US 12,343,567 B2
Neurostimulation using endoluminal focussed ultrasound
Jack Drummond, Victoria (AU); Anthony Neville Burkitt, Victoria (AU); David Bruce Grayden, Victoria (AU); Nicholas Lachlan Opie, Victoria (AU); and Sam Emmanuel John, Victoria (AU)
Assigned to THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, Melbourne (AU)
Appl. No. 17/613,425
Filed by The University of Melbourne, Victoria (AU)
PCT Filed May 22, 2020, PCT No. PCT/AU2020/050511
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 22, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/237292, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 3, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019901772 (AU), filed on May 24, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0305296 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. A61N 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61N 7/00 (2013.01) [A61N 2007/0026 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0043 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An endoluminal neurostimulation device including:
a plurality of ultrasound transducer elements forming a transducer array;
the plurality of transducer elements are arranged in a grid arrangement having at least two dimensions and are provided on or in a substrate layer that is adapted for endoluminal delivery to a deployment site in a lumen of a subject;
wherein the plurality of transducer elements are operable to focus acoustic energy emitted from the transducer array by controlling one or more of a phase delay and a time delay of ultrasound signals emitted from the plurality of transducer elements such that acoustic energy emitted from the transducer array is maximized at a neuronal target near the deployment site to achieve stimulation thereof, and
wherein the device is configurable to adopt a delivery configuration in which the substrate layer and the transducer array are receivable in a delivery lumen for endoluminal delivery to the deployment site, and to adopt a deployed configuration in which the substrate layer is arranged with the plurality of transducer elements coupled, directly or indirectly with the luminal wall once deployed from the delivery lumen;
wherein the substrate layer and the transducer array have a substantially tubular overall shape when deployed in the lumen of the subject; and
wherein the substrate layer is flexible to accommodate contours within the lumen of the subject in which the device is deployed.