Method and system for secure insonification of living tissues

Inventors

Tanter, Mickaël • Pernot, Mathieu • Robin, Justine

Assignees

Cardiawave • Cardiawave Ecole Superieure De Physique • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS • Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale INSERM • Ecole Superieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles de Ville de Paris ESPCI • Universite Paris Cite

Abstract

A method and system for secure ultrasound treatment of living tissues using an ultrasound probe comprising a reflective cavity in acoustic communication with living tissues, a transducer to emit an ultrasound wave in the reflective cavity and a transducer to acquire a backscattered signal in the reflective cavity. The method comprises the steps of a) emitting a first ultrasound wave in the reflective cavity that generates a backscattered ultrasound wave in the reflective cavity, b) acquiring a backscattered signal in the reflective cavity, c) determining whether an insonification can be safely performed by computing a similarity value between the backscattered signal and a predefined reference signal, and d) if an insonification can be safely performed, treating the living tissues with a second ultrasound wave emitted in the reflective cavity. The second ultrasound wave is focused a target point of the living tissues and generates a pressure point resulting in cavitation at this target point.

Core Innovation

The invention concerns a system for secure ultrasound treatment of living tissues using an ultrasound probe with a reflective cavity in acoustic communication with the living tissues. The system includes at least one transducer and a thermometer for measuring a temperature of the reflective cavity. The controller controls the transducer to emit at least one first ultrasound wave in the reflective cavity, where the first ultrasound wave generates a backscattered ultrasound wave and the system acquires a backscattered signal in response to detecting the backscattered ultrasound wave.

The controller determines whether an insonification can be safely performed by computing a similarity value between the acquired backscattered signal and a predefined reference signal. The controller compares the similarity value with a security threshold to determine whether an insonification can be safely performed. Only if it is determined that the insonification can be safely performed, the controller emits at least one second ultrasound wave in the reflective cavity to treat the living tissues, with the second ultrasound wave transmitted to at least one target point and generating a pressure pulse sufficient to result in cavitation at the target point.

The system selects the predefined reference signal from a predefined reference signal database associating predefined reference signals with temperatures of the reflective cavity measured by the thermometer. The reflective cavity further includes a multi-diffusing medium located in the reflective cavity, the medium containing scatterers which cause multiple scattering of the at least one first ultrasound wave and the second ultrasound wave.

Claims Coverage

Two independent claims are identified. Each claim centers on a secure treatment sequence in which the system acquires a backscattered signal, compares it to a predefined reference via similarity and a security threshold, and only then emits a focused cavitation-inducing second ultrasound wave using a reflective cavity with temperature-associated reference selection and a multi-diffusing medium.

Both independent claims require a reflective-cavity ultrasound probe that performs secure insonification by similarity-based comparison of acquired backscattered signals to a temperature-indexed predefined reference signal using a security threshold, followed by emission of a focused second ultrasound wave sufficient to induce cavitation at target points, with multiple scattering provided by a multi-diffusing medium containing scatterers.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications