Related Experiment Videos
Physical acoustics of ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty
K Weninger1, C Camara, S Putterman
1Department of Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Clinics in Plastic Surgery
|November 5, 1999
Abstract:
The acoustic fields generated by probes and cannulas used for ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL) are sources of cavitation and sonoluminescence. The localized stress fields and heating caused by cavitation are strong enough to lyse cells and, in the authors' opinion, constitute the means of therapeutic action of UAL. The spectrum of sonoluminescence extends into the ultraviolet. Various devices have been calibrated and various issues relating to health risks are discussed.