Apparatus and method for noninvasive doppler ultrasound-guided real-time control of tissue damage in thermal therapy
US5657760A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 11, 1996 |
| Grant date | Aug 19, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 11, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61N7/02
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for noninvasive and real-time monitoring and feedback control of the extent and geometry of tissue damage induced by various thermal modalities (laser, electromagnetic wave, ultrasound and thermistor) in different thermal therapies (hyperthermia, thermal coagulation and ablation) is provided. Unlike the existing ultrasound configurations, which use non-Doppler ultrasound techniques, the single-beam configuration in this invention employs a multiple-range-gate pulsed Doppler technique. The configuration may be operated in A-mode, M-mode, or multi-dimensional image mode to monitor tissue thermal response in the tissue being treated at multiple tissue depths along the sound beam. By measuring changes in phase (i.e., motion) and amplitude (i.e., echogenicity) of the echoes returned from the tissue under treatment, the Doppler system can determine temporal and spatial profiles of tissue temperature and the extent and geometry of tissue thermal damage. The system can also differentiate tissue responses corresponding to coagulation of tissue (in hyperthermia or coagulation treatment) versus ablation of tissue. Further, the Doppler detection provides feedback signals…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.