Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging and Sonothrombolysis

Advanced biomedical imaging and therapy present unprecedented challenges to intravascular ultrasound transducer technology. In this talk, recent study on ultrasound transducer materials, structures and devices enabled by micro/nanotechnology is presented for intravascular ultrasound. In specific, we investigated high frequency (40-60 MHz) micromachined piezoelectric composite transducers and arrays with broad bandwidth for intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, and dual frequency transducers (6.5 MHz/30 MHz) for contrast enhanced intravascular superharmonic imaging. In intravascular ultrasound therapy study, we recently demonstrated, for the first time, forward-viewing intravascular transducers for effective intravascular sonothrombolysis. These new findings suggest that broadband intravascular ultrasound are increasingly important in advancing intravascular ultrasound imaging and therapy.