lens of the eye. The irrigation-aspiration tool having a distal end including an outlet of an irrigation channel for flowing irrigation fluid into the lens capsule, and an inlet of an aspiration channel for removing material from the lens capsule. The robotic arm is configured to move the distal end of the irrigation-aspiration tool inside the lens capsule. The processor is configured to control the ultrasound transmitter to irradiate one or more target locations in the eye capsule with the focused ultrasound beam, and control the robotic arm to move the distal end of the irrigation-aspiration tool in coordination with the target locations irradiated by the ultrasound transmitter.

Cancer imaging methods and cancer treatment methods using thermotherapy and drug delivery are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the temperature of heated tissue is determined from radio-frequency data from an ultrasound transducer based upon a change in backscattered energy of acoustic harmonics. In another embodiment, a plurality of nanocarriers containing an anti-tumor medication are administered to a patient, and are excited in a first non-thermal ultrasound mode and/or a second thermal ultrasound mode using an ultrasound source. In yet another embodiment, a plurality of nanoparticles are administered to a patient, then at least some of the nanoparticles are heated along with tissue at a site of a tumor, and a photoacoustic imaging unit is used to determine a temperature of the heated tissue at the site of the tumor.

A method including identifying an activity pattern of a subject's brain, determining, based on the identified activity pattern of the subject's brain and a target parameter, a set of stimulation parameters, generating, by two or more emitters and based on the set of stimulation parameters, a composite stimulation pattern at a portion of the subject's brain, wherein each of the two or more emitters generates a stimulation pattern using a different modality, measuring, by one or more sensors, a response from the portion of the subject's brain in response to the composite stimulation pattern; and dynamically adjusting, for each emitter and based on the measured response from the portion of the subject's brain, a set of stimulation parameters.

A method to apply a nerve inhibiting cloud surrounding a blood vessel includes creating a treatment plan, wherein the treatment plan prescribes application of the nerve inhibiting cloud towards at least a majority portion of a circumference of a blood vessel wall, and applying the nerve inhibiting cloud towards the majority portion of the circumference of the blood vessel wall for a time sufficient to inhibit a function of a nerve that surrounds the blood vessel wall.

Apparatus and methods for deactivating bronchial nerves extending along the secondary bronchial branches of a mammalian subject to treat asthma and related conditions. An ultrasonic transducer (11) is inserted into the bronchus as, for example, by advancing the distal end of a catheter (10) bearing the transducer into the secondary bronchial section to be treated. The ultrasonic transducer emits circumferential ultrasound so as to heat tissues throughout circular impact volume (13) as, for example, at least about 1 cm.sup.3 encompassing the bronchus to a temperature sufficient to inactivate nerve conduction but insufficient to cause rapid ablation or necrosis of the tissues. The treatment can be performed without locating or focusing on individual bronchial nerves.

The apparatus and methods utilized for lung tumor ablation.

Methods of treating tumors by administering compounds to a patient are provided. Compounds such as pro drugs, e.g., 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), may be administered to the patient orally, by injection, intravenously, or topically, which then accumulate preferentially as compounds such as protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in tumor cells. After such accumulation, compounds such as PpIX are then activated in various aspects to treat tumors cells, thereby treating cancer. Cancers such as glioblastoma may be treated.

Disclosed are methods of using planar acoustic waves for providing non-invasive sonodynamic therapy. The method includes acoustically coupling an array of flat piezoelectric transducers to a patient. A controller is configured to generate an electrical drive signal at a frequency selected from a range of frequencies, modulate the drive signal, and drive the transducer with the modulated drive signal at the frequency to produce a modulated planar acoustic wave to produce an average acoustic intensity sufficient to activate a sonosensitizer in a treatment region without damaging healthy cells in the treatment region.

A device for treatment of a tissue (8) of a living being, including a transducer (4) for emitting a beam of ultrasound waves mounted on a movable treatment head (1), an ultrasonic imaging device (2, 3), optionally an inflatable balloon (5) surrounding the treatment head (1) and containing a coupling fluid, and a control unit for controlling movement of the treatment head (1) and operation of the transducer (4) and the imaging device (2, 3). In order to avoid displacement of tissues (7, 8) during displacement of the treatment head (1) and increase imaging quality, the treatment head (1) is adjustable to at least two of a treatment position (T), a monitoring position (M) and a travel position (S).

An approach for enhancing radiation treatment of target tissue includes identifying a target volume of the target tissue; causing disruption of vascular tissue in a region confined to the target volume so as to define the target volume; based at least in part on the disruption of the vascular tissue, determining a radiation treatment plan having a reduced radiation dose for treating the target tissue; and exposing the target volume to the reduced radiation dose based on the radiation treatment plan.

There are disclosed embodiments of devices and methods for imaging the inside of a body part, particularly a blood vessel. In particular embodiments, a catheter has a tip chamber, within which is an ultrasound transducer mounted on a pivot mechanism, a motor for turning the transducer, and an implement for pivoting the transducer. Examples of such an implement are a linear motor, a shaft or filament, and the pivot mechanism may be biased to return to a base position when the implement is not pivoting the transducer. In other embodiments, a mirror reflecting ultrasound signals from the transducer may be rotated and/or pivoted, using similar mechanisms.