High-intensity ultrasound therapy method and apparatus with controlled cavitation effect and reduced side lobes

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Thus, the principle aim of the present invention is to resolve the new technical problem of providing a solution enabling maximum energy to be supplied to the medium, preferably the tissue of a living being, in particular an animal or human being, in the shortest possible time and preferably reducing or preventing the occurrence of cavitation phenomena.
A further aim of the invention is to resolve the new technical problem of providing a solution enabling maximum energy to be supplied to the medium, preferably the tissue of a living being, in particular an animal or human being, in the shortest possible time, while simultaneously ensuring safe and effective control of heat deposit, thus making it possible either to provide moderate thermal treatment in the framework of hyperthermia, or to carry out thermal treatment at high temperatures to achieve tissue destruction, preferably reducing or limiting cavitation phenomena.
Moreover, the invention resolves the new problem of secondary focusing which can occur when periodic or quasi-periodic structures are present on the path between the emission device and the region to be treated.
The present invention has the further aim of resolving the above technical problems in a simple, reliable, inexpensive manner making widespread industrial and medical use possible.
The present invention provides a satisfactory solution for the first time to the technical problems defined above, and has further technical advantages which will become more clear from the detailed description which follows, including the attached drawings which constitute an integral part thereof.
Thus, according to a first aspect, there is provided a method for generating ultrasound waves in a propagation medium comprising activating at least one ultrasound transducer element by an electronic signal supplied by a signal generator and reducing or preventing cavitation phenomena resulting from the propagation of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound transducer element within the propagation medium by the use of a signal generator supplying a wideband electronic signal