Medical System Having an Ultrasound Source and an Acoustic Coupling Medium

摘要

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.

主权项

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.