Dual-Frequency Ultrasound Assisted Thrombolysis in Interventional Therapy of Deep Vein Thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is one of the main causes of disability and death worldwide. Currently, the treatment of DVT still needs a long time and faces a high risk of major bleeding. It is necessary to find a rapid and safe method for the therapy of DVT. Here, a dual-frequency ultrasound assisted thrombolysis (DF-UAT) is reported for the interventional treatment of DVT. A series of piezoelectric elements are placed in an interventional catheter to emit ultrasound waves with two independent frequencies in turn. The low-frequency ultrasound drives the drug-loaded droplets into the thrombus, while the high-frequency ultrasound causes the cavitation of the droplets in the thrombus. With the joint effect of the enhanced drug diffusion and the cavitation under the dual-frequency ultrasound, the thrombolytic efficacy can be improved. In a proof-of-concept experiment performed with living sheep, the recanalization of the iliac vein is realized in 15 min using the DF-UAT technology. Therefore, the DF-UAT can be one of the most promising methods in the interventional treatment of DVT.