Therapeutic Ultrasound: Mechanisms to Applications

Therapeutic ultrasound can be broadly defined as the application of ultrasound waves for biomedical purposes other than imaging. For imaging, the manner by which the ultrasound waves propagate is designed so that energy interactions with the tissue being imaged (or in the path of the waves on their way to the target or beyond) do not cause any undesired or harmful effects. Therapeutic ultrasound exposures, on the other hand, are specifically tailored for creating effects, where these can range from mild and reversible to more robust and irreversible, depending on the application. This book presents a detailed description of the different ultrasound mechanisms for producing bio-effects, and the manner by which the multitude of these interactions between the ultrasound energy and biological tissues can be employed for a host of therapeutic applications.