Overcoming acoustic field and skull non-uniformities
Inventors
Vortman, Kobi • Vitek, Shuki • Zadicario, Eyal • Levy, Yoav
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12594439-B2
Publication Date
2026-04-07
Expiration Date
Abstract
Various approaches for heating a target region substantially uniformly include identifying one or more locations of one or more hot spots in the target region and/or surrounding regions of the target region during an ultrasound sonication process; computing a temporal variation to an output parameter of at least one of the transducer elements based at least in part on the identified location(s) of the hot spot(s); and operating the at least one transducer element to achieve the temporal variation of the output parameter so as to minimize the hot spot(s).
Core Innovation
The invention describes a method and system for heating a target region using an ultrasound transducer with multiple transducer elements. During ultrasound sonication, the location of a hot spot with time-averaged energy density above a predefined acceptable level is identified. Based at least in part on that location, a temporal variation to an output parameter of one or more transducer elements is computed and applied to reduce the hot spot's energy density to the acceptable level.
The described problem is excessive time-averaged energy at hot spots in the target region or surrounding tissue while heating the target. Hot spots are identified using imaging data or a predicted distribution generated with a physical model. The transducer output may be temporally varied through signal frequency, amplitude, phase, or time delay, and the disclosed approaches include changing element intensities or selectively activating transducer sub-regions. The method can maintain target heating while promoting a more uniform temperature distribution.
Claims Coverage
The supplied relevant claims identify two independent claims and four inventive features: claim 1 covers a method of heating a target region, and claim 12 covers a system for heating a target region.
Hot-spot reduction by temporal output variation
Claim 1 identifies the location of at least one hot spot in the target region or surrounding region during ultrasound sonication, computes a temporal variation to an output parameter of at least one transducer element based at least in part on that location, and operates the element to reduce the hot spot's time-averaged energy density to the predefined acceptable level.
Ultrasound system with a configured controller
Claim 12 recites an ultrasound transducer comprising multiple transducer elements and a controller configured to identify a hot spot above the predefined acceptable level, compute a temporal variation to a transducer-element output parameter based at least in part on the hot spot location, and operate the element to achieve the variation.
Imaging- and model-based hot-spot identification
The dependent claims describe identifying hot spots from imaging data and temperature distributions in the target and surrounding regions. They also describe using surrounding-region imaging data with a prediction model or physical model to generate a predicted temperature distribution, and identify ARFI as an imaging option.
Transducer output parameters and temperature distribution
The dependent claims identify frequency, amplitude, phase, or time delay of a signal driving a transducer element as output parameters that may be varied. They also specify discrete-step variation in the system claims and a substantially uniform temperature distribution in the target region as a result of the temporal variation.
The independent claims cover a method and a system that identify excessive hot-spot energy and control transducer-element output to bring it to an acceptable level. The dependent claims further describe imaging or model-based identification, output-parameter options, discrete-step variation, and a substantially uniform target-region temperature distribution.
Stated Advantages
More uniform temperature distribution.
Reduced damage to non-target tissue.
Documented Applications
Heating a target region using focused ultrasound during an ultrasound sonication process.
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