{"id":1807,"date":"2018-10-31T11:45:27","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T16:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/test.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/?p=1807"},"modified":"2018-10-31T11:45:27","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T16:45:27","slug":"new-paradigms-for-ultrasound-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/2018\/10\/31\/new-paradigms-for-ultrasound-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"New Paradigms for Ultrasound – Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ultrasound-world\"NEW PARADIGMS FOR ULTRASOUND – PART II<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our previous blog<\/a> opened a multi-part discussion on the expanding fields of ultrasound technology and potential applications in healthcare beyond interrogation and imaging for diagnostics.\u00a0 This material is adapted and condensed from presentations<\/a> given at SDMS<\/a> Conventions and the AVID Symposium<\/a> in 2017.\u00a0 As stated previously, for those of you considering an entry into this profession, therapeutic ultrasound represents broader specialization possibilities, and wider opportunities for career advancement and success<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We noted with irony that many of the most exciting potential applications are based on utilizing properties of ultrasound<\/a> that we have traditionally thought of as undesirable (i.e. Mechanical and Thermal Bioeffects). One of the more recent and promising fields of research involves harnessing the physical properties of ultrasound waves in service of more effective transdermal drug delivery<\/a>, referred to as sonophoresis<\/strong>.\u00a0 Transdermal drug delivery was popularized in the 1990\u2019s most notably associating with the Nicoderm patch<\/a>.\u00a0 Today, for example, its application in the delivery of Fentanyl for treatment of chronic pain is well known.<\/p>\n

\"thick-skin\"Limitations exist to the effectiveness of transdermal delivery that leave it a distant third option to oral delivery and the often-loathed subdermal injection.\u00a0 Many of these relate to the non-uniform nature of different patients\u2019 stratum corneum<\/a> (the outer layer of the epidermis).\u00a0 Basically some of us are more \u201cthin-skinned<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cthick-skinned<\/strong>\u201d physically, rather than metaphorically.<\/p>\n

Ultrasound, as with all sound waves, has an underlying wave force.\u00a0 Where researchers foresee promise is in using this wave force to \u201cpush<\/strong>\u201d drug molecules through upper layers of the irregular epidermis to the subdermal layers where it can be absorbed.\u00a0 Obviously, a needle does the same thing only by a more intrusive and painful means.<\/p>\n

\"needle\"<\/a>This is potentially revolutionary if the technology advances to a point where it offers an alternative to the currently-prevalent subdermal needle injection by which most vaccines are delivered<\/a>.\u00a0 Many patients would be more amenable to vaccination, if needles were not required.\u00a0 Additionally, needles represent an everyday biohazard in their disposal<\/a>, and an infection source when the economically-disadvantaged are tempted to reuse them.\u00a0 Additionally, this technologically can prove extremely beneficial when injections are required on a daily basis such as with insulin for diabetics.\u00a0 Avoiding an occasional injection may be considered desirable, but avoiding repeated injections is significantly advantageous, especially if the transdermal approach can result in more effective control of blood glucose levels (as shown by this graph<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\"bw-transdurmal-delivery-graph\"<\/p>\n

Another interesting field of study is advancing based on using the force of cavitation to drive localized drug delivery<\/a>.\u00a0 This is especially promising where it is desirable to deliver a drug targeted to an infinitesimal mass (cancerous tissue or tumor). Again, as you may recall, \u00a0because of the chaotic and intense energy (heat and pressure) associating with cavitation it is traditionally viewed as something to be controlled and minimized.\u00a0 This is based on both its effect on the tissue (thermal and mechanical) and the impact on the ultrasound image.<\/p>\n

\"focal-delivery-vs-chemo\"<\/p>\n

\"herding\"Until recently, channeling cavitational force intentionally within a living body would have been viewed like fishing with sticks of dynamite.\u00a0 However, because ultrasound force can now be delivered with more pin-point accuracy, this energy can be localized to activate drugs when in close proximity to a treatment site. Essentially, its power can be used to \u201cherd<\/strong>\u201d the drug toward its intended target, and\/or activate it once there. By executing this reaction so precisely, the percentage of drug delivered to where it is actually needed can be enhanced to a point where it is more effective.<\/p>\n

\u2013Frank Miele, MSEE\u00a0<\/strong>, President of Pegasus Lectures, Inc.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Frank graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a triple major in physics, mathematics, and engineering. While at Dartmouth, he was a Proctor Scholar and received citations for academic excellence in comparative literature, atomic physics and quantum mechanics, and real analysis. Frank was a research and design engineer and project leader, designing ultrasound equipment and electronics for more than ten years at Hewlett Packard Company. As a designer of ultrasound, he has lectured across the country to sonographers, physicians, engineers and students on myriad topics.<\/em><\/p>\n

*** A Special \u2018Thank You<\/strong>\u2018 to\u00a0Focused Ultrasound Foundation<\/a> for use of images, statistical and industry research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW PARADIGMS FOR ULTRASOUND – PART II Our previous blog opened a multi-part discussion on the expanding fields of ultrasound technology and potential applications in healthcare beyond interrogation and imaging for diagnostics.\u00a0 This material is adapted and condensed from presentations … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[15,11,5,2],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1807"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1843,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1807\/revisions\/1843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pegasuslectures.com\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}