Patient-Specific Transcranial Headset for Skull Aberration Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing transcranial procedures face challenges such as skull aberration correction, standing wave reduction, skull heating, and dual-frequency blood-brain barrier disruption, limiting the effectiveness of focused ultrasound treatments.

Innovation Solution

A patient-specific transcranial headset is developed, featuring a frame conforming to the patient's head anatomy, supporting transducers in pre-selected positions and orientations, and controlled by processing hardware to focus energy at specific tissue regions, using volumetric image data for spatial registration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a standardized transducer array is used for transcranial procedures, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision and adaptability to individual patient anatomy deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidmanufacturing precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The transducer array is segmented into multiple independently controllable transducers that can be individually positioned and oriented on the patient-specific frame, allowing precise spatial registration with volumetric image data while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular assembly

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The frame structure is designed with locally optimized features including curved surfaces conforming to patient anatomy, variable thickness regions for acoustic coupling, and strategically positioned transducer mounting interfaces that provide precise control over energy delivery to specific tissue regions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Device complexity

If transducers are positioned manually without spatial registration, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of energy focus location deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice complexityVSAvoidmeasurement precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The frame is pre-configured with transducers at predetermined positions and orientations during manufacturing, and volumetric image data is pre-processed to create a spatial model of the patient's anatomy, allowing accurate registration and focus control before the procedure begins

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Volumetric image data serves as an intermediary reference framework that bridges the physical transducer positions and the target tissue regions, enabling precise spatial registration through computational algorithms that align the transducer array with the patient's anatomy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If focused ultrasound energy is delivered without patient-specific customization, then productivity is improved, but therapeutic effectiveness deteriorates due to skull aberration and standing waves

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveproductivityVSAvoidreliability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts ultrasound parameters including frequency, amplitude, and phase for each transducer element based on the patient's specific skull geometry and tissue characteristics extracted from volumetric image data, optimizing energy focus while minimizing aberrations and standing waves

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor energy delivery in real-time and allow for iterative adjustments to transducer positioning and control parameters, ensuring reliable therapeutic effect while adapting to individual patient variations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

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

The headset enables precise and effective delivery of focused energy for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, minimizing aberrations and enhancing treatment efficacy by conforming to individual patient anatomy.

Implementation Method 1

The application of focused ultrasound to the brain through the intact skull has a long history leading up to the clinical implementations of the present day

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectUltrasound: Ultrasound

Implementation Method 2

hemispherical phased arrays consisting of more than one thousand elements, new phased array designs have been conceptualized to overcome previous challenges

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPhased array beamforming:

Data Source

PatentUS12426836B2Patient-specific headset for diagnostic and therapeutic transcranial procedures

Publication Date: 2025.09.30 SUNNYBROOK RES INST

AI summary

Systems, methods and devices are provided for performing diagnostic or therapeutic transcranial procedures using a patient-specific transcranial headset. The patient-specific headset may include a patient-specific frame that is fabricated, according to volumetric image data, to conform to an anatomical curvature of a portion of a patient's head. The patient-specific frame is configured to support a plurality of transducers in pre-selected positions and orientations, which may be spatially registered to the volumetric image data. This spatial registration may be employed to control at least a portion of the transducers to focus energy at a preselected tissue region.