Removing atherosclerotic plaque created using high cholesterol diet in rabbit using ultrasound

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of the proposed study was to conduct a feasibility study using a flat rectangular (3 × 10 mm2) transducer operating at 5 MHz for removing atherosclerotic plaque in an in vivo model. The proposed method can be used in the future for treating atherosclerotic plaques in humans.Methods and resultsThe plaque in the rabbits was created using high cholesterol diet for 4 months. The amount of plaque removed was studied as a function of intensity, with a fixed pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and duty factor (DF).ConclusionsThe amount of plaque removed is directly related to the acoustic intensity. It was found that the presence of bubbles accelerates the removal of plaque. In order to ensure that pure mechanical mode ultrasound was used, the intensity used does not produce temperatures that exceed 1°C.

A feasibility study on removing lipid deposition in atherosclerotic plaques with ultrasound-assisted laser ablation

“…Also, our technology does not require any external addition of microbubble/contrast agents to generate cavitation. Some ultrasound-based technique require external injection of microbubbles to the target site to produce enhanced cavitation at low ultrasound energy (Molina et al 2009, Damianou et al 2015. The external injection of microbubble restricts the treatment time window as treatment can only be carried out when bubbles are present at the target site.…”

Three-dimensional numerical analysis of wall stress induced by asymmetric oscillation of microbubble trains inside micro-vessels

“…Micron-sized gas bubbles encapsulated in a lipid shell are an effective ultrasonic contrast agent (UCA) in medical imaging. 1 Recently, these microbubbles (MBs) have also attracted much attention for therapeutic use, for instance, as a means of intravascular drug delivery 1,2 or targeted therapy for cardiovascular disease such as stroke, 3 coronary heart disease (CHD), 4,5 and atherosclerosis (AS), 6,7 where ultrasonic energy directed at a target location serves to disrupt the bubbles locally, thus preferentially directing the energy at the offending lesion. The major advantages of this technique are that it is noninvasive, image-guided, transient, and localized.…”

In Vitro Atheroprotective Effects of Trigonella Foenum Graecum (TFG) and its Saponins in LPS-Stimulated Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells

“…Medications such as lipid lowering drugs, anti-platelets and anti-hypertensives are prescribed to curb these risk factors [3]. In the event atherosclerosis has led to CAD-related complications such acute coronary syndrome, several treatment modalities are available to manage ischaemic events such as angioplasty, endarterectomy, thrombolytic therapy and bypass surgery [4]. Despite these methods to improve outcomes of CAD, they are not without setbacks.…”