Therapeutic ultrasound

Therapeutic ultrasound

Therapeutic ultrasound refers generally to any type of procedure that uses ultrasound for therapeutic benefit. This includes HIFU, lithotripsy, targeted ultrasound drug delivery, trans-dermal ultrasound drug delivery, ultrasound hemostasis, and ultrasound assisted thrombolysis. [ [http://www.acoustics.org/press/135th/crum.htm Therapeutic Ultrasound: A Promising Future in Clinical Medicine] ]

Physical Therapy

Therapeutic ultrasound in physical therapy is a relatively low intensity technique that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to speed healing in injured joint or muscle tissue. The frequency used is typically 1 to 3 MHz. At this frequency, the waves tend to travel through tissue with high water or low protein content, and to bounce off cartilage and bone. They are absorbed primarily by connective tissue: ligaments, tendons, and fascia (and also by scar tissue). [ [http://www.electrotherapy.org/electro/ultrasound/therapeutic_ultrasound.htm Watson, T. (2006). "Therapeutic Ultrasound".] (see [http://www.electrotherapy.org/electro/downloads/Therapeutic%20Ultrasound.pdf here] for a pdf version with the author and date information)]

Therapeutic ultrasound may have two types of benefit: Thermal effects involve energy absorbed from the sound waves heating the tissue. If the tissue is heated to 40 to 45 °C (104 to 113 °F), it can enter a state of hyperaemia (increased blood flow), which speeds healing and reduces chronic inflammation; Cavitational effects result from the vibration of the tissue causing microscopic air bubbles to form, which transmit the vibrations in a way that directly stimulates cell membranes. This physical stimulation appears to enhance the cell-repair effects of the inflammatory response. [Wilkin, H. D., et al. (2004). Influence of Therapeutic Ultrasound on Skeletal Muscle Regeneration Following Blunt Contusion. "International Journal of Sports Medicine, 25, "73-77.]

Therapeutic ultrasound is sometimes recommended for muscle as well as joint pain, although some evidence suggests it may not be effective for this purpose.

Ultrasound drug delivery

Ultrasound has been used in various drug delivery applications to enhance the delivery of pharmaceuticals to target tissues (Acoustic Targeted Drug Delivery). Ultrasound been shown to facilitate the delivery of drugs across the skin, promote gene therapy to specific tissues, deliver chemotherapeutic drugs into tumours and deliver thrombolytic drugs into blood clots. In addition, ultrasound has also been shown to facilitate the healing of wounds and bone fractures. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&uid=15738980&cmd=showdetailview&indexed=google Healing sound: the use of ultrasound in drug delivery and other therapeutic applications. -Mitragotri S."] ]

Therapeutic ultrasound convection enhanced delivery

Effects of exposure to 1.58MHz focused ultrasound on transport of drug in soft tissues are enhanced when an external pressure gradient is applied to induce convective flow through the tissue. Drug uptake and transport have been measured in equine brain, avian muscle and agarose brain-mimicking phantoms. Preliminary results show that ultrasound enhances drug uptake and transport, and the greatest enhancement occurs when the external pressure gradient is applied. Scientists believe that exposure of the brain parenchyma to ultrasound could enhance penetration ofmaterial infused into the brain during convection enhanced delivery therapy. [ [http://www.aip.org/"Therapeutic Ultrasound Enhancement of DrugDelivery to Soft Tissues- George Lewis Jr. et al.] ]

Therapeutic ultrasound and brain cancer

Doctors often treat brain cancers with a combination of radiation therapy and surgery—basically removing part of the skull and excising the tumor. When tumors are surgically removed, doctors will often implant a thin, drug-encapsulated wafer before replacing the skull that diffuses chemotherapy agent over time to help ensure that no remaining tumor cells survive. [ [http://www.acoustics.org/press/154th/lewis.html"Acoustic chemotherapy delivery for brain cancer - Lewis Jr. et al.] ]

This approach is too often unsuccessful, and brain cancers like neuroblastomas and neurofibromatosis remain the leading cause of cancer-related death in people under the age of 35. Part of the problem may be that cancerous cells migrate beyond the range of the slowly diffusing drugs. [ [http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/aiop-hou110607.php" Acoustics and brain cancer - Acoustical Society of America"] ]

Therapeutic ultrasound or Acoustic Targeted Drug Delivery is currently being studied to enhance the success of chemotherapy treatments to brain cancer cells. Scientists are using Therapeutic Ultrasound to increase the distribution of chemical dye agents into brain tissue, to help brain tissue absorb chemotherapy drugs faster. Researchers have found that the use of Therapeutic Ultrasound enhances the chemotherapy delivery and also reduces the time necessary for the drug to work. [ [http://www.ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?isnumber=4400869&arnumber=4400886&count=67&index=16" A phantom feasibility study of acoustic enhanced drug perfusion in neurological tissue- Lewis Jr. et al."] ]

It is believed that when focused ultrasound is applied to the brain it agitates the tissues matrices causing enhanced permeability for the drug, and by mechanically pushing it with radiation forces where the acoustical waves are focused. The drugs can then spread further and faster into the tissues than by unassisted diffusion alone. Doctors and scientists hope to use these techniques to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy as well as reduce the time it takes for the drugs to work in a given patient (e.g., to reach the cancerous brain tissue quickly and before the cells can migrate and regenerate). [ [http://scitation.aip.org/vsearch/servlet/VerityServlet?KEY=ASADL&smode=strresults&sort=rel&maxdisp=25&threshold=0&pjournals=ARLOFJ%2CJASMAN%2CNOCOAN%2CSOUCAU%2CPMARCW%2CASASTR&possible1=george+lewis&possible1zone=article&OUTLOG=NO&viewabs=JASMAN&key=DISPLAY&docID=1&page=0&chapter=0" Acoustic targeted drug delivery in neurological tissue - Lewis Jr. et al."] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.electrotherapy.org/electro/ultrasound/therapeutic_ultrasound.htm Watson, T. (2006). "Therapeutic Ultrasound".] (see [http://www.electrotherapy.org/electro/downloads/Therapeutic%20Ultrasound.pdf here] for a pdf version with the author and date information)
* [http://www.istus.org/istu/index.asp International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ultrasound — Not to be confused with Supersonic .Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is approximately 20 kilohertz (20,000 hertz) in healthy,… …   Wikipedia

  • Therapeutic hypothermia — This article is about deliberately induced cooling. For the adverse condition of Hypothermia, see Hypothermia. Therapeutic hypothermia Intervention ICD 10 PCS 6A4 OPS 301 code …   Wikipedia

  • Ultrasound — High frequency sound waves. Ultrasound waves can be bounced off of tissues using special devices. The echoes are then converted into a picture called a sonogram. Ultrasound imaging, referred to as ultrasonography, allows physicians and patients… …   Medical dictionary

  • ultrasound — noun Date: 1923 1. vibrations of the same physical nature as sound but with frequencies above the range of human hearing 2. the diagnostic or therapeutic use of ultrasound and especially a noninvasive technique involving the formation of a two… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ultrasound — /ˈʌltrəsaʊnd / (say ultruhsownd) noun 1. pressure waves similar in nature to soundwaves but whose frequencies, greater than 20 000 hertz, are above the audible limit. 2. the diagnostic or therapeutic use of such waves, as in the imaging of… …  

  • ultrasound — noun a) sound with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing; approximately 20 kilohertz b) The use of ultrasonic …   Wiktionary

  • High intensity focused ultrasound — HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) (sometimes FUS or HIFUS) is a highly precise medical procedure using high intensity focused ultrasound to heat and destroy pathogenic tissue rapidly. It is one modality of therapeutic ultrasound, and… …   Wikipedia

  • High-intensity focused ultrasound — Contents 1 Theory 2 Aiming 3 How HIFU works 4 Method of use …   Wikipedia

  • Foundation for Focused Ultrasound Research — The Foundation for Focused Ultrasound Research (FFUS) is an American non profit 501(c)(3) charity designed to promote both education and research within the area of medical applications of focused ultrasound (HIFU). History The Foundation was… …   Wikipedia

  • Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation — The Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation (FUSF) is a medical foundation based in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, whose adopted mission is to shorten the time from technology development to patient treatment, develop new applications… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”