Abstract: The disclosure relates to ultrasonic transducers for therapeutic ultrasound techniques, such as high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) techniques. A challenge is to design ultrasound transducers capable of delivering the required pressure, deep enough in the biological tissue, and with enough precision to deliver the required pressure within the targeted volume of the tissue and without destroying the surrounding tissue. Thus, it is proposed to use a transducer with several ultrasound emitting zones capable of being activated independently. This enables the transducer to deliver the required pressure at a target location that is not aligned with the emission axis.

Abstract: The device (1) for characterizing an evolution of the fluid flow rate profile at a treatment area includes a system (6) for controlling an energy emission probe (4) and an ultrasound imaging probe (5), configured to control the energy emission probe (4) in emission according to successive energy emission phases interspersed with energy emission stop phases, and driving the ultrasound imaging probe (5) in emission before an energy emission phase in order to measure a reference Doppler signal and during the energy emission stop phases.

Abstract: A therapy apparatus for treating tissue by emission of focused ultrasound waves, including: a creation surface of a pressure field of focused ultrasound waves divided into at least N sectors having segments of asymmetrical concave curve with centres of curvature; centres of curvature asymmetrical to the extent where the centres of curvature are situated at different distances from the plane of symmetry or from at least one of the axis of symmetry and at different depths taken according to the axis of symmetry; the individual axes intersecting between the focal zones and the creation surface or beyond the focal zones such that the beams originating from the sectors intersect to create a focal coverage zone which is off-axis relative to the plane of symmetry or to the axis of symmetry; the sectors of this creation surface creating energy deposit zones with profiles corresponding to the focal coverage zones.

Abstract: A therapy apparatus for treating tissue by the emission of focused ultrasound waves, including: a creation surface of a pressure field of focused ultrasound waves divided into at least N sectors having segments of asymmetrical concave curve (S1, S2, . . . ) with centres of curvature; centres of curvature (c1, c2, . . . ) asymmetrical to the extent where the centres of curvature are situated at different distances from the plane of symmetry (A1) or from the axis of symmetry (S) and/or at different depths taken according to the axis of symmetry; the individual axes (a1, a2, . . . ) intersecting between the focal zones (Zc1, Zc2, . . . ) and the creation surface (8) or beyond the focal zones such that the beams originating from the sectors intersect to create a focal coverage zone (Zr) which is off-axis relative to the plane of symmetry (A1) or to the axis of symmetry (S); the sectors of this creation surface (8) creating energy deposit zones with profiles corresponding to the focal coverage zones (Zr).

Abstract: A therapy apparatus for treating tissues by emission of focused ultrasound waves, includes a probe having a transducer formed by ultrasound elements distributed in several categories (N1 to NM) on a face for emission of focused ultrasound waves which is a surface of revolution generated by the rotation of a curve segment around an axis of symmetry, with the categories of ultrasound elements define independent and substantially contiguous focal volumes, and a control circuit including a signal generator for independently activating, alternately and substantially consecutively, the ultrasound emitter categories in such a way as to ensure continuous insonification in a ring shape originating from different categories of ultrasound emitters.