Medical System Having an Ultrasound Source and an Acoustic Coupling Medium

Abstract

An ultrasound medical system has an end effector including a medical ultrasound transducer and an acoustic coupling medium. The acoustic coupling medium has a transducer-proximal surface and a transducer-distal surface. The medical ultrasound transducer is positioned to emit medical ultrasound through the acoustic coupling medium from the transducer-proximal surface to the transducer-distal surface. The end effector is adapted to change a property (such as the shape and/or the temperature) of the acoustic coupling medium during emission, and/or between emissions, of medical ultrasound from the medical ultrasound transducer during a medical procedure on a patient. In one example, such changes are used to change the focus and/or beam angle of the emitted ultrasound during the medical procedure.

1 . An ultrasound medical system comprising a controller and an end effector,
 wherein, the end effector comprises a rigid housing comprising a closed, expandable acoustic window, a medical ultrasound transducer and an acoustic coupling medium,   wherein the medical ultrasound transducer is disposed within and spaced apart from the rigid housing and is proximate to the acoustic window,   wherein the acoustic coupling medium has a transducer-proximal surface disposed in direct physical contact with the medical ultrasound transducer and has a transducer-distal surface disposed in direct physical contact with the acoustic window,   wherein the medical ultrasound transducer is disposed to emit medical ultrasound through the acoustic coupling medium from the transducer-proximal Surface to the transducer-distal surface,   wherein the end effector is adapted to change at least one property of the acoustic coupling medium during emission, author between emissions, of medical ultrasound from the medical ultrasound transducer during a medical procedure on a patient,   wherein the controller controls the end effector to change the property to change ultrasound focus and/or ultrasound beam angle,   wherein the at-least-one property includes temperature, and   wherein the end effector comprises a heater spaced apart from any ultrasound transducer and adapted to directly change the temperature of the acoustic coupling medium during emission, and/or between emissions, of medical ultrasound from the medical ultrasound transducer during the medical procedure.   
     
     
         2 . The ultrasound medical system of  claim 1 , wherein the at-least-one property includes shape, and wherein the end effector is adapted to change the shape of the transducer-distal surface during emission, and/or between emissions, of medical ultrasound from the medical ultrasound transducer during the medical procedure. 
     
     
         3 . The ultrasound medical system of  claim 1 , wherein the medical ultrasound transducer is chosen from the group consisting of a medical-imaging-only ultrasound transducer, a medical, treatment-only ultrasound transducer, and a medical-imaging-and-treatment ultrasound transducer. 
     
     
         4 . The ultrasound medical system of  claim 1 , wherein the acoustic coupling medium is chosen from the group consisting of a liquid, and a colloid. 
     
     
         5 . The ultrasound medical system of  claim 1 , wherein the end effector is disposable against an outside surface of the patient. 
     
     
         6 . The ultrasound medical system of  claim 1 , wherein the end effector is insertable into the patient. 
     
     
         7 . An end effector comprising:
 a rigid housing encompassing:
 an acoustic medium, 
 an ultrasound transducer in contact with the acoustic medium and configured to emit ultrasound energy through the acoustic medium, and 
 a heater in thermal communication with the acoustic medium and configured to control a temperature of the acoustic medium; and 
   an acoustic window
 positioned in the rigid, housing and configured to seal the acoustic medium in the rigid housing and configured to pass through at feast, a portion of the ultrasound energy, 
 the acoustic window comprising an interior surface configured to contact the acoustic medium and an exterior surface configured to contact tissue of a patient. 
   
     
     
         8 . The end effector according to  claim 7 , wherein the acoustic window is further configured to acoustically couple the ultrasound transducer to the tissue of the patient. 
     
     
         9 . The end effector according to  claim 7 , wherein the ultrasound transducer is configured to treat at least a portion of the tissue of the patient. 
     
     
         10 . The end effector according to  claim 7 , wherein the ultrasound transducer is con/huffed to image a portion of the tissue of the patient. 
     
     
         11 . The end effector according to  claim 7 , wherein the rigid housing is configured to be insertable in to the patient. 
     
     
         12 . The end effector according to  claim 7 , wherein the rigid housing is configured to be coupled to an outside surface of the patient. 
     
     
         13 . The end effector according to  claim 7 , wherein the acoustic window is expandable. 
     
     
         14 . A system comprising:
 the end elector according to  claim 7 ; and   a controller in communication with the end effector and configured to control the ultrasound transducer and to control the temperature of the acoustic medium.   
     
     
         15 . An ultrasound system comprising:
 probe comprising
 an acoustic coupling medium, 
 an ultrasound transducer configured to emit ultrasound enemy through the 
   acoustic coupling medium, and
 a heater in thermal, communication with the acoustic coupling medium and configured to change a temperature of the coupling acoustic medium; 
   an acoustic window positioned in a fixed surface of the probe and in-line with a path of the ultrasound enemy, the acoustic window configured to expand and shape a surface of the acoustic coupling medium above the fixed surface of the probe and to enable a change of a speed of sound of the ultrasound energy; and   a controller in communication with the probe and configured to control the ultrasound transducer and to control the temperature of the acoustic coupling medium.   
     
     
         16 . The ultrasound system according to  claim 15 , wherein the acoustic coupling medium is chosen from the group consisting of a liquid, a gel, and a colloid. 
     
     
         17 . The ultrasound system according to  claim 15 , wherein the ultrasound transducer is one of a imaging-only ultrasound transducer, a treatment-only ultrasound transducer, and a imaging-and-treatment ultrasound transducer. 
     
     
         18 . The ultrasound system according, to  claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to control the heater to change the temperature of the acoustic coupling medium during at least one of an emission of the ultrasound energy and a period between at least two emissions of the ultrasound energy. 
     
     
         19 . The ultrasound system according to  claim 15 , wherein the acoustic coupling medium is configured to change a focus of the ultrasound energy having a non-perpendicular path through the acoustic window. 
     
     
         20 . The ultrasound system according to  claim 19 , wherein the focus of the ultrasound enemy is controlled by an expansion of the acoustic window and is shape of the surface of the acoustic coupling medium above the fixed surface of the probe.