Therapeutic use of ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction: a review of non-cardiac applications.

The development of second generation ultrasound contrast agents has extended the diagnostic scope of ultrasound imaging. Due to their physical characteristics, a therapeutic application of such microbubble based contrast agents has been promoted. Recently, several groups have demonstrated that ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) may deliver drugs or gene therapy vectors to organs accessible by ultrasound, thus providing a new technique for non-invasive, organ specific delivery of bioactive substances. Most applications in this field have been tested in cardiac models, but other organs can be treated as well. This article will give an overview of the background of UTMD and its non-cardiac applications.