Microbubble tunneling in gel phantoms.
Insonified microbubbles were observed in vessels within a gel with a Young's modulus similar to that of tissue, demonstrating shape instabilities, liquid jets, and the formation of small tunnels. In this study, tunnel formulation occurred in the direction of the propagating ultrasound wave, where radiation pressure directed the contact of the bubble and gel, facilitating the activity of the liquid jets. Combinations of ultrasonic parameters and microbubble concentrations that are relevant for diagnostic imaging and drug delivery and that lead to tunnel formation were applied and the resulting tunnel formation was quantified.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, 451 East Health Sciences Drive, Davis, California 95616, USA. cfcaskey@ucdavis.edu
Charles F
CF
Caskey
Shengping
S
Qin
Paul A
PA
Dayton
Katherine W
KW
Ferrara
D055119:Elastic Modulus; D045423:Microbubbles; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014463:Ultrasonography