Enhanced Sonothrombolysis Induced by High-Intensity Focused Acoustic Vortex

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Acoustic Physics
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Thrombosis-related diseases pose significant health risks, necessitating effective and non-invasive treatments.
• High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) thrombolysis is a promising therapeutic approach.
• Rapid clot dissolution and blood flow restoration are critical for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using high-intensity focused acoustic vortex (HIFAV) to improve sonothrombolysis.
• To compare the efficacy of HIFAV thrombolysis with conventional HIFU.
• To determine the impact of ultrasound parameters on HIFAV thrombolysis efficiency.

Main Methods:

• In vitro clot models were subjected to HIFU and HIFAV treatments.
• Peak negative pressure (PNP) levels were varied for HIFU (2.86 MPa, 3.27 MPa) and HIFAV (2.14 MPa).
• Pulse repetition frequency (PRF) and duty cycle were systematically adjusted to evaluate their effects on HIFAV efficacy.

Main Results:

• HIFAV demonstrated significantly higher thrombolysis efficiency (65.4%) compared to HIFU (24.1% and 31.6%) at lower intensity.
• HIFAV treatment generated debris particles of similar size to HIFU but with more intense cavitation.
• Optimizing PRF (500 Hz) and duty cycle (15%) substantially increased HIFAV thrombolysis efficiency.

Conclusions:

• HIFAV is a superior method for enhancing sonothrombolysis compared to conventional HIFU.
• Acoustic vortex technology offers a more effective non-invasive treatment for thrombosis.
• Further optimization of ultrasound parameters holds potential for maximizing HIFAV thrombolysis effectiveness.