Abstract: Systems and methods for treating target tissue include generating a priming sequence of sonication pulses for delivering acoustic energy to the target tissue; pausing generation of the sonication pulses for a delay interval; and generating a series of treatment sequences of sonication pulses for delivering acoustic energy to the target tissue, the treatment sequences having sonication intervals therebetween and the delay interval being larger than the largest sonication interval by a predetermined factor.

Abstract: Ultrasound transducers adjust the B1+ and/or B1? field distribution in an MRI apparatus to improve the signal sensitivity and homogeneity at a region of interest. Approaches employed include strategic placement of field-altering features such as slots and/or dipoles along the exterior surface or, in some cases, the interior of the transducer. In various embodiments, the field-altering features are (or behave as) passive resonators.

Abstract: Various approaches for microbubble-enhanced ultrasound treatment of target tissue include retrieving a treatment plan stored in memory; causing administration of an exogenous agent in accordance with the treatment plan; causing, in accordance with the treatment plan, an ultrasound transducer to transmit ultrasound waves to the target tissue and generate a focus therein in the presence of administered exogenous agent; receiving, from a monitoring system, a measured parameter value indicating a treatment condition in response to administration of the exogenous agent and transmission of the ultrasound waves during treatment; and adjusting the treatment plan based at least in part on the measured parameter value.

Abstract: Various approaches of focusing an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements to a target region include generating at least one acoustic reflector in the target region; transmitting ultrasound waves to the acoustic reflector; measuring reflections off the acoustic reflector; and based at least in part on the measured reflections, adjusting the parameter value associated with the transducer element(s).

Abstract: Various approaches for disrupting target tissue for treatment include identifying a target volume of the target tissue; causing disruption of the target tissue in a region corresponding to the target volume so as to increase tissue permeability therein; computationally generating a tissue permeability map of the target volume; and based on the tissue permeability map, computationally evaluating the disruption of the target tissue within the target volume.

Abstract: Systems and methods for applying ultrasound sonication to temporarily disrupt a patient's blood-brain barrier (BBB) include storing threshold values of an acoustic response level, an acoustic response dose and a tissue response dose associated with a target BBB region and its surrounding regions based on anatomical characteristics thereof; causing the ultrasound transducer to transmit one or more pulses/waves; measuring the acoustic response level, the acoustic response dose, and/or the tissue response dose associated with the target BBB region and/or its surrounding regions; comparing the measurement with a corresponding stored threshold value; and operating the transducer based at least in part on the comparison.

Abstract: Various approaches for focusing an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements include causing the transducer elements to transmit ultrasound waves to a target region and measure reflections of the ultrasound waves off the target region; for each of at least some of the transducer elements, adjusting a parameter value associated with said each transducer element based at least in part on parameter values associated with multiple measuring transducer elements weighted by signal quality metrics associated with the reflections measured by the measuring transducer elements so as to improve an ultrasound focus at the target region.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide accelerated MR thermometry utilizing prior knowledge about the images to be reconstructed from incomplete k-space data, thereby facilitating accurate reconstruction. In various embodiments, missing data is computationally estimated using a machine learning algorithm such as a neural network, and an image is generated based on iteratively updated estimated missing information.

Abstract: Various approaches for focusing an ultrasound transducer include introducing at least one transient acoustic reflector located in proximity to at least one target region; generating multiple sonications to the at least one target region; measuring a reflection signal of each of the sonications off the at least one transient acoustic reflector; selecting the measured reflection signals, and based at least in part on the selected reflection signals, adjusting a parameter value associated with at least one of the transducer elements so as to improve an ultrasound focus at the target region.

Abstract: A system and method for selecting a patient-specific frequency for ultrasound therapy of a target within the patient are provided. The method includes: (a) for at least one segment of an ultrasound transducer and for each of a plurality of ultrasound frequencies within a test range, sonicating the target and measuring a parameter correlated with an amount of ultrasound energy absorbed in the target; and (b) for each said at least one segment, selecting for subsequent ultrasound therapy, among the frequencies within the test range, a frequency corresponding to a value of the measured parameter that itself corresponds to a maximum amount of ultrasound energy absorbed in the target.

Abstract: Various approaches for generating an ultrasound focus at a target region and receiving signals therefrom using an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements include acquiring multiple images of the target region and one or more path zones located on beam paths between the transducer elements and the target region; determining one or more tissue characteristics associated with the target region based on the acquired images; determining multiple profile parameters associated with each of the transducer elements based at least in part on the determined tissue characteristic; based at least in part on the profile parameters, operating at least first ones of the transducer elements to collectively transmit an ultrasound beam to the target region so as to create a focus thereon with desired properties; and based at least in part on the profile parameters, operating at least second ones of the transducer elements to receive acoustic signals from the target region and, in response thereto, adjusting op

Abstract: Various approaches for computationally generating a protocol for treatment of one or more target BBB regions within a tissue region of interest using a source of focused ultrasound include specifying (i) settings of sonication parameters for applying one or more sequence of sonications to the target BBB region using the source of focused ultrasound and (ii) a characteristic of microbubbles selected to be administered into the target BBB region; electronically simulating treatment in accordance with the protocol at least in part by computationally executing the sequence(s) of sonications and computationally administering the microbubbles having the characteristic; and computationally predicting a tissue disruption effect of the target BBB region resulting from the treatment.

Abstract: Various approaches to focusing an ultrasound transducer includes causing the ultrasound transducer to transmit ultrasound waves to the target region; causing the detection system to indirectly measure the focusing properties; and based at least in part on the indirectly measured focusing properties, adjusting a parameter value associated with at least one of the transducer elements so as to achieve a target treatment power at the target region.

Abstract: Various approaches for regulating microbubbles in a treatment procedure for a target include generating a tissue-sensitivity map including multiple regions, at least one of the regions being outside the target region, the tissue-sensitivity map assigning, to each of the regions, a sensitivity level indicative of tissue sensitivity to the interaction between the microbubbles and an acoustic beam; select one or more interaction regions based at least in part on the tissue-sensitivity map; and activating the ultrasound transducer so as to generate the acoustic beam for interacting with the microbubbles in the selection interaction region(s) in the tissue-sensitivity map, thereby indirectly changing a characteristic of the microbubbles at the target region.

Abstract: Various approaches to delivering ultrasound energy to a target region include an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements for generating a focal zone of acoustic energy at the target region, wherein one or more transducer elements are partitioned into multiple contiguous sub-regions having a common directionality; one or more driver circuits connected to the transducer element(s); a switch matrix having multiple switches for switchably connecting the sub-regions to the driver circuit(s), each of the sub-regions being associated with one of the switches; and a controller configured to (i) determine an optimal sonication frequency for maximizing a peak acoustic intensity in the focal zone; and (ii) based at least in part on the determined optimal sonication frequency, activate one or more switches in the switch matrix for causing the corresponding sub-region(s) to transmit ultrasound pulses to the target region.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods to detect a moving anatomic feature during a treatment sequence based on a computed and/or a measured shortest distance between the anatomic feature and at least a portion of an imaging system.

Abstract: Various approaches for improving reliability in an ultrasound system having transducer elements, phase transmission lines, and a switch matrix having beamforming switches for connecting the phase transmission lines to the transducer elements involve operating the beamforming switches to avoid “hot” switching as the activation pattern of the transducers changes.

Abstract: Various approaches to generating and maintaining an ultrasound focus at a target region include configuring a controller to cause transmission of treatment ultrasound pulses from a transducer having multiple transducer elements; cause the transducer to transmit focusing ultrasound pulses to the target region and generate an acoustic reflector therein; measure reflections of the focusing ultrasound pulses from the acoustic reflector; based at least in part on the measured reflections, adjust a parameter value associated with one or more transducer elements so as to maintain and/or improve the ultrasound focus at the target region.

Abstract: Various approaches for operating an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements include acquiring one or more measurements of anatomical regions through which ultrasound waves emitted from the transducer elements travel; for each of the anatomical regions, determining values of characteristics based at least in part on the measurement(s); computationally predicting aberrations of the ultrasound waves traveling through the anatomical regions by using the first values as input to a predictor that has been computationally trained to predict ultrasound aberrations based on values of the characteristics; and driving the transducer elements to compensate for the predicted aberrations.

Abstract: A system for maintaining coherence of ultrasound waves emitted by multiple transducer arrays includes multiple retention arms, each for receiving one of the transducer arrays; a connecting frame for receiving and mechanically retaining the arms in fixed angular relation to each other; and a processor configured to determine relative locations of the transducer arrays with respect to one another and the connecting frame; determine a location of the connecting frame relative to an anatomic region of interest; determine a spatial arrangement of the transducer elements in each transducer array with respect to the anatomic region of interest; and adjust a transmission configuration of the transducer elements in the transducer arrays to achieve a desired focusing property with respect to the anatomic region of interest while maintaining coherence therebetween.