US 12,220,602 B2
Histotripsy therapy systems and methods for the treatment of brain tissue
Zhen Xu, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Jonathan Sukovich, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Aditya S. Pandey, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Charles A. Cain, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Hitinder S. Gurm, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Assigned to The Regents of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed by THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed on Aug. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/407,780.
Application 17/407,780 is a continuation of application No. 15/737,761, granted, now 11,135,454, previously published as PCT/US2016/039020, filed on Jun. 23, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/184,179, filed on Jun. 24, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0219019 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61N 7/00 (2006.01); A61N 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC A61N 7/02 (2013.01) [A61N 7/00 (2013.01); A61N 2007/003 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0039 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0047 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0065 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0078 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0086 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0095 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of transmitting ultrasound energy into a brain of a human patient, comprising the steps of:
positioning a plurality of transducer elements of a therapy transducer outside a skullcap of the patient;
positioning a focus of the therapy transducer within a target region of the brain of the patient;
positioning a drainage catheter in the target region of the brain;
transmitting histotripsy pulses from each of the plurality of transducer elements into the target region through the skullcap to form a non-thermal bubble cloud in the target region;
measuring the histotripsy pulses with a piezoelectric sensor disposed on a guidewire portion of the drainage catheter;
adjusting transmission of subsequent histotripsy pulses from the plurality of transducer elements with an aberration correction algorithm based on the measured histotripsy pulses to automatically correct for an aberration effect caused by the histotripsy pulses passing through the skullcap;
liquefying the target region with the histotripsy pulses; and
draining the liquified target region from the brain with a sheath portion of the drainage catheter.