Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA.
Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 14;7(1):3454. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-03492-4.
Effective removal or dissolution of large blood clots remains a challenge in clinical treatment of acute thrombo-occlusive diseases. Here we report the development of an intravascular microbubble-mediated sonothrombolysis device for improving thrombolytic rate and thus minimizing the required dose of thrombolytic drugs. We hypothesize that a sub-megahertz, forward-looking ultrasound transducer with an integrated microbubble injection tube is more advantageous for efficient thrombolysis by enhancing cavitation-induced microstreaming than the conventional high-frequency, side-looking, catheter-mounted transducers. We developed custom miniaturized transducers and demonstrated that these transducers are able to generate sufficient pressure to induce cavitation of lipid-shelled microbubble contrast agents. Our technology demonstrates a thrombolysis rate of 0.7 ± 0.15 percent mass loss/min in vitro without any use of thrombolytic drugs.
有效清除或溶解大型血栓仍然是急性血栓闭塞性疾病临床治疗的一个挑战。在这里，我们报告了一种血管内微泡介导的超声溶栓装置的开发，以提高溶栓率，从而最大限度地减少溶栓药物的剂量。我们假设，与传统的高频、侧视、导管式换能器相比，具有集成微泡注射管的亚兆赫兹前向超声换能器通过增强空化诱导的微流，更有利于提高溶栓效率。我们开发了定制的小型化换能器，并证明这些换能器能够产生足够的压力来诱导脂质壳微泡造影剂的空化。我们的技术在体外无需使用任何溶栓药物的情况下，即可实现 0.7±0.15%质量损失/分钟的溶栓率。
