Comparison of sonothrombolysis efficiencies of different ultrasound systems

Stroke is a severe emergent cardiologic disease for death and permanent disability. Ultrasound exposure could noninvasively enhance the clot lysis of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) with the presence of microbubbles (MBs). A variety of sonography systems are available in the market, and whether sonothrombolysis is only successful using specific devices is unknown.

Three commercial ultrasound systems (Siemens, Philips, and SonoSite) were characterized first for their acoustic field, and then the thrombolysis efficiencies were evaluated using the same in vitro setup and protocol.

Despite different acoustic fields and pressure waveforms at the focus, similar sonothrombolysis abilities with tPA and MBs were found, and the presence of temporal bone will worsen the performance slightly (by about 10% in the clot lysis).

Therefore, it suggests that satisfactory sonothrombolysis in vivo or in clinics could be achieved using a variety of commercial ultrasound devices if the acoustic output is sufficiently strong.