Dual-Use Transducer for Ultrasound Imaging and Pulsed Focused Ultrasound (pFUS) Therapy

Pulsed focused ultrasound (pFUS) uses short acoustic pulses delivered at low duty cycle and moderate intensity to non-invasively apply mechanical stress or introduce disruption to tissue. Ultrasound-guided pFUS has primarily been used for inducing cavitation at the focus, with or without contrast agents, to promote drug delivery to tumors. When applied in tandem with contrast agents, pFUS is often administered using an ultrasound imaging probe, which has a small footprint and does not require a large acoustic window. The use of nonlinear pFUS without contrast agents was recently shown to be beneficial for localized tissue disruption, but required higher ultrasound pressure levels than a conventional ultrasound imaging probe could produce. In this work, we present the design of a compact dual-use 1 MHz transducer for ultrasound-guided pFUS without contrast agents. Nonlinear pressure fields that could be generated by the probe, under realistic power input, were simulated using the Westervelt equation. In water, fully developed shocks of 42 MPa amplitude and peak negative pressure of 8 MPa were predicted to form at the focus at 458 W acoustic power or 35% of the maximum reachable power of the transducer. In absorptive soft tissue, fully developed shocks formed at higher power (760 W or 58% of the maximum reachable power) with the shock amplitude of 33 MPa and peak negative pressure of 7.5 MPa. The electronic focus steering capabilities of the array were evaluated and found to be sufficient to cover a target with dimensions of 19 mm in axial direction and 44 mm in transversal direction.