Investigation of effectiveness of microbubble stable cavitation in thrombolysis

Ultrasound and intravenous microbubbles have been used in recanalizing intravascular thrombi which cause ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and other vascular thromboembolic events. In previous studies, inertial cavitation (IC) produced by high mechanical index (MI) ultrasound has been shown to be effective in dissolving acute thrombi. However, IC is more likely to cause adverse bioeffects than stable cavitation (SC). This study indicates that SC induced by intermediate MI ultrasound (1.6 MHz, 0.35 MI, 50 cycles) is as effective for acute thrombus dissolution as IC by high MI ultrasound (1.6 MHz, 1.1 MI, 2.5 cycles).