High-speed photography during ultrasound illustrates potential therapeutic applications of microbubbles

Ultrasound contrast agents consist of microscopically small encapsulated bubbles that oscillate upon insonification. To enhance diagnostic ultrasound imaging techniques and to explore therapeutic applications, these medical microbubbles have been studied with the aid of high-speed photography. We fi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMedical physics (Lancaster) Vol. 32; no. 12; p. 3707
Main Authors Postema, Michiel, van Wamel, Annemieke, ten Cate, Folkert J, de Jong, Nico
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.12.2005
Subjects
Biophysical Phenomena
Biophysics
Drug Delivery Systems
Humans
Microbubbles
Photography
Time Factors
Ultrasonic Therapy
Ultrasonics
Ultrasonography
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Summary:Ultrasound contrast agents consist of microscopically small encapsulated bubbles that oscillate upon insonification. To enhance diagnostic ultrasound imaging techniques and to explore therapeutic applications, these medical microbubbles have been studied with the aid of high-speed photography. We filmed medical microbubbles at higher frame rates than the ultrasonic frequency transmitted. Microbubbles with thin lipid shells have been observed to act as microsyringes during one single ultrasonic cycle. This jetting phenomenon presumably causes sonoporation. Furthermore, we observed that the gas content can be forced out of albumin-encapsulated microbubbles. These free bubbles have been observed to jet, too. It is concluded that microbubbles might act as a vehicle to carry a drug in gas phase to a region of interest, where it has to be released by diagnostic ultrasound. This opens up a whole new area of potential applications of diagnostic ultrasound related to targeted imaging and therapeutic delivery of drugs such as nitric oxide.
ISSN:0094-2405
DOI:10.1118/1.2133718