Abstract: A Histotripsy therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the system includes a high voltage power supply, a pulse generator electrically coupled to at least one signal switching amplifier, at least one matching network electrically coupled to the signal switching amplifier(s), and an ultrasound transducer having at least one transducer element. The Histotripsy therapy system can further include an ultrasound Doppler imaging system. The Doppler imaging system and the Histotripsy therapy system can be synchronized to enable color Doppler acquisition of the fractionation of tissue during Histotripsy therapy. Methods of use are also described.

Abstract: A lifting device includes a chassis, a turret connected to the chassis so as to rotate around a vertical axis, and a lifting arm, extending between a first end connected to the turret, and a second end connected to a unit for carrying the load. It includes a first sleeve and a second sleeve, each able to receive a respective fork, arranged on the chassis, on either side of the turret, parallel to one another.

Abstract: An ultrasound therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the custom transducer housings can be manufactured using a rapid-prototyping method to arrange a plurality of single-element, substantially flat transducers to share a common focal point. The rapid-prototyping method can include, for example, fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography. In some embodiments, the therapy system can include a plurality of transducer modules insertable into the openings of the transducer housing. Methods of manufacture are also described, including designing a transducer housing shell to a desired geometry and a plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell in a 3D computer aided design software, and constructing the transducer housing shell and the plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell using a rapid-prototyping method.

Abstract: Therapy methods using pulsed cavitational ultrasound therapy can include the subprocesses of initiation, maintenance, therapy, and feedback of the histotripsy process, which involves the creation and maintenance of ensembles of microbubbles and the use of feedback in order to optimize the process based on observed spatial-temporal bubble cloud dynamics. The methods provide for the subdivision or erosion of tissue, liquification of tissue, and/or the enhanced delivery of therapeutic agents. Various feedback mechanisms allow variation of ultrasound parameters and provide control over the pulsed cavitational process, permitting the process to be tuned for a number of applications. Such applications can include specific tissue erosion, bulk tissue homogenization, and delivery of therapeutic agents across barriers.

Abstract: An ultrasound therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the custom transducer housings can be manufactured using a rapid-prototyping method to arrange a plurality of single-element, substantially flat transducers to share a common focal point. The rapid-prototyping method can include, for example, fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography. In some embodiments, the therapy system can include a plurality of transducer modules insertable into the openings of the transducer housing. Methods of manufacture are also described, including designing a transducer housing shell to a desired geometry and a plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell in a 3D computer aided design software, and constructing the transducer housing shell and the plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell using a rapid-prototyping method.

Abstract: A medical imaging and therapy device is provided that may include any of a number of features. One feature of the device is that it can acoustically couple an ultrasound therapy transducer to a patient. In some embodiments, the medical imaging and therapy device is configured to conform to the anatomy of a patient's perineal area to acoustically couple an ultrasound therapy transducer to the patient for treatment of BPH. The medical imaging and therapy device can be used in therapeutic applications such as Histotripsy, Lithotripsy, and HIFU, for example. Methods associated with use of the medical imaging and therapy device are also covered.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for applying ultrasound pulses into tissue or a medium in which the peak negative pressure (P?) of one or more negative half cycle(s) of the ultrasound pulses exceed(s) an intrinsic threshold of the tissue or medium, to directly form a dense bubble cloud in the tissue or medium without shock-scattering. In one embodiment, a microtripsy method of Histotripsy therapy comprises delivering an ultrasound pulse from an ultrasound therapy transducer into tissue, the ultrasound pulse having at least a portion of a peak negative pressure half-cycle that exceeds an intrinsic threshold in the tissue to produce a bubble cloud of at least one bubble in the tissue, and generating a lesion in the tissue with the bubble cloud. The intrinsic threshold can vary depending on the type of tissue to be treated. In some embodiments, the intrinsic threshold in tissue can range from 15-30 MPa.

Abstract: A medical imaging and therapy device is provided that may include any of a number of features. The device may include a Histotripsy transducer, a generator and controller configured to deliver Histotripsy energy from the transducer to target tissue, and an imaging system. In some embodiments, a method of treating tissue with Histotripsy energy comprises positioning a focus of a histotripsy transducer on a target tissue, delivering histotripsy energy from the histotripsy transducer through a bone aberrator, forming a histotripsy bubble cloud on the focus, and preventing the formation of secondary histotripsy bubble clouds without implementing an aberration correction algorithm.

Abstract: A medical imaging and therapy device is provided that may include any of a number of features. One feature of the device is that it can acoustically couple an ultrasound therapy transducer to a patient. In some embodiments, the medical imaging and therapy device is configured to conform to the anatomy of a patient's perineal area to acoustically couple an ultrasound therapy transducer to the patient for treatment of BPH. The medical imaging and therapy device can be used in therapeutic applications such as Histotripsy, Lithotripsy, and HIFU, for example. Methods associated with use of the medical imaging and therapy device are also covered.

Abstract: A medical imaging and therapy device is provided that may include any of a number of features. The device may include a Histotripsy transducer, a generator and controller configured to deliver Histotripsy energy from the transducer to target tissue, and an imaging system. In some embodiments, a method of treating tissue with Histotripsy energy comprises positioning a focus of a histotripsy transducer on a target tissue, delivering histotripsy energy from the histotripsy transducer through a bone aberrator, forming a histotripsy bubble cloud on the focus, and preventing the formation of secondary histotripsy bubble clouds without implementing an aberration correction algorithm.

Abstract: Methods and devices for producing cavitation in tissue are provided. In one embodiment, a low-frequency ultrasound pulse is transmitted into tissue, a high-frequency ultrasound pulse is transmitted into tissue, and a composite waveform is formed in the tissue that has a peak negative pressure value that exceeds an intrinsic threshold for cavitation in the tissue. In some embodiments, the peak negative pressures of the individual ultrasound pulses do not exceed the intrinsic threshold for cavitation. In another embodiment, a plurality of ultrasound pulses at various resonant frequencies are transmitted into tissue, and the time delays between these transmissions are adjusted to allow the ultrasound pulses to align temporally and form a monopolar pulse having a compound peak negative pressure that exceeds an intrinsic threshold for cavitation in the tissue. Systems for performing Histotripsy therapy are also discussed.

Abstract: A medical imaging and therapy device is provided that may include any of a number of features. One feature of the device is that it can acoustically couple an ultrasound therapy transducer to a patient. In some embodiments, the medical imaging and therapy device is configured to conform to the anatomy of a patient's perineal area to acoustically couple an ultrasound therapy transducer to the patient for treatment of BPH. The medical imaging and therapy device can be used in therapeutic applications such as Histotripsy, Lithotripsy, and HIFU, for example. Methods associated with use of the medical imaging and therapy device are also covered.

Abstract: A Histotripsy therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the system includes a high voltage power supply, a pulse generator electrically coupled to at least one signal switching amplifier, at least one matching network electrically coupled to the signal switching amplifier(s), and an ultrasound transducer having at least one transducer element. The Histotripsy therapy system can further include an ultrasound Doppler imaging system. The Doppler imaging system and the Histotripsy therapy system can be synchronized to enable color Doppler acquisition of the fractionation of tissue during Histotripsy therapy. Methods of use are also described.

Abstract: A Histotripsy therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the system includes at least one signal switching amplifier electrically coupled to a high voltage power supply, a pulse generator electrically coupled to signal switching amplifier(s), at least one matching network electrically coupled to the signal switching amplifier(s), and an ultrasound transducer having at least one transducer element, each transducer element of the ultrasound transducer being coupled to the at least one matching network. In some embodiments, each transducer element has an input impedance that is higher, sometimes more than 2 times higher, than an output impedance of its corresponding signal switching amplifier. Methods of use are also described.

Abstract: A medical imaging and therapy device is provided that may include any of a number of features. One feature of the device is that it can deliver Lithotripsy therapy to a patient, so as to fractionate urinary stones. Another feature of the device is that it can deliver Histotripsy therapy to a patient, so as to erode urinary stones. In some embodiments, the medical imaging and therapy device is configured to target and track urinary stones in the patient during therapy. Methods associated with use of the medical imaging and therapy device are also covered.

Abstract: An ultrasound therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the custom transducer housings can be manufactured using a rapid-prototyping method to arrange a plurality of single-element, substantially flat transducers to share a common focal point. The rapid-prototyping method can include, for example, fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography. In some embodiments, the therapy system can include a plurality of transducer modules insertable into the openings of the transducer housing. Each transducer module can include an acoustic lens, a substantially flat, single-element transducer, and a matching layer disposed between the lens and the transducer. Methods of use and manufacture are also described.

Abstract: A cavitational ultrasound (e.g., Histotripsy) gel phantom and cavitational ultrasound testing system are provided that may include any of a number of features. One feature of the phantom and system is that it can allow for instant visual feedback on the efficacy and dosage of a Histotripsy transducer. The changes in the gel phantom can be visualized with the naked eye without having to wait for histology. The changes in the gel phantom can also be visualized with a camera, with ultrasound imaging, or with microscopy. In various embodiments, the phantom includes indicators such as carbon particles, dye-encapsulated beads, and red blood cells. Methods associated with use of the cavitational ultrasound gel phantom and testing system are also covered.

Abstract: Methods and devices for imaging tissue elasticity change as a tool to provide feedback for histotripsy treatments. Tissue lesion elasticity was measured with ultrasound shear wave elastography, where a quasi-planar shear wave was induced by acoustic radiation force generated by the therapeutic array, and tracked with ultrasound imaging at 3000 frames per second. Based on the shear wave velocity calculated from the sequentially captured frames, the Young's modulus in the lesion area was reconstructed. Results showed that the lesions were clearly identified on the elasticity images as an area with decreased elasticity. Lesions produced by histotripsy can be detected with high sensitivity using shear wave elastography. Decrease in the tissue elasticity corresponds well with the morphological and histological change.

Abstract: Cavitation memory effects occur when remnants of cavitation bubbles (nuclei) persist in the host medium and act as seeds for subsequent events. In pulsed cavitational ultrasound therapy, or histotripsy, this effect may cause cavitation to repeatedly occur at these seeded locations within a target volume, producing inhomogeneous tissue fractionation or requiring an excess number of pulses to completely homogenize the target volume. Cavitation memory can be removed with a dithering technique. The spatial-temporal memory effect of micro-bubbles can be defeated by (1) passive temporal dithering, (2) active dithering, or (3) use of therapy pulses above the de novo threshold.

Abstract: A medical imaging and therapy device is provided that may include any of a number of features. The device may include a Histotripsy transducer, a generator and controller configured to deliver Histotripsy energy from the transducer to target tissue, and an imaging system. In some embodiments, a method of treating tissue with Histotripsy energy comprises positioning a focus of a histotripsy transducer on a target tissue, delivering histotripsy energy from the histotripsy transducer through a bone aberrator, forming a histotripsy bubble cloud on the focus, and preventing the formation of secondary histotripsy bubble clouds without implementing an aberration correction algorithm.