Output details

High-speed optical observations and simulation results of SonoVue microbubbles at low-pressure insonation

Microbubble enhanced ultrasound, exploits resonant oscillations of bubbles to generate an outgoing acoustic wave. Although a number of models are used to describe and predict performance, they assume that at low acoustic pressures, there would be no mechanical disruption of the bubble membranes. Using an ultra-high frame rate camera (3MHz) we directly observed single micron sized bubbles oscillating in controlled sound fields, and discovered that even at low acoustic pressure amplitude the microbubbles are irreparably physically changed by the exposure. Theoreticians have subsequently used this data to modify their models resulting in more accurate and reliable calculations.