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Pulsed High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound

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Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology

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Synonyms

Pulsed focused ultrasound; Pulsed HIFU

Definition

Pulsed high-intensity ultrasound (pHIFU) is a technique used to physically modify the permeability and hydraulic conductivity characteristics of living tissue in order to increase penetration and accumulation of large molecular drugs or nanoparticles in the interstitial space. Pulsed HIFU is a form of ultrasound-enhanced drug delivery; however, while the latter may be assisted by the use of exogenous agents such as ultrasound contrast agents or microbubbles, those who use pHIFU generally rely on the physical interaction of the ultrasound with the tissue alone. The use of pulsed energy deposition is specifically designed to enhance the mechanical over the thermal effects of the focused ultrasound by allowing for deposited heat to dissipate even at high powers. Microbubble contrast agents are avoided to prevent cavitation in the tissue.

Ultrasound and the Nanoparticle Delivery Problem

The transport of agents to tissues can be...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology Research, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Brian E. O’Neill

  2. Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, MS-142, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77005-1892, USA

    King C. Li

Authors
  1. Brian E. O’Neill
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  2. King C. Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian E. O’Neill .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Biomimetics (NLB²), Ohio State University Nanoprobe Lab. for Bio- & Nanotechnology, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Bharat Bhushan

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© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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O’Neill, B.E., Li, K.C. (2015). Pulsed High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound. In: Bhushan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6178-0_102-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6178-0_102-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6178-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Chemistry and Mat. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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