CN117045992A

CN117045992A - Ultrasound ablation system, electronic device, and readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN117045992A
Application number: CN202310954824.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张丽萍; 周曙光; 邹志刚; 赵源
Original assignee: Shenzhen Weichuang Huiyan Medical Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Weichuang Huiyan Medical Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-07-31
Filing date: 2023-07-31
Publication date: 2023-11-14

Abstract

The invention provides an ultrasonic ablation system, electronic equipment and a readable storage medium, wherein the ultrasonic ablation system comprises a controller, an ultrasonic imaging transducer, an ultrasonic ablation transducer and a stimulator; the ultrasonic imaging transducer is configured to emit ultrasonic waves to a target area, convert the received echoes into corresponding electrical signals, and send the corresponding electrical signals to the controller; the controller is configured to perform the steps of: generating an ultrasonic image of the target area according to the electric signal, and identifying nerve tissues to acquire the position information of the nerve tissues; according to the position information of the nerve tissue, controlling a stimulator to stimulate the nerve tissue at the corresponding position, and according to the stimulation result, acquiring the position information of the target nerve tissue; and controlling the ultrasonic ablation transducer to ablate the target nerve tissue at the corresponding position according to the position information of the target nerve tissue. The invention can realize the accurate positioning of the ablation area, and effectively avoid excessive treatment and ineffective treatment.

Description

Ultrasound ablation system, electronic device, and readable storage medium

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to an ultrasonic ablation system, electronic equipment and a readable storage medium.

Background

Medical ablation techniques are distinguished from conventional surgical therapies in that various energies are used to kill or reduce the function of tissue itself, including specifically laser ablation, radio frequency ablation, ultrasound ablation, microwave ablation, and the like. Ablation devices may treat tissue in vitro, or within a blood vessel or other lumen.

Currently, rf ablation is widely used in vivo, mainly for adjacent tissues of the lumen, such as lumen walls (e.g., blood vessel walls) and peripheral nerves. Because of the characteristics of radio frequency energy, the tissue needs to be attached during treatment, and local high temperature is easy to cause tissue damage, and if the tissue damage occurs in a blood vessel, stenosis, hyperplasia and the like can be caused. In addition, because the radio frequency treatment heat source is generally covered in a punctiform manner, a large treatment area needs to be ablated for multiple times, so that some focus points are omitted, and the treatment effect is affected.

Ultrasound ablation can compensate for both of these drawbacks compared to radio frequency ablation. The principle of ultrasonic ablation is that ultrasonic waves in vitro or in vivo are allowed to act on tissues through a coupling substance, so that the temperature of the tissues is increased within a certain time, and the necrosis or damage of focus cells is caused, thereby achieving the purpose of treatment. However, the prior art ultrasound ablation system has the following problems: most of the existing ultrasonic ablation systems are blind ablation, ablation targets are not positioned accurately enough, ablation areas cannot be positioned accurately, and multiple treatments and ineffective treatments are easy to cause.

It should be noted that the information disclosed in this background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an ultrasonic ablation system, electronic equipment and a readable storage medium, which can realize accurate positioning of an ablation area and effectively avoid excessive treatment and ineffective treatment.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention provides an ultrasonic ablation system, which comprises a controller, an ultrasonic imaging transducer, an ultrasonic ablation transducer and a stimulator, wherein the ultrasonic imaging transducer, the ultrasonic ablation transducer and the stimulator are all in communication connection with the controller;

the ultrasonic imaging transducer is configured to transmit ultrasonic waves capable of reaching nerve tissue in the target area to the target area so that the nerve tissue in the target area and other tissues except the nerve tissue can reflect back corresponding echoes, and is further configured to receive the echoes, convert the echoes into corresponding electric signals and send the corresponding electric signals to the controller;

The controller is configured to generate a corresponding target area ultrasonic image according to the electric signals sent by the ultrasonic imaging transducer, and identify nerve tissues in the target area ultrasonic image so as to acquire the position information of the nerve tissues;

the controller is further configured to control the stimulator to stimulate the nerve tissue at the corresponding position according to the position information of the nerve tissue, and acquire the position information of the target nerve tissue according to the stimulation result;

the controller is further configured to control the ultrasonic ablation transducer to ablate the target nerve tissue at the corresponding position according to the position information of the target nerve tissue.

Optionally, the ultrasonic imaging transducer includes a plurality of first ultrasonic array elements, and the plurality of first ultrasonic array elements are arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array and an area array.

Optionally, the ultrasonic ablation transducer includes a plurality of second ultrasonic array elements, and the plurality of second ultrasonic array elements are arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array and an area array.

Optionally, the stimulator includes a plurality of third ultrasonic array elements, where the plurality of third ultrasonic array elements are arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array, an area array, and a spherical crown splicing array.

Optionally, the ultrasound ablation system further comprises a catheter assembly, and the ultrasound imaging transducer, the ultrasound ablation transducer and the stimulator are all mounted at a distal end of the catheter assembly.

Optionally, a plurality of ultrasonic array elements are installed at the distal end of the catheter assembly, the plurality of ultrasonic array elements are arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array and a planar array, and the controller is further configured to control the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to be time-division multiplexed into the ultrasonic imaging transducer, the stimulator and the ultrasonic ablation transducer; or controlling one part of the ultrasonic array elements in the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to form the ultrasonic imaging transducer, the other part of the ultrasonic array elements to form the ultrasonic ablation transducer, and the other part of the ultrasonic array elements to form the stimulator.

Optionally, the controller is further configured to control the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to be time-multiplexed into a measurer for measuring the size of the target area; or the controller is further configured to control the remaining ultrasonic array elements of the plurality of ultrasonic array elements other than the ultrasonic imaging transducer, the ultrasonic ablation transducer and the stimulator to form a measurer for measuring the size of the target area.

Optionally, the controller is configured to divide the plurality of third ultrasonic array elements into two groups of array element groups according to the position information of the nerve tissue, and control the two groups of array element groups to perform difference frequency focusing stimulation at the position of the nerve tissue at different excitation frequencies.

Optionally, the controller is further configured to control at least two second ultrasonic array elements in a corresponding range of the plurality of second ultrasonic array elements to perform focused ablation or unfocused ablation on the target nerve tissue according to the position information and the size information of the target nerve tissue.

Optionally, the controller is further configured to obtain temperature distribution information of the target region in the ablation process according to the target region ultrasonic image obtained before the stimulation, the target region ultrasonic image obtained in the ablation process and a temperature regression model obtained in advance.

Optionally, the ultrasound ablation system further comprises a cooling module in communication with the controller, the cooling module configured to deliver cryogenic substance to the target region under control of the controller.

Optionally, the controller is further configured to perform the following operations:

After the ultrasonic ablation transducer completes one-time ablation of target nerve tissue in the target area, controlling the ultrasonic imaging transducer to acquire an ablated target area ultrasonic image;

identifying nerve tissues from the ablated target area ultrasonic image to obtain position information of the ablated nerve tissues;

according to the position information of the nerve tissue after ablation, controlling the stimulator to stimulate the nerve tissue at the corresponding position, and judging whether the ablation is successful or not according to the stimulation result;

if not, the ultrasonic ablation transducer is controlled to continuously ablate the target nerve tissue which is not successfully ablated in the target area.

Optionally, the ultrasound ablation system further comprises a display communicatively connected to the controller, the display configured to display the ultrasound image of the target region and ablation parameters.

Optionally, the ultrasound ablation system further comprises an excitation source communicatively connected to the controller, the excitation source configured to apply a first excitation to the ultrasound imaging transducer, a second excitation to the stimulator, and a third excitation to the ultrasound ablation transducer under control of the controller.

Optionally, the controller is further configured to calculate an ablation parameter corresponding to the target neural tissue according to the obtained monitoring information, and adjust the ablation parameter in real time according to the monitoring information in an ablation process, wherein the monitoring information includes at least one of equipment operation information, size information of the target region, position information and size information of the target neural tissue, and temperature information of the target region.

To achieve the above object, the present invention also provides a readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, which when executed by a processor, implements the steps of:

controlling an ultrasonic imaging transducer to emit ultrasonic waves capable of reaching nerve tissues in a target area, receiving echoes reflected by the nerve tissues in the target area and other tissues except the nerve tissues, and converting the echoes into corresponding electric signals;

receiving the electric signals sent by the ultrasonic imaging transducer to generate a corresponding ultrasonic image of a target area, and identifying nerve tissues of the ultrasonic image of the target area to acquire the position information of the nerve tissues;

According to the position information of the nerve tissue, controlling a stimulator to stimulate the nerve tissue at the corresponding position, and according to the stimulation result, obtaining the position information of the target nerve tissue;

and controlling an ultrasonic ablation transducer to ablate the target nerve tissue at the corresponding position according to the position information of the target nerve tissue.

To achieve the above object, the present invention also provides an electronic device comprising a processor and a readable storage medium as described above.

Compared with the prior art, the ultrasonic ablation system, the electronic equipment and the readable storage medium provided by the invention have the following beneficial effects:

the ultrasonic ablation system comprises a controller, an ultrasonic imaging transducer, an ultrasonic ablation transducer and a stimulator, wherein the ultrasonic imaging transducer is configured to transmit ultrasonic waves capable of reaching nerve tissues in a target area to the target area so that the nerve tissues in the target area and other tissues except the nerve tissues can reflect corresponding echoes, and the ultrasonic imaging transducer is further configured to receive the echoes, convert the echoes into corresponding electric signals and send the corresponding electric signals to the controller; the controller is configured to generate a corresponding target area ultrasonic image according to the electric signals sent by the ultrasonic imaging transducer, and identify nerve tissues in the target area ultrasonic image so as to acquire the position information of the nerve tissues; the controller is further configured to control the stimulator to stimulate the nerve tissue at the corresponding position according to the position information of the nerve tissue, and acquire the position information of the target nerve tissue according to the stimulation result; the controller is further configured to control the ultrasonic ablation transducer to ablate the target nerve tissue at the corresponding position according to the position information of the target nerve tissue. Therefore, the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention sequentially stimulates the positions of the nerve tissues by identifying the positions of the nerve tissues in the target area and determining the positions of the target nerve tissues (namely ablation targets) meeting the ablation requirement based on the stimulation result; and finally, according to the positions of the target nerve tissues, controlling the ultrasonic ablation transducer to ablate the positions of the target nerve tissues in sequence, so that the accurate positioning of an ablation area can be realized, and excessive treatment and ineffective treatment are effectively avoided. In addition, the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention can realize accurate stimulation by identifying the position information of each nerve tissue in the target area and then stimulating based on the identified position information of the nerve tissue, so that uncontrollable factors caused by unordered and non-target stimulation can be avoided. In addition, the ultrasonic ablation transducer can perform high-temperature action on the target nerve tissue without directly contacting the endoluminal (such as the endovascular membrane), so that the high temperature of the ultrasonic ablation transducer can be prevented from directly acting on the endoluminal (such as the endovascular membrane), and damage to the endoluminal (such as the endovascular membrane) can be avoided.

Because the electronic device and the readable storage medium provided by the invention belong to the same inventive concept as the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention, the electronic device and the readable storage medium provided by the invention have at least all the beneficial effects of the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention, and the description of the beneficial effects of the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention can be referred to in detail, so that the beneficial effects of the electronic device and the readable storage medium provided by the invention are not repeated one by one.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an ultrasound ablation system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an ultrasonic ablation transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention for ablating target nerve tissue at different locations;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a multi-functional integrated ultrasound array according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a specific workflow of an ultrasound ablation system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic workflow diagram of a readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Wherein reference numerals are as follows:

a controller-110, an ultrasonic imaging transducer-120; an ultrasound ablation transducer-130; stimulator-140; excitation source-150; a cooling module-160; a display-170;

a processor-210; a communication interface-220; a readable storage medium-230; communication bus-240.

Detailed Description

The ultrasound ablation system, the electronic device and the readable storage medium according to the present invention are described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description. The advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and are all to a non-precise scale, merely for the purpose of facilitating and clearly aiding in the description of embodiments of the invention. For a better understanding of the invention with objects, features and advantages, refer to the drawings. It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. shown in the drawings are shown only in connection with the present disclosure for the understanding and reading of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims, and any structural modifications, proportional changes, or dimensional adjustments, which may be made by the present disclosure, should fall within the scope of the present disclosure under the same or similar circumstances as the effects and objectives attained by the present invention.

It is noted that relational terms such as first and second, and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents, the term "or" is generally used in the sense of comprising "and/or" and the term "several" is generally used in the sense of comprising "at least one" and the term "at least two" is generally used in the sense of comprising "two or more". In the description of the present invention, unless explicitly stated and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "secured" are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communicated with the inside of two elements or the interaction relationship of the two elements.

Furthermore, in the description herein, reference to the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples," etc., means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms are not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the various embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the various embodiments or examples may be combined and combined by those skilled in the art without contradiction.

The invention aims at providing an ultrasonic ablation system, electronic equipment and a readable storage medium, which can realize accurate positioning of an ablation area and effectively avoid excessive treatment and ineffective treatment. It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art can understand, the readable storage medium provided by the present invention may be applied to the electronic device provided by the present invention, where the electronic device provided by the present invention may be applied to the ultrasound ablation system provided by the present invention, and the electronic device provided by the present invention may be a hardware device having various operating systems. It should also be noted that, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the term "distal" herein refers to an end distal from the operator (i.e., an end proximal to the target area), and the term "proximal" refers to an end proximal to the operator (i.e., an end distal from the target area); the "target region" in the present invention is a certain partial region in the target lumen (e.g., renal artery).

In order to achieve the above-mentioned idea, the present invention provides an ultrasound ablation system, please refer to fig. 1, which is a block structure schematic diagram of an ultrasound ablation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention comprises a controller 110, an ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, an ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 and a stimulator 140, wherein the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 and the stimulator 140 are all in communication connection with the controller 110; the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 is configured to emit ultrasonic waves to a target region capable of reaching nerve tissue within the target region so that the nerve tissue within the target region and other tissue except the nerve tissue can each reflect back to a corresponding echo, and the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 is further configured to receive the echo and convert it into a corresponding electrical signal and send it to the controller 110; the controller 110 is configured to generate a corresponding target area ultrasonic image according to the electrical signal sent by the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, and identify nerve tissue in the target area ultrasonic image to obtain position information of the nerve tissue; the controller 110 is further configured to control the stimulator 140 to stimulate the nerve tissue at the corresponding position according to the position information of the nerve tissue, and obtain the position information of the target nerve tissue according to the stimulation result; the controller 110 is further configured to control the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 to ablate the target nerve tissue at a corresponding position according to the position information of the target nerve tissue.

Therefore, the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention sequentially stimulates the positions of the nerve tissues by identifying the positions of the nerve tissues in the target area and then adopting the stimulator 140, and determines the positions of the target nerve tissues (namely ablation targets) meeting the ablation requirement based on the stimulation result; finally, according to the positions of the target nerve tissues, the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 is controlled to ablate the positions of the target nerve tissues in sequence, so that the accurate positioning of an ablation area can be realized, and excessive treatment and ineffective treatment are effectively avoided. In addition, the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention can realize accurate stimulation by identifying the position information of each nerve tissue in the target area and then stimulating based on the identified position information of the nerve tissue, so that uncontrollable factors caused by unordered and non-target stimulation can be avoided. In addition, since the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 may perform high temperature action on the target nerve tissue without directly contacting the intima of the target region (i.e., the lumen intima, such as the intima of a blood vessel), the high temperature of the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 itself may be prevented from directly acting on the intima of the target region (i.e., the lumen intima, such as the intima of a blood vessel), and damage to the intima of the target region (i.e., the lumen intima, such as the intima of a blood vessel) may be avoided.

Further, the stimulator 140 may perform ultrasonic stimulation or electrical stimulation on the location of the neural tissue identified based on the ultrasound image of the target area. If the blood pressure of the patient rises to a certain range after the nerve tissue at a certain position is stimulated, the position of the nerve tissue is a positive stimulation point and ablation is needed, namely the position of the nerve tissue is the position of the target nerve tissue (namely an ablation target point); if the blood pressure is reduced or unchanged (i.e., the blood pressure is not increased), it indicates that the nerve tissue is in a position of a negative stimulation point, and no ablation is needed.

With continued reference to fig. 1, as shown in fig. 1, the ultrasound ablation system further includes an excitation source 150 communicatively coupled to the controller 110, the excitation source 150 being configured to apply a first excitation to the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, a second excitation to the stimulator 140, and a third excitation to the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 under control of the controller 110. Specifically, the output energy corresponding to the first excitation is smaller than the output energy corresponding to the second excitation, and the output energy corresponding to the second excitation is smaller than the output energy corresponding to the third excitation. It should be noted that the excitation source 150 is also connected to the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the stimulator 140, and the ultrasound ablation transducer 130, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

In some exemplary embodiments, the ultrasound imaging transducer 120 includes a plurality of first ultrasound array elements arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array, and an area array. Therefore, by setting the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 to an array structure including a plurality of first ultrasonic array elements, the imaging range can be enlarged, and the imaging of tissues (including nerve tissues and non-nerve tissues) in a certain range (i.e., in the target region) can be realized, so that a complete and clear ultrasonic image of the target region can be formed, and a good foundation is laid for the subsequent acquisition of the position information of the nerve tissues in the target region. It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art can understand, the related art may be referred to for the linear array, the convex array, the circular needle array and the area array, and will not be described herein.

In some exemplary embodiments, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 includes a plurality of second ultrasound array elements arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array, and an area array. Thus, by arranging the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 in an array structure including a plurality of second ultrasound array elements, the target nerve tissue at different positions can be targeted by combining and focusing different second ultrasound array elements in the array, and the ablation energy and the radiation range of the ablation energy can be increased or decreased by changing the number of activated second ultrasound array elements (i.e. the number of second ultrasound array elements to which the third excitation is applied), so that precise ablation is realized and the ablation effect is improved. Of course, a non-focusing technique may also be used to achieve precise ablation of target neural tissue over a larger area by controlling only the number of second ultrasound elements that are activated (i.e., the number of second ultrasound elements to which a third excitation is applied).

Conventional methods of using the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 do not accurately locate the ablation zone. To address this technical problem, in some exemplary embodiments, the controller 110 is further configured to control at least two of the second ultrasound array elements within a corresponding range of the plurality of second ultrasound array elements to perform focused ablation or unfocused ablation on the target neural tissue according to the location information and the size information of the target neural tissue. Specifically, please refer to fig. 2, which is a schematic diagram illustrating an ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention for ablating target nerve tissue at different locations. As shown in fig. 2, if it is determined that a target region has target nerve tissue a, target nerve tissue b and target nerve tissue c after stimulation, the target nerve tissue a is a sheet-like nerve tissue that is farther from an intima of the target region (e.g., an intima of a renal artery), the target nerve tissue b is a sheet-like nerve tissue that is closer to an intima of the target region (e.g., an intima of a renal artery), and the target nerve tissue c is a nerve tissue of a larger region that extends outward from the intima of the target region (e.g., an intima of a renal artery).

Since the target nerve tissue a is far from the intima of the target region (for example, the intima of the renal artery), ultrasonic energy is lost in the propagation process, a larger number of second ultrasonic array elements are required to work together (i.e., a larger number of second ultrasonic array elements are required to be excited) and focus at the position of the target nerve tissue to be ablated for the purpose of treatment (i.e., for the purpose of ablation) for the target nerve tissue far from the intima of the target region (for example, the intima of the renal artery). Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, taking the target neural tissue a as an ablation target, the controller 110 may calculate a corresponding ablation dose according to the position information and the size information of the target neural tissue a, select the second ultrasonic array elements A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H in the corresponding range to apply the second excitation (i.e. participate in ablation), and focus at the position of the target neural tissue a to complete the ablation of the target neural tissue a. It should be noted that, for the specific details of how to implement focusing of the second ultrasonic array elements A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H at the location of the target neural tissue a, reference may be made to an ultrasonic focusing technique known to those skilled in the art (for example, the direction of the ultrasonic waves emitted by any one or more of the second ultrasonic array elements A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H may be changed by performing excitation delay on any one or more of the second ultrasonic array elements A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H to implement focusing), so that details will not be repeated herein.

Since the target nerve tissue b is closer to the intima of the target region (e.g. the intima of the renal artery), the attenuation of the ultrasonic energy during propagation is smaller, and thus for such target nerve tissue closer to the intima of the target region (e.g. the intima of the renal artery), the therapeutic purpose (i.e. the ablation purpose) can be achieved by operating with a smaller number of second ultrasonic array elements (i.e. requiring the excitation of a smaller number of second ultrasonic array elements) and focusing at the location of the target nerve tissue to be ablated. Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, taking the target neural tissue b as an ablation target, the controller 110 may calculate a corresponding ablation dose according to the position information and the size information of the target neural tissue b, select the second ultrasonic array elements D, E, F and G in the corresponding range to apply the second excitation (i.e. participate in ablation), and focus at the position of the target neural tissue b to complete the ablation of the target neural tissue b. It should be noted that, for the specific details of how to implement focusing of the second ultrasonic array elements D, E, F and G at the location of the target neural tissue b, reference may be made to an ultrasonic focusing technique known to those skilled in the art (for example, the direction of the ultrasonic waves emitted by any one or more of the second ultrasonic array elements D, E, F and G may be changed by performing excitation delay on any one or more of the second ultrasonic array elements D, E, F and G to implement focusing), so that details will not be repeated herein.

For target nerve tissue extending from the intima of the target region (e.g., the intima of a renal artery) to the intima, the treatment (i.e., ablation) can be achieved by directly exciting one or more second ultrasound array elements within the corresponding range without focusing. Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, taking the target neural tissue c as an ablation target, the controller 110 may calculate the corresponding ablation dose according to the position information and the size information of the target neural tissue c, and select the second ultrasonic array elements I, G, K and L in the corresponding range to apply the second excitation (i.e. participate in the ablation), so as to complete the ablation of the target neural tissue c.

In some exemplary embodiments, the stimulator 140 includes a plurality of third ultrasonic array elements arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array, an area array, and a spherical cap stitching array. Therefore, by setting the stimulator 140 to a structure including a plurality of third ultrasonic array elements, ultrasonic stimulation can be performed on nerve tissues at any position within a certain range, so that an accurate stimulation effect is achieved, and compared with the traditional electrode stimulation, the stimulator 140 in the invention can improve the stimulation effectiveness and simultaneously reduce the pain of a patient.

The existing difference frequency transducer is generally of a circular ring structure or a tile-shaped splicing structure, the structure does not save space, and the focusing position of the difference frequency is relatively fixed, so that when the difference frequency transducer in the prior art is adopted for stimulation, the stimulation target position is single, and the use scene is limited. To solve this technical problem, in some exemplary embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to divide the plurality of third ultrasound array elements into two groups of array element groups according to the position information of the nerve tissue, and control the two groups of array element groups to perform difference frequency focusing stimulation at the position of the nerve tissue at different excitation frequencies. Therefore, the plurality of third ultrasonic array elements are divided into two groups of array element groups according to the position information of the nerve tissue, the two groups of array element groups apply second excitation at two different frequencies, the focusing technology is used for focusing at the position of the nerve tissue to be stimulated, and the difference frequency effect is used for realizing the stimulation of the nerve tissue at the focal position. Because the stimulator 140 comprises a plurality of third ultrasonic array elements, the focal position can be changed randomly within a certain range, so that the position of difference frequency stimulation can be changed according to the position of the nerve tissue to be stimulated, and the aim of accurate stimulation is fulfilled.

In some exemplary embodiments, the ultrasound ablation system further comprises a catheter assembly, the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130, and the stimulator 140 are all mounted at a distal end of the catheter assembly. Therefore, by installing the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 and the stimulator 140 at the distal end of the same catheter assembly, the whole structure of the ablation system provided by the invention can be effectively simplified, the operation is more convenient, and the functions of imaging, ablation, stimulation and the like can be realized in the same target area, so that the internal space of the target area can be fully utilized. In addition, by integrating the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130, and the stimulator 140, multiple functions can be accomplished in a limited space, thereby providing more treatable means for the physician and reducing the complexity of the surgical procedure.

It should be noted that the catheter assembly, the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130, and the stimulator 140 together form a catheter as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that in other embodiments, the ultrasound imaging transducer 120 may be mounted at the distal end of one catheter assembly and both the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 and the stimulator 140 may be mounted at the distal end of the other catheter assembly, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Further, the catheter assembly includes a tube and a handle, the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 and the stimulator 140 are all mounted at the distal end of the tube, the handle is connected to the proximal end of the tube, the tube is a flexible tube, and the tube can be controlled to bend by the handle. Still further, the catheter assembly further comprises a host interface through which communication connections between the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130, and the stimulator 140 and the controller 110 may be achieved, and a rotational control mechanism; the pipe body and the handle can be manually rotated or automatically rotated with the aid of the rotation control mechanism through the rotation control mechanism.

Because of the limited space at the distal end of the catheter used in the lumen such as the blood vessel, the ablation, imaging and stimulation are difficult to realize in the same field of view, and operators need to position by moving, which easily causes complex and deviation of operation. To address this technical problem, in some exemplary embodiments, a plurality of ultrasound array elements are mounted at the distal end of the catheter assembly, the plurality of ultrasound array elements being arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array, and a planar array, the controller 110 being further configured to control the time-division multiplexing of the plurality of ultrasound array elements into the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the stimulator 140, and the ultrasound ablation transducer 130. Therefore, by controlling the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to be multiplexed into the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, the stimulator 140 and the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 in a time-sharing manner, that is, controlling the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to realize functions of imaging, stimulation, ablation and the like in a time-sharing manner, the three functions of imaging, stimulation and ablation can be completed in the same field of view without moving the plurality of ultrasonic array elements, thereby being beneficial to realizing the discovery, that is, treatment, of ablation points (that is, positions of target nerve tissues which can be ablated), not only greatly improving the efficiency of operation, reducing the complexity of the operation, enabling the treatment to be more effective and thorough, but also greatly optimizing the space utilization rate.

It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art can understand, the plurality of ultrasonic array elements may be configured to implement the imaging function by applying the first excitation to the plurality of ultrasonic array elements, so that the plurality of ultrasonic array elements form the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, in this case, the ultrasonic array elements correspond to the first ultrasonic array elements above; by applying a second excitation to at least a part of the plurality of ultrasound array elements such that the ultrasound array elements to which the second excitation is applied fulfill a stimulation function, in which case the ultrasound array elements correspond to the third ultrasound array elements in the above; the ablation function is achieved by applying a third excitation to at least a part of the plurality of ultrasound array elements, in which case the ultrasound array elements correspond to the second ultrasound array elements above.

Further, the controller 110 is further configured to control the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to be time-multiplexed into a measurer for measuring the size of the target area. Therefore, the device can also ensure that the measurement function of the size (such as the diameter of a blood vessel) of the target area can be realized under the same visual field, so as to provide theoretical basis for the follow-up calculation of ablation parameters and further improve the treatment effect of the ultrasonic ablation system.

In other exemplary embodiments, the controller 110 is configured to control a part of the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to form the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, another part of the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to form the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130, another part of the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to form the stimulator 140, and the remaining ultrasonic array elements (i.e., the remaining ultrasonic array elements other than the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130, and the stimulator 140) to form a measurer for measuring the size of the target area. Therefore, the arrangement can ensure that at least two functions of imaging, stimulation, ablation and measurement can be simultaneously realized under the same visual field, and more treatable means can be provided for doctors, so that the treatment effect of the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention is further improved. It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art can understand, the ultrasonic array elements used to form the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 correspond to the first ultrasonic array element, the ultrasonic array elements used to form the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 correspond to the second ultrasonic array element, and the ultrasonic array elements used to form the stimulator 140 correspond to the third ultrasonic array element.

It should be noted that, as understood by those skilled in the art, at least two of the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130, the stimulator 140, and the measurer may be repeated, wherein the repeated ultrasonic array elements may be time-multiplexed.

Please continue to refer to fig. 3, which is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the multi-functional integrated ultrasound array according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, by applying a first excitation to the ultrasonic array element A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, an ultrasonic image of a target area within a certain range can be obtained, by identifying the ultrasonic image of the target area, a nerve tissue can be identified, the ultrasonic array element A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J is divided into two groups of array element groups according to the identified position of the nerve tissue, and a second excitation with different frequencies is applied, so that the two groups of array element groups are focused at the position of the nerve tissue simultaneously by a focusing technology. Because of the difference frequency principle, the ultrasonic waves emitted by the acoustic array element A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J can stimulate the nerve tissue, the ablative property of the nerve tissue is judged according to the stimulation result, if the nerve tissue can be ablated, the ultrasonic array element A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J is applied with third excitation with the same frequency, and the ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic array element A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J are focused at the position of the nerve tissue at the same time through a focusing technology, so that the ablation treatment is performed. During the stimulation and ablation process, the remaining ultrasound array elements K, L, M may be formed into gauges to measure the diameter of the target area (e.g., the diameter of the renal artery). Imaging, stimulation, ablation and measurement can thus be accomplished in the same field of view.

In the ablation process, the temperature monitoring of the tissue is important, in the prior art, a miniature temperature sensor is mostly invaded into the tissue or used for measuring the temperature on the inner wall, so that the temperature of the tissue is estimated, measurement data is not accurate enough, the invasive temperature measurement increases the difficulty in the treatment process, the temperature distribution of a complete area cannot be obtained, the original environment of the tissue is damaged, and unnecessary complications are brought. To address this technical problem, in some exemplary embodiments, the controller 110 is further configured to obtain temperature distribution information of the target region during ablation according to a target region ultrasound image acquired before stimulation, a target region ultrasound image acquired during ablation, and a pre-acquired temperature regression model. Therefore, the temperature distribution information of the target region in the ablation process is acquired according to the ultrasonic image of the target region and the temperature regression model acquired in advance, so that the temperature of the treatment region and surrounding tissues can be monitored in real time and without damage.

Specifically, the controller 110 is configured to obtain temperature distribution information of the target region during ablation by:

Registering the ultrasonic image of the target area acquired in the ablation process with the ultrasonic image of the target area acquired before stimulation;

performing difference processing on the two registered target area ultrasonic images to obtain corresponding subtraction images;

dividing the acquired subtracted image into a plurality of subtracted regions;

and aiming at each subtraction area, calculating the gray average value and the gray co-occurrence matrix of the subtraction area, and inputting the gray average value and the gray co-occurrence matrix of the subtraction area into the temperature regression model to obtain the temperature information corresponding to the tissue corresponding to the subtraction area in the ablation process.

Specifically, the details of how to obtain the gray level co-occurrence matrix can be referred to as related art known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described herein. Further, by identifying any one of the target region ultrasound image acquired during the ablation process and the target region ultrasound image acquired before the stimulation, the region where each tissue is located (including the region where the nerve tissue is located and the region where the non-nerve tissue is located) can be identified, and then based on the position information of the region where each tissue is located, the acquired subtraction image is divided into a plurality of subtraction regions (one subtraction region corresponds to each tissue), so that the temperature distribution information of the target region during the ablation process can be acquired according to the temperature information of the tissue corresponding to each subtraction region during the ablation process. It should be noted that, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, the temperature regression model may be obtained by obtaining real temperature values after ablation corresponding to different subtraction areas, and gray average values and gray co-occurrence matrices corresponding to the subtraction areas, and forming training samples (in which the real temperature values are labels) to train a neural network regression model created in advance.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in some exemplary embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the ultrasound ablation system further includes a cooling module 160 communicatively coupled to the controller 110, the cooling module 160 configured to deliver cryogenic substance to the target region under the control of the controller 110. Because of the relatively high temperatures surrounding the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130, and the stimulator 140 during treatment, the high temperatures may be transferred to the tissue through the blood flow, causing intimal damage to the target area (e.g., renal artery). Thus, by using the cooling module 160 to deliver a cryogenic substance (cryogenic liquid or cryogenic gas) to the target area, the goal of reducing the ambient temperature can be achieved, avoiding intimal damage to the target area (e.g., renal artery). Specifically, the cooling module 160 may inject a cryogenic substance into one of the cavities within the tube and into the target area; or the low-temperature substance is injected into the saccule through the saccule structure in the catheter assembly, and the low-temperature substance can form a circulation passage through the other cavity in the catheter body, so that the aim of reducing the ambient temperature is fulfilled.

Specifically, the cooling module 160 includes a transfer pump, a suction pump, and a reservoir for storing a cryogenic substance. Therefore, the low-temperature substances in the storage device can be conveyed to the target area through the conveying pump, and the low-temperature substances in the target area can be pumped into the storage device through the suction pump, so that the recycling of the low-temperature substances is realized.

Further, the ultrasound ablation system further comprises a flow rate sensor for measuring the cryogenic substance. Therefore, the flow velocity of the low-temperature substance can be monitored in real time through the flow velocity sensor, so that a better cooling effect is achieved, and the treatment effect of the ultrasonic ablation system provided by the invention is further improved.

Still further, when the catheter assembly includes a balloon, a pressure sensor is also mounted at the distal end of the tube for monitoring pressure information within the balloon. Therefore, the pressure value in the balloon can be detected in real time through the pressure sensor, so that the balloon is prevented from being broken due to overlarge pressure in the balloon, and the safety of the ultrasonic ablation system in the treatment process is improved.

In some exemplary embodiments, the controller 110 is further configured to:

after the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 completes one-time ablation of the target nerve tissue in the target area, controlling the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 to acquire an ultrasonic image of the ablated target area;

According to the position information of the nerve tissue after ablation, the stimulator 140 is controlled to stimulate the nerve tissue at the corresponding position, and whether the ablation is successful or not is judged according to the stimulation result;

if not, the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 is controlled to continuously ablate the target nerve tissue which is not successfully ablated in the target area.

Therefore, by evaluating the ablation effect after the target nerve tissue in the target area is ablated every time, necessary information can be provided for the next treatment so as to ensure the effectiveness of the treatment effect and further improve the treatment success rate and the treatment effect of the ultrasonic ablation system.

Specifically, if the blood pressure increases after the stimulus is applied to the nerve tissue at a certain place, it indicates that the ablation of the nerve tissue (target nerve tissue) in the current target area is not successfully completed, and the treatment (i.e., re-ablation) of the nerve tissue (target nerve tissue) at the certain place needs to be continued until the blood pressure does not change; if the blood pressure is not raised after the stimulation of the nerve tissue at all positions is completed, the ablation of the nerve tissue (target nerve tissue) in the current target area is successfully completed, and the ablation of the nerve tissue (target nerve tissue) in the next target area can be performed.

In some exemplary embodiments, the controller 110 is further configured to calculate an ablation parameter corresponding to the target neural tissue according to the obtained monitoring information, and adjust the ablation parameter according to the monitoring information in real time during the ablation process, where the monitoring information includes at least one of equipment operation information, size information of the target region, position information and size information of the target neural tissue, and temperature information of the target region. Therefore, in the ablation process, the ablation parameters are adjusted according to the detected monitoring information, so that the ablation effect can be effectively improved, and excessive treatment and ineffective treatment are effectively avoided. It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art can understand, the device operation information specifically refers to operation information of the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130, for example, related information of the second ultrasonic array element participating in ablation.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in some exemplary embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the ultrasound ablation system further includes a display 170 in communication with the controller 110, the display 170 configured to display at least one of the ultrasound image of the target region, ablation parameters, and monitoring information. Thus, by displaying at least one of the ultrasound image of the target area, the ablation parameters and the monitoring information, the operator can be facilitated to perform the surgical operation better.

The following describes a specific workflow of the ultrasound ablation system provided by the present invention, taking ablation of nerve tissue in renal arteries as an example. Referring to fig. 4, a schematic diagram of a specific workflow of an ultrasound ablation system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shown in fig. 4, the method specifically comprises the following steps: s1, the controller 110 controls the cooling module 160 to be activated so that the temperature of the catheter integrated with the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 and the stimulator 140 is stabilized within a certain range. S2, the catheter is passed through a specific channel (such as femoral artery and the like) to reach the renal artery. S3, the controller 110 obtains initial monitoring feedback data including, but not limited to, initial ambient temperature (which may be measured by a temperature sensor mounted on the catheter), critical device performance detection (including, but not limited to, the ultrasound imaging transducer 120, the ultrasound ablation transducer 130, and the stimulator 140), renal artery inner diameter, etc. S4, the controller 110 controls the excitation source 150 to apply a first excitation to the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120, so that the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to image the tissue in the target area, and displays the acquired ultrasonic image of the target area on the display 170. S5, the controller 110 performs grabbing recognition on the nerve tissue information in the ultrasonic image of the target area, and measures the position and size information of the nerve tissue. And S6, the controller 110 adjusts the stimulation dose according to the position and size information of the nerve tissue identified by the ultrasonic image, sets a working array element (a third ultrasonic array element) to aim (focus) the stimulation point (namely, the position of the nerve tissue), and screens out a positive region (namely, the region of the target nerve tissue) where ablation treatment can be performed. S7, the controller 110 calculates and obtains ablation parameters including, but not limited to, ablation dose, cooling time, etc. according to the monitored information (at least one of the device operation information, the size information of the target area, the position information and the size information of the target nerve tissue, and the temperature information of the target area), and displays the obtained ablation parameters on the display 170, so that the operator can interact with the controller 110 according to the information displayed on the display 170. And S8, the controller 110 controls the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 to work according to the ablation parameters, and the controller 110 adjusts the ablation parameters according to the obtained monitoring information in the ablation process and displays the ablation parameters on a display interface of the display 170 so as to interact with an operator. S9, after ablation, the controller 110 controls the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 to acquire an ultrasonic image of the target area after ablation, performs grabbing recognition of nerve tissue information again (the position of the nerve tissue is required to be determined again because the morphology of the nerve tissue is changed due to ablation), and controls the stimulator 140 to stimulate the area after ablation again according to the recognized position and size information of the nerve tissue, and performs evaluation of ablation effect by measuring the state of blood pressure, specifically: if the blood pressure rises after the stimulation, the ablation is unsuccessful, and the ablation is continued again until the blood pressure does not change; if the blood pressure is not increased after all nerve tissue stimulation is completed, the successful ablation is indicated, and the treatment of the next target area can be performed. The controller 110 will give the next operation information on the display interface of the display 170: repeated treatment or discontinuation of treatment is performed on the target area. S10, after treatment of one target area is completed, the catheter is moved to reach the next target area, and the steps S4-S9 are circularly operated until treatment of a single renal artery is completed.

It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, the specific activation time of the cooling module 160 is not limited in the present invention, and may be specifically set according to the actual operation scenario. For example, in some embodiments, the cooling module 160 may be activated after the catheter reaches within the target lumen (e.g., renal artery) before the ultrasound imaging transducer 120 begins imaging; in other embodiments, the cooling module 160 may be activated before the stimulator 140 begins stimulation; in still other embodiments, the cooling module 160 may also be activated before the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 begins ablation.

The present invention also provides a readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored, please refer to fig. 5, which is a schematic diagram of a workflow of the readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 5, the computer program may implement the following steps when executed by a processor:

step S100, controlling the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 to transmit ultrasonic waves capable of reaching the nerve tissue in the target area to the target area, and receiving echoes reflected back by the nerve tissue in the target area and other tissues except the nerve tissue, and converting the echoes into corresponding electrical signals.

Step S200, receiving the electrical signal sent by the ultrasonic imaging transducer 120 to generate a corresponding ultrasonic image of the target area, and identifying the neural tissue of the ultrasonic image of the target area to obtain the position information of the neural tissue.

Step S300, according to the position information of the nerve tissue, controlling the stimulator 140 to stimulate the nerve tissue at the corresponding position, and according to the stimulation result, obtaining the position information of the target nerve tissue;

step S400, according to the position information of the target neural tissue, controlling the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 to ablate the target neural tissue at the corresponding position.

Therefore, the readable storage medium provided by the invention can realize accurate stimulation by identifying the position information of each nerve tissue in the target area and then stimulating based on the identified position information of the nerve tissue, so that uncontrollable factors caused by unordered and non-target stimulation can be avoided. In addition, since the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 can perform high-temperature action on the target nerve tissue without directly contacting the endoluminal (e.g., endovascular) membrane, the high temperature of the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 itself can be prevented from directly acting on the endoluminal (e.g., endovascular) membrane, and damage to the endoluminal (e.g., endovascular) membrane can be avoided.

In some exemplary embodiments, the controlling the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 to ablate the target nerve tissue at the corresponding position according to the position information of the target nerve tissue includes:

and controlling at least two second ultrasonic array elements in a corresponding range in a plurality of second ultrasonic array elements forming the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 to perform focusing ablation or non-focusing ablation on the target nerve tissue according to the position information and the size information of the target nerve tissue.

Thus, by targeting the combination and focusing technique of different ones of the plurality of second ultrasound elements of the ultrasound ablation transducer 130 to target neural tissue at different locations, and by varying the number of second ultrasound elements that are activated (i.e., the number of second ultrasound elements to which the third excitation is applied), the ablation energy and the radiation range of the ablation energy can be increased or decreased, thereby achieving precise ablation, improving the ablation effect. Of course, a non-focusing technique may also be used to achieve precise ablation of target neural tissue over a larger area by controlling only the number of second ultrasound elements that are activated (i.e., the number of second ultrasound elements to which a third excitation is applied).

In some exemplary embodiments, the controlling the stimulator 140 to stimulate the neural tissue at the corresponding location according to the location information of the neural tissue includes:

according to the position information of the nerve tissue, the third ultrasonic array elements forming the stimulator 140 are divided into two groups of array element groups, and the two groups of array element groups are controlled to perform difference frequency focusing stimulation at the position of the nerve tissue at different excitation frequencies.

Therefore, the present invention divides the plurality of third ultrasonic array elements of the stimulator 140 into two groups of array element groups according to the position information of the nerve tissue, the two groups of array element groups apply third excitation with two different frequencies, focus is performed at the position of the nerve tissue to be stimulated by using a focusing technology, and the nerve tissue at the focal position is stimulated by using the difference frequency effect, so that any change of the focal position can be realized within a certain range, and the position of the difference frequency stimulation can be changed according to the position of the nerve tissue to be stimulated, thereby achieving the purpose of accurate stimulation.

In some exemplary embodiments, the computer program when executed by the processor further performs the steps of:

And acquiring temperature distribution information of the target area according to the ultrasonic image of the target area and a temperature regression model acquired in advance.

Therefore, the temperature distribution information of the target region in the ablation process is acquired according to the ultrasonic image of the target region and the temperature regression model acquired in advance, so that the temperature of the treatment region and surrounding tissues can be monitored in real time and without damage.

Specifically, for how to obtain the temperature distribution information of the target region according to the ultrasound image of the target region and the temperature regression model obtained in advance, reference may be made to the related description hereinabove, and details thereof will not be described herein.

In some exemplary embodiments, the computer program, when executed by the processor 301, further performs the steps of:

and calculating an ablation parameter corresponding to the target nerve tissue according to the acquired monitoring information, and adjusting the ablation parameter in real time according to the monitoring information in an ablation process, wherein the monitoring information comprises at least one of equipment operation information, size information of a target area, position information and size information of the target nerve tissue and temperature information of the target area.

Therefore, in the ablation process, the ablation parameters are adjusted according to the detected monitoring information, so that the ablation effect can be effectively improved, and excessive treatment and ineffective treatment are effectively avoided.

The readable storage media of embodiments of the present invention may take the form of any combination of one or more computer-readable media. The readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or a combination of any of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer hard disk, a hard disk, random Access Memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated data signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable signal medium may also be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention further provides an electronic device, please refer to fig. 6, which schematically shows a block structure schematic diagram of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the electronic device includes a processor 210 and a readable storage medium 230 as described above. Because the electronic device provided by the present invention and the readable storage medium provided by the present invention belong to the same inventive concept, the electronic device provided by the present invention has all the advantages of the readable storage medium provided by the present invention, and the description of the advantages of the readable storage medium provided by the present invention can be referred to specifically, and will not be repeated here.

With continued reference to fig. 6, the electronic device further includes a communication interface 220 and a communication bus 240, where the processor 210, the communication interface 220, and the readable storage medium 230 perform communication with each other via the communication bus 240. The communication bus 240 may be a peripheral component interconnect standard (Peripheral Component Interconnect, PCI) bus, or an extended industry standard architecture (Extended Industry StandardArchitecture, EISA) bus, among others. The communication bus 240 may be classified into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, the figures are shown with only one bold line, but not with only one bus or one type of bus. The communication interface 220 is used for communication between the electronic device and other devices.

The processor 210 of the present invention may be a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), other general purpose processor, digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), off-the-shelf Programmable gate array (FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware components, etc. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like, and the processor 210 is a control center of the electronic device, and connects various parts of the entire electronic device using various interfaces and lines.

The readable storage medium 230 may be used to store the computer program, and the processor 210 implements various functions of the electronic device by running or executing the computer program stored in the readable storage medium 230 and invoking data stored in the readable storage medium 230.

It should be noted that computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, smalltalk, C ++ and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any kind of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

In summary, compared with the prior art, the ultrasonic ablation system, the electronic device and the readable storage medium provided by the invention have the following beneficial effects:

(1) According to the invention, the position information of each nerve tissue in the target area is firstly identified, and then the stimulation is performed based on the identified position information of the nerve tissue, so that the accurate stimulation can be realized, and uncontrollable factors caused by unordered and non-target stimulation can be avoided. In addition, since the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 can perform high-temperature action on the target nerve tissue without directly contacting the endoluminal (e.g., endovascular) membrane, the high temperature of the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 itself can be prevented from directly acting on the endoluminal (e.g., endovascular) membrane, and damage to the endoluminal (e.g., endovascular) membrane can be avoided.

(2) According to the invention, the ultrasonic ablation transducer 130 is arranged to be of an array structure comprising a plurality of second ultrasonic array elements, the target nerve tissue at different positions can be targeted through the combination and focusing technologies of different second ultrasonic array elements in the array, and the ablation energy and the radiation range of the ablation energy can be increased or reduced by changing the number of the activated second ultrasonic array elements (namely the number of the second ultrasonic array elements subjected to third excitation), so that the precise ablation is realized, and the ablation effect is improved. Of course, a non-focusing technique may also be used to achieve precise ablation of target neural tissue over a larger area by controlling only the number of second ultrasound elements that are activated (i.e., the number of second ultrasound elements to which a third excitation is applied).

(3) According to the invention, the stimulator 140 is arranged to be of a structure comprising a plurality of third ultrasonic array elements, the third ultrasonic array elements are divided into two groups of array element groups according to the position information of the nerve tissue, and the two groups of array element groups are controlled to perform difference frequency focusing stimulation at the position of the nerve tissue with different excitation frequencies, so that the nerve tissue at any position can be subjected to ultrasonic stimulation within a certain range, and the effect of accurate stimulation is achieved.

(4) According to the invention, the functions of imaging, stimulation, ablation and the like are realized by controlling the plurality of ultrasonic array elements in a time-sharing manner, the plurality of ultrasonic array elements are not required to be moved, so that the imaging, stimulation and ablation functions can be completed in the same visual field, the ablation point (namely, the position of the target nerve tissue which can be ablated) can be found, namely, the treatment is facilitated, the efficiency of operation is greatly improved, the complexity of the operation is reduced, the treatment is more effective and thorough, and the space utilization rate is greatly optimized.

(5) According to the invention, the temperature distribution information of the target region in the ablation process is obtained according to the ultrasonic image of the target region and the temperature regression model obtained in advance, so that the temperature of the treatment region and the surrounding tissues can be monitored in real time and without damage.

It should be noted that the apparatus and methods disclosed in the embodiments herein may be implemented in other ways. The apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, for example, flow diagrams and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of apparatus, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments herein. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. In addition, the functional modules in the embodiments herein may be integrated together to form a single part, or the modules may exist alone, or two or more modules may be integrated to form a single part.

The above description is only illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and any alterations and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is intended to include such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the invention or the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic ablation system is characterized by comprising a controller, an ultrasonic imaging transducer, an ultrasonic ablation transducer and a stimulator, wherein the ultrasonic imaging transducer, the ultrasonic ablation transducer and the stimulator are all in communication connection with the controller;

2. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasound imaging transducer comprises a plurality of first ultrasound array elements arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array, and an area array; and/or

The ultrasonic ablation transducer comprises a plurality of second ultrasonic array elements which are arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array and an area array; and/or

The stimulator comprises a plurality of third ultrasonic array elements which are arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array, an area array and a spherical crown splicing array.

3. The ultrasonic ablation system of claim 1, further comprising a catheter assembly, wherein the ultrasonic imaging transducer, the ultrasonic ablation transducer, and the stimulator are each mounted to a distal end of the catheter assembly.

4. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of ultrasound array elements are mounted at a distal end of the catheter assembly, the plurality of ultrasound array elements being arranged in at least one of a linear array, a convex array, a circular array, and a planar array, the controller further configured to control the plurality of ultrasound array elements to be time-multiplexed into the ultrasound imaging transducer, the stimulator, and the ultrasound ablation transducer; or controlling one part of the ultrasonic array elements in the plurality of ultrasonic array elements to form the ultrasonic imaging transducer, the other part of the ultrasonic array elements to form the ultrasonic ablation transducer, and the other part of the ultrasonic array elements to form the stimulator.

5. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to control the plurality of ultrasound array elements to be time multiplexed into a measurer for measuring the size of the target region; or alternatively

And controlling the rest ultrasonic array elements except the ultrasonic imaging transducer, the ultrasonic ablation transducer and the stimulator to form a measurer for measuring the size of the target area.

6. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to divide the plurality of third ultrasound array elements into two groups of array element groups according to the positional information of the nerve tissue, and to control the two groups of array element groups to perform difference frequency focusing stimulation at the position of the nerve tissue at different excitation frequencies.

7. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control at least two of the second ultrasound array elements within a corresponding range of the plurality of second ultrasound array elements to perform focused ablation or unfocused ablation of the target neural tissue according to the positional information and the dimensional information of the target neural tissue.

8. The ultrasound ablation system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain temperature distribution information of the target region during ablation based on the target region ultrasound image obtained prior to stimulation, the target region ultrasound image obtained during ablation, and a pre-obtained temperature regression model.

9. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling module in communication with the controller, the cooling module configured to deliver cryogenic substance to the target region under control of the controller.

10. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

11. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 1, further comprising a display communicatively coupled to the controller, the display configured to display the ultrasound image of the target region and ablation parameters.

12. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 1, further comprising an excitation source in communication with the controller, the excitation source configured to apply a first excitation to the ultrasound imaging transducer, a second excitation to the stimulator, and a third excitation to the ultrasound ablation transducer under control of the controller.

13. The ultrasound ablation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate an ablation parameter corresponding to the target nerve tissue according to the acquired monitoring information, and adjust the ablation parameter according to the monitoring information in real time during the ablation process, wherein the monitoring information includes at least one of equipment operation information, size information of the target region, position information and size information of the target nerve tissue, and temperature information of the target region.

14. A readable storage medium, wherein a computer program is stored in the readable storage medium, the computer program realizing the following steps when executed by a processor:

15. An electronic device comprising a processor and the readable storage medium of claim 14.