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Title: High frequency ultrasonic process and apparatus for selectively dissolving and removing unwanted solid and semi-solid materials and the like
Claims: What is claimed is: 1. A process for selectively dissolving solid and semi-solid materials, comprising producing ultrasonic-frequency energy of the order of at least 90- 100 Mhz, propagating such energy as a radiated acoustic wave from a predetermined region and upon material-to-be dissolved at a juxtaposed region to subject the material to the radiated acoustic wave energy and thereby dissolve the material locally into cellular components at said juxtaposed region thereof substantially normal to the wavefront of the acoustic wave and rapidly attenuating the energy in the material at said juxtaposed region to prevent dissolving and other substantial damage to the portions of the material external to said juxtaposed region and to prevent any substantial temperature rise external to said juxtaposed region. 2. A process as claimed in claim 1 and in which the said energy producing comprising producing pulses of ultrasonic-frequency energy. 3. A process as claimed in claim 2 and in which said energy producing comprises producing pulses of the order of microseconds long and of repetition rate of the order hundreds per second. 4. A process as claimed in claim 1 and in which said predetermined region is positioned so as to be located a short distance from said juxtaposed region. 5. A process as claimed in claim 1 and in which said predetermined region is positioned so as to be located a distance of the order of millimeters from said predetermined region. 6. A process as claimed in claim 1 and in which said propagating comprises propagating said energy upon at least a portion of a human or animal eye. 7. A process as claimed in claim 6 and in which said energy producing comprises producing pulses of ultrasonic-frequency of the order of one to a few microseconds long and having a repetition rate of the order of one to a few hundred per second. 8. A process as claimed in claim 7 and in which said predetermined region is positioned so as to be located a distance of the order of a millimeter from said juxtaposed region. 9. A process as claimed in claim 8 further comprising injecting treating fluid into said juxtaposed region and withdrawing said fluid therefrom to carry off dissolved material. 10. A process as claimed in claim 1 further comprising injecting treating fluid into said juxtaposed region and withdrawing said fluid therefrom to carry off dissolved material. 11. A process as claimed in claim 10 further comprising measuring the pressure of the material at said juxtaposed region and controlling said injecting in accordance with said measuring. 12. A process as claimed in claim 1 and in which said energy producing comprises producing ultrasonic-frequency energy of wavelength corresponding to the dimensions of said cellular components and small compared to the dimensions of said material. 13. A process for dissolving solid and semi-solid materials, comprising the steps of producing ultrasonic-frequency energy of the order of at least 90- 100 Mhz; and transmitting said energy through a predetermined volume of material to be liquefied and thereby directly converting said energy simultaneously with said transmitting step into stress on a macromolecular and cellular level in said volume of material and dissolving said volume of material into macromolecular size components. 14. The process of claim 13, wherein said energy producing comprises generating pulses of said energy of duration, repetition rate, and frequency within predetermined ranges dependent upon the dimensions of said volume and type of said material. 15. The process of claim 13, wherein said dissolving comprises permanently rupturing adjacent macromolecular component bonds. 16. The process of claim 13, wherein said energy producing comprises producing ultrasonic-frequency acoustic energy of wavelength approximately the same as the dimensions of macromolecules and cellular components in said volume of material to be stressed and wherein said converting comprises vibrating said volume of material on a macromolecular level. 17. Apparatus for selectively dissolving solid and semi-solid materials, having, in combination, means for generating ultrasonic-frequency energy of the order of at least 90- 100 Mhz; transducer means connected with the generating means and dimensioned to comprise a highly localized acoustic-wave radiating tip; casing means containing said radiating tip and shaped to enable manual manipulation thereof in order to enable application of said radiating tip to juxtaposed region of such materials to propagate therein the radiated acoustic waves for producing a localized dissolving of the materials substantially normal to the wavefront and immediately at said juxtaposed region and thereby to attenuate the waves rapidly in the materials at the juxtaposed region, to prevent dissolving and other substantial damage to the portions of the materials external to said juxtaposed region and to prevent substantial temperature rise of said materials external to said juxtaposed region; and means for setting said frequency to control the size of the resulting dissolved components of the material. 18. Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 and in which means is further provided for introducing treating fluid to the said juxtaposed region and for withdrawing the same therefrom to carry off dissolved material. 19. Apparatus as claimed in claim 18 and in which said generating means comprises means for producing pulses of the order of microseconds at repetition rate of the order of hundreds per second. 20. Apparatus as claimed in claim 19 and in which said juxtaposed region is at a distance of the order of millimeters from said radiating tip. 21. Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 adapted for opthalmic and similar operations and in which said radiating tip extends from its casing means to enable positioning of the tip very close to selected regions of the eye and the like. 22. Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 and in which means is further provided for introducing treating fluid into said juxtaposed region and for withdrawing the same therefrom to carry off dissolved material. 23. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22 and in which means is provided for measuring the pressure at said juxtaposed region and for correspondingly controlling the introduced fluid. 24. Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 and in which said generating means comprises means for producing microsecond pulses of the order of one to a few hundred per second. 25. Apparatus as claimed in claim 24 and in which said juxtaposed region is at a distance of the order of a millimeter from said radiating tip. 26. Apparatus as claimed in claim 22 and in which said transducer means comprises a radiating surface disposed at the end of a cylindrical probe extension of said casing means, and said fluid introducing and withdrawing means comprise passages extending longitudinally along said probe and opening peripherally near said end. Other info: Inventors: Jones, Joie P. (Sherborn, MA, US) Application Number: 458793 Filing Date: 1974-04-08 Publication_date: 1976-03-02 Assignee: Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc. (Cambridge, MA) Primary Class(es): 606/128 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Other References: baum, Gilbert et al., "The Application of Ultrasonic Locating Techniques to Ophthalmology", IN Am. Jour. Ophth. 465, Part II; 319-329: Nov. 1958. | |