Patent ID: 7559905

Claim:
An apparatus for treating tissue, the apparatus comprising, a probe including a transducer which is positionable proximate to the tissue to be treated, and configured to provide HIFU energy to the tissue to be treated and to sense ultrasound energy, a positioning member coupled to the transducer and configured to position the transducer relative to the tissue to be treated, and a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, both the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet being in fluid communication with a fluid pathway including an area adjacent a face of the transducer; and a fluid circulation system in fluid communication with the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet of the probe, the fluid circulation system including a pump configured to circulate a fluid throughout the fluid circulation system and the fluid pathway of the probe; a chiller configured to reduce a temperature of the fluid; a degasser which is configured to remove dissolved gases from the fluid; a fluid adjustment member including a reservoir in which the fluid passes, the fluid adjustment member being configured to both add additional fluid to the fluid circulation system and remove fluid from the fluid circulation system, the fluid adjustment member being in fluid communication with the reservoir; and a first fluid circuit and a second fluid circuit, the first fluid circuit being in fluid communication with the fluid pathway of the probe and the reservoir and the second fluid circuit being in fluid communication with the degasser and the reservoir such that fluid in the second circuit may pass into the first circuit through the reservoir and fluid in the first circuit may pass into the second circuit through the reservoir.