Transient Acoustic Reflectors for Tissue Mapping During Ultrasound Therapy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasound therapy systems face challenges in effectively treating target tissues while avoiding damage to surrounding healthy tissues due to tissue homogeneity variations and differing tissue responses, necessitating improved methods for acquiring tissue information before and during procedures.
Innovation Solution
Introduce transient acoustic reflectors, such as microbubbles, near the sonication location to analyze reflection signals for tissue type, condition, and viability, combining these with imaging data to generate detailed digital maps and evaluate treatment effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If focused ultrasound energy is applied to treat target tissue, then treatment efficacy is improved, but damage to surrounding healthy tissue may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by acquiring tissue information before ultrasound treatment and using acoustic reflectors to map the treatment area in advance. This allows the system to plan the ultrasound focal zone positioning and energy delivery parameters beforehand, ensuring accurate targeting while avoiding healthy tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring tissue information during ultrasound treatment using acoustic reflectors and adjusting treatment parameters in real-time. The system acquires tissue information at multiple time points and uses this feedback to optimize focal zone positioning and energy delivery, ensuring effective treatment while preventing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
2Measurement precision
If tissue information is acquired before and during ultrasound procedure, then treatment precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-functionality by using the same ultrasound transducer array for both treatment delivery and tissue information acquisition. The acoustic reflectors serve dual purposes: they act as targets for ultrasound treatment while simultaneously serving as probes for measuring tissue properties. This eliminates the need for separate imaging systems and reduces overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces acoustic reflectors as intermediary objects that facilitate tissue information acquisition. These reflectors serve as mediators between the ultrasound system and the tissue, enabling indirect measurement of tissue properties through the reflectors' acoustic characteristics. This intermediary approach simplifies the measurement process while maintaining high precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances tissue characterization and treatment efficacy by providing precise tissue information and monitoring treatment progress, reducing damage to non-target tissues.
Implementation Method 1
transient acoustic reflectors (e.g., one or more microbubbles) in proximity to (e.g., less than 5 mm away) one or more sonication locations... An ultrasound transducer then transmits ultrasound waves to the reflector(s) and receives reflection signals therefrom
Data Source
AI summary
Various approaches for computationally characterizing tissue in an anatomic target region include generating multiple sonications to transient acoustic reflectors at or proximate to the target region; measuring reflection signals of the sonications off the transient acoustic reflectors; based on the measurements, identifying the reflection signals originating from single transient acoustic reflectors; and based at least in part on the identified reflection signals, generating a digital map including a tissue characteristic.