Ultrasound system for cerebral blood flow imaging and microbubble-enhanced blood clot lysis

摘要

An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is described which utilizes one or more transducer arrays affixed to the head of a patient to diagnose and treat stroke victims. The transducer headset produces a two or three dimensional image of the vasculature inside the cranium, preferably assisted by a microbubble contrast agent. A vascular flow map is produced by the system which may be diagnosed for signs of a blood clot. If a blood clot is detected, a therapeutic beam is transmitted while the contrast agent is present to break up the blood clot by the disruption of microbubbles. The headset may also be used in a monitoring application to detect the recurrence of blood clots in a stroke victim.

主权项

1. A stroke therapy system for treating cranial vascular obstructions comprising:
a transducer array headset adapted to maintain an ultrasonic transducer array in acoustic contact with a head of a subject; a two dimensional array of transducer elements, located in the headset, the elements configured to steer both imaging beams and therapeutic beams over a volumetric region in the head of the subject; a microbeamformer, located in the headset and coupled to the elements of the two dimensional array of transducer elements; a transmit controller, coupled to the array of transducer elements, and configured to cause the elements to transmit beams in either an imaging mode or a therapy mode; an image processor, coupled to the microbeamformer, which is configured to produce harmonic images of microbubbles in the blood flow in the cranium of the subject when the elements are steering imaging beams over an imaged region of the cranium in the imaging mode; an image display, coupled to the image processor, which is configured to produce an image of the cranial vasculature; and a user control which is adapted to be manipulated by a user to aim a therapeutic beam vector on the image display at a location of an obstruction site in the image of the cranial vasculature, wherein the elements are caused to transmit a therapeutic beam of a duty cycle of 50% or less which is aimed along the therapeutic beam vector and focused at the obstruction site in the cranium of the subject to vibrate or break the microbubbles at the obstruction site when operated in the therapy mode.