Biological effects of ultrasound

When ultrasound is absorbed by tissue, heat is produced which may be destructive or, if controlled, can be therapeutic. In addition, ultrasound produces biological effects which cannot be explained on the basis of heating alone. Under certain exposure conditions production of ultrasonic lesions in brain tissue can be explained on a purely thermal basis. Examples of nonthermal effects of ultrasound include changes in growth, mitotic index and the production of chromosomal aberrations in plant roots.