Systems, devices, and methods for treating a pulmonary disease with ultrasound energy

Abstract

A pulmonary treatment system includes a compact configuration for delivery to an airway of a patient. An energy delivery system of the pulmonary treatment system delivers ultrasound energy to target nerve tissue in or along an airway wall of the airway radially outward from surface tissue to reduce airway resistance in a downstream airway. The pulmonary treatment system may protect tissue in the airway wall of the airway located between the target nerve tissue and the ultrasound energy delivery system by a coolant system that may also act as a coupling fluid for the emitted ultrasound energy.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pulmonary treatment system, comprising:
 an elongate body; and   an ultrasound energy delivery assembly coupled to a distal end of the elongate body and being positionable into an airway of a patient, the ultrasound energy delivery assembly including   a deployable member that includes a seating portion movable from a delivery configuration into a deployed configuration in which the seating portion preferentially seats between adjacent cartilage rings in the airway, and   an ultrasound energy emitter in a predetermined position relative to the seating portion in the deployed configuration and configured to deliver ablative ultrasound energy to nerve tissue spaced radially outward from surface tissue of the airway wall.   
     
     
         2 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound energy emitter is configured to generate focused ultrasound energy. 
     
     
         3 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 2 , wherein a focal length of the ultrasound energy emitter is selected to target nerve tissue spaced radially outward from surface tissue of the airway wall. 
     
     
         4 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 2 , wherein the ultrasound energy emitter includes an acoustic lens or a transducer with a curvilinear surface profile to focus the ultrasound energy. 
     
     
         5 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound energy emitter is rotatable about a longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         6 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound energy emitter includes a plurality of ultrasound transducers circumferentially spaced about a longitudinal axis to generate a plurality of respective beams of ultrasound energy. 
     
     
         7 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 1 , wherein the deployable member comprises an expandable member to move the ultrasound energy delivery assembly from the delivery configuration to the deployed configuration. 
     
     
         8 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 7  further comprising:
 a coupling fluid source in fluid communication with the expandable member to deliver a coupling fluid into the expandable member so as to provide acoustic coupling between the ultrasound energy emitter and the expandable member. 
 
     
     
         9 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 1 , further comprising a first acoustic barrier along a first side of the deployable member to assist in directing ultrasound energy radially outward from the deployable member. 
     
     
         10 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 9 , further comprising a second acoustic barrier along a second side of the deployable member to assist in directing ultrasound energy radially outward from the deployable member. 
     
     
         11 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 10  wherein the first and second acoustic barriers comprise expandable members. 
     
     
         12 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 1  wherein the deployable member includes a curvilinear profile in the deployed configuration that is shaped to funnel ultrasound energy toward an area defined by an interface of the seating portion and the airway wall between the adjacent cartilage rings of the airway. 
     
     
         13 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 1  wherein the deployable member has a curvilinear profile in the deployed configuration that is shaped to reflect a substantial portion of the ultrasound energy emitted by the ultrasound energy emitter toward an opposing side of the deployable member. 
     
     
         14 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 1  wherein the ultrasound energy delivery assembly further includes an acoustic barrier coupled to the deployable member to reduce or eliminate the transmission of ultrasound energy through surface tissue of the airway wall adjacent the acoustic barrier. 
     
     
         15 . A pulmonary treatment system, comprising:
 an elongate body; and   an ultrasound energy delivery assembly coupled to a distal end of the elongate body and being positionable into an airway of a patient, the ultrasound energy delivery assembly including at least two ultrasound delivery elements respectively positioned to deliver energy through two different intercartilaginous spaces of the airway without repositioning the ultrasound energy delivery assembly.   
     
     
         16 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 15 , wherein each of the ultrasound delivery elements of the ultrasound energy delivery assembly is configured to generate focused ultrasound energy. 
     
     
         17 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 15 , wherein one of the ultrasound delivery elements is configured to generate a first beam of ultrasound energy that overlaps with a second beam of ultrasound energy generated by another one of the ultrasound delivery elements. 
     
     
         18 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 17 , wherein the ultrasound delivery elements are configured such that the first beam and the second beam overlap within an area radially outward from a cartilage ring. 
     
     
         19 . The pulmonary treatment system of  claim 15 , wherein the ultrasound energy emitter includes at least one seating element configured to locate at least one ultrasound delivery element in an intercartilaginous space between adjacent cartilage rings of the airway. 
     
     
         20 . A pulmonary treatment system, comprising:
 an elongate body; and   an ultrasound energy delivery assembly coupled to a distal end of the elongate body and being positionable into an airway of a patient, the ultrasound energy delivery assembly including two ultrasound delivery elements and at least one seating element configured to locate the two ultrasound delivery elements on opposite sides of a cartilage ring of the airway.