Title :
Low frequency ultrasounds in medicine
Author :
Fiorillo, A.S. ; Grimaldi, D. ; Pullano, S.A.
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Biomed. Eng., Univ. of Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy
Abstract :
Ultrasound energy at frequency lower than 200 kHz has been used recently in medical field for transdermal drug transport and therapy with experimental results better than high frequency ultrasound at few MHz. As a consequence, the low frequency ultrasounds are gained more interest in the medical field. In the paper we review the most promising application of low frequency ultrasounds with emphasis on technology transducers and measurements. Furthermore, we propose a piezopolymer transducer, originally aimed to emulate the bat bio-sonar, that has low acoustic impedance to match biological tissue. It is light, small and low cost and could be used for medical application.
Keywords :
acoustic impedance; biological effects of acoustic radiation; biomedical ultrasonics; drug delivery systems; ultrasonic measurement; ultrasonic transducers; acoustic impedance; bat biosonar; biological tissue; drug therapy; low frequency ultrasounds; piezopolymer transducer; transdermal drug transport; ultrasonic measurements; ultrasonic transducers; ultrasound energy; Acoustic measurements; Acoustic transducers; Biomedical transducers; Drugs; Frequency; Medical treatment; Paper technology; Pharmaceutical technology; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonic transducers; drug delivery; piezopolymer; therapy for wounds; ultrasound transducer;
Conference_Titel :
Medical Measurements and Applications, 2009. MeMeA 2009. IEEE International Workshop on
Conference_Location :
Cetraro
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-3598-2
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-3599-9
DOI :
10.1109/MEMEA.2009.5167986