Ultrasound transceiver and uses thereof

Abstract

A dual use ultrasonic transceiver device for thermal tissue damage, comprising: a first piezoelectric transceiver sized for placement in a body lumen; a power unit which provides power to said transducer suitable for generating an ultrasonic power beam for thermal tissue damage in a tissue damage region; and a sensing unit which receives ultrasonic signals for sensing at said tissue damage region wherein said first piezoelectric transceiver is mounted on a mounting and wherein said mounting comprising mechanical damping for said piezoelectric surface, the mounting being configured such as to provide a first region of said piezoelectric surface with a first relatively high level of mechanical damping and a second region of said piezoelectric surface with a second relatively low level of mechanical damping, said damping levels being selected to enable said ultrasonic sensing from said first region and said power transmission from said second region.

1 . A dual use ultrasonic transceiver device for combined sensing and power transmission, the power transmission for thermal tissue damage, comprising:
 a first piezoelectric transceiver sized for placement in a body lumen;   a power unit which provides power to said transducer suitable for generating an ultrasonic power beam for thermal tissue damage in a tissue damage region; and   a sensing unit which receives ultrasonic signals for sensing at said tissue damage region   wherein said first piezoelectric transceiver is mounted on a mounting and wherein said mounting comprising mechanical damping for said piezoelectric surface, the mounting being configured such as to provide a first region of said piezoelectric surface with a first relatively high level of mechanical damping and a second region of said piezoelectric surface with a second relatively low level of mechanical damping, said damping levels being selected to enable said ultrasonic sensing from said first region and said power transmission from said second region.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , comprising at least a second piezoelectric transceiver also sized for placement in a body lumen, the first piezoelectric transceiver being provided with a first, relatively higher level of mechanical damping and the second piezoelectric transceiver being provided with a second, relatively lower, level of mechanical damping, and wherein said sensing unit is coupled to said first piezoelectric transceiver and said power unit is coupled to said second piezoelectric transceiver. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said body lumen is a blood vessel. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , configured with a catheter for placing within said blood vessel. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said sensing is usable in a control system to control treatment efficacy or device efficiency. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said first piezoelectric transceiver is configured to provide said power transmission as a non-focused beam. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said first region comprises a first surface part of said piezoelectric surface and said second region comprises a second surface part of said piezoelectric surface, and a non-focused beam is provided from throughout said second surface part. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said power transmission is configured to provide a thermal effect to surrounding tissues and said sensing is configured to provide imaging of said thermal effect. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein said thermal effect comprises denaturation of collagen and said sensing comprises detection of a change in reflected signal, or in backscatter. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1 , configured to provide said power transmission in bursts having gaps and to transmit separate sensing transmissions during said gaps. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1 , configured to be placed in said body lumen and wherein said sensing region is configured to detect a lumen wall and to provide a signal indicating a distance to said lumen wall. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said mounting comprises an air pocket and a plurality of contact points. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14 , wherein said mounting is provided with a surface tension sufficient to maintain said air pocket when said device is immersed in liquid. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a matching layer for acoustic impedance matching placed on said piezoelectric surface wherein said matching layer comprises pyrolytic graphite. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 1 , having a resonance and an anti-resonance, the device being used at a working frequency equal to said anti-resonance. 
     
     
         18 . A method of online testing of efficiency or treatment efficacy of an ultrasound transceiver to detect changes in said efficiency, said efficiency being a ratio between ultrasound energy and heat generated in said transceiver, said method comprising applying an impulse to said ultrasound transceiver, measuring a response of said ultrasound transceiver to said impulse, and inferring changes in said efficiency or said efficacy from said measured response. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said inferring said changes in efficiency comprises inferring from at least one member of the group comprising: a shape of said measured response; an envelope of said measured response, a duration of said measured response, amplitudes of said measured response, and a damping factor of said measured response. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said transceiver has a resonance and an anti-resonance and said online or offline testing comprises inferring a change in at least one of said resonance and said anti-resonance. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , comprising placing said transceiver in a liquid-filled body lumen and carrying out said online testing while said transceiver is in said body lumen. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein said device is operated at said working frequency when placed in a liquid within a body lumen. 
     
     
         23 . A method of using an ultrasonic transceiver for simultaneous heating and monitoring of a target, the method comprising providing a relatively high power ultrasonic transmission in bursts for heating said target, said bursts having gaps, and sending relatively low power ultrasonic sensing transmissions during said gaps for monitoring said target. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  comprising using a surface of a piezoelectric sensor to produce said relatively high power and said relatively low power ultrasonic transmissions, said piezoelectric sensor surface comprising a first relatively high damping region and a second relatively low damping region, the method comprising using said first region for said monitoring and said second region for said heating. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , comprising placing said transceiver in a liquid-filled body lumen and carrying out said simultaneous heating and measuring while said transceiver is in said body lumen. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising testing an efficiency of said transceiver, said testing comprising applying an impulse to said transceiver and measuring a response of said transceiver to said impulse. 
     
     
         27 - 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said damping is provided using an acoustic damping material in said mounting or attached thereto.