Apparatus for delivering high intensity focused ultrasound energy to a treatment site internal to a patient's body

Abstract

An apparatus for delivering HIFU energy may include a probe with a plurality of leaves that provide a bowl-shaped HIFU therapy transducer. In once case, pins may slide within grooves in the leaves to deploy the leaves. In another case, spines may be configured to slide in a channel defined in each leaf. In other cases, a spring or a shape memory alloy may be used to deploy the leaves. In another implementation, a probe may be fitted with a flexible material that couples the HIFU therapy transducer to the probe and allows the transducer to be drawn to the side of the probe for insertion. In another implementation, a probe may have one or more inflatable bladders that form the HIFU therapy transducer. In yet another implementation, a probe may have an imaging component and a HIFU therapy transducer disposed thereon that rotate, as a unit, about a hinge.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 758,797, titled TRANSVAGINAL IMAGE-GUIDED HIGH INTENSITY FOCUSED ULTRASOUND (HIFU) DEVICES AND METHODS FOR THERAPY TO THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM, filed Jan. 13, 2006.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present application is directed to apparatus that provide therapeutic treatment of internal pathological conditions using high-intensity focused ultrasound energy, and more particularly, to providing improved apparatus for insertion and deployment of a HIFU therapy transducer, with or without an imaging component.BACKGROUND[0003]Delivery of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) energy has emerged as a precise, non-surgical, minimally-invasive treatment for benign and malignant tumors. (See, e.g., S. Vaezy, M. Andrew, P. Kaczkowski et al., “Image-guided acoustic therapy,” Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng. 3, 375-90 (2001)). At focal intensities 4-5 orders of magnitude greater...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

A major challenge for transvaginal HIFU treatment of uterine pathologies is the deployment of a HIFU therapy transducer having an aperture of adequate size.

However, the size and configuration of the HIFU aperture are generally limited by the size and shape of the vaginal cavity and the location of the cervix and vaginal fornices.

Even more challenging is the issue of transvaginal insertion of a HIFU therapy transducer through the rather narrow vaginal introitus.

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