A Miniaturized Multidirectional Stacking Ultrasound Transducer for Endo-Bronchoscopy Lung Nodule Ablation.

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality globally.
• Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for improving lung cancer survival rates.
• Ultrasound ablation shows promise for lung nodule treatment but faces power output limitations in endoscopic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a miniaturized, multidirectional ultrasound transducer for targeting peripheral pulmonary lesions during bronchoscopy.
• To overcome the dimension constraints of endoscopic ultrasound transducers for increased power output.
• To validate the efficacy of the developed transducer for in-vitro lung nodule ablation.

Main Methods:

• Designed and fabricated a miniaturized (2.2 × 2.2 × 6.0 mm³) multidirectional ultrasound transducer with a two-layer stack.
• Tested the transducer's power output and ability to induce temperature rise for tissue ablation.
• Conducted in-vitro experiments using a temperature-sensitive material mimicking lung nodules and bovine lung tissue.
• Estimated ablated lesion size using a thermal camera and color variation analysis.

Main Results:

• The miniaturized transducer achieved efficient high-power output despite its small form factor.
• The device induced a temperature rise exceeding 65 °C in 3 minutes, suitable for tissue ablation.
• In-vitro tests demonstrated successful ablation of a simulated lung nodule (7.3 × 4.2 × 3.1 mm³) at a depth of 4 mm.

Conclusions:

• The developed miniaturized, multidirectional ultrasound transducer is effective for precise ablation of simulated lung nodules.
• This technology holds significant potential for minimally invasive treatment of early-stage lung cancer via bronchoscopy.
• Further development could lead to improved therapeutic interventions for peripheral pulmonary lesions.