scholarly journals Effects of sub-atmospheric pressure and dissolved oxygen concentration on lesions generated in ex vivo tissues by high intensity focused ultrasound

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Min He ◽  
Zhiqiang Zhong ◽  
Deping Zeng ◽  
Xiaobo Gong ◽  
Zhibiao Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Acoustic cavitation plays an important role in the medical treatment using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), but unnecessarily strong cavitation also could deform the morphology and enlarge the size of lesions. It is known that the increase of ambient hydrostatic pressure (Pstat) can control the acoustic cavitation. But the question of how the decrease of Pstat and dissolved oxygen concentration (DOC) influence the strength of cavitation has not been thoroughly answered. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship among the Pstat, DOC and the strength of cavitation. Methods Ex vivo bovine liver tissues were immersed in degassed water with different DOC of 1.0 mg/L, 1.5 mg/L and 2.0 mg/L. Ultrasound (US) of 1 MHz and the spatial and temporal average intensity (Isata) of 6500 W/cm2 was used to expose two groups of in vitro bovine livers for 2 s; one group was under atmospheric pressure (Pstat = 1 bar) and the other was under sub-atmospheric pressure (Pstat = 0.1 bar). Acoustic cavitation was detected by a passive cavitation detector (PCD) during the exposure process. Echo signals at the focal zone of HIFU were monitored by B-mode ultrasound imaging before and after exposure. The difference between two pressure groups was tested using paired sample t-test. The difference among different DOC groups was evaluated by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results The results demonstrated a significant difference of broadband acoustic emissions from the cavitation bubbles, echo signals on B-mode image, morphology of lesions under various conditions of ambient pressure and DOC. The lesion volume in tissue was increased with the increase of ambient pressure and DOC. Conclusion Cavitation could be suppressed through sub-atmospheric pressure and low DOC level in liver tissue, which could provide a method of controlling cavitation in HIFU treatment to avoid unpredictable lesions.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min He ◽  
Zhiqiang Zhong ◽  
Deping Zeng ◽  
Xiaobo Gong ◽  
Zhibiao Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundAcoustic cavitation plays an important role in the medical treatment using high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), but unnecessarily strong cavitation also could deform the morphology and enlarge the size of lesions. It is known that the increase of ambient hydrostatic pressure (Pstat) can control the acoustic cavitation but the question how decrease of Pstat and dissolved oxygen concentration (DOC) influences the strength of cavitation has not been thoroughly answered.MethodsEx vivo bovine liver tissues were immersed in degassed water with different DOC of 1.0 mg/L, 1.5 mg/L and 2.0 mg/L. Ultrasound (US) of 1 MHz and the spatial and temporal average intensity (Isata) of 6500 W/cm2 was used to expose two groups of in vitro bovine livers for two seconds; one group was under atmospheric pressure (Pstat = 1 bar) and the other was under sub-atmospheric pressure (Pstat = 0.1 bar). Acoustic cavitation was detected by a passive cavitation detector (PCD) during the exposure process. Echo signals at the focal zone of HIFU were monitored by B-mode ultrasound imaging before and after exposure.ResultsThe results demonstrated a significant difference of broadband acoustic emissions from the cavitation bubbles, echo signals on B mode image, morphology of lesions under various condition of ambient pressure and DOC. The lesion volume in tissue was increased with the increase of ambient pressure and DOC.ConclusionCavitation could be suppressed through sub-atmospheric pressure and low DOC level in liver tissue, which could provide a method of controlling cavitation in HIFU treatment to avoid unpredictable lesions.


Author(s):  
Yufeng Zhou ◽  
Bryan W. Cunitz ◽  
Barbrina Dunmire ◽  
Yak‐Nam Wang ◽  
Steven G. Karl ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Seyed Ahmad Reza Dibaji ◽  
Matthew R. Myers ◽  
Joshua E. Soneson ◽  
Rupak K. Banerjee

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a noninvasive medical procedure during which a large amount of energy is deposited in a short duration which causes sudden localized rise in tissue temperature, and ultimately, cell necrosis. In assessing the influence of HIFU on biological tissue, semi-empirical mathematical models can be useful for predicting thermal effects. These models require values of the pressure amplitude in the tissue of interest, which can be difficult to obtain experimentally. One common method for estimating the pressure amplitude in tissue is to operate the HIFU transducer in water, measure the pressure amplitude, then multiply by a scaling factor that accounts for the difference in attenuation between water and tissue. This procedure can be accurate when the ultrasound amplitude is low, and the pressure trace in tissue is proportional to that in water. Because of this proportionality, the procedure for reducing the amplitude from water to tissue is called linear derating. At higher intensities, however, harmonics of the fundamental frequency are generated due to nonlinear propagation effects. Higher harmonics are attenuated differently in water and tissue (Hamilton and Blackstock [1]), and the pressure waves in water and tissue are no longer proportional to one another. Techniques for nonlinearly transforming pressure amplitudes measured in water to values appropriate for tissue are therefore desirable when bioeffects of higher intensity procedures are being studied. These techniques are labeled “nonlinear derating”.


Author(s):  
David Sanford ◽  
Christoph Schaal

Abstract High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is used clinically to heat cells therapeutically or to destroy them through heat or cavitation. In homogeneous media, the highest wave amplitudes occur at a predictable focal region. However, HIFU is generally not used in the proximity of bones due to wave absorption and scattering. Ultrasound is passed through the skull in some clinical trials, but the complex geometry of the spine poses a greater targeting challenge and currently prohibits therapeutic ultrasound treatments near the vertebral column. This paper presents a comprehensive experimental study involving shadowgraphy and hydrophone measurements to determine the spatial distribution of pressure amplitudes from induced HIFU waves near vertebrae. First, a bone-like composite plate that is partially obstructing the induced waves is shown to break the conical HIFU form into two regions. Wave images are captured using pulsed laser shadowgraphy, and hydrophone measurements over the same region are compared to the shadowgraphy intensity plots to validate the procedure. Next, shadowgraphy is performed for an individual, clean, ex-vivo feline vertebra. The results indicate that shadowgraphy can be used to determine energy deposition patterns and to determine heating at a specific location. The latter is confirmed through additional temperature measurements. Overall, these laboratory experiments may help determine the efficacy of warming specific nerve cells within mammal vertebrae without causing damage to adjacent tissue.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siavash Rahimian ◽  
Jahan Tavakkoli

Background This study investigated the dynamic changes of tissue attenuation coefficients before, during, and after high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment at different total acoustic powers (TAP) in ex vivo porcine muscle tissue. It further assessed the reliability of employing changes in tissue attenuation coefficient parameters as potential indicators of tissue thermal damage. Methods Two-dimensional pulse-echo radio frequency (RF) data were acquired before, during, and after HIFU exposure to estimate changes in least squares attenuation coefficient slope (Δβ) and attenuation coefficient intercept (Δα0). Using the acquired RF data, Δβ and Δα0 images, along with conventional B-mode ultrasound images, were constructed. The dynamic changes of Δβ and Δα0, averaged in the region of interest, were correlated with B-mode images obtained during the HIFU treatment process. Results At a HIFU exposure duration of 40 s and various HIFU intensities (737–1,068 W/cm2), Δβ and Δα0 increased rapidly to values in the ranges 1.5–2.5 dB/(MHz.cm) and 4–5 dB/cm, respectively. This rapid increase was accompanied with the appearance of bubble clouds in the B-mode images. Bubble activities appeared as strong hyperechoic regions in the B-mode images and caused fluctuations in the estimated Δβ and Δα0 values. After the treatment, Δβ and Δα0 values gradually decreased, accompanied by fade-out of hyperechoic spots in the B-mode images. At 10 min after the treatment, they reached values in ranges 0.75–1 dB/(MHz.cm) and 1–1.5 dB/cm, respectively, and remained stable within those ranges. At a long HIFU exposure duration of around 10 min and low HIFU intensity (117 W/cm2), Δβ and Δα0 gradually increased to values of 2.2 dB/(MHz.cm) and 2.2 dB/cm, respectively. This increase was not accompanied with the appearance of bubble clouds in the B-mode images. After HIFU treatment, Δβ and Δα0 gradually decreased to values of 1.8 dB/(MHz.cm) and 1.5 dB/cm, respectively, and remained stable at those values. Conclusions Δβ and Δα0 estimations were both potentially reliable indicators of tissue thermal damage. In addition, Δβ and Δα0 images both had significantly higher contrast-to-speckle ratios compared to the conventional B-mode images and outperformed the B-mode images in detecting HIFU thermal lesions at all investigated TAPs and exposure durations.


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