Characterization of acoustic emissions in subharmonic frequency domain for detection and monitoring of therapeutic microbubble-mediated treatments

Abstract

We report on surface accumulating (SA) microbubbles designed to accumulate on surfaces of biomineralizations such as urinary stones and facilitate comminution through mechanical effects including inertial collapse and pressure focusing against the surface. In one current application of these engineered microbubbles, small quantities of engineered microbubbles, suspended in an aqueous solution, are placed in the patient's upper urinary tract via a cystoscopically positioned catheter and energized by quasi-collimated beams of acoustic energy emanating from a treatment head positioned extracorporeally. Non-invasive acoustic monitoring of microbubble dynamics and correlating returned signatures with treatment parameters presents a promising strategy for intra-treatment monitoring for improving clinical outcomes.