TIME-OF-FLIGHT TRIANGULATION BASED METHODS OF DEVICE SPATIAL REGISTRATION FOR MULTIPLE-TRANSDUCER THERAPEUTIC ULTRASOUND SYSTEMS

摘要

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a therapeutic ultrasound device spatial registration method and apparatus. The method enables locating a tissue target and surrounding tissue structures affecting the available acoustic beam paths to the target, relative to each individual therapeutic and diagnostic (e.g., imaging) transducer, in a device comprising a plurality of such transducers. By locating the target and tissue structures relative to each therapeutic transducer and/or array (e.g., in “local” coordinates) assists in transforming the locations relative to any transducers, enabling determination of which therapeutic transducers to use to treat the target, and specification of their respective ultrasound powers or energy, focal locations and beam patterns. The registration method employs a plurality of emitter and receiver acoustic sensors on, respectively, a plurality of imaging and therapeutic transducer device panels.