Abstract: The invention relates to a treatment probe for focused ultrasound including a probe body, which is mounted in rotation around an axis; an elongated treatment transducer with a focused ultrasound emission acoustic axis, which is more or less the same as the rotation axis of the probe body; and an imaging transducer, the imaging plane of which contains the acoustic axis of the treatment transducer. The inventive probe can be used to provide a simple treatment. The probe body can be rotated around the axis in order to vary the direction of the imaging plane without moving the focus, which always remains in the imaging plane. The treatment transducer can be extended in order to provide safer treatment in relation to the organs to be treated and without risk of damaging the fragile surrounding organs.

Abstract: A method for treating myomas or tumors having a pedicle includes the steps of locating the pedicle of a myoma or a tumor using Doppler echography and delivering focused ultrasound to the pedicle.

Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus for treating a biological sample by emitting focused high intensity ultrasounds towards a focal point, characterised in that it comprises means emitting wideband focused ultrasounds. The apparatus enables to adjust the focused ultrasound frequency according to the target attenuation, the thickness of the tissues traversed, the temperature evolution, or the lesion displacement during emission.

Abstract: A coupling medium for high-power ultrasound including a liquid aqueous solution of a hydrophilic polymer, notably polyvinylpyrrolidone, is provided together with ultrasound therapy apparatus including a therapy transducer adapted to transmit high-power ultrasound arranged in an enclosure, a portion of which is filled with the coupling medium.

Abstract: An ultrasound therapy probe includes a therapy transducer movably mounted on a probe body, a partially deformable flexible casing disposed around the therapy transducer, and a guard ring that limits deformations of the flexible casing when the transducer moves with respect to the probe body. The therapy transducer can be moved between a therapy position and a retracted position, and the guard ring provides an end-of-travel stop against which the therapy transducer bears when in a therapy position. A first opening is provided for injecting liquid into the flexible casing, and a second opening is provided for withdrawing liquid from the flexible casing. The second opening is located on the guard ring so that bubbles are withdrawn from the flexible casing as soon as they form.

Abstract: A method for controlling an ultrasonic hyperthermia treatment apparatus is disclosed. The hyperthermia treatment apparatus utilizes ultrasound that is focused at a focal spot. The position of the focal spot relative to the transducer is varied, where the peak power of the focal spot and the degree of overlap between the various positions of the focal spot are such that the energy radiated during a shot at each point in the region scanned by the variation of the position of the focal spot represents an equivalent focal spot where the energy applied to the object to be treated is substantially equal to the energy needed to destroy the cell tissue.

Abstract: An A-mode ultrasound echography method is employed for monitoring the position of a patient during hyperthermia treatment. A therapy apparatus includes a therapy device having at least one ultrasound therapy transducer and at least one monitoring ultrasound transducer, where the ultrasound monitoring transducer is linked to an electronic circuit for processing A-mode signals and is part of an A-mode echography device. The therapy apparatus further includes a device for causing the ultrasound transducer operating in A-mode to transmit a brief signal and to receive the echo of the brief signal. A comparing device compares the echo received with a reference echo, and transmits the result of the comparison to a control device.