New Developments in Therapeutic Ultrasound-Assisted Coronary Angioplasty

Ultrasound at high energy, as distinct from the low energy used in ultrasound imaging, has found many uses in varied branches of medicine and surgery. Clinical trials of catheter-delivered, high-energy, low-frequency (kHz) ultrasound over the past 6 years have shown the safety of this modality in the treatment of coronary artery disease and have identified a number of indications in which its use, as an adjunct to conventional percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) techniques, may offer therapeutic advantages. Thrombus-mediated conditions--such as myocardial infarction, chronic total occlusion, and atherosclerosis in small vessels--appear to derive particular benefit from ultrasound treatment. Recent developments in these fields are reviewed.